What's going on? Two weeks ago The Swede votes against Bob and last week Alyson votes for Bob!
The world is going mad!
A very close call last week with the Tom Robinson Band narrowly shading it with their version of I Shall Be Released. Therefore the score is now Bob 4 Cover Versions 5
Another tough one this week with two versions of the oft covered Knockin' on Heaven's Door.No Eric Clapton or Guns 'n' Roses you'll be glad to know.
We have Mr Zimmerman's original from the soundtrack of the 1973 film Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid versus the version by Warren Zevon from his 2003 album The Wind which is especially poignant given that he knew that he was dying when he recorded it.
Call me a sentimental old fool but it is Warren for me this week hands down.
Other more heart hearted folk may choose to differ! Can Bob draw level?
A break next Saturday for Christmas stuff. Back in between Christmas and New Year
Bob Dylan - Knockin' On Heaven's Door
Warren Zevon - Knockin' on Heaven's Door
'The Wind' is a terrific album, made under extraordinarily difficult circumstances - there's an excellent hour long documentary on YouTube about the making of the record. But next to his own deeply personal compositions 'Keep Me in Your Heart' and the frankly breathtaking 'El Amor de Mi Vida', Warren's inclusion of 'Knockin'...' on 'The Wind' has always struck me as something of an unnecessary cheap shot. It's tough to contemplate voting against Warren at any time and especially so with this album, Bob it is though.
ReplyDeleteWarren Zevon's version is too overblown. His vocal isn't as good as Dylan's here. And the way Dylan's vocal is recorded, that echo-y effect, makes the song. So it's Dylan, by many many country kilometres.
ReplyDeleteBob.
ReplyDeleteI'm with the others, thank fuck you didn't choose the Guns and Roses version. I hope to never hear that ever again.
ReplyDeleteWhy did you play it in the first place?
DeleteI know, not like me last week at all but as the most non-muso person around these parts I purely go with the subjective approach - Which version do I enjoy best and which do I think best suits the particular song - It's Bob again for me this week very overwhelmingly.
ReplyDeleteBob! Even as this version is something very special. WZ sung this words knowing that he will soon really knock on heaven's door.
ReplyDeleteLike WZ quite a bit. Miss him, but I'm going with Bob on this particular song. I think it's one of his best from that period. The GnR version is an absolute abomination. Pisses me off that they ever did it. When WZ did this song, under the circumstances, it all seemed a little too much for me.
ReplyDeleteI´m a big fan of Zevon. But, at this, is Bob for a long distance. His version is really touching.
ReplyDeleteI'm a little late for the vote, but I have to opt for Bob's original too, CC.
ReplyDeleteHope you and Mrs. CC have a wonderful holiday and that Santa brings you lots of musical delights!
I'm afraid Bob lost as soon as you put Warren's photo up since I'm a huge Zevon fan. (That said, I like the Guns 'n' Roses version too, so what do I know?)
ReplyDeleteTell you what, find a cover of Rainy Day Women and I will vote for Bob, even if it's Springsteen doing the cover. No one can do that better...
I'm also late on this but.... Bob for me too even though I love WZ, who, incidentally is not just underrated but.....and I always find this hard to credit, virtually unknown by many of my 60yr old+ confreres. At a pinch they'll recall Werewolves but I always push 'em to listen beyond that. I do like his repeated 'open up open up' toward the end though.
ReplyDelete