Exclusive! Eddie Vedder & The Million Dollar Bashers, "All Along The Watchtower"
The new Dylan biopic I'm Not There takes the interesting, surrealistic angle of illustrating Bob at different stages of his life through the rubric of six distinctively different actors (including a black man and a woman): Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Ben Whishaw, and Christian Bale. I am very curious to see how this works itself out in the film - at least it's a fresh angle (I mean, how many Dylan movies can you make?).In addition to this creative lens used in the film to examine the man himself, the soundtrack is a double disc jamboree of some pretty cool Dylan covers, including disc 1, track 1 with Eddie Vedder & The Million Dollar Bashers covering "All Along The Watchtower." Fuel/Friends is pleased as punch to get an exclusive stream for you guys to take your first listen of this!
EDDIE VEDDER & THE MILLION DOLLAR BASHERS"All Along The Watchtower"
Stream FLASH
Stream QUICKTIME
Stream WINDOWS MEDIA
And who are said Million Dollar Bashers? It's Wilco's god-like guitarist Nels Cline, Lee Ranaldo and Steve Shelley (from Sonic Youth), bass player Tony Garnier, keyboardist John Medeski (from Martin, Medeski and Wood), and guitarist Smokey Hormel (onetime Beck guitarist, Smokey & Miho). I never thought I'd hear musicians from those bands all jam together. The guitar solo (assumedly from Nels?) is pretty blazing, and Vedder's got the seething caged scream goin' on.
Historical tie-in from last summer: there was an absolutely scorching live version of this song that full-band Pearl Jam did in San Francisco (when Sonic Youth opened), climaxing in a very rock n roll moment of Mike McCready giving his guitar the Townshend treatment and then surfing on it across the stage. PJ has played Watchtower 4 times live before, but that was my favorite. If you'd like to hear that one as well, the link over on that old post still surprisingly works.
You can also stream four other full songs from the biopic over on the soundtrack's MySpace (the ones by Sufjan Stevens, Cat Power, Jeff Tweedy, and Jim James with Calexico). Among others, I'm also looking forward to hearing Mason Jennings' two contributions, The Black Keys cover of Wicked Messenger, and The Hold Steady enticing me to climb out my window. The soundtrack is out October 30, and the film opens Thanksgiving weekend.
NEW CONTEST:
Would you like to win one of two copies I have to giveaway of this lovely double disc? Of course you would. Leave me a comment to enter, make sure I have a way to contact you (might wanna spell out that email addy), and if you feel so inclined, please let's talk about your favorite Dylan cover. So I can wrap this up before I head to NYC, this contest ends Wednesday at midnight.
I'M NOT THERE (FULL SOUNDTRACK LISTING)
Disc 1
1. Eddie Vedder & the Million Dollar Bashers: "All Along the Watchtower"
2. Sonic Youth: "I'm Not There"
3. Jim James and Calexico: "Goin' to Acapulco"
4. Richie Havens: "Tombstone Blues"
5. Stephen Malkmus & the Million Dollar Bashers: "Ballad of a Thin Man"
6. Cat Power: "Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again"
7. John Doe: "Pressing On"
8. Yo La Tengo: "Fourth Time Around"
9. Iron and Wine and Calexico: "Dark Eyes"
10. Karen O and the Million Dollar Bashers: "Highway 61 Revisited"
11. Roger McGuinn and Calexico: "One More Cup of Coffee"
12. Mason Jennings: "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll"
13. Los Lobos: "Billy"
14. Jeff Tweedy: "Simple Twist of Fate"
15. Mark Lanegan: "The Man in the Long Black Coat"
16. Willie Nelson and Calexico: "Señor (Tales of Yankee Power)"
Disc 2
1. Mira Billotte: "As I Went Out One Morning"
2. Stephen Malkmus and Lee Ranaldo: "Can't Leave Her Behind"
3. Sufjan Stevens: "Ring Them Bells"
4. Charlotte Gainsbourg and Calexico: "Just Like a Woman"
5. Jack Johnson: "Mama You've Been on My Mind"
6. Yo La Tengo: "I Wanna Be Your Lover"
7. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova: "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere"
8. The Hold Steady: "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window"
9. Ramblin' Jack Elliott: "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues"
10. The Black Keys: "Wicked Messenger"
11. Tom Verlaine and the Million Dollar Bashers: "Cold Irons Bound"
12. Mason Jennings: "The Times They Are a-Changin'"
13. Stephen Malkmus and the Million Dollar Bashers: "Maggie's Farm"
14. Marcus Carl Franklin: "When the Ship Comes In"
15. Bob Forrest: "Moonshiner"
16. John Doe: "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine"
17. Antony and the Johnsons: "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"
18. Bob Dylan: "I'm Not There"
[Vedder photo credit Kerensa Wight, header image credit Playlist]
Labels: black keys, contests, covers, dylan, ed vedder, films, hold steady, mason jennings, sonic youth, wilco
posted by heather @ 10:04 AM
100 comments
100 Comments:
Well, Eddie and Ben at Lollapalooza doin' "Masters of War" tops my list. Love your site!
