It's not hard to sing Dylan better than Dylan does - a cynic would say it's almost unavoidable - but the best I've heard yet is Tom Russell, on the new album, Indians Cowboys Horses Dogs, singing "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts," with help from Joe Ely and Eliza Gilkyson (sp?). Before that, I would have said Tim O'Brien's Red on Blonde was the best treatment of Dylan by someone else.

Re Richard Thompson, the best known this side of the pond is Del McKoury and his band doing "59 Vincent Black Lightning," which won Song of the Year at the IBMA thing. But a few weeks ago, the local Public Radio folk show played a recording of The Five Blind Boys of Alabama doing "Dimming of the Day," that just made my socks roll up and down.   Icoudn'fugginbelieveit! Icoudn'fugginbelieveit! I didn't even know they recorded any secular music.

Peter.