NAME a BOB song that Bob OWNS...NO cover version even came close. Property of BOB.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

YES, Jimi took posession of "All Along The Watchtower," and I think Bob would be the first one to admit it.

But there are songs Bob NAILED, and even though some very talented musicians might have attempted to cover it, Bob remains King of the Hill.

I'm gonna go with "Tangled Up In Blue," and yes...this was one of Jerry Garcia's favorites, and Jerry has given us some tasty Bob performances, but nothing even comes close to the original "Blood On The Tracks" version of "Tangled Up In Blue."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnDcTy7iF2s

YOUR TURN!

:toast:

[hellbound-liberal]

1. I'm going to have to go with Masters of War

I've heard other versions of it and I appreciate the fact that other people feel the same way but it means a lot these are Dylan's thoughts and words.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JvAek7SA-w

Masters Of War"

Come you masters of war
You that build all the guns
You that build the death planes
You that build all the bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks.

You that never done nothin'
But build to destroy
You play with my world
Like it's your little toy
You put a gun in my hand
And you hide from my eyes
And you turn and run farther
When the fast bullets fly.

Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe
But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain.

You fasten all the triggers
For the others to fire
Then you set back and watch
When the death count gets higher
You hide in your mansion'
As young people's blood
Flows out of their bodies
And is buried in the mud.

You've thrown the worst fear
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain't worth the blood
That runs in your veins.

How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I'm young
You might say I'm unlearned
But there's one thing I know
Though I'm younger than you
That even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do.

Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good
Will it buy you forgiveness
Do you think that it could
I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul.

And I hope that you die
And your death'll come soon
I will follow your casket
In the pale afternoon
And I'll watch while you're lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I'll stand over your grave
'Til I'm sure that you're dead.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

25. Ever hear Eddie Vedeer's cover?

It's amazing (and I love Bob):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8GHBk_HSXg

[derby378]

2. With God On Our Side

Manfred Mann recorded his own version, and it's fine, but I like Dylan's better, partially because Mann ommitted two stanzas from his version.

[rug]

3. Boots of Spanish Leather

[mulsh]

4. It's All Good- from his latest album

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1IBJH-spQw

nailed it.

[RagAss]

5. Black Diamond Bay

[Bennyboy]

6. Sorry but Jerry owned that song....

In fact Bob didn't even do it the same way. he changed verses, omitted verses, played it many different ways....

From the RS Interview Bob on the Dead:

He expands on the explanation he offered for "Blind Willie McTell": "Strangely enough, sometimes we'll hear a cover of a song and figure we can do it just as well. If somebody else thought so highly of it, why don't I? Some of these arrangements I just take. The Dead did a lot of my songs, and we'd just take the whole arrangement, because they did it better than me. Jerry Garcia could hear the song in all my bad recordings, the song that was buried there. So if I want to sing something different, I just bring out one of them Dead records and see which one I wanna do. I never do that with my records." Speaking of which: "I've heard it said, you've probably heard it said, that all the arrangements change night after night. Well, that's a bunch of bullshit, they don't know what they're talkin' about. The arrangements don't change night after night. The rhythmic structures are different, that's all. You can't change the arrangement night after night — it's impossible."

[fishwax]

10. I think Jerry owned Sen(y)or, but

I prefer Bob when it comes to TUIB.

Of course the dead and the jerry band did a number of great versions of Dylan songs, but Senor is probably my favorite--I think it was tailor-made for Jerry.

[Moondog]

7. "Lay, Lady, Lay"

[abq e streeter]

8. don't know if there's been a cover, but can't imagine Please Crawl Out Your Window

could ever be done better than Bob's version ; (the one with the Highway 61 guys, not The Band, who I love, but the Highway 61 band version is the better one)

[abq e streeter]

9. same with the outtake version of When The Night Comes Falling From the Sky

the one with 2 of the guys from the E Street Band--leaves the version from Empire Burlesque in the dust. Again, I don't know if its been covered or not, but this version is so powerful, no one else could ever touch it.

[fishwax]

11. Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues

An amazing song that stands out on an album full of amazing songs. It's a high-water mark, no doubt about it ...

[Tikki]

12. Quick Bob Dylan story....

The early 80's and the Brits in Santa Monica were riding high on all their bands and
we all were talking about this good British Band and that great British band...
and then the boys from Kansas said..."But you don't have a "Maggie's Farm"
and everybody shook their head in agreement....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYpdKxVpAV4
"Maggie's Farm"....BOB



Tikki

[Amerigo Vespucci]

23. The first version of "Maggie" I heard was on "Hard Rain," the Rolling Thunder live album

I later preferred the original. We have a wealth of great music from "The British Invasion" and all other phases of British rock / pop / metal / etc, but a lot of these musicians, from Lennon on down the line, had one eye on Bob.

