Okay, I'm flailing around here, totally madly in love with Bryan Ferry's
Dylanesque.
The last CD of covers I was excited about was Patti Smith's
Twelve, which was a
huge disappointment to me. I hadn't even heard a rumor of the existence of this one (perhaps I need to get out more?), and when I saw it I was at first OMG I MUST BUY THIS AT ONCE, and then hesitant, based on that recent disappointment.
I've now listened to
Dylanesque pretty much continuously all day and I can't give this CD enough love.
When Clint and I saw the
Scott Walker: 30 Century Man documentary at SXSW last March, it opened with
some vintage video of Roxy Music doing "Editions of You," with a glammed-out Brian Eno (who was featured in the film) on tambourine. I love that Bryan Ferry. And I think Roxy Music's live version of "Like a Hurricane" is probably my favorite cover song ever. And I have another album of Bryan Ferry covers,
Foolish Pleasures (he sings "It's My Party and I'll Cry if I Want To" on that one, it's priceless). But this CD of Bob Dylan covers is as good as anything I've ever loved by Roxy Music or Ferry solo. It's stunning.
Like the cover of Neil Young's "Hurricane," these cuts are all live, although recorded in the studio over a one-week period. He turns rockers into pop songs, croons the most blistering of Dylan's lyrics, and there are strings... STRINGS... on his brilliant, beautiful rendition of "Positively Fourth Street." And there's not one cut on here that doesn't work, but standouts were "Fourth Street," "The Times They Are A-Changin'," "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues," "Simple Twist of Fate," "All I Really Want to Do," and "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down."
Videos of "Positively Fourth Street" and "The Times They are A-Changin'" under the jump, along with a track list. But don't waste time watching these vids, go buy the CD. Go now.