Published on May 30, 2001
Possibly no living musician in the world is as revered among his
peers as Bob Dylan. Just look at who turned out for the concert
that celebrated Dylan’s 30th anniversary in the business.
With his 60th birthday just past, it seems only fitting that the
musicians who have followed in Dylan’s path revisit his music to
give it the treatment it’s deserved.
A Nod To Bob: An Artists’ Tribute To Bob Dylan On His Sixtieth
Birthday is, with the exception of his Academy Award win, the
best present that Dylan could get. (On a sacreligious note, am I
the only one who thought that Dylan looked a bit like Snidely
Whiplash with that pencil-thin moustache at the Oscar
telecast?)
The 14 artists who cover these songs – some well known, others
hidden gems for the long-time Dylan fans to re-discover – take the
basic tracks, lovingly shape them into their own creations and send
them back to their author, never losing the heart of what made them
special in the first place. And, with only one exception, they all
hit the mark.
That one exception is John Gorka’s cover of “Girl Of The North
Country,” which just feels like Gorka deviated a little too far
away from the soul of the original. That said, Gorka chose a tough
song to cover, since I don’t think anything will top the version
Dylan performed with Johnny Cash on
Nashville Skyline. And while I can’t say I’m any fan of The
Roches, Suzzy & Maggie Roche’s cover of “Clothes Line Saga”
will please their fans.
The rest of
A Nod To Bob reads like a who’s who of folk and blues
artists – many of whom you sadly might not be familiar with.
Chances are, when you hear their contributions to this disc, that
will change. Artists like Cliff Eberhardt (“I Want You”), Norman
Blake & Peter Ostroushko (“Restless Farewell”) and Lucy
Kaplansky (“It Ain’t Me, Babe”) all do wonderful jobs with their
covers, undoubtedly also winning these artists new fans as
well.
Three artists stand out among the crowd. Tom Landa & The
Paperboys might have even outdone Jimi Hendrix with their
jig-oriented version of “All Along The Watchtower”. Martin Simpson
shows there’s a solid voice behind the impeccable guitar skills on
“Boots Of Spanish Leather”. And the French-Canadian group
Hart-Rouge prove you don’t have to understand the language to
appreciate music’s sheer beauty with their cover of “Dieu à
Nos Côtés (With God On Our Side)” – remarkable!
One side note – I have to wonder why someone didn’t try to
license Etta James’s recent cover of “Gotta Serve Somebody”. Just a
thought.
Dylan himself kept a low profile on his 60th birthday, but
something tells me if he heard
A Nod To Bob, he would be quite pleased. Chances are you’ll
feel the same way.