A Nod To Bob: An Artists Tribute To Bob Dylan On His Sixtieth Birthday

 

 

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Released in May 2001 on Red House Records to tie in with his 60th birthday, there's a bunch of reasons why this 14-track compilation of Bob Dylan cover versions 'so' works.

First up is the clever choice of songs - almost all of them avoid the usual suspects - there's not a single tune off "Blood On The Tracks" - yet more than a few of these artists would probably give blood to a vampire rather than part with their original copy of it. Nothing from "Desire" either, "Oh Mercy", "Love & Theft", "Nashville Skyline" - no "Knocking On Heaven's Door" or "Like A Rolling Stone" - and thank God for that. Some of them are obviously well known, but the relative obscurity of the others make them such a refreshing listen - it's like somebody finding magic Dylan songs you didn't know about.

Then there are the artists themselves - outside of fairly knowledgeable circles, most of these names will be complete unknowns to the casual buyer - and yet all of them put in extraordinary performances of what is - let's face it - overly familiar material. And yet perhaps because they're "not" a famous name that it makes their interpretations such a sweet listen and discovery. Most have fantastic voices and each track is beautifully recorded. I'm reminded of "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" - that sense of rediscovery - "A Nod To Bob" is similar - a cross between US Folk and Americana - done really well.

And last is the way they interpret Dylan's songs. Most avoid the 8-minute lyric workouts that now sound slightly trite and tiresome and instead opt for his more straightforward love songs. The jaunty pop of "I Want You" from "Blonde On Blonde" is completely transformed by Cliff Eberhardt into a slow pleading love ballad - and it's brilliant. In fact most of the versions on here are acoustic - breaking down the song and bringing out what was latent in the originals - the lovely melody. You throw in Dylan's poignant lyrics and you're on a winner.

Negatives - some might feel the French Cajun feel to "Dieu A Nos Cotes" (With God On Our Side) is too much and the one real clinker for me is "Delia" - a song not written by Dylan but more famously associated with Johnny Cash. It doesn't work at all. But so many others do. The black and bluesy voice of Gary Davis imbibes the truly lovely "Sweetheart Like You" from "Infidels" with such tenderness - really great (sounds like 90's Dylan too - it also features LEVON HELM of The Band on Drums with John Platania on Guitar from Van Morrison's band). Greg Brown's "Pledging My Time" from 1966's "Blonde On Blonde" is probably the closest of them all to the original song - it boogies along in a bluesy way like an Eric Bibb shuffle or EC circa "461 Ocean Boulevard".

The 20-page booklet allows each artist space to explain their choice - the record label has given the great man a two-page letter of appreciation - and there's a card wrap on the outside - giving the whole project a classy feel.

Most will yawn at the idea of yet another tribute to Bob Dylan - but even those who don't like him at all will find something beautiful in here. "A Nod To Bob" is easily one of the most captivating and lovely listens I've heard in years and accomplishes that rarest of things - it properly compliments the great man and his unparalleled body of work.

If you want an audio taste of the music - try "Love Minus Zero/No Limits" by ELIZA GILKYSON or JOHN GORKA'S quiet version of "Girl From The North Country" - both are available as snippet-listens on iTunes.

Lovely, lovely, lovely... Highly recommended.

with the exception of "All along the watchtower" (perhaps an interpretation too far?) this collection is the most satisfying thing I've heard since the "Oh brother where art thou?" soundtrack. On some days the outstanding song is "Boots of Sapnish leather", but on other days different tunes leap out and entrance one. Dylan was the great poet of the 20th century, and these cover versions are played with real, imaginative, zeal and love for his work. A joy.

This album is really fun. It concentrates on bluesy and country style covers of some of Bob's best known songs. The Spanish/Celtic "All Along the Watchtower" by the Paperboys is probably the highlight.

It's great to hear so many different interpretations of Bob's work and still be able to hear "that unmistakeable Bobness" in each one.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Possibly the best tribute
Dylan covers CDs I have about 50 of.I can just about tolerate some of the more extreme rock versions which appear on the covermounts but this one is the business. Read more

Published 8 months ago by Richard

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of Bob?
A Nod To Bob: An Artists Tribute To Bob Dylan On His Sixtieth Birthday Even if you have a lot of Dylan's original music this album is a great addition to the library. Read more

Published 16 months ago by ROBERT PAUL HINXMAN

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than the Real Thing
I'm not a big fan of Bob, but borrowed this from a mate as "something different". After a couple of listens, I was absolutely hooked. Read more

Published on 2 Mar 2002 by J. Mcgregor

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