STOCKI'S BOB DYLAN COVERS FOR HIS 80TH BIRTHDAY
24/05/2021
A HARD RAINS A-GONNA FALL - BRYAN FERRY
(from These Foolish Things)
My introduction to Dylan as a 12 year old. The lyrics and imagery grabbed my attention in a world of Slade and T.Rex.
BLOWING IN THE WIND - NEIL YOUNG
(from Weld)
An electrified, rocked up and very loud version of an acoustic protest song.
IT’S ALL OVER NOW BABY BLUE - THEM
(from Them Again)
A Belfast cover of the song whose title is an almost over used saying in our house (in an Indian accent - great story!).
GO AWAY LITTLE BOY - LONE JUSTICE
(from This World Is Not my Home)
Love this cow-punk cover when Maria McKee was in her prime. Bob gave Lone Justice this unrecorded song and they left it off their album and put it on the b-side. Very Maria!
CHANGING OF THE GUARD - PATTI SMITH
(from Twelve)
Great that this song gets a good over. Even better that it is Patti Smith.
JUST LIKE A WOMAN - NINA SIMONE
(from Let It Be Me)
Simone put her own touch on everything and oh my she does it good on Just Like A Woman.
SIMPLE TWIST OF FATE - DIANA KRALL
(from Chimes Of Freedom; The Songs Of Bob Dylan)
Wee jazzy piano yearning version of this great song from a great album…
SHELTER FROM THE STORM - CASSANDRA WILSON -
(from Belly Of The Sun)
Staying Jazzy. Staying on Blood On The Tracks. Hushed.
POLITICAL WORLD - THE CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS
(from The Chimes Of Freedom; The Songs Of Bob Dylan)
Old time string version with Rhiannon Giddens awesome voice
LICENCE TO KILL - ELVIS COSTELLO
(from Chimes Of Freedom; The Songs Of Bob Dylan)
Elvis keeps it political with Costello like urgency.
EVERYTHING IS BROKEN - SHERYL CROW (feat JASON ISBELL)
(from Threads)
Sheryl collaborates with the wonderful Jason Isbell to rock the best out of this song of fallen humanity.
I BELIEVE IN YOU - SINEAD O’CONNOR
(from BOB DYLAN; THE 30th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION)
Originally on the first “Christian” record. Sinead adds that defiance that only she can.
GOTTA SERVE SOMEBODY - POP STAPLES
(from Don’t Lose This)
So many choices with this one. Hard to beat Pops as he gospels up the big song from Slow Train Coming live.
PRESSING ON - GLEN HANSARD
(A Tribute to Bob Dylan In The 80s: Vol 1)
Glen seems to get the spiritual pilgrimage of this one.
I”VE MADE UP MY MIND TO GIVE MYSELF TO YOU - COWBOY JUNKIES
(from Dylan… Revisted - Uncut June 2021)
From the very latest Bob record, Cowboy Junkies who have covered a few do a stunning job.
EVERY GRAIN OF SAND - EMMYLOU HARRIS
(from Wrecking Ball)
Maybe my favourite Bob lyric. It is a hymn. It is good in Coronavirus times.
DEATH IS NOT THE END - NICK CAVE
(from Murder Ballads)
No man more perfect than Nick Cave to cover this one.
THINGS HAVE CHANGED - CHRIS TAYLOR
(from Down a Dead End Street - Tribute To Bob Dylan)
From my favourite ever Dylan covers record. Chris’s voice always feels perfect for all Dylan’s imperfections.
BLIND WILLIE MCTELL - CHRISSIE HYNDE
(from Standing In The Doorway; Chrissie Sings Bob Dylan)
From Chrissie’s album of Bob’s songs, one that Bob didn’t include on an album that needs included.
TRYING TO GET TO HEAVEN - LUCINDA WILLIAMS
(from Bob’s Back Pages: A Night Of Bob Dylan)
Lucinda’s drawl fits the Dylan phraseology perfectly… and isn’t this all our aims…
Before Emmylou recorded Every Grain of Sand, Deacon Blue covered it in the encores of their Fellow Hoodlums tour in 1991. Without knowing the title of the song that sent me out spending my student loan cheques until I finally found THAT song nestling at the end of the Shot of Love album (I'd bought Slow Train Coming and Saved hoping it was on there!). Sadly DB never issued their live version - the arrangement was based on The Bootleg Series demo. Over the years they've covered Like A Rolling Stone and When The Ship Comes In in concert and occasionally slipped Gotta Serve Somebody in midway through Loaded... and they did finally issue their live cover of Forever Young on the Live at The Glasgow Barrowlands CD/DVD.
And then there's Larry Norman's covers of Bob - he did a great take on Everything Is Broken based on bootlegs of the early version of the song and lyrics and also tackled When He Returns (so,so) and turned in a magnificent take on Positively Fourth Street backed by Alwyn Wall and Norman Barratt from sessions which were never fully released.
Posted by: Dougie Adam | 24/05/2021 at 10:57 PM
Surprised Sheryl’s cover ranked higher than Radiator Blues Band’s 😜
Posted by: The Slicer | 24/05/2021 at 11:23 PM
Dougie, you can find DB's live version of 'Every Grain of Sand' here: https://deaconblue.com/live-archive/12-12-91-newcastle-city-hall/
Posted by: Andy P | 25/05/2021 at 05:44 PM