A great list published back in April 2009.
I thought it might be a good idea to share this list & embed audio/video from youtube.
As it is a rather long list… I plan to split it up into 5 separate posts… this is part 1.
50. Cowboy Junkies – “If You Gotta Go, Go Now”
49. The Ramones – “My Back Pages”
48. Chrissie Hynde – “I Shall Be Released”
47. Sufjan Stevens – “Ring Them Bells”
46. Ani DiFranco – “Hurricane”
45. Nick Drake – “Tomorrow Is A Long Time”
44. Neil Young – “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues”
43. Rage Against the Machine – “Maggie’s Farm”
42. M. Ward, Conor Oberst & Jim James “Girl From the North Country”
41. Norah Jones – “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight”
40. Yo La Tengo – “Fourth Time Around”
Original post –> 50 best Dylan covers @ pastemagazine.com
Also check out:
-Egil
As they say, No one sings Dylan, like Dylan. some try. Most of what you list above is so so. Just don’t need them. Odetta and Ritchie Havens are two of the best. But more obscure.
Also, Dylan does WONDERFUL covers of other peoples’ songs all the way back to self portrait and before. Right up until now. Obviously. His versions of Early Morning Rain, and The Boxer are amazing. Far too many to even mention. I’m one of the few who actually got to hear him sing, Moon River, live in Merriville, IN the day after Stevey Ray Vaughan was killed. He’s only done it once live.
But it’s a shame you never mention two covers I heard back to back one night in concert: Joan Baez opened her show in Bloomington, IN with Farewell Angelina, and Love is Just a Four Letter Word. I’ve never heard better covers of Dylan. I think maybe he even wrote those for her. Four letter Word is one of the most mature songs he ever wrote. why were those missing? I thanked her that night after the show. She just smiled.
This is just part of a list published by “Paste Magazine”. I will post the rest of the list in the coming days.
Many nice covers in those posts.
BTW we love Richie Havens version of “Just Like A Woman” & Odetta’s “Masters Of War”..
I know this is about others covering Dylan. But HIS covers of three Woody Guthrie songs at Tribute to Woody Guthrie are amazing. With The Band. Odetta is on that collection as well. An outstanding two record set combining 2 tribute shows. I never hear people mention it. Dylan does Guthrie in many ways. He makes the things he covers his own, and treats them with respect.
I must say one thing Rage had on Maggie’s Farm was good with lyrics but tried on Bob’s intonation of voice a little too hard, and didn’t succeed mimicking. Nobody can !
As far as you tube video performance covers go the best I’ve seen and heard by a country mile is the brilliant Katie Tunstall covering ‘Tangled Up in Blue’
I’ve been a Dylan fan since I was 12 and I’m 58 now, but I’ve never heard a better more gutsy performance of any of his songs.
Dave
Oh yeah and Blind Willie MacTell by The Band
Richie Havens’ Just Like a Woman has got to but up there in the top five…
Hello,
Thanks for the beautiful site. I’m not sure if this was done on purpose, but the second video of Tom Thumb is not Neil but the Neil Young’uns (http://theneilyounguns.com/), a Toronto area cover band, playing at the Caddillac Lounge ( http://www.cadillaclounge.com/) in Parkdale, Toronto.
Ryan
Thanks Ryan,
I must admit being a bit quick on the trigger on that one… just threw it in.. without actually listening to it.
I will correct my error…
-Egil
That 30th Anniversary show at Madison Square Garden had so many wonderful covers. I was there. One of the best shows of my lifetime.
Chrissie Hynde – I Shall be Released
Petty – License to Kill
Mellencamp – Like a Rolling Stone
Richie Havens (R.I.P. my friend) – Just Like a Woman
Neil Young – Just Like Tom Thumb…
George Harrison – Absolutely Sweet Marie
Eric Clapton – Don’t Think Twice…
The Band – When I Paint My Masterpiece
Johnny Winter – Highway 61
And of course the highlight of the show by a killer bunch of guys
My Back Pages
Thanks for a great post.