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Although a soundtrack and an ode, covers of already brilliant music are always a fine line ...
Editorial
Release date: (re-release) 26 October 2007 (SonyBMG)
Didn't you know that there's an unspoken rule about covering Bob Dylan? You didn't know? Well, the rule is very simple: don't. Dylan had such a unique sound that to authentically cover his work, you need to recreate that uniqueness; this is precisely the reason why the unspoken rule exists. It's very hard to do a cover of a Dylan song and capture that quaint, angst-ridden style that he specialised in, especially in his early work. This is a tribute album, of sorts, and is the original soundtrack to the film I'm Not There. Similar to I'm Your Man, the film about the music of Leonard Cohen and featuring covers by contemporary artists.
Considering this is a soundtrack, not a tribute album (though the line is blurred), everyone can be excused for the covers. Naturally, you'd expect that some will be better than others. Disc one's highlight is One More Cup of Coffee as covered by Roger McGunn and Calexico. Why? For such a terribly sad-sounding song, this artist has managed to capture the original feel, harmonies and everything, but then thrown in a latin-jazz influence to the mix. It's original and authentic all at once. An example of something that doesn't really work as an original arrangement is All Along the Watchtower - Hendrix's cover of this song was bad enough, and this arrangement does not suit.
On disc two, we have Just Like a Woman, performed by Charlotte Gainsbourg and Calexico - another beautiful arrangement and performance of a beautiful song. There's not a lot of point going into the intricacies of each individual track. If you like Bob Dylan or saw the movie, it's worth listening to. Just keep in mind the unspoken rule and why it exists.
Tracks:
Disc 1
1. All Along the Watchtower - Eddie Vedder
2. I'm Not There - Sonic Youth
3. Goin' To Acapulco - Jim James / Calexico
4. Tombstone Blues - Richie Havens
5. Ballad of a Thin Man - Stephen Malkmus
6. Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again - Cat Power
7. Pressing On - John Doe
8. Fourth Time Around - Yo La Tengo
9. Dark Eyes - Iron & Wine/Calexico
10. Highway 61 Revisited - Karen O
11. One More Cup of Coffee - Roger Mcguinn / Calexico
12. The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll - Mason Jennings
13. Billy 1 - Los Lobos
14.Simple Twist of Fate - Jeff Tweedy
15. The Man in the Long Black Coat - Mark Lanegan
16. Senor (Tales of Yankee Power) - Willie Nelson/Calexico
Disc 2
1. As I Went Out One Morning - Mira Billotte
2. Can't Leave Her Behind - Stephen Malkmus/Lee Ranaldo
3. Ring Them Bells - Sufjan Stevens
4. Just Like a Woman - Charlotte Gainsbourg
5. Mama You've Been On My Mind/A Fraction of Last Thoughts On Woody Guthrie - Jack Johnson
6. I Wanna Be Your Lover - Yo La Tengo
7. You Ain't Goin Nowhere - Glen Hansard/Marketa Irglova
8. Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window? - The Hold Steady
9. Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues - Ramblin' Jack Elliott
10. The Wicked Messenger - The Black Keys
11. Cold Iron Bound - Tom Verlaine
12. The Times They Are a Changin' - Mason Jennings
13. Maggie's Farm - Stephen Malkmus
14. When the Ship Comes In - Marcus Carl Franklin
15. Moonshiner - Bob Forrest
16. I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine - John Doe
17. Knockin' On Heaven's Door - Antony
18. I'm Not There - Bob Dylan
Vincent Giles, March 2008
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