Dylan Covers YOU Do

Subject: RE: Dylan Covers YOU Do
From: PoppaGator
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 01:59 PM

Reading a concurrent thread about the pros and cons of using the "Rise Up Singing" songbook at group events reminded me that our circle of friends has occasionally brought out the hardback Dylan "Lyrics" book at parties for group singing. The results have been predicably inconsistent, but always fun.

These are not gatherings of musicians I'm talking about, certainly not "folkies" or serious singing enthusiasts -- just old-friend ex-hippies, including two or three guitar players, any one of whom might be able to remember or fake the chords for a given selection.

Given our age group and the fact that most of the group are not players or even truly diehard Dylan fans, most of the page-flipping is restricted to the front half of the book, up to and including, say, John Wesley Harding.

About a year ago, I was asked to bring my copy of the book to a party where the group sing never materialized, but *somebody* spotted the book and stole it -- a friend-of-a-friend's out-of-town guest, from whom it couldn't be recovered. So I had to go out and buy a replacement, and got a more recent edition with more songs. The copy that was stolen was the original publication with the brown cover; the new one includes everything up to "Empire Burlesque."

Subject: RE: Dylan Covers YOU Do
From: chris nightbird childs
Date: 01 Dec 04 - 02:09 PM

That's terrible, Poppa! True Dylan fans would surely go beyond JWH.
That said I would probably go up to Desire...

Subject: RE: Dylan Covers YOU Do
From: Pete Jennings
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 08:32 AM

A Dylan Lyric book currently for sale in the UK goes up to Love and Theft, which includes the great song Mississippi.

Subject: RE: Dylan Covers YOU Do
From: GUEST,Jim
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 09:41 AM

Got it - and working on Love & Theft songs now - some of Dylan's best songs to date (personal view) - though not as easy as his earlier songs (that's maybe what sets them apart).

Subject: RE: Dylan Covers YOU Do
From: Pete Jennings
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 10:33 AM

Jim, go to www.dylanchords.com right now!

Subject: RE: Dylan Covers YOU Do
From: GUEST,Jim
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 10:36 AM

I'm going I'm going!

Subject: RE: Dylan Covers YOU Do
From: GUEST,Jim
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 11:28 AM

Thanks Pete - great site

Subject: RE: Dylan Covers YOU Do
From: PoppaGator
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 02:51 PM

chris -- as you may have deduced by now, my friends and I are older than you ;^).

The last time we actually had one of those Dylan singalongs at a party was before "Love and Death," anyway. L&D is indeed a great album, of course, and many of the songs well worth trying to learn.

Which leads directly to mention of the dylanchords site recommended by Pete, where all the words, even the most recent, are available at no charge -- thanks buddy!

The newest updated edition of "Lyrics" was published very recently, as a companion piece for "Chronicles Vol I." I got an email notice from bobdylan.com yesterday announcing that it is available from Amazon at a serious discount -- $27 marked down from $45.

Can we get the same deal buying through Mudcat?

Subject: RE: Dylan Covers YOU Do
From: Cluin
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 03:11 PM

By the way, did we ever get any further info on that great cover of "Don't Think Twice" linked to by JustaPicker? Nice one,Jp , but who are the players and what is the recording?

Subject: RE: Dylan Covers YOU Do
From: open mike
Date: 02 Dec 04 - 04:57 PM

wow! too much of nothing...
i used to do thins one all the time..
and i completely blanked on it..
used to do it with "Released" a lot.

Subject: RE: Dylan Covers YOU Do
From: Coyote Breath
Date: 03 Dec 04 - 01:14 AM

Just "One More Cup of Coffee" but only because I don't do "covers" as a rule but I love the images conjured by the lyrics and the chord progressions are something I can manage. I really like every song on that album. (Desire) I didn't like Dylan until "Bringing it all Back Home" There will be an interview of Dylan on the next "60 Minutes" whenever THAT will be.

My first reaction to him was negative because I was knocked out by Dylan Thomas and I resented Bobby Zimmerman "taking" Thomas' name (if indeed that is what he did) The early stuff was not to my likeing poetically. I changed my mind about his early days within the last ten years. When I first heard "Hurricane" I got tears in my eyes and kept saying "YES!, YES!, YES!" and played that cut again and again. I had never believed Ruben Carter was guilty. I had been a fan of Carter's and the story of him being a murderer was beyond belief.

