Here's a little secret for you: I'm not that well versed in the works of Bob Dylan. Sure, I know the big Dylan songs. I know about the watchtowers and the times that are a-changin', but the rest of his extremely large back catalog has always seemed far too intimidating for me to step into. It's one of those things that I keep saying I'll do eventually, but it seems like every year that goes by, there's a new album or well reviewed installment in his Bootleg Series that gets added to the pile of albums that I'm not currently listening to.
So, this puts me in a strange position for the recently released 4-disc compilation: Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan, a massive work featuring 70-some different artists and bands tackling the songs of Bob Dylan in support of Amnesty International. One would think that I'd be better served listening to 4 random actual Dylan albums; or, at the least, some of his many greatest-hits compilations that are out there. That's probably true.
Still, who could resist four discs of covers from the most eclectic group of performers I've ever seen on a compilation before? Let's see, we've got Tom Morello, My Morning Jacket, Elvis Costello and Pete Seeger. Okay. If someone told me they were on a Bob Dylan cover album, I'd believe them. So then we move on to Sting, Raphael Saadiq, Adele and Bad Religion. Yeah, maybe a little less obvious, but I could still, possibly, believe that they'd probably be on a compilation like this. Then, we step into the "are you serious?" category: Ke$ha, Silversun Pickups, Miley Cyrus and...Evan Rachel Wood? (I actually had to wiki Wood to confirm that she was the actress I thought she was.)
That said, I was intrigued and excited. For one, I'm coming into this collection without knowing most of the songs being covered. For two, with a collection this varied and expansive, there had to be some really original sounding pieces here. ...Right? And, perhaps most of all, at the end of all this, will I finally be inspired to pursue Bob Dylan's formal discography? Or will I run away from it, never to return? An interesting experiment? Or, a waste of time? Let's find that out.
So now, in the first of a few entries, I'm listening to this compilation one disc at a time and offering my thoughts on some of the songs as I hear them for the first time. I don't feel like talking about all the songs...just the ones where I have something I feel like saying.
1. Johnny Cash & The Avett Bros. - "One Too Many Mornings" - From what the internet tells me, this song is the result of some studio trickery by Rick Rubin, as anyone probably figured from ten seconds of contemplating how Johnny's corpse got together with the Avetts. Still, the result is a song that sounds pretty nice, despite the fact that at the end of the day it still sounds like two different songs being pushed together.
3. Patti Smith - "Drifter's Escape" - I love Patti's voice, I have for as long as I've known who she was. This feels like it must be a pretty straight-forward of the original (I honestly don't know, though), since it sounds pretty straight-forward. A song I'd like to hear the original of, if only to compare.
5. Tom Morello the Nightwatchman - "Blind Willie McTell" - When I was in my teenage years, Rage Against the Machine was a band that I respected an awful lot. They seemed, to me, like what I wished bands like U2 was: Activism music without the shiny pop sheen and dirt under its fingernails. That said, this is the first time I've listened to Tom Morello sing (I've managed to avoid his Nightwatchman material thus far). Well...it's a voice. I still like you, Tom, but this voice of yours is not cutting it. Also, Tom, remember that time I shook your hand at Lollapalooza? Because I do.
8. Charlie Winston - "This Wheel's on Fire" - I don't know who the hell Charlie Winston is, but Wiki informs me that he's an English singer-songwriter. I really like this track. In fact, this may be my favorite so far. I love his voice and the backing band has a really nice full sound. This definitely makes me want to hear the original.
10. Brett Dennen - "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" - Now here's a song I know a bit better. Firstly, I know who Brett is and I've been a fan of his voice for a few years now. Secondly, I know this song extremely well, as it was also covered by The Byrds on Sweetheart of the Rodeo, a favorite album of mine. Yes, yes, I know...how can you be a fan of the Byrds without being a fan of Dylan. Look, I don't know how it happened either. It just did. Anyways, this cover is a really nice take on a song I already have committed to memory. Another highlight in the album so far.
11. Mariachi El Bronx - "Love Sick" - I love The Bronx and I love their mariachi-wielding alter-egos Mariachi El Bronx. I mean, to go from kinetic punk rock to something that makes you want to samba into a liquor store, and kicking ass at both, is an awesome accomplishment. The fact that The Bronx is on this album...as Mariachi El Bronx is fantastic and surprising to begin with. Even better is how much fun this song is. Absolutely love this.
13. The Gaslight Anthem - "Changing of the Guard" - "Well, guys, I would've loved to have gotten Bruce in here to do a track for us. Alas, he's busy. If only there was an option that sounded astonishingly close..." That's not to knock The Gaslight Anthem or this song. It's a solid song and I'm finally coming around on this band after being weary of them for so long due to my unfair assumption that they were just a Bruce cover band. Still, the one thing this song makes me realize is how awesome it would've been if the Arcade Fire were here.
15 & 16. My Morning Jacket - "You're a Big Girl Now" and Airborne Toxic Event - "Boots of Spanish Leather" - The former is an exercise in how to perform a delicate and dreamy song that still manages to capture your attention. The latter is an example on how to perform a boring song that makes me want to take a nap.
And that'll do it for the first disc today. When it's all said and done and the points are tallied, I found myself really enjoying 11/18 of the songs, with three more that I felt were either just okay or indifferent.
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