By Tony Attwood
Fulsome apologies for mistakes made in my recent post. Youssou N’Dour recorded Chimes of Freedom, not With God on Our Side! These problems arise due to my age – and thinking I could run an active blog now approaching 80 years of age, as I could when I started.
But to try and resolve mattes a little, here is another suggested cover “Absolutely Sweet Marie” by Jason & The Scorchers is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKqQJuJqN6Q.
I have checked the links I sent and they are all still ‘live’. Here they are again:
Tim O’Brien – Lay Down Your Weary Tune: Tony’s comment. This is the song that started off my current round of contemplation – and here again with this version I somehow feel that the artist doesn’t capture everything Bob put into the original. So what is it that Bob does? Bob’s version is here.
I truly am struggling to find out and express what it is that I find here. I think it is something in Bob’s voice at this point. It is as if he is just saying “this is how it is” but without any apology or sadness – just a statement. Except the statement doesn’t unwind itself as the lyrical simplicity of “Times they are a changing” does. Consider….
I stood unwound beneath the skies And clouds unbound by laws The crying rain like a trumpet sang And asked for no applause
There is something here that I don’t find in most Dylan songs and I find myself somehow lacking the words to express what it is that I feel here. But listening to other people sing this song I do come back to the thought that it is the lyrics and Dylan’s delivery of them that moves me so.
Again apologies. I would say I will try to do better, but I fear age is bearing down on me in a way that it seems not to on Bob. If I meet him, perhaps I will have a chance to ask him how he does it..