Last week's offering Gates of Eden produced an interesting gender split with all the gents who voted going for Bob and the ladies voting for Julie Felix.
More gents voted (hardly surprising really given the demographics of the readership) so the series is now tied again at Bob 3 Cover Artists 3.
This week for me the cover version totally blows Bob away.
I have previously featured The Dream Syndicate's version of Blind Willie McTell when writing a post on the great Bluesman.
At the time I mentioned that I did not have the Dylan version and Marie of Vintage Spins fame very kindly obliged.
It is pretty good but not a patch on the version by Steve Wynn and his chums.
Others may choose to disagree.
Bob Dylan - Blind Willie McTell
The Dream Syndicate - Blind Willie McTell
Not even close, a complete mis-match, it's quite obviously, as you say, The Dream Syndicate. Bloody brilliant.
ReplyDeleteDylan's acoustic performance of 'Blind Willie McTell' was a holy grail among collectors for many years and rightly so - why on Earth did he leave it in the vaults for so long? A magnificent piece of writing and a stunning, intimate performance.
ReplyDeleteThe Dream Syndicate version is based on Bob's unreleased electric demo of the song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cdfKXmS82Y), which they nail spectacularly.
I love Dream Syndicate dearly, and their interpretation of this song in particular, but have to give the nod to Bob, by the smallest of margins. A very tough call.
Thanks for that link. It also led to a version by a later incarnation of The Band. But for me it's still The Dream Syndicate.
DeleteIt was allegedly the reformed Band's recording of the song that encouraged Dylan to go back and dig his version out from his own back pages. Indeed, when Bob eventually started to perform the song in concert in the late 1990's, the arrangement was initially very close to that of The Band's.
DeleteThanks for that version Swede and for re-igniting the whole acoustic/ electronic debate
ReplyDeleteI prefer that version to the one I posted but it is still the Dream Syndicate for me primarily as while Bob fades away they up the ante
I was expecting to be giving my point to the Dream Syndicate, no question. But no! A massive surprise, for me more than anyone! I just like Dylan's for being so stripped back, so intimate (to use The Swede's adjective) which just works better, more cohesively, for me on this song. So, a rare point in the Bob column from this female voter.
ReplyDeleteC voting for Bob? Somebody call the cops - her computer's obviously been hacked! :-)
DeleteI listened to these two takes three different times during the course of the day. Giving it to Bob, but both are special.
ReplyDeleteLike C I do always tend to go with the non-Bob version and sticking to that for this week too although I do see the merits of his version.
ReplyDeleteI'm a little late getting my vote in, CC, but I'm placing it on Bob. I love this track!
ReplyDelete