Somebody gave me the new 4-disc set "Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan" from lots of people for Amnesty International's 50th anniversary. Dylan covers have always been an inherently dodgy proposition, but this was worst than most! 17 out of 75 tracks were worth salvaging, and even that is being generous. Track after track demonstrated that the "artists" were fundamentally clueless about Dylan's work, appallingly godawful stuff. And because it was both a Dylan-as-museum-piece collection and an Amnesty International thing, the production and approach is so pious and lunkheaded that it's hard to take.
I thought I'm Not There was a terrible movie and a mixed bag as an album, but it was a lot better than this. And I'd tend to say that most Dylan covers miss the mark and send me running back to the original. Though there are of course a handful of good ones.
Anyone else hear this trainwreck?
Awful Dylan Covers
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Pat Garrett
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Re: Awful Dylan Covers
Haha, I asked a friend about this...
"92-year-old Pete Seeger’s ardent, almost pedagogical, spoken-word version of “Forever Young†(with backup from a children’s choir) is missable."
"92-year-old Pete Seeger’s ardent, almost pedagogical, spoken-word version of “Forever Young†(with backup from a children’s choir) is missable."
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jack white
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Re: Awful Dylan Covers
jadams501 wrote: I thought I'm Not There was a terrible movie
what? why?
i don't get this at all.
one of my mates really doesn't like the film, but he's not a dylan fan so i kinda understand that.
i thought it was quite good. was half tempted to put the dvd on the other day. maybe re-watch it this week.
it's good.
still haven't heard this Amnesty thing.. want to tho.
the big mystery of it for me is still the daniel/natasha beddingfield tracks & how they're still about.
gonna burn brightly
for a while
for a while
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Kurious Oranj
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Re: Awful Dylan Covers
yeah i like the movie.. much more interesting than your average, paint by numbers biography films
some parts are better than others though
some parts are better than others though
Re: Awful Dylan Covers
'raging and weeping are left on the early road
now each in his holy hill
the glittering and hurting days are alomst done
then let us compare mythologies
i have learned my elaborate lie
of soaring crosses and poisened thorns'
now each in his holy hill
the glittering and hurting days are alomst done
then let us compare mythologies
i have learned my elaborate lie
of soaring crosses and poisened thorns'
Re: Awful Dylan Covers
Whoops, I thought Chimes of Freedom had been mentioned in a previous thread (and that I had commented) but I couldn't find it the other nightl Perhaps the threads should be merged?
As for I'm Not There, the movie was like nails on a chalkboard for this Dylan fan. I felt that the filmmakers took the most cliched moments and myths from Dylan's life and presented them in a self-indulgent and simplistic way. The film seemed very pleased with itself, but I thought it lacked much substance behind the structural gimmick -- the concept was smarter than the "paint by number biography film" but the execution was around the same level. I'll concede that I gave up on it after about an hour, though.
As for I'm Not There, the movie was like nails on a chalkboard for this Dylan fan. I felt that the filmmakers took the most cliched moments and myths from Dylan's life and presented them in a self-indulgent and simplistic way. The film seemed very pleased with itself, but I thought it lacked much substance behind the structural gimmick -- the concept was smarter than the "paint by number biography film" but the execution was around the same level. I'll concede that I gave up on it after about an hour, though.