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Better than Bob -- which Dylan covers top the original?

41Forever Oct 11 2019 03:48 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Oct 11 2019 06:24 PM

We started this discussion in another thread. Rather than hijack, we thought it deserved a discussion of its own. I don't think anyone would disagree Bob Dylan is a phenomenal songwriter. it also seems like a lot of people have better versions of his songs than he does. Let's try this one song at a time. Mr. Tambourine Man Here's Bob: [YOUTUBE]PYF8Y47qZQY[/YOUTUBE] Not bad at all. Just Bob and his guitar. But the Byrds took it to another level. Even used a tambourine! [YOUTUBE]gYLKlgalHMs[/YOUTUBE] Of course, the infamous Shatner version shows how things can get so much worse. [YOUTUBE]vJrIluya10Y[/YOUTUBE]

Double Switch Oct 11 2019 04:46 PM Re: Better than Bob -- whcih Dylan covers top the original?

Great work, 41F! I have to confess the Dylan clip is my favorite (to my surprise) but the Shatner clip proves an idiot cannot destroy a masterpiece no matter how hard he tries.

Double Switch Oct 11 2019 05:00 PM Re: Better than Bob -- whcih Dylan covers top the original?

Let's give Rainy Day Women a try. Here's Bob: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm-po_FUmvM And now, The Black Crowes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FTCSie0Z6g

41Forever Oct 11 2019 06:02 PM Re: Better than Bob -- which Dylan covers top the original?

Nice!! Might as well get this one out there: [YOUTUBE]bT7Hj-ea0VE[/YOUTUBE] And Jimi, who created what must be considered the definitive version: [YOUTUBE]TLV4_xaYynY[/YOUTUBE]

Double Switch Oct 11 2019 06:35 PM Re: Better than Bob -- which Dylan covers top the original?

Don't Think Twice Bob https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iHhWh9FtsQ Peter Paul and Mary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xu-DWUngjhk Joan Baez https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXxQT0qYlyQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYeXvG2ptwk Waylon Jennings https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgD5sY3Wme8 And finally, Ramblin' Jack Elliott (hang in there - it's worth the wait) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Knwdj1qhky4

Fman99 Oct 11 2019 08:27 PM Re: Better than Bob -- which Dylan covers top the original?

As a long time fan of Hendrix, and Bob, and the Band, and the Byrds, and 20 other bands who played lots of Dylan songs, I like this one best, from the Gram Parsons era Byrds' masterpiece "Sweetheart of the Rodeo." Original: [youtube]zuuJ_6xGHeo[/youtube] Cover: [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2JnDKvuNzw[/youtube] Note: I would have picked the Band's "Tears of Rage," only, the Band's Richard Manuel co-wrote it with Bob, and so it's technically not a cover. I also like Hendrix's "Drifter's Escape," or, better yet, how about Hendrix's version of "Tears of Rage" with Paul Caruso?

Edgy MD Oct 11 2019 08:49 PM Re: Better than Bob -- which Dylan covers top the original?

[YOUTUBE]yyouhbgAiCA[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]pJsfzu_B464[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]D6Nglif8xDY[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]a203Z4_kGk4[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]YMJPsUfkTDI[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]YMJPsUfkTDI[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]eBiMU7EBSFI[/YOUTUBE]

Fman99 Oct 11 2019 08:52 PM Re: Better than Bob -- which Dylan covers top the original?

Double Switch wrote: Don't Think Twice Bob https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iHhWh9FtsQ Peter Paul and Mary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xu-DWUngjhk Joan Baez https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXxQT0qYlyQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYeXvG2ptwk Waylon Jennings https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgD5sY3Wme8 And finally, Ramblin' Jack Elliott (hang in there - it's worth the wait) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Knwdj1qhky4 You missed one... [youtube]EVP4m_g2n2U[/youtube]

Johnny Lunchbucket Oct 11 2019 08:58 PM Re: Better than Bob -- which Dylan covers top the original?

[YOUTUBE]3SiPOZ958PA[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]p-cF40OWeak[/YOUTUBE]

Edgy MD Oct 12 2019 07:40 AM Re: Better than Bob -- which Dylan covers top the original?

