# Your Favorite Dylan-Song Cover Group/Artist **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 23, 2003, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dylan-song-cover-group-artist/183783 "2003-06-23T15:42:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dylan-song-cover-group-artist/183783/1 "2003-06-23T15:42:39Z")
Okay, gonna show my age here, big-time! 😃 **Them** for _It’s All Over Now Baby Blue_. I like it because from the way the song starts, you have no idea it’s gonna turn into **IAONBB**. Your turn. 😉 Q ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dylan-song-cover-group-artist/183783/2 "2003-06-23T15:43:34Z")
I like just about every Bob cover that the Grateful Dead did. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dylan-song-cover-group-artist/183783/3 "2003-06-23T16:04:04Z")
Well, this one is sooooo obscure, but my favorite Dylan cover is “Open the Door, Homer” by Thunderclap Newman. If you can find a copy of _Hollywood Dream_, snap it up immediately. Of course it contains Thunderclap Newman’s monster hit “Something in the Air,” but it also contains a beautiful cover of this little-known gem. (to the best of my knowledge, it’s only found on “The Basement Tapes”) Close second is Leslie West’s cover of “This Wheel’s on Fire” off the first Mountain album. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dylan-song-cover-group-artist/183783/4 "2003-06-23T16:05:14Z")
As a rule, I don’t care for Dylan covers in comparison with the originals. There’s nothing more misguided than the old canard that Dylan was a great songwriter who should have gotten someone else to sing his songs. It may not be a coincidence that the two Dylan covers I can think of that I like better than the originals are primarily instrumental showcases that happen to feature singers who don’t have conventionally “good” voices: Jimi Hendrix’s “All Along the Watchtower” (that one’s a gimme) and the Nice’s Bached-up “Country Pie.” The Nice’s take on “She Belongs to Me” is also ultra-cool. ---
**Author:** ![Intaglio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/71e660/32.png) [@Intaglio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intaglio)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dylan-song-cover-group-artist/183783/5 "2003-06-23T16:11:43Z")
“All Along The Watch Tower” Jimi Hendrix ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dylan-song-cover-group-artist/183783/6 "2003-06-23T17:27:48Z")
It’s not so much that Dylan couldn’t sing – he gives his songs a power that few others can match – but that he didn’t care about proper orchestration for the early songs. In some ways that helps the covers because they can take what is almost the equivalent of a demo and put their own music to it and not sound like a bad version of the original. So it’s hard to today to think of what the original of “All Along the Watchtower” even sounds like, so perfect is the Hendrix cover. And even Dylan approved of the ways the Byrds expanded on his folk to create folk rock. In fact, there’s now a compilation record of these, [The Byrds Play Dylan](http://216.239.51.100/search?q=cache:jidxDohc8lsJ:entertainment.msn.com/album/%3Falbum%3D640146+%22The+Byrds%22+Dylan+covers&hl=en&ie=UTF-8). Those guys in _The Band_ weren’t too bad, neither. Holy Smoke! A little Googling came up with [this insanely completist Body Dylan covers site](http://www.bjorner.com/Covers.htm). You gotta see it to believe it. > [@](#): > > Current listings contains 5870 covers of 350 different Dylan songs by 2791 artists! > Top ten songs covered: > > 1. Blowin’ In The Wind - 375 versions > > 2. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right - 217 > > 3. I Shall Be Released - 181 > > 4. Mr. Tambourine Man - 176 > > 5. Like A Rolling Stone - 172 > > 6. Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door - 150 > > 7. All Along The Watchtower - 144 > > 8. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue - 133 > > 9. I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight - 121 > > 10. Quinn The Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn) - 118 ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dylan-song-cover-group-artist/183783/7 "2003-06-23T17:30:52Z")
Body Dylan is evidently the twin brother that died at birth. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dylan-song-cover-group-artist/183783/8 "2003-06-23T17:45:31Z")
**Shawn Colvin** does a heart-rending cover of _You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go_ on her album Cover Girl. **Cowboy Junkies’** version of _If You Gotta Go, Go Now (or else you gotta stay all night)_ and **Odetta’s** a capella _Paths of Victory_ (both from a Dylan tribute album) are also fantastic. **Chris Smither** performs an amazing _Desolation Row_ and _What Was it You Wanted?_ - this last one is also done wel by **Willie Nelson** ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dylan-song-cover-group-artist/183783/9 "2003-06-23T18:03:07Z")
And _Boots of Spanish Leather_ by the great bluegrass band **Seldom Scene**. ---