I felt Dylan's "Hurricane" was great poetry and even greater story telling and I still admire him for that if for nothing else.

But I drift.

CB

Subject: RE: Dylan Covers YOU Do
From: alanabit
Date: 03 Dec 04 - 03:33 AM

I believe that Carter's appeal at the time failed, but that he subsequently cleared his name. I think there was a film about it.
I like the sound of "Desire", with its rough harmonies and very loose rhythmic playing. Not many of the songs cover well though. My favourite, "Isis", is a dark comedy, which I can't imagine working as a solo song. It is easy enough to pull off a reasonable sounding version of "Sarah", but on reflection, there is no reason why anyone else should sing such a detailed, personal song!

Subject: RE: Dylan Covers YOU Do
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Dec 04 - 10:59 AM

"first reaction to him was negative"

I well remember lunchtimes in the school music-room listening to obscure material including some memorable illegal imports from the States. My 1st impressions of raw deep-south blues was almost shock/horror, but I soon got the bug.

Then one fine day a friend came in the room saying "you gotta listen to this" and placed Dylan's 1st album on the turntable. Who the ****'s this!? was everyone's reaction, and my friend thought we were philistines.

It was 1962, and we were 15 years old - crazy about the Everley's, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters & Jerry Lee - this was like something we'd never heard.

Within a week I'd bought a harmonica and started playing (if that's the right term for it) along with the songs. Not long afterwards came the guitar (when I could afford it - cheap crap that it was) and in 1964 my 1st holiday away with my mates, and it was Dylan songs all the way round the camp-sites of Scotland. To this day I'm sure there are many old folk who remember how 4 young lads wrecked their holiday.

Subject: RE: Dylan Covers YOU Do
From: Coyote Breath
Date: 03 Dec 04 - 01:45 PM

Dylan on 60 minutes, December 5 (CBS on Sunday).

CB

Subject: RE: Dylan Covers YOU Do
From: GUEST,LynnH
Date: 19 Jun 16 - 04:33 AM

Just arrived here from the other thread about Dylan covers.....only 12 years late!

'North Country Blues' and 'Eternal Circle' are the ones I sing most often. Apart from that I've also been known, in recent years, to do versions of 'It ain't me, babe' and 'The Ballad of Donald White'. For Donald White, since I learnt it from a book of Dylan texts I had to make a tune for it, the Blind Boy Grunt recording being very obscure. I'd been singing my own version for at least 5 years before I found Dylan's original recording. I still use my own tune since I feel that 'Tramps and Hawkers', which Dylan uses, doesn't really fit the story!

Subject: RE: Dylan Covers YOU Do
From: Mark Ross
Date: 19 Jun 16 - 07:13 PM

I have been known to sing WALKIN' DOWN THE LINE from time to time (which I learned 50 years ago from Bruce Murdoch). I also have fondness for ONE TOO MANY MORNINGS.

Mark Ross

Subject: RE: Dylan Covers YOU Do
From: Amos
Date: 19 Jun 16 - 10:02 PM

Twelve years later and he is still knocking them out of the park with his rare combination of wry humor, antagonistic confrontation, sorrowful regret and universal compassion, with a pinch of essence of lemon and mixed spice.

Lately, I've been covering:
Tangled Up In Blue
Got To Serve Somebody
Shelter from the Storm

In earlier phases I covered a lot of the classics:
Girl from the North Country,
Desolation Row,
Just Like a Woman,
Staying Here with You
Takes a Train To Cry
Corrina, Corrina
Down Along the Cove

and a few more I have since forgotten!

A

Subject: RE: Dylan Covers YOU Do
From: voyager
Date: 20 Jun 16 - 11:05 AM

Baby Let Me Follow You Down (1st album)
Arthur McBride
Lay Lady Lay
All Along the Watchtower
Like a Rolling Stone
Tambourine Man

Dylan anecdote -
Saw the 'Bob-ster' in a Beverly Hills movie theater (the Canon)
back in 1975. Film was 'Les Enfants du Paradis' *Children of
Paradise'. When the lights came up, he was wearing dark glasses
(probably not to be recogizer, right). His style was something
of the 'Blonde on Blonde' cover look, back in the day.

voyager