ooo, good post. my favorite dylan cover is eddie and mike doing "masters of war" at dylan's 30th anniversary concert. this was right before i got into pearl jam. it probably is what got me into pearl jam. my mom was watching the concert and called me in - our jaws dropped as we stared at the screen. ed, hair long, wearing a purple sweatshirt with a v-neck and hardly looking at the audience. mike, hair also impossibly long when you think of how he looks now, hunched over his guitar, wearing a leather jacket. i mention what they're wearing because i've seen this so many times, it's sort of burned in my skull. the way ed growls into the mic and throws his head back, the sarcastic cross he etches into the air at the end. and his voice, and the impact of hearing this song i only vaguely knew, full of anguish and anger. love it.
and thus ends my purple-prosed comment. farothear@gmail.com
Dylan is something of a conundrum to me; I'll love the covers of his songs and then be undecided on the original.
There are quite a few songs I love that are covers of his (obviously Hendrix, Buckley's covers, Jason Mraz, Ryan Adams' version of 'Isis' is hilarious... I could go on!), most notably by Jeff Buckley. I think that my favourite has to be that version of 'I Shall Be Released' that he sang over the phone. It was so spontaneous, but everything about it is perfect, so much so that I get shivers listening to it. He tends to reinterpret the songs that he covers, but this one he sings straight. Parts of it make me laugh too; the bizarre cricket noises midway through, Jeff's Dylan impression and then when he pulls out a harmonica to play a brief solo. It's one of the most perfect musical moments captured on tape, all the more so for the spontaneity of it. Can't be beaten!
Brendan, an absolute hearty AMEN to that. I said that out loud when I read your comment. That is a transcendental, magical moment, and I love the exhilarated laugh that Jeff lets out at the end.
two stick out for me. i like neko case's "buckets of rain" (i'm incidentally seeing her tonight with the new porn's in buffalo). also, springsteen's cover of "i want you" from bryn mawr 2.5.75 bootleg is incredible. turns it into an e street classic.
bjstilb@gmail.com
There are soooo many great Dylan covers out there, and by the looks of the soundtrack, there are about to be a whole lot more!
I've always been partial to U2's cover of "Maggie's Farm" with that aggressive, almost tribal drumming. On the other end of the spectrum, of course, Nanci Griffith does a mighty fine job with "Spanish Boots of Spanish Leather."
Thanks Heather!
John Nondorf
jhankn@gmail.com
Well I definitly would love to win! :)
As for Dylan and the movie - I have a friend that has a small part in it - he is in a scene with Cate Blanchett. Really looking forward to this film it looks really interesting!
peace
sam
sawwad66@yahoo.com
My favorite Dylan cover has to be "Most of the Time" by Sophie Zelmani from the Masked and Anonymous soundtrack. Like the best covers, she makes this song her own. It's a beautiful song about longing song with complete desire and a heartbreaking vocal from Zelmani.
Adrian
aerolls@yahoo.com
So many great Dylan covers, but I have to give the nod to Neko Case's version of "Buckets of Rain." Nickel Creek's "Tomorrow Is A Long Time" has to get anod, too -- saw that one done live last weekend, and it's something special.
Hope I win: fnwhite@bellsouth.net
howdy heather. plenty of worth choices already mentioned. i'd add to the list andrew bird's take on "oh, sister" and eddie's version of "times are a-changin'" from the nader rally at madison sq garden back in 2000.
thank you much. anyonesguess.scott @ gmail.com
I have a hard time with Dylan covers. Must of them fail in my opinion, but I honestly enjoyed the Cat Power cover of "Stuck Inside of Mobile" that's streaming on the MySpace. I also can't help but love the Jeff Tweedy cover, because... it's Jeff Tweedy. I'm looking forward to hearing the soundtrack, though. Just the thought of Stephen Malkmus performing with Nels Cline gives me good feelings.