The Scorchers sort of did a re-write there, by putting a refrain at the bottom of each verse where Dylan just had a tag. It fits so perfectly, I imagine Dylan thinking, "Why didn't I do that?"

batmagadanleadoff Oct 12 2019 10:03 AM Re: Better than Bob -- which Dylan covers top the original?

Dylan's arrangements were typically so lean and sparse, even after he'd gone electric, that his songs are malleable enough that you could take them in practically any direction -- easier so than with other artists. Here's two examples: [YOUTUBE]tydGDofzu6w[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]mmceSj07_fs[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]fgphPFNiVZw[/YOUTUBE]

41Forever Oct 12 2019 12:05 PM Re: Better than Bob -- which Dylan covers top the original?

Billy Joel released a cover of "To Make You Feel My Love" to add a new song to a compilation after he stopped writing new songs of his own. [YOUTUBE]9ItmlGRB718[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]vEQGKY92KI4[/YOUTUBE]

Double Switch Oct 12 2019 01:09 PM Re: Better than Bob -- which Dylan covers top the original?

Lay Lady Lay Bob https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhzEsb2tNbI Duran Duran https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlWKYVZQRAs Neil Diamond https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVXjRxSrKb4 And of course The Byrds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E9dunaPVDw

ashie62 Oct 12 2019 04:48 PM Re: Better than Bob -- which Dylan covers top the original?

George Harrison does a cool version of "If not for you"

LWFS Oct 12 2019 05:27 PM Re: Better than Bob -- which Dylan covers top the original? Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Oct 12 2019 05:34 PM

Ooowee, ride me high, Fman done beat me to the Sweethearts "Nowhere" cover. [YOUTUBE]auXz9LEQ7iE[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]hTntLCtr-TY[/YOUTUBE]

LWFS Oct 12 2019 05:32 PM Re: Better than Bob -- which Dylan covers top the original?

[YOUTUBE]8hr3Stnk8_k[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]UKQLVrtWN2M[/YOUTUBE] A huge, eephusy changeup here, granted, but I like the Nirvana-dynamics-but-with-teeth of Polly Jean's.

ashie62 Oct 12 2019 08:10 PM Re: Better than Bob -- which Dylan covers top the original?

RONNIE WOOD "SEVEN MORE DAYS" Off "Gimme Some Neck" My favorite Dylan cover

Frayed Knot Oct 12 2019 08:51 PM Re: Better than Bob -- which Dylan covers top the original?

That was the one Wood did for 'Bob-Fest' (as Neil Young called it), the tribute Columbia/Sony threw for Dylan at MSG in the early '90s to celebrate his (then) 30 years in music. [YOUTUBE]gckGvo3SWok[/YOUTUBE] Lots of good covers in that show: Petty (License to Kill); Eddie Vedder (Masters of War); You Ain't Going Nowhere (Mary Chapin-Carpenter, Shawn Colvin, Roseanne Cash) and Absolutely Sweet Marie (George Harrison) come to mind.

41Forever Oct 12 2019 09:27 PM Re: Better than Bob -- which Dylan covers top the original?

We must not forget our friends, The Ramones. I think Bob's vocals here are pretty much the perfect example of why Dylan turns off some people. [YOUTUBE]92cF_KCH7TU[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]pma-bAPP4pE[/YOUTUBE]

dinosaur jesus Oct 12 2019 10:27 PM Re: Better than Bob -- which Dylan covers top the original?

I don't really agree with the premise of the thread. For me, the covers almost never top the original. The best ones transform it into something that works on its own terms--which aren't Dylan's terms. They're like those translations where the translator gave up and basically wrote his own poem. Which might actually be better; apparently Edgar Allan Poe in French is a big improvement over the English. But it's not Poe. As an excuse to post good Dylan covers, though, I'm totally on board. [YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cY2B_9KpRqk[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6CEINB5mOg[/YOUTUBE] Why is my avatar a toilet?

41Forever Oct 13 2019 08:47 AM Re: Better than Bob -- which Dylan covers top the original?

