A Dylan Cover a Day: Slow Train

by Tony Attwood

This must be just about the most curious “Cover a Day” episode thus far – and given that this is episode 134 of the series (there’s an index at the end to prove it) that is saying something.

I’ve been working through Dylan’s songs in alphabetical order searching for interesting cover versions since November 2021 and have mostly been able to find some recordings of the better-known songs, and from these pick out a few that I personally think are worthy of playing and discussion.  Occasionally there are songs that no one wants to tackle, but normally these are the more obscure pieces.

But Slow Train is different.  Virtually no well-known artists have felt like recording this song, and where unknown performers have taken it on, they really have produced results which I wouldn’t want to put here.  Maybe it is just me having difficulty with a religious song but the covers make no sense to me, or are sung off-key or are just tedious attempts to sound like Bob.

And this raises the question of, “what is a good cover version?”   To me, it is a recording which brings a new perspective to the piece – a new insight perhaps – and which is interesting to listen to.  So on that basis just being different isn’t enough: it has to give me some new thoughts about the song, and where it takes me, as a listener.

Plus of course, it has to sound ok as a recording.

So I was about to give up on Slow Train and move on to the next song in the alphabetical list, after listening to half a dozen or so recordings which quite honestly I found painful, when this turned up.

The information provided is that it is performed by Joseph Israel with Marlon Davis and Chris Meredith and I rather enjoyed it – which is not always something I can say about the insistent reggae rhythm.   I think mostly what makes it work for me is the integrity of the arrangement – it sets out to be something different from the original, and sees it through holding my interest and making it a pleasurable experience throughout.

So that was it: one cover version which I felt I could offer  – which seemed a bit short for an article.  But while I would searching around for any other versions of the song that I felt were presentable, I found a live performance by Bob himself, which I don’t think we’ve featured before.  Not one of his greatest moments, in my view, but it does show that the song can be given a new treatment which makes for an interesting listen.

And that really is about it.  Even the live versions with Tom Petty, which are normally guaranteed to be really interesting and enjoyable seem to be rather forced and ordinary.  Maybe that is because I have got non-Christian ears.

But still, the reggae version was good fun.

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. BoB Dylan’s 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
115. Precious Angel
116. Property of Jesus
117. Queen Jane Approximately
118. Quinn the Eskimo as it should be performed.
119. Quit your lowdown ways
120. Rainy Day Women as never before
121. Restless Farewell. Exquisite arrangements, unbelievable power
122. Ring them bells in many different ways
123. Romance in Durango, covered and re-written
124. Sad Eyed Lady of Lowlands, like you won’t believe
125. Sara
126. Senor
127. A series of Dreams; no one gets it (except Dylan)
128. Seven Days
129. She Belongs to Me
130. Shelter from the Storm
131. Sign on the window
132. Silvio
133. Simple twist of fate