I'll just point you towards my Blogger profile for my email... Don't want the evil spam overlords tracking me down and beating me senseless.
I've always been a fan of the Secret Machines' version of Girl from the North Country from The Road Leads Where It's Led EP. The first time I heard it I just thought it was way too long. But after repeated listens, I've learned to really appreciate it. It retains the simplistic beauty of the song while approaching it from a completely different perspective.
I also have a live version of Uncle Tupelo playing Maggie's Farm that I'm quite fond of...
jared.a.robertson@vanderbilt.edu
Since my first taste of dylan was through a cover of Watchtower on Dave Matthew's Recently, this post and new album are very exciting. But since Matthews has become a band that leaves past-fans reluctant to admit just how many time they have seen them live--i cant possibly use his version of watchtower. So I chose Van Morrison & his old buds Them choice studio verison of "Its All Over Now Baby Blue" on their album THEM AGAIN. Van and Dylan proving that you dont need to be lookers, just incredibly talented. thanks!
straitg at gmail dot com
p.s. 5 times, alright i saw DMB five times, I was young and i am glad i did.
I think if you listen to it - it's hard to argue that the Drive-by Truckers' cover of "Like a Rolling Stone" is brilliant. They embody the sentiment of this song. The blue collar boys from hailing from a life of hard knocks lambasting an over privileged dilettante. They capture the drunken, swagger that would accompany such a scathing rebuke, perfectly.
Not to mention it's the first time the three lead singers of the band have traded off verses in a song - and it's the first time you get to hear Shonna the bass player sing. And she sounds raspier than the boys. It truly is a flawless cover.
bcdo_2000@yahoo.com
hqwhere does she get those wonderful toys?
my two favorite dylan covers are eddie and mike at the dylan 30th anniversary doing 'masters' and jimi hendrix doing 'like a rolling stone' on the hendrix movie soundtrack. the former is all about eddie's delivery and the passion, the latter is all about the strange way hendrix turns al kooper's organ part [from the original recording] into the foundation of the song on his guitar. brilliant.
i'd like to win your contest now, thank you.
~lee.
Heather, if you're going to steal the top image i made, you might want to him me back with a link. ;)
But in all seriousness, i think i've written about this film and soundtrack more than anyone else on the web. i've written a review of the entire soundtrack too.
but yeah, cheers. :)
Hey Playlist dude, I didn't realize you'd made that - I am so sorry! It looks so pro that I really did think it was an official press image. Sorry about that! Linkback added. Nice work, thanks for pointing it out.
I would like to be a winner.
maerry at the Gee-mail dot com
it's got to be the "Odetta Sings Dylan" record, just for the brilliance of an artist who heavily influenced Dylan reinterpreting his songs in her style. The opener, "Baby, I'm In The Mood For You" is prolly my fave.
I'm also all about the Cat Power track on this soundtrack and the live covers of Basement Tapes jams on Marquee Mark by The Crust Brothers (Stephen Malkmus and Silkworm).
max dot goldblatt at gmail dot com
Hard to know where to begin on the topic of favourite Dylan covers.
Probably the one I'll remember best was seeing one of the many live performances of I Threw It All Away by Yo La Tengo, or Ramblin' Jack do I'll be your baby tonight. And reading what Dylan wrote about Johnny Rivers cover of Positively 4th Street sent me out in search of that recording -- it's great. And it's just scratching the surface.
Great topic & love the blog. You can find me at avischaumberg at gmail.
Wow. I was reading an interview with Cate Blanchett and she mentioned this movie. Looks intriguing. Perhaps a twist on the biopic?
My favorite Dylan cover has to be Jeff Buckley's "I Shall Be Released" (WFMU). Thank you so much for that one. It's got everything I love about live music. I mean, if you can sound that good over the phone? Fuhgeddaboutit.
Amy
fireandrain@gmail.com
The White Stripes version of Bob's "Love Sick" or "Isis" or the just recorded version of "Meet me in the Morning". No one can do Bob justice except for Jack and Meg.
"I Can't help it..if I'm Lucky"
rmcanany@dtsone.com
The Honorary Title - Simple Twist of Fate
chaseabner at hotmail dot com
So many of these covers fail to translate the soul of the originals.