There's a great moment in the Jimi Hendrix movie in which one of his ex-girlfriends is talking about how he would pull anyone and everyone aside and say "You've gotta LISTEN to this guy" ("this guy" being Bob, of course).

:toast:

[Mr. Blonde]

13. Agree on Tangled Up In Blue

I would say also High Water (For Charley Patton)

[EndersDame]

14. Stuck Inside of Mobile, Shelter from the Storm, Subterrainian Homesick Blues

and last but certainly not least Mr. Tamborine man

[flying rabbit]

15. Nah...

Shatner owns Mr Tambourine Man.

[cemaphonic]

16. Yeah, the Byrds have those nice harmonies, and jangly guitars

but the rhythm is totally squared off, the tempo is all wrong, and they left out half the song. Really "Watchtower" is about the only one that comes to mind where the cover is an improvement, though I am pretty fond of Townes Van Zandt doing "Ramblin' Gamblin' Willie.

[kwassa]

17. Most Bob covers suck and are but a pale imitation of his genius.

The most important man in modern popular music.

[Bennyboy]

18. Everything is Broken, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum...

Bob's 119th dream. If Not For You. New Morning.

But I gotta tell ya, I love most of the Dylan covers I hear.

Hot Butter Rum does my favorite version of "Don't think twice it's Alright".

There are so many great versions of Watchtower.

String Cheese does a great Tom Thumb's Blues.

Leftover salmon kills "It takes a lot to laugh, it takes a train to cry" too.

And The Dead. Well nobody interpreted Bob's music better than the Dead. desolation Row, She belongs To me, It's all over now,baby blue...Queen Jane Approximately, Visions of Johanna,Knockin On heavens Door etc...all became Grateful Dead songs.

What is weird that with all of that syncronicity, the tour together did not turn out as well as it should have. the album sucks like a hoover for the most part. Seemed to me that Dylan kind of took the balls out of the music, the Dead played those songs so much better without Bob.

And excellent album is "Postcards from the hangin" it is all Bob covers by the Dead. I love it.

And then the Jerry band. talk about doing Dylan. Senor. Wow. tangled Up In blue, Simple twist of Fate, Forever Young to name a few. Jerry had a way with dylans work.

Bob writes the most amazing melodies and Jerry made them his own....

An excellent website talking about the dead/Garcia/Dylan connection.

http://www.themusicarchive.com/garcia/dylan-dead.htm

[Amerigo Vespucci]

21. Bluesman R.L. Burnside, "Everything Is Broken," frpm the "Tangled Up In Blues" CD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhKqqYuV9MU

Tangled Up In Blues: Songs Of Bob Dylan - This Ain't No Tribute

http://www.amazon.com/Tangled-Up-Blues-Songs-Tribute/dp/B00000JJIV/



1. It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry - Taj Mahal
2. Gotta Serve Somebody - Mavis Staples
3. Lay Lady Lay - Isaac Hayes
4. Everything Is Broken - R.L. Burnside
5. Pledging My Time - Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson
6. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight - John Hammond, Jr.
7. Ballad of a Thin Man - James Solberg
8. Million Miles - Alvin Youngblood Hart
9. Watching the River Flow - Leon Russell
10. Wallflower - The Holmes Brothers
11. All Along the Watchtower - Larry McCray
12. One Too Many Mornings - The Band

Kenny Wayne Shepherd also did a very "Sticky Fingers / Exile On Main Street" Mick versus Keef kind of take on the song (no YouTube of that, unfortunately)...

:toast:

[Bennyboy]

22. God, I forgot about that album...

Used to have it but I gave it up. RL does a great take on that song....

[Amerigo Vespucci]

24. Apparently it was also issued as "All Blues'd Up"...

You can listen to the entire album for free on "Free Napster." They allow three free plays of any and every song on the site before you have to pay for them.

:toast:

http://free.napster.com/view/album/index.html?id=13081650

[hibbing]

19. so many songs to choose from

Hi,
Good question, never really thought about it. I find a lot of the covers come across as muted shades of once brilliant colors. I love his political songs, his love songs, his breakup bitter mean songs, his tales of the old west, and I like his funny songs too.

Motorpsycho Nightmare - "You unpatriotic,
Rotten doctor Commie rat.

I'll cheat and give another, Romance in Durango

Peace

[jobycom]

20. Don't Worry, Be Happy. Can't imagine ANYONE else doing that one. nt

[Tangerine LaBamba]

26. From "Desire,"

"Sara," of course.

No one will ever cover that song. They don't dare.

It is the saddest song ever written...........

[abq e streeter]

27. Staying up for days in the Chelsea Hotel, writing Sad Eyed Lady

of the Lowlands For You..... Still takes my breath away every time I hear that.

[Burma Jones]

28. Desolation Row

I have not heard a cover version that comes near to communicating the surrealism of this song nearly as well as Dylan does.