Roddy Hart & Gemma Hayes – The Dylan EP

Arriving a tad late for Dylan’s 70th birthday celebrations Scotland’s own Roddy Hart has teamed up with Ireland’s Gemma Hayes for a four track EP of Dylan covers, all of which happen to be favourite Dylan tracks of mine.

Some may ask why? Some may say why not, either way the four tracks (Most Of The Time, Oh, Sister, Not Dark Yet and It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue) are all recorded within a safe distance of the original arrangements with the dual vocals of the artists being the immediate difference bar Oh, Sister which tries hard but falls short of replicating the magic created between Dylan and Emmylou Harris on the original.

“Oh, Sister” – Roddy Hart & Gemma Hayes

From Amazon.comes this brief review:-

After successfully curating ‘Forever Young: A 70th Birthday Tribute To Bob Dylan’ at this year’s Celtic Connections festival – featuring a host of international artists including Rosanne Cash, Josh Rouse, Thea Gilmore, Kris Drever, Eddi Reader and more, and broadcast by Radio 2 and Sky Arts – Scottish
singer/songwriter Roddy Hart and his band The Lonesome Fire join forces with another of the night’s performers, Irish singer/songwriter Gemma Hayes, to release “The Dylan EP” on Vertical Records. Featuring four lesser known Bob Dylan tracks – Most Of The Time, Oh Sister, Not Dark Yet and It’s All Over Now Baby, Blue – the critically acclaimed artists combine with stunning effect to breath new life into the works of the world’s most iconic songwriter.

Following in the footsteps of Dylan’s prolific out put, Hart (who attracted the talents of US legend Kris Kristofferson for his first album, Bookmarks), and Hayes (who received a Mercury Prize nomination for her debut album Night On My Side) are both due to deliver their fourth albums later in the year.

To buy the EP click HERE

Cover Story – Bob Dylan

Artists covering Dylan songs can be considered almost the norm, however, it is less common for an artist to cover a Dylan album in its entirity.

Thea Gilmore has just done that and her end product “John Wesley Harding” has just been released.

Any perceived success will in part be due to Robbie McIntosh’s inspired  guitar  work throughout  peaking on while Gilmore’s take on “All Along the Watchtower”   which is pitched midway between Dylan’s and Hendrix’s.

“All Along The Watchtower” – Thea Gilmore

To buy the music of Thea Gilmore click HERE

Bob Dylan – 70 Today

All I want to do…………….is thank you for the music.

Happy Birthday Bob.

Blue Monday – Bob Dylan

Despite being regarded as one of the greatest sonwriters ever Dylan has never been slow to honour his roots and inspiration either on record, in concert or more recently during his brilliant radio shows.

His inspiration for his debut album released in 1963 drew from American and Celtic Traditional Folk, Spitituals and of course the blues.

Blue Monday thus brings you three of those tracks in celebration of his roots.

First up is the traditional song “In My Time Of Dying” an early version of which was recorded by Blind Willie Johnson.

Well, in my time of dying don’t want nobody to mourn
All I want for you to do
is take my body home
Well, well, well, so I can die easy
Well, well, well

Well, well, well, so I can die easy
Jesus gonna make up, Jesus gonna make
up
Jesus gonna make up my dying bed.

Well, meet me Jesus, meet me,
meet me in the middle of the air
If these wings should fail to me,
Lord,
won’t you meet me with another girl ?
Well, well, well, so I can die
easy
Well, well, well
Well, well, well, so I can die easy
Jesus gonna
make up, Jesus gonna make up
Jesus gonna make up my dying bed.

Lord,
in my time of dying don’t want nobody to cry
All I want you to do is take me
when I die
Well, well, well, so I can die easy
Well, well, well
Well,
well, well, so I can die easy
Jesus gonna make up, Jesus gonna make
up
Jesus gonna make up my dying bed.

Next up is a Bukka White classic “Fixin’ To Die”

Feeling funny in my mind, Lord,
I believe I’m fixing to die
Feeling funny
in my mind, Lord
I believe I’m fixing to die
Well, I don’t mind
dying
But I hate to leave my children crying
Well, I look over yonder to
that burying ground
Look over yonder to that burying ground
Sure seems
lonesome, Lord, when the sun goes down

Feeling funny in my eyes,
Lord,
I believe I’m fixing to die, fixing to die
Feeling funny in my
eyes, Lord
I believe I’m fixing to die
Well, I don’t mind dying but
I
hate to leave my children crying
There’s a black smoke rising, Lord
It’s
rising up above my head, up above my head
It’s rising up above my head, up
above my head
And tell Jesus make up my dying bed.