The only modern cover I've heard that nearly transcended the original was one I heard live last year - The Roots live version of "Masters of War". It was an electric, blistering assault on the miliary industrial complex that incoporated the Star-Spangled Banner, Taps and Hendrix's "Machine Gun". At its conclusion the crowd was moved to its feet. They stole the show from their fellow performers, including Phil Lesh, Cat Power, Ryan Adams, Patti Smith and Phillip Glass.
I saw an incredible, early cut of I'm Not There and don't remember half of these songs being in it. Is this just a tribute album disguised as a soundtrack? Or did they go back and add these to what was already a perfectly fine film?
Did y'all know that Bob Dylan is still alive?
I wish Columbia records and many of today's sterile performers would quit diggin' his grave.
earlier i wrote on the subject of both eddie/mike and jimi hendrix but i did not leave my email: leehenderson.sf@gmail.com. thanks.
At the top of my list today: Counting Crows, "You Ain't Going Nowhere"; Dick Gaughan and Andy Irvine, "My Back Pages"; and Jeff Buckley, "Mama You Been On My Mind".
Email address: mrhoda@mindspring.com
I've been waiting for this movie for ages!! Cate will do a great Dylan I'm sure.. from Galadriel Queen of The Elfs to Bob Dylan is but a small step..
anyhoo.. my favourite cover has got to be Just Like a Woman by God Jeff.. specially the one in the Garbage Can Tapes! It sounds so intimate.. such a difference from the original.. it's like he's professing his love for you though the lyrics might state otherwise.. anyway Jeff Jeff Jeff...
I second the suggestion for Nanci Griffith's version of "Spanish Boots..."
derrylm AT g maildot com
D
best dylan cover has got to be Pearl Jam's version of Masters of War. I love the way they took a dark,moody song and made it even heavier, darker, and moodier. Like Black Sabbath with a political agenda....
andy.laraia@gmail.com
It's hard to say but right now I've been listening to the white stripe's versions of 'one more cup of coffee' and 'outlaw blues'.
alexstro204@yahoo.com
I love Dylan covers, it's amazing how his music can be so flexible that it recreates itself each time a song is recorded by someone else.
That being said, my favorite Dylan cover has to be the all time classic "All along the watchtower" by Hendrix. He pretty much claimed the song from Dylan and made it forever his.
wow, really was looking forward to this after being so pleasantly surprised (vocally mostly) by the Into The Wild record but this version is probably the worst vocal delivery i've ever heard Eddie put to tape.
unfortunate.
Jeff all the way for me too, love all his Dylan covers but going for Mama You've Been On My Mind as my favourite. Just beautiful.
kolniko at gmail
Ed and Jeff covering Masters of War at the Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration is my all time favorite Dylan cover.
It Ain't Me Babe by The Turtles and Johnny Cash & June Carter, as well as Mr. Tambourine Man by The Byrds are a close second and third, respectively.
Greg
DCFD2020 at gmail . com
Thanks for posting the song. I love it.
I've been a long time fan of both Dylan and Pearl Jam, seen them both many times and just love the intimacy of their shows.
And BTW...I've never heard Pearl Jam do a bad cover of anything!
westwingr@yahoo.com
Heather, as always, fantastic posts...A Dyaln cover that I absolutely love is the Drive-By Truckers' cover of 'Like A Rolling Stone' Everybody in the band, except the drummer, takes a verse...just fantastic stuff...
My wife, while a music lover, has only heard a few Dylan tunes, so when she came to pick me up in HMV yesterday, was totally jazzed by "Subterranean Homesick Blues" She had never heard it, or really listened to it before...
By the way, the station that we listen to is playing the crap out of 'Hard Sun'
Thanks,
Jay
nickerj@mts.net
Van Morrison and Them doing "It's all over now baby blue" its my favorite Bob song and the actually improve it. The 13th Floor Elevetors also do a crazy psychadelic version of the song.
hola! I love your blog. My fave is Ms Neko Case doing "Buckets Of Rain"...the first time I heard her play it live...I peed my pants!!!
cheers
Kenny
http://www.meetmeinthesandbox.com
Kenny@meetmeinthesandbox.com
Great Blog! My fave dylan cover would have to be Eddie covering "The Times They Are A Changing" at a Nader rally back in 2000. I think he nails it in his own way, as a good cover should be!
