Bob Dylan -- The Best Cover Songs

Covering anyone is a hard task. How on earth do you retain the brilliance and stature of the original song, without ruining it altogether? Very few artists achieve it, although a few have. Jeff Buckley arguably bettered Leonard Cohen with "Hallelujah" as did Jose Gonzalez with "Heartbeats."

Incase you haven't noticed, it appears Bob Dylan is internet allergic, as all his YouTube videos have been taken down. In their place are a plethora of cover versions, many of which don't even come close to tackling the task of bettering Dylan. However, a few have come close.

Jeff Buckley -- Mama, You've Been On My Mind

Jimi Hendrix -- Like A Rolling Stone

The Eels -- Girl From The North Country

Johnny and June Carter Cash -- It Ain't Me Babe

Jeff Buckley -- Just Like A Woman

Are there any better Dylan covers out there? Think any of the one's we've chosen are rubbish?

Comment below or use the hashtag #dylancovers on Twitter so we can keep track of the tweets.

 

Follow Ryan Bassil on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ryanbassil

Comments

[MoreLove]

11:59 AM on 05/30/2011

My favorite is Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker's live cover of License to Kill from the Dylan 30th Anniversary CD.

[triplettam]

11:26 AM on 05/30/2011

Hendrix. "Watchtower." Sheesh.

[RedDogBear]

02:08 PM on 05/29/2011

Ani Difranco's cover of Hurricane and one of the best bands most people have never heard of: Roky Erickson and the 13th Floor Elevators cover of Baby Blue

[inkongirl]

01:30 PM on 05/28/2011

Fairport Convention doing "Percy's Song". And really, Jimi doing anything by Bob...Drifter's Escape and Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window are fun, and Tears of Rage is beautiful.

[BillAnthony]

05:13 AM on 05/28/2011

Hendrix's cover of All Along the Watchtower is arguably the great rock cover song ever.

[yankees]

09:37 AM on 05/28/2011

Totally agree-Nothing comes close what Hendrix did, he made it his own.

[kcbhcsr]

01:41 PM on 05/28/2011

Bob himself loved it. Nothing else comes close.

[ARonHenry]

06:57 PM on 05/28/2011

I totally dis-agree. Don't get me wrong, I love what Jimi did with the song. It's a masterpiece on the guitar, but what would you expect from Hendrix? However, he messed up the lyrics on a few lines, and on this song you don't want to do that. It's also loaded up with studio special effects that are nice but not really needed. Dylan's All Along The Watchtower is pretty much perfection all the way around, lyrics, singing, and music, and is much more genuine and honest. Put it on and play it at a high volume and you'll see what I mean. It's almost a cliche to say Hendrix out did Dylan's verison, and that needs to be challenged. As much as I love Hendrix's verison, Dylan's original take has never been surpassed. One of Bob's greatest songs and greatest performances.

[jsaul]

06:05 PM on 05/27/2011

I wonder if you like Jeff Buckley...

[dunedin]

04:44 PM on 05/27/2011

Rosanne Cash's "Girl From The North Country" should be on the list. Actually it is on "The List" but should be on this list.

[David Durham]

12:56 PM on 05/27/2011

One of the best Dylan covers isn't a song, it's a cover of he himself. Cate Blanchett as Bob Dylan in I'm Not There. Just terrific!

[auramac]

02:39 PM on 05/27/2011

Not really. To me, it was a Halloween performance. Highly overrated. Cate with a Bob Dylan mask.

[jsaul]

06:05 PM on 05/27/2011

Steven Malkmus provided the vocals for that sequence of the movie.

[DrSnuggles]

11:01 AM on 05/27/2011

First of all, thank you for not including the Byrds' cover of 'Hey Mr. Tambourine Man' - because it was horrible.

Secondly, I appreciate you including Jimi Hendrix - but why not 'All Along the Watchtower'? I think you could make a legitimate argument that it is the best cover of all time. I know, too obvious. But it's obvious for a reason.

Thirdly, you should follow this up with an article about Led Zeppelin covers. I'm sure that no one holds a candle to them as performers, but their music takes to covers very well because (and I'll never understand why/how) the production value on their studio albums is horrible.

[auramac]

02:40 PM on 05/27/2011

The Byrds did him best. ESPECIALLY Tambourine Man.

[RedDogBear]

02:10 PM on 05/29/2011

I like the Byrd's covers. They had great voices and I love Roger McGuin's guitar. I can see why you might not like them though, much more pop but their covers definitely work for me.

[jbonghtr]

10:28 AM on 05/27/2011

Masters of War from the Dylan Tribute by Eddie Vedder and Mike McCready of Pearl Jam is of jaw dropping intensity. Richie Havens doing Just Like A Woman is timeless. Jerry Garcia Band on Senor (Tales of Yankee Power) is haunting. Of course Hendrix doing All Along The Watchtower set the standard along with The Byrds' My Back Pages. John Doe's powerful version of Pressing On is also unforgettable.

[donnyraindog]

09:16 PM on 05/29/2011

All good selections ,fanned for referencing garcias version of senor haunting is the perfect word for it. There are so many great dylan covers that a few years ago for his birthday WFUV an NPR station did a whole day of dylan tunes without ever actually playing bob dylan!

[Emily Ralph]

09:51 AM on 05/27/2011

The Hold Steady's cover of "Can you please crawl out your window," which is from the soundtrack of the movie "I'm Not There"--an album full of interesting Dylan covers.

[Lawrence Feldman]

06:45 AM on 05/27/2011

Here are a few:

I Shall Be Released - Nina Simone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyCn8IC5RpE

Just Like a Woman - Richie Havens
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9pgx3zSrDQ

I'll Be Your Baby Tonight - Norah Jones
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlVpVIeY74U

Boots of Spanish Leather - Nanci Griffith
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1KxthvX1Ms

Maggie's Farm - Stephen Malkmus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLFqOE_JPTw

And, of course, Leon Russell's version of Watching the River Flow (no YouTube, alas)

[JohnDewey]

06:01 PM on 05/28/2011

Agreed on every one.

I just stumbled across this cover of, "Forever Young." It rivals Bob

[3fingerbrown]

06:44 AM on 05/27/2011

My Back Pages -- The Ramones
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight -- Norah Jones
Just Like a Woman -- Richie Havens (Nina Simone's version ain't chopped liver, either)
Blowin' in the Wind -- Sam Cooke
If Not for You --- George Harrison

[RedDogBear]

02:11 PM on 05/29/2011

I was recently listening to the Concert for Bangladesh, recorded around the same time as Harrison's cover. Dylan does an amazing set.

[rickthaluddite]

11:54 PM on 05/26/2011

Gordon Lightfoot does a real good version of "Ring Them Bells" here on his early 1990s album Waiting For You.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gFxxDOnsK0

[teenage fanclub]

09:58 PM on 05/26/2011

Johnny Thunders,"Joey, Joey", One of Bob Dylan's worst songs reworked and reborn