Various Artists: I Shall Be Released (Covers of Bob Dylan 1963-1970)
3 CD box set
Out now available here
Ever the contrarian Bob Dylan tried different styles after he revolutionised folk music going electric as a rock and roller before trying psychedelia. He even haD a pop at country as the turbulent sixties came to an end and artists were queuing up to record his songs.
It’s a testament to Dylan’s skills as a consummate songwriter that his subtle hooks and clever song structures meant a dizzying array of talented writers in their own right wanted to take a crack at the great man’s work. Some of those names will be familiar like The Byrds who delivered the best of all Dylan covers, and others that were less obvious, including Cher who bellows out Masters Of War.
The first CD opens with ska legend Laurel Aitken adding that classic chugging beat to his cover of Blowin’ In the Wind and in contrast Flatt & Scruggs fly the bluegrass flag on Girl From The North Country. The much underrated Leon Russell adds southern soul to It’s A Hard Rain Gonna Fall, and Harry Nilsson’s louche crack at Subterranean Homesick Blues was produced by John Lennon, and featured Ringo Starr. Manchester’s The Hollies recorded a whole album of Dylan covers, but The Times They Are Changin’ proved to be just that for Graham Nash as he departed for Laurel Canyon.
Kicking off the second disc, Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper had backed Dylan on the Highway 61 Revisited album, so when they teamed up with Stephen Stills on It Takes Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry their harmonies and feel for the song were pin sharp. Johnny Winter adds amazing blues guitar to Highway 61 Revisited, and John Peel favourite Bridget St John offers a very British take on Just Like A Woman. Sandy Denny brought together some great folk players in Fotheringay after she exited Fairport Convention, and it is utterly bizarre she is not on lead vocals for Too Much Of Nothing. Dear Landlord was an outtake from the sessions for Janis Joplin’s first album but what a voice she had.
Rod Stewart was made to sing Dylan as The Faces got under the skin of Wicked Messenger to open the final disc. Thankfully Sandy Denny is on lead vocal for a glorious solo version of Down In the Flood, with some scintillating guitar work from Richard Thompson. Sandy Shaw is often seen as just a pop singer but her intelligent version of Lay Lady Lay is much more than that. Fairport Convention really loved a Dylan cover, so Denny and Thompson teamed up again to great effect for Percy’s Song from their trailblazing Unhalfbricking album.
Still touring Dylan remains a musical colossus, and all 63 songs on this compilation manage to pull off the tricky task of paying respect to his songwriting chops whilst making the songs their own with varying degrees of success.
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Words by Paul Clarke, you can see his author profile here.
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