Sarah likes the Indigo Girls covers: All Along the Watch Tower and even better Tangled Up in Blue. Here's an entry for our little family:
edierittle@gmail.com
Marc, Sarah, Edie
I know it's already been said, but I would have to concur with Pearl Jam's Masters of War cover. Just done at such a fitting time, and it was so apparent that the song perfectly summed up Eddie's opinions and emotions at the time.
peterca.3@osu.edu
Great post! I can't wait for this movie AND this soundtrack to come out. A number of Dylan covers came to mind while reading this post. But my favorite made in the last few years is most definitely Jason Mraz' version of "A Hard Rains A-Gonna Fall." The original is one of my favorite Dylan tunes and I feel that Mraz does an excellent job with it.
stevvve.feldman@gmail.com
Besides Eddie and Mike doing Masters of war, I´d had to say Yul Anderson´s version of All Along The Watchtower. First time I heard this was during the screen credit of the movie The Dancer Upstairs which John Malkovich directed. The album is called The Wind Starlight and it´s really worth checking out.
if I win: thisnonsense@hotmail.com
Although it only counts as a half-cover or a co-write, Old Crow Medicine Crow's "Wagon Wheel" deserves to be mentioned here.
Also, Cat Power's cover of "Moonshiner" makes my skin tingle every time.
I would kill to win this.
Looks amazing
klmhall@dal.ca
please please please!
i have to win this!!!!!!! so here goes...well its gotta be patti smith wicked messenger...and the other is bettie serveert ..ill keep it with mine...and if its not well the dead and jerry have done some mighty fine dylan covers watchtower from truckin to buffalo..oh and also ann peebles does s warm tonight i'll be staying ..but the first 2 will knock you out every time.
My favorite Bob Dylan cover is The White Stripes' cover of "Isis." The Detroit rockers take the infamous 1985 Dylan performance of "Isis" in Montreal -- featured in the three-disc box set "Biograph" -- and add its own garage rock riff to it. Jack White's unique voice adds an intensity to the ballad that only Bob Dylan himself could bring to the mic. I enjoy how Jack cuts the guitar, slows the pace and includes Meg's elementary drumming for the "I cursed her one time and rode along ahead" stanza. The final lines of The White Stripes' cover when he sings "Isis, oh, Isis/Oh, mystical child/What drives me to you is what drives me insane/I can still remember the way that you smiled on the fifth day of May in the drizzlin' rain" is as eerily gratifying as the first time I heard the original version off the under-rated Desire.
Jay: jf.monahan AT gmail.com
This is the first time I've actually seen the tracklisting. AWESOME!
I'm going to flip this one around and mention one of my favourite covers done by Bob Dylan. I can watch the Band's "Last Waltz" over and over simply for their performance with Dylan on Eric von Schmidt's 'Baby, Let Me Follow You Down'.
The version on "Last Waltz" rocks...Dylan looks likes he's having a good time...and I love watching Rick Danko bop around on his bass. A great cover.
Brian (salparadise44 at hot mail dot com)
my personal favorite would have to be jeff buckley's rendition of "if you see her, say hello" from sin-é. jeff's proven to be a pivotal source for discovering some of my favorite artists (dylan, simone, morrison), and i thank him for his approach to music.
a few weeks back i was in nyc outside what used to be cbgb's. despite its limitless history of hosting famous icons in music, the only one i thought of was jeff's one and only live performance of 'forget her' that resonated off those walls. i think i have a man-crush.
dangilb@gmail.com
wow, heather. That soundtrack looks amazing. I can't wait for the movie, which also looks amazing. There are so many Bob Dylan covers out there that it can be confusing. All these poor hipster souls with their Neko Case and White stripes choices should give a listen to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons doing "Don't Think Twice" (possibly the greatest Bob Dylan song EVER!! So many good versions of that song.) A good cover song should do justice t oboth the performer and the song, and this version proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Bob Dylan's songs translate well into any genre.
Doing one better, the WORST Dylan cover ever: Garth Brooks doing "To Make You Feel My Love". 'Nuff said.
Aaron
macac013@yahoo.com
I like the White Stripes' version of Love Sick. stephen@lusciousgracious.com
Favorite Dylan cover: It would have to be "One More Cup of Coffee" as done by the White Stripes. It's such an obscure Dylan song and it was great that Jack and Meg covered it. It was also probably my introduction to the White Stripes - just before "Fell in Love With a Girl."
great post, too!
Eric
e0a8198@yahoo.com
I have seen Pearl Jam and Dylan (separately) many times over the years. Guests have ranged from little known local bands to Tom Petty, Sting , Bonnie Raitt and Bruce Springsteen.
