Some artists have devoted a whole album to singing Bob Dylan songs like Chimes Of Freedom: The Songs Of Bob Dylan [4 CD Box set] by Sting and Joan Baez. Judy Collins did it best with Just Like a Woman: Judy Collins Sings Bob Dylan. Now Joan Osborne gives it a try. The results are mixed. Osborne chooses some strange Dylan songs to cover: “Tryin’ To Get To Heaven,” and “High Water.” I was never a fan of “Quinn, The Eskimo.” When you sing a classic like “Tangled Up in Blue,” you better be able to improve on Dylan–which Osborne doesn’t. I enjoyed listening to most of these songs, but I wish Joan Osborne had picked some other Dylan songs to sing. Do you have a favorite Dylan song? GRADE: B
TRACK LIST:
1 Tangled Up In Blue 5:43
2 Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35 4:05
3 Buckets Of Rain 3:55
4 Highway 61 Revisited 4:19
5 Quinn The Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn) 4:20
6 Tryin’ To Get To Heaven 4:26
7 Spanish Harlem Incident 2:56
8 Dark Eyes 4:02
9 High Water (For Charley Patton) 3:53
10 You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go 4:12
11 Masters Of War 4:23
12 You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere 3:15
13 Ring Them Bells 3:13
I have too many Dylan favorites to pick just one. This album is one I’ll skip.
Rick, SONGS OF BOB DYLAN is uneven. I like a few of the songs, but some are duds.
What Rick said, though I’ve been thinking a lot about “Masters of War” in regard to the current occupant of the White House.
Maybe “Blowing in the Wind.”
Jeff, maybe Joan Osborne was thinking about the current occupant of the White House when she made these song selections.
Willie Nile, who is from Buffalo, released an all Dylan CD earlier this year which was actually pretty good. My favorite Dylan son? Hard to pick one. Depends on what I have been listening to lately. Would have to go with Like A Rolling Stone and Positively 4th Street.
Steve, I’m with you on “Like a Rolling Stone.” I’ll have to pick up a copy of Willie Nile’s Dylan CD. Thanks for the heads up!
Highway 54 and Lay Lady Lay for me
Maggie, I play “Lay Lady Lay” and “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” often. Those are songs that never get old for me.
Good version of Knockin on Heavens Door on Warren Zevons last record. He recorded it knowing he had terminal cancer.
Steve, I’ll have to dig out my copy of THE WIND and listen to his version “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” Thanks for the suggestion!
Highway 61, Blowin’ in the wind, and Like a Rolling Stone among others.
What I always find fascinating is how others interpreted his songs – Blowin’ in the wind was a success even in the German version, sung by famous Marlene Dietrich.
A bit OT – one of our favourite memories:
A few years ago my “new” partner and I were back at home in Germany – she’s also a big Rock and Blues fan – imagine that:
Finding a 60 year old woman in Hungary who likes SF and Rock music …
Reading the local newspaper I saw an announcemnet:
Johnny Winter coming to town! A small club, maybe standing room for 300 people …
Of course I immediately went to the club’s office and bought two tickets.
It was fantastic: After a warm-up by a young blues band two strong guys brought in a chair on which Johnny the Albino was sitting …
And then he started hitting the notes of Highway 61 – mesmerizing!
Less than a year later he died in a hotel room in Switzerland …
Wolf, my favorite cover version of a Dylan song is Jimi Hendrix’s “All Along the Watchtower.”
George, you’ve got good taste! 🙂
I still remember buying the double LP “Electric Ladyland” in early 1969 (from the money I got for Xmas) with all those women on the cover – in the record store they put it in a paper bag so nobody could see all that nakedness …
wiki has some interesting facts on it – including the Dylan song – which is also one of my favourites. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_Ladyland
1969 was a decisive year for me, after organising rock concerts etc I “was forced” to take my exam and find a job …
Wolf, “All Along the Watchtower” is another Dylan song I never tire of hearing. And, yes, I remember the ELECTRIC LADYLAND album cover well! Classic!