**Author:** ![Ol\_Gaffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Ol\_Gaffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ol_Gaffer)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dylan-song-cover-group-artist/183783/10 "2003-06-23T18:07:59Z")
My personal favorite is _Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall_ as performed by **Edie Brickell and The New Bohemians**. ---
**Author:** ![nitroglycerine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@nitroglycerine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nitroglycerine)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dylan-song-cover-group-artist/183783/11 "2003-06-23T18:27:55Z")
I’m not a Dylan fan, but I really like Mike Ness’ version of “Don’t Think Twice” Jon ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dylan-song-cover-group-artist/183783/12 "2003-06-23T18:33:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ol’Gaffer \* > \*\*My personal favorite is _Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall_ as performed by **Edie Brickell and The New Bohemians**. \*\* That’s from a movie soundtrack; do you remember which one? (I’m thinking it was a war movie.) ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dylan-song-cover-group-artist/183783/13 "2003-06-23T18:54:11Z")
I think it was **Born on the 4th of July** ---
**Author:** ![Ol\_Gaffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Ol\_Gaffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ol_Gaffer)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dylan-song-cover-group-artist/183783/14 "2003-06-23T19:13:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dantheman \* > \*\*That’s from a movie soundtrack; do you remember which one? (I’m thinking it was a war movie.) \*\* > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Enginerd \* > \*\*I think it was Born on the 4th of July \*\* Yes it was. I know it is on the soundtrack but am unsure if it was ever released on an **EBATNB** album. I suppose I could look it up but my gyros sandwich is calling… ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dylan-song-cover-group-artist/183783/15 "2003-06-23T21:45:56Z")
I’m pretty darn sure it was never ever on one of their own albums. And a quick Google check seems to bear that out. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dylan-song-cover-group-artist/183783/16 "2003-06-23T23:32:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Exapno Mapcase \* > \*\*Body Dylan is evidently the twin brother that died at birth. \*\* So **Mindand** is the one we’re listening to now, **Exap’**? 😉 Q ---
**Author:** ![Padmaraga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@Padmaraga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padmaraga)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dylan-song-cover-group-artist/183783/17 "2003-06-23T23:38:22Z")
I love Indigo Girls’ version of “Tangled Up in Blue” from their “1000 Curfews” live album. Especially the jam session toward the end. ---
**Author:** ![J\_String](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce73a5/32.png) [@J\_String](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J_String)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dylan-song-cover-group-artist/183783/18 "2003-06-23T23:56:48Z")
Blackmore’s Night: "Times They are a Changin’ ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dylan-song-cover-group-artist/183783/19 "2003-06-24T00:19:34Z")
Well I’m not ashamed to say that I really like the Turtles’ rendition of “It Ain’t Me Babe”. Granted, the Turtles were not a very infuential rock group of the 1960’s but their rendition has a lot of raw energy and power that I feel the Dylan version lacks. Incidentally, the Turtles changed their angry musical style shortly after this song. Why ? Howie Kaylan said “We saw Barry Maguire’s ship sinking”. LOL And no question, Jimi Hendrix’ “All Along The Watchtower” is a masterpiece. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dylan-song-cover-group-artist/183783/20 "2003-06-24T00:31:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by nitroglycerine \* > \*\*I’m not a Dylan fan, but I really like Mike Ness’ version of “Don’t Think Twice” > > Jon \*\* That’s my favorite Dylan cover as well, but it is my favorite Dylan song overall. And I’m a HUGE Mike Ness fan. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dylan-song-cover-group-artist/183783.md?page=2)