Years ago I heard Springsteen do Dylan's "I Want You". It was more than beautiful. It's my favorite Dylan cover. I'm posting the clip here. Hope everyone enjoys it.
http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/10/21/1529971/07%20I%20Want%20You%20%28Dylan%20cover%29.mp3
P.S. Thanks for the GREAT blogs!
J
bank.girl@yahoo.com
Here's that song.
http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/10/
21/1529971/07%20I%20Want%20You%20%28
Dylan%20cover%29.mp3
My favorite Dylan cover is Warren Haynes's version of I Shall Be Released.
MGMay70@gmail.com
There are way too many good Dylan covers to pick a single favorite. But I've always liked Joan Baez's version of Simple Twist of Fate - the one where she does her Dylan impression on one of the verses. Cracks me up.
sybilskelton at hotmail.com
Heather,
Long time listener, first time caller. It's always a breath of fresh air to find others ridiculously obsessed with the jam of pearl. I'm gonna have to come out of left field though and give it up for David Eugene Edwards' (16 Horsepower/Wovenhand) haunting yet endearing rendition of "Nobody 'Cept You." I saw him perform a version solo on the banjo which sent chills up and down my spine.
peaces,
joel
The best Dylan cover is not actually a cover at all - It's Johnny Cash's "Understand Your Man" which Johnny takes Dylan's melody and rewrites Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" - It's a stretch, but isn't anyone that try's to cover Dylan just trying to get close. Johnny nails it.
So many to choose from, but I'll mention 3.
(1) Richie Haven's take on License to Kill:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=JltNLkh03ME
(2) Thea Gilmore's version of
I Dreamed I saw St. Augustine, which is on her album 'Songs From The Gutter'.
(3)Don Maclean's Masters of War-on his live album 'Solo'
I read through every comment and no one has mentioned Mike Ness covering "Don't Think Twice..(It's Alright)". Well, I'm gonna, because it's badass.
BTW- Jerry Reed does a wicked version of "Don't Think Twice" too!
Thanks!
HI Heather!!! Your blog is awesome! This post made my day! I can't wait to listen to the streams.
I love Eddie covering Masters of War - all versions - but the version that made it my favorite was watching him sing it on Letterman in 2004. I have been addicted to the song since then!
Keep up the great work!
XOX
Christine
PS....reading your blog inspired me to start reading and checking out blogs daily!
This is going to be a great album. My other favorite Dylan cover album is his 30th anniversary concert. Eddie singing Masters of War, as others mention, is fantastic. Hope I win this new album!!! zhejw at yahoo dot ca...yep, Canadian Yahoo.
Remember when Guns N Roses used to be a good band? Who can forget their version of Knockin' on Heaven's Door!!
;)
russmc@email.com
I wholehearted agree with the shout-outs to DBT's "Like a Rolling Stone" and OCMS's "Wagon Wheel" -- but daring to be different, I nominate Edie Brickell's cover of "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall" from the "Born on the Fourth of July Soundtrack." Sad, sweet and haunting all at the same time.
Hi Love the Post & Blog , Its got to be Mr.Tambourine Man by the byrds, looking forward to the film
kkelly@travelsavers.com
check out my blog indielimerick.blogspot.com
MJSTEVENSATGMAILDOTCOM
My favorite Dylan cover is "Simple Twist of Fate" by Jerry Garcia.
July, 2000, last Mile High concert ever (I believe)...From his thrown-like chair, Ben Harper played All Along The Watchtower w/ the Dave Matthews Band. Ben sang the 2nd verse and absolutely wailed on his weisenborn. Best live song I've ever seen.
It's funny, I've been reading your blog for a year now and never contributed a comment. Anyway, I always wanted to comment on the fact that I am from SF (by way of Manitou Springs).
Thanks for all that you have produced by way of Fuel For Friends.
slowbucket at gmail
I really like Neil Young's (backed by Booker T & the MGs) cover of "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues", also from the 30th Anniversary Concert. He gives it the classic, snarling, electric Neil Young treatment, and wrings every drop of seething imagery out of that wonderful song. Thanks for the contest, Heather.
Eric
witchnose at comcast dot net
Comments in the 70s, my chances are rapidly dwindling.
