To show what a difference the backing musicians make in a song, here's the original by the folk rock group The Great Society featuring Grace Slick. If you're not a fan of folk rock jamming, skip ahead to 4:25 when Grace starts singing:
And now the one that you're very familiar with. I've always said Grace Slick should send Jack Casady a million dollars every year, because without him (and Jorma and Paul Kantner), the song definitely ain't a hit and she doesn't get millions in royalties every year: