Today I'm listening to the "I'm Not There" soundtrack. Definitely worth buying. Great covers across the board. Which clearly raises the question of the best Dylan covers. Who could possibly say since so many great artists have covered so many Dylan songs. But everyone has favorites. Here are my top five right now.
5. Ballad of a Thin Man--Stephen Malkus and the Million Dollar Bashers. This is becoming one of my favorite Dylan songs. It skewers the right people, and I have some Mr. Joneses in mind. And Malkus' version is great vocally and the band is killer.
4. Tombstone Blues--Richie Havens. His voice was made for this song. Marvin Gaye, Bill Withers, Otis Redding, Richie Havens. In my next life, I'm one of those guys.
3. Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window--Jackie Greene and Sal Valentino. I can't say why exactly, but I smile everytime I hear the first few ragged licks of this cover. Greene's voice is great. If I could be in a garage band and learn to play anysong well, it would be this one.
2. Masters of War--Pearl Jam. Undescribable. Powerful. And in light of the run up to the Iraq war, powerfully relevant.
1. The Times They are a Changin'--Brandi Carlile. Well, its Brandi Carlile, which puts it way up there just for that. I'm just saying. I saw her in concert early this fall, and her covers stole the show (Fortunate Son, Folsom Prison Blues, Hallelujah).
Anyone want to change this list?
1 comment:
I'm partial to Last Train Home's cover of "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You"
They are not a well-known band, but they are one of the better roots-rock acts out there and put on a great live show. Their version is on the album "Bound Away"
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