But my favorite Dylan covers:
You Ain't Goin Nowhere- The Byrds. It's very nearly the perfect song, and McQuinn nails it.
then two live covers I've heard:
Eddie Vedder singing Masters of War all by his angsty lonesome at the Bridge School Benefit Concert a couple years ago.
Teddy Thompson singing When I Paint My Masterpiece, opening for Elliott Smith in 2000.
p s jacobsen at hotmail dot come
SO many great covers, but I like PJ Harvey's "Highway '61 Revisited" the best. Why? Because it sounds like her own. And she sings like a crazy banshee. I love it.
-Matt
mattyp4@hotmail.com
(What are you coming to NYC for?!)
I want to enter the contest! My fav cover is Just Like A Woman by dear Jeff Buckley!
This is a tough one for me because there are so many. Today it would have to be Adam Duritz and David Immergluuck doing Girl From the North Country at Shim Sham in New Orleans during Jazz Fest Weekend in 2003. These shows were incredible secret acoustic shows and I was lucky enought to be at all of them from 2000-03. They also covered You Ain't Going Nowhere, which is a lot of fun as well.
Jas311@aol.com
There are too many great Dylan covers to decide on one, but I always love Eddie Vedder covering him.
I've always been fond of Dave Mathews Band's cover of All Along the Watchtower too.
holy toledo - look at that track list!
Yo, yo ... give up the rock.
ray (at) kslq (dot) com
This comment has been removed by the author.
A few years ago I saw Greg Brown, folk troubadour of the Midwest, play a late-summer outdoor show on a sticky Sunday evening just outside Philadelphia. The crowd was spread out on a giant field covered in picnic blankets, with Greg playing under a gazebo. He opened the show with a cover of "Not Dark Yet," from Dylan's Time Out of Mind. A surprising latter-period cover, but perfect for Greg's warm, rumbling baritone, which always sounds like it's carrying the weight of the world. Even though it's now almost November, as I sit here remembering him sing "Sometimes my burden seems more than I can bear/ It's not dark yet, but it's getting there," with the sun setting off to our left, damn if I don't feel mosquitoes start to swarm.
jeffreybarg at gmaildotcom
Ah Heather! You've done it again. One of my personal faves is Johnny Cash's chug-a-lug rendition of "Mama, You've Been On My Mind" offa "Orange Blossom Special"!! Have you heard? Enjoy yer trip to NYC...let me know if you need any recs!
Cheers,
A bit trite, but I'll have to go with the Byrds version of "My Back Pages." There is also a Neil Young live version of "Blowin' In the Wind" that I'm fond of, which you can find on youtube.
Oops, forgot my e-mail above: azor_99@hotmail.com
Since Tweedy is on the soundtrack, how about a funny Dylan moment via Jeff Tweedy? I have a copy of a Tweedy solo show from when his oldest son was about three or four years old. Jeff is putting on his harmonica, blows into it and says, Ya know, my son had something to say about this the other day. We were in the living room and he was looking at albums and he said, Daddy plays the harmonica and Bob Dylan plays that harmonica...... but Daddy's NOT Bob Dylan. Someone in the audience yells, But he's close! Jeff laughs and says, I wish.
Paula
pbrud8@earthlink.net
I've always considered my favorite Dylan cover to be Masters of War (as many others do I'm sure) but Tweedy singing "Simple Twist of Fate" just gave me chills. Amazing voice for what is absolutely one of my favorite songs off the best Dylan album in my humble opinion.
Pick me pick me!
A favorite Dylan cover is almost impossible--there are so many--but the best has to be Jimi Hendrix's All Along the Watchtower.
I'm always intrigued to hear anybody's take on Highway 61 Revisited - definitely my favorite Dylan tune.
awhosmon [at] yahoo [dot] com
I'll vote for PJ Harvey's "Shot Of Love" as my favorite Dylan cover - though I don't think it was an official release... I found mine back in the salad days of Napster :-)
Thanks for my chance to win!
fabulutz@sbcglobal.net
i hate to say it, but bob dylan's greatest hits vol 2. i think it captures a lot of who bob dylan is, spanning his career. not young, not old... you get his crazy fro, but its not totally out of control.. guitar strap, and harmonic... placid look.
i also just love the blue hue through the picture.. grainy like bob's voice, and blue, cool, like bob's character.