I liked Bob's gospel albums. A few years back I discovered Etta James, and her blues version is great! [YOUTUBE]VpnQnD-LJ-g[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]lHV3OjW5gsg[/YOUTUBE]

batmagadanleadoff Oct 13 2019 09:40 AM Re: Better than Bob -- which Dylan covers top the original?

dinosaur jesus wrote: I don't really agree with the premise of the thread. For me, the covers almost never top the original. The best ones transform it into something that works on its own terms--which aren't Dylan's terms. They're like those translations where the translator gave up and basically wrote his own poem. Which might actually be better; apparently Edgar Allan Poe in French is a big improvement over the English. But it's not Poe. As an excuse to post good Dylan covers, though, I'm totally on board. Why is my avatar a toilet? I've been thinking about your post a bit and I keep on going back and forth with my thoughts. I tend to agree with your post, and I think you've phrased it perfectly --that the best Dylan covers "transform [the originals] into something that works on [their] own terms", right down to the real treat of this thread, which is to post Dylan covers as good songs on their own merits, whether or not they're better than the Dylan originals they're covering. But couldn't you say the same for the covers of any artist? dinosaur jesus wrote: Why is my avatar a toilet? Follow this thread, and you shall know. http://thecranepool.net/phpBB32/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=27814

kcmets Oct 13 2019 09:48 AM Re: Better than Bob -- which Dylan covers top the original?

=41Forever post_id=24346 time=1570937231 user_id=69]We must not forget our friends, The Ramones.

TAKE IT, CJ!!

dinosaur jesus Oct 13 2019 11:25 AM Re: Better than Bob -- which Dylan covers top the original?

I've been thinking about your post a bit and I keep on going back and forth with my thoughts. I tend to agree with your post, and I think you've phrased it perfectly --that the best Dylan covers "transform [the originals] into something that works on [their] own terms", right down to the real treat of this thread, which is to post Dylan covers as good songs on their own merits, whether or not they're better than the Dylan originals they're covering. But couldn't you say the same for the covers of any artist? You probably could. Especially with artists who have really distinctive ways of performing a song. You could also say, with Dylan, that other people have found things in his songs that he didn't, or that he didn't bring out as well. And of course there are songs that he just doesn't sing that well, like "My Back Pages." What I'm saying, I guess, is that I have trouble separating Dylan from his songs, more than with a lot of other artists. The songs are just so connected to his way of thinking and his way of saying things. Which is funny considering how often he's been covered. With other songwriters, there are also lots of cases where the cover artist isn't doing the song that differently than the original, they're just doing it better. That happens a lot in country, for instance. Here are two more I really like. Nina Simone makes the song her own, and Marianne Faithfull takes a song that's almost uncoverable, does it very much in the spirit of the original, but doesn't make it just an imitation. That's very rare. [YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ij1UDMr3B-E[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZoslciWMeo[/YOUTUBE]

41Forever Oct 13 2019 11:44 AM Re: Better than Bob -- which Dylan covers top the original?

It's tough to cover an iconic song, like "Like a Rolling Stone." You have to reshape it so the original isn't playing in the back of people's heads as they listen. Anberline does that with this version. I think it's great. The band does a great job with "Enjoy the Silence," too! [YOUTUBE]IwOfCgkyEj0[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]duDvsCWfPQ4[/YOUTUBE]

Fman99 Oct 13 2019 07:57 PM Re: Better than Bob -- which Dylan covers top the original?

Really like the Nina Simone song. I'm just discovering her music of late, she has all kinds of fantastic songs and arrangements of songs.

RealityChuck Oct 16 2019 02:27 PM Re: Better than Bob -- which Dylan covers top the original?

A couple of covers for songs that have already been mentioned: [YOUTUBE]aDlzg9gnHbs[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]oQdBIeQ9qMU[/YOUTUBE]

Double Switch Oct 16 2019 05:36 PM Re: Better than Bob -- which Dylan covers top the original?

Richie Havens! Best reason so far for this thread. RIP. I should have included this one along with the Maffitt & Davies's version (which I now realized is on the Other Music Preferences list). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9pgx3zSrDQ

ashie62 Oct 31 2019 12:54 AM Re: Better than Bob -- which Dylan covers top the original?

There was a Replacements anthology many years ago. It ended with a sloppy sarcastic drunken rendition of "Like a Rolling Stone". Not big fans, the Mats version kinda went, "Hey Bob can you throw us a dime, nobody does, get used to it.' Kinda how I feel about Dylan myself anyway.

ashie62 Nov 22 2019 09:23 PM Re: Better than Bob -- which Dylan covers top the original?

[YOUTUBE]https://youtu.be/82BFFCTxSTQ[/YOUTUBE]The REPLACEMENTS, rude