I’m walking kind
of funny, Lord
I believe I’m fixing to die, fixing to die
Yes I’m walking
kind of funny, Lord
I believe I’m fixing to die
Fixing to die, fixing to
die
Well, I don’t mind dying
But I hate to leave my children
crying.

Finally and somewhat appropriate as an end to this theme is Blind Lemon Jefferson’s “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean”

Well there’s one kind of favor I’ll ask for you
Well there’s one kind of favor I’ll ask for you
There’s just one kind of favor I’ll ask for
you
You can see that my grave is kept clean.

And there’s two white
horses following me
And there’s two white horses following me
I got two
white horses following me
Waiting on my burying ground.

Did you ever
hear that coffin sound
Did you ever hear that coffin sound
Did you ever
hear that coffin sound
Means another poor boy is underground.

Did you
ever hear them church bells toll
Did you ever hear them church bells toll

Did you ever hear them church bells toll
Means another poor boy is dead
and gone.

And my heart stopped beating and my hands turned cold
And my heart stopped beating and my hands turned cold
And my heart stopped
beating and my hands turned cold
Now I believe what the Bible
told.

There’s just one last favor I’ll ask for you
And there’s one
last favor I’ll ask for you
There’s just one last favor I’ll ask for you

See that my grave is kept clean.

To buy the music of Bob Dylan click HERE

Sunday Jazz – Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan turns 70 on Tuesday 24th May so here in the first of three posts to mark the ocassion is a couple of jazz covers.

For more information and previous posts on Madeliene Peyroux click HERE and HERE

For more information and previous posts on Barb Jungr click HERE and HERE

Lonesome Road

Having now finished the above book my favourite two Chapters were those dedicated to Blind Willie McTell (watch out for forthcoming post) and the one detailing the “Bob Dylan Theme Time Radio Hour” from which I discovered that Frank Sinatra was the most played artist and that one of Dylan’s all time favourite tracks is Sinatra’s 1957 version of “Lonesome Road”

Look down – look down
That lonesome road
Before you travel on

Look up – look up
And seek your maker
Before (mr.) gabriel blows his horn

(I’m) weary (of) toting – such a (heavy) load
Trudging down – the (that) lonesome road

Look down – look down
That lonesome road
Before (before) you travel on

True love – true love
What have I done
That you should treat me so

You – caused me
To walk and talk
Like I never did before

(I’m) weary (of) toting – such a (heavy) load
Trudging down – the (that) lonesome road

Look down – look down (look down – look down)
That lonesome road
Before (before) you (decide to) travel on

To buy the music of Frank Sinatra click HERE

I Still Miss Someone

At my door the leaves are falling
A cold wild wind Will come
Sweethearts walk by together
And I still miss someone

I go out on a party
And look for a little fun
But I find a darkened corner
‘Cause I still miss someone

Oh, no I never got over those blues eyes
I see them every where
I miss those arms that held me
When all the love was there

I wonder if she’s sorry
For leavin’ what we’d begun
There’s someone for me somewhere
And I still miss someone

Oh, no I never got over those blues eyes
I see them every where
I miss those arms that held me
When all the love was there

I wonder if she’s sorry
For leavin’ what we’d begun
There’s someone for me somewhere
And I still miss someone

and i still miss someone

To buy the music of Bob Dylan click HERE

 

To buy the music of Johnny Cash click HERE

 

Happy Birthday FiFi

 

New News – Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan is set to headline the first London Feis festival this June.

Celebrating Irish music and culture, the event takes place in London‘s Finsbury Park on June 18, with more acts set to be added to the bill soon.

Organiser Vince Power explained that he had booked Dylan on an “exclusive” deal, meaning that the show will be his only UK appearance this year.

“Announcing Bob Dylan for an exclusive UK performance means that the first year will be one to remember,” Power said.

The festival will feature three stages. See Londonfeis.com for more information.

Source www.uncut.co.uk

This news coincides with my reading of the above book which has instigated one of my periods of intense Dylan listening.

To many you either love or hate the music of Bob Dylan, however, for me I land somewhere in between, though closer to the love end, and as such can recognise  the brilliance of much of his catalogue yet can equally recognise his many failings.

“Dylan In America”  by Sean Wilentz cherry picks what the author feels were the primary influences on the young Dylan and thereafter concentrates on what the author regards as the key music releases and events of Dylan’s career.

The Chapter that I’m currently reading describes in detail the making of “Blonde On Blonde” which of course includes many a Dylan classics such as this.

