A Dylan Cover a Day 115: Precious Angel

By Tony Attwood

Overtly religious songs are not my favourites, irrespective of what particular religion they seek to promote, for one reason because I’m an atheist and for another because the message that this or that religion is the one true way tends to be rather too simple a song concept for my taste.  (Although of course since the message, if true, is the biggest message of all, I guess for the believers there is an excuse).

But I do make an exception for “Precious Angel” which is a beautiful song, musically and lyrically, in my view.  Which in turn makes it rather strange that so few covers are available – and those that are really don’t add too much to what we got in the original.

Esteban Paez

Esteban Paez also had a go at my favourite Dylan religious song, “When He Returns” – which again for me doesn’t quite reach the force of Dylan’s live version which I have raved over before, but it is still worth a listen.

Anyway moving on… the desire to make the covers as close to Dylan’s original work seems to be what actually shines through with the versions of this song I’ve found.  Danielle Brillo is another example.  Yes there are differences from the original, but hardly enough to make it worth all the effort, it seems to me.

Simply Dylan of course know what they are doing because Dylan songs are what they do, live on stage.   And here again the point is the same – this is as close a copy of the original as they can get.   So 10/10 for copying (and I don’t mean that sarcastically – it is very hard to get this sort of thing this close).  And the chorus of ladies adds something extra, but I am not sure I am really moved.

But finally, I got some help (and most certainly not for the first time) from Jochen whose article on this site, Precious Angel. Unpopular, otherwise brilliant  contains a version I missed.

Since Jochen did all the work in finding this, I let him have the final say…

“…only the Renee Zellweger version from the film approaches the beauty of the original.

“For cinematographic reasons, that version is limited to one verse and one chorus and that really is a shame; beautifully, intimately arranged and surprisingly well sung by the actress, who seems to sing the second voice too. The fragment adorns a silent film scene, in which Zellweger in her wheelchair is illuminated by the light of fireworks, you torch up the night.

“Her eyes slowly fill with tears.”

 

The Dylan Cover a Day series

1. The song with numbers in the title.
2. Ain’t Talkin
3. All I really want to do
4.  Angelina
5.  Apple Suckling and Are you Ready.
6. As I went out one morning
7.  Ballad for a Friend
8. Ballad in Plain D
9. Ballad of a thin man
10.  Frankie Lee and Judas Priest
11. The ballad of Hollis Brown
12. Beyond here lies nothing
13. Blind Willie McTell
14.  Black Crow Blues (more fun than you might recall)
15. An unexpected cover of “Black Diamond Bay”
16. Blowin in the wind as never before
17. Bob Dylan’s Dream
18. You will not believe this… 115th Dream revisited
19. Boots of Spanish leather
20. Born in Time
21. Buckets of Rain
22. Can you please crawl out your window
23. Can’t wait
24. Changing of the Guard
25. Chimes of Freedom
26. Country Pie
27.  Crash on the Levee
28. Dark Eyes
29. Dear Landlord
30. Desolation Row as never ever before (twice)
31. Dignity.
32. Dirge
33. Don’t fall apart on me tonight.
34. Don’t think twice
35.  Down along the cove
36. Drifter’s Escape
37. Duquesne Whistle
38. Farewell Angelina
39. Foot of Pride and Forever Young
40. Fourth Time Around
41. From a Buick 6
42. Gates of Eden
43. Gotta Serve Somebody
44. Hard Rain’s a-gonna Fall.
45. Heart of Mine
46. High Water
47. Highway 61
48. Hurricane
49. I am a lonesome hobo
50. I believe in you
51. I contain multitudes
52. I don’t believe you.
53. I love you too much
54. I pity the poor immigrant. 
55. I shall be released
56. I threw it all away
57. I want you
58. I was young when I left home
59. I’ll remember you
60. Idiot Wind and  More idiot wind
61. If not for you, and a rant against prosody
62. If you Gotta Go, please go and do something different
63. If you see her say hello
64. Dylan cover a day: I’ll be your baby tonight
65. I’m not there.
66. In the Summertime, Is your love and an amazing Isis
67. It ain’t me babe
68. It takes a lot to laugh
69. It’s all over now Baby Blue
70. It’s all right ma
71. Just Like a Woman
72. Knocking on Heaven’s Door
73. Lay down your weary tune
74. Lay Lady Lay
75. Lenny Bruce
76. That brand new leopard skin pill box hat
77. Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts
78. License to kill
79. Like a Rolling Stone
80. Love is just a four letter word
81. Love Sick
82. Maggies Farm!
83. Make you feel my love; a performance that made me cry.
84. Mama you’ve been on my mind
85. Man in a long black coat.
86. Masters of War
87. Meet me in the morning
88. Million Miles. Listen, and marvel.
89. Mississippi. Listen, and marvel (again)
90. Most likely you go your way
91. Most of the time and a rhythmic thing
92. Motorpsycho Nitemare
93. Mozambique
94. Mr Tambourine Man
95. My back pages, with a real treat at the end
96. New Morning
97. New Pony. Listen where and when appropriate
98. Nobody Cept You
99. North Country Blues
100. No time to think
101. Obviously Five Believers
102. Oh Sister
103. On the road again
104. One more cup of coffee
105. (Sooner or later) one of us must know
106. One too many mornings
107. Only a hobo
108. Only a pawn in their game
109. Outlaw Blues – prepare to be amazed
110. Oxford Town
111. Peggy Day and Pledging my time
112. Please Mrs Henry
113. Political world
114. Positively 4th Street