Today is Bob Dylan’s 75th birthday and, if you follow us on social media (or just about any other music site), you know last week was the 50th birthday of his iconic album Blonde on Blonde. To celebrate, Mojo magazine’s new issue contains a tribute CD with covers of every song. Hear a selection of highlights below.
From the far-out space psych of Steve Gunn’s “Visions of Johanna” to Ryley Walker’s pastoral fingerpicking on “Fourth Time Around,” there’s a definite emphasis on younger guitar virtuosos. But some others go beyond their axes: Marissa Nadler ditches the six-string for a slow harmonium sashay through “Absolutely Sweet Marie,” and Phosphorescent layers electric piano and keys on “I Want You”.
Jim O’Rourke’s “Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands” might be the true masterpiece here though. On the haunting 13-minute cut, he blends his slow picking with what sound like ambient field recordings to create one of the most memorable Dylan covers in recent years.
Hear those five below, then buy the full thing here – either as part of the new issue, or as a spiffy yellow (“blonde”) vinyl.
Tracklist:
01 “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35″ – Malcolm Middleton
02 “Pledging My Time” – My Darling Clementine
03 “Visions Of Johanna” – Steve Gunn
04 “One Of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later)” – Chip Taylor
05 “I Want You” – Phosphorescent
06 “Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again” – Promised Land Sound
07 ‘Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat’ – Michael Chapman
08 “Just Like A Woman” – Peter Bruntnell
09 “Most Likely You Go Your Way And I’ll Go Mine” – Thomas Cohen
10 “Temporary Like Achilles” – Kevin Morby
11 “Absolutely Sweet Marie” – Marissa Nadler
12 “4th Time Around” – Ryley Walker
13 “Obviously Five Believers” – Night Beats
14 “Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands” – Jim O’Rourke
Buy ‘Blonde On Blonde Revisited’ here.