“Rainy Day Women #12&35″ – Bob Dylan

Well, they’ll stone ya when you’re trying to be so good
They’ll stone ya just a-like they said they would
They’ll stone ya when you’re tryin’ to go home
Then they’ll stone ya when you’re there all alone
But I would not feel so all alone
Everybody must get stoned

Well, they’ll stone ya when you’re walkin’ ’long the street
They’ll stone ya when you’re tryin’ to keep your seat
They’ll stone ya when you’re walkin’ on the floor
They’ll stone ya when you’re walkin’ to the door
But I would not feel so all alone
Everybody must get stoned

They’ll stone ya when you’re at the breakfast table
They’ll stone ya when you are young and able
They’ll stone ya when you’re tryin’ to make a buck
They’ll stone ya and then they’ll say, “good luck”
Tell ya what, I would not feel so all alone
Everybody must get stoned

Well, they’ll stone you and say that it’s the end
Then they’ll stone you and then they’ll come back again
They’ll stone you when you’re riding in your car
They’ll stone you when you’re playing your guitar
Yes, but I would not feel so all alone
Everybody must get stoned

Well, they’ll stone you when you walk all alone
They’ll stone you when you are walking home
They’ll stone you and then say you are brave
They’ll stone you when you are set down in your grave
But I would not feel so all alone
Everybody must get stoned

Copyright © 1966 by Dwarf Music; renewed 1994 by Dwarf Music

To buy the music of Bob Dylan click HERE

Suze Rotolo

Bob Dylan‘s former girlfriend Suze Rotolo has died aged 67.

Rotolo, who passed away on February 24, went out with Dylan in the early 60s, and was the inspiration for some of his best-known songs including ‘Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right’, ‘Tomorrow Is A Long Time’ and ‘Boots Of Spanish Leather’.

She appears alongside Dylan on the cover of his 1963 album ‘The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan’ (pictured).

Rotolo is also credited with turning Dylan onto politics, as well as influencing his painting.

According to Village Voice, Rotolo died of a long-term illness at her New York home. She is survived by her husband of 40 years, Enzo Bartoccioli.

Rotolo rarely discussed Dylan in public, although she did take part in Martin Scorsese‘s 2005 documentary No Direction Home, and wrote a memoir about her youth called A Freewheelin’ Time’ in 2008.

This book is well worth a read and for more information please view my earlier blog by clicking HERE

“Tomorrow Is A Long Time” – Bob Dylan

If today was not a crooked highway,
If tonight was not a crooked trail,
If tomorrow wasn’t such a long time,
Then lonesome would mean nothing to you at all.
Yes, and only if my own true love was waitin’,
And if I could only hear her heart a-softly poundin’,
Yes and only if she was lyin’ by me,
Then I’d lie in my bed once again.

I can’t see my reflection in the water(s),
I can’t speak the sounds that show no pain,
I can’t hear the echo of my footsteps,
Or can’t remember the sound of my own name.
Yes, and only if my own true love was waitin’,
And if I could only hear her heart a-softly poundin’,
Yes and only if she was lyin’ by me,
Then I’d lie in my bed once again.

There’s beauty in the silver, singin’ river,
There’s beauty in the rainbow in the sky,
But no one and nothing else can touch the beauty
That I remember in my true love’s eyes.
Yes, and only if my own true love was waitin’,
And if I could only hear her heart a-softly poundin’,
Yes and only if she was lyin’ by me,
Then I’d lie in my bed once again.

To buy the music of Bob Dylan click HERE

Death Is Not The End

“Death Is Not The End” – Bob Dylan

When you’re sad and when you’re lonely
And you haven’t got a friend
Just remember that death is not the end
And all that you held sacred
Falls down and dows not bend
Just remember that death is not the end.

Not the end, not the end
Just remember that death is not the end.

When you’re standing on the cross-roads
That you cannot comprehend
Just remember that death is not the end
And all your dreams have vanished
And you don’t know what’s up the bend
Just remember that death is not the end.

Not the end, not the end
Just remember that death is not the end.

When the storm clouds gather round you
And heavy rains descend
Just remember that death is not the end
And there’s nowhere there to comfort you
With helping hand to lend
Just remember that death is not the end.

Not the end, not the end
Just remember that death is not the end.

Oh the tree of life is growing
Where the spirit never dies
And the bright light of salvation
Shines in dark and empty skies
When the cities are on fire
When the burning flesh of men
Just remember that death is not the end
And you search in vain to find
Just one law abiding citizen
Just remember that death is not the end.

Not the end, not the end
Just remember that death is not the end.

To buy the music of Bob Dylan click HERE

Bonus Track:-

“Death Is Not The End” – The Waterboys (Mike Scott)

To buy the music of The Waterboys click HERE