Readers' Poll: The Best Vocal Performances in Rock History

Joe Cocker first sang the Beatles' "With a Little Help From My Friends" on his 1969 debut LP, which featured Jimmy Page on guitar, but the version most people remember is the eight-minute rendition that closed out his set at Woodstock later that year. Countless artists covered the Beatles in the 1960s, but few people took a sledgehammer to one of their tunes quite like Cocker did. Almost nothing from the original remains besides the words; he also poured every ounce of himself into the vocals, transforming the track into a jaw-dropping blues number.

His band all took LSD before the Woodstock set, but Cocker claimed later that he abstained. (Watching the video, it's easy to think otherwise.) His cover found a new audience in the 1980s when it became the theme song to The Wonder Years.