-steve
steve.joh@gmail.com
First time poster here and I gotta say your blog blows me away! The Mats/Westerberg caserole is FANTASTIC! My 2 cents: Eddie/Pearl Jam...."Masters of War," I vividly remember the first time I heard that and the chills it sent up my spine(w/that tingly feeling running through my head). Dylan had a way with words and singing; he sent the message but the Pearl Jam cover....delivers it! I also grew up with and still love Manfred Mann's cover of "Quinn the Eskimo" ahhhh I can remember playing my mom's 45's on my show n'tell(which I still have!)
Chris
cknapp73@hotmail.com
Can't wait to see the flick.
My favourite Dylan cover...Old Crow Medicine Show doing "Wagon Wheel" off their self-titled 2004 disc.
It's more than just a cover. Dylan never completed this tune, which was to be included in the "Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid" soundtrack. OCMS took the chorus and then added some new verses. It's a fine tune.
This one is really hard!! Let me think, let my think.... Probably the kind of low fi version of "Mama You've been on my mind" by Jeff Bucley in the extra tracks of "Grace". Simple and beautiful.
Heather, you are doing a great job!!! Saludos desde Argentina. Julián
juliancostoya hotmail dot com
Hard to pick a favorite, so I'll go with two. Susan Tedeschi belting out "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" with that bluesy voice of hers, and of course, Jimi Hendrix's "All Along The Watchtower".
And to anonymous who mentioned Edie Brickell's "Hard Rain": Right on!! I love that one too.
email is lunashawn at msn.com
Although I'd love to pick Jerry Lewis's version of "Blowin' in the Wind", I personally like Robyn Hitchcock's "Visions of Johanna"
eganias at nyc dot rr dot com
Daer 'I am fuel, you are friends", you make with this contest friends indeed.
The best Dylan covers for me are Andrew Birds Oh Ssiter, it a shame its not on the disc, but from this one I choose Sufjan Stevens' Ring them bells, its a brave choice and nice jazzed up, but Dylan's take is much better of this haunting song. Keep up the good work! Greetings from the Netherlands, Niek (niekvanlopik at gmail dot com)
Favorite Dylan covers:
Seven Days by Ronnie Wood
Wicked Messenger by Patti Smith
Million Dollar Bash by Richard Thompson
I Threw It All Away by Elvis Costello
Brociner at a o l dot com
I have to go with Them's It's all over now Baby Blue. I love Van Morrison and this cover has the same vibe but a more rocky enjoyable flavor.
WOW,, all these great responses and not one of them mentioned any covers sung by George Harrison....Maybe it's time to RE-educate the masses????
Love your page.....
paul
If the argument is that a song is only as great as it is influential, then I'll have to go with the Byrds' version of "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere", which leads off "Sweetheart of the Rodeo". The inheritors of the sound created on that album are far too numerous to mention here.
On the other hand, if the argument is that a song is only as great as it is different-from/breathes-new-life-into the original, then again, I've got to go with "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" by the Byrds. Roger McGuinn screws up the lyrics so badly, that Dylan has to call him out for it in a later version of the song. And yeah, I do see that as a way of renewing the song, much in the same way that playing a game of "telephone" gives the original message new meanings. Don't get me wrong, I don't think anyone has ever needed to make one of Dylan's songs better, but here the Byrds do Bob one better by trying their damndest to make his tunes sound just a little worse. And by extension, a little more human.
joschernila@hotmail.com
The best Dylan cover is "Maggie's Farm" by Rage Against the Machine. They definitely showed just how angry Dylan was when he wrote it
M.F, theqmaster at hotmail dot com
Containing 31 previously unreleased tracks, this two–CD set highlights the past two decades of LaFave’s growth both as a songwriter and as a prime interpreter of Dylan material. Here he tackles no less than a dozen of Dylan’s classics, ranging from the opening “Positively 4th Street” to “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues” to the quiet stillness of “If Not for You.” Equally as satisfying are LaFave’s own originals, with “Red Dirt Roads at Night,” “Burden to Bear,” “How It Must Remain,” “Ellie’s Song,” “Loved You Like Rainbows” and “The Open Road” all being particularly compelling statements. The sound, taken from live performances and radio broadcasts from Texas and around the world, is rough and right, giving this an official bootleg kind of feel that fits the music nicely.” 4 1/2 stars, All Music Guide
You really have to listen to Jimmy LaFave.I heard him a few years ago at the Experience Music Project performing in a Woody Guthrie tribute.
Johnny Winter's "Highway 61 Revisited",
Jimi's "Watchtower,"
Los Lobos "On a Night Like This,"
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