Listen To Bob Dylan, Various Artists
Considering I don’t like either a) Bob Dylan or b) being TOLD to listen to something, I approached this release with all the trepidation of Jenna Jameson entering Kabul. But through the haze of preconceptions and the fact that James ‘fucking’ Blunt contributes to ‘Listen To Bob Dylan’, I found that this compilation is actually quite delightful.
Stripping away more or less everything about Dylan that irks most of his non-devotees (the drawl, the self-consciousness) and isolating what makes him so beloved by so many (the actual songs), ‘Listen…’ positively drips with affection and respect. Steel Train, a band that inspires nothing but apathy in me, manage to sound quite at home on both of their efforts. ‘Don’t Think Twice (It’s Alright)’ becomes a more kinetic pop song than Dylan could have imagined while Socratic’s version of ‘Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You’ is about as tender a tribute as is possible. And RX Bandits covering ‘The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll’ sounds like something Nick Cave might dream about after an evening listening to The Specials – this is a good thing, by the way.
And while there is some dross (the painful affectation of Roark murdering ‘Mr Tambourine Man’ and Something Corporate’s OC-soundtrack-lite ‘Just Like A Woman’ spring unflinchingly to mind), the majority of tracks succeed in promoting Dylan’s songwriting rather than appearing like an extended vanity/credibility project. The best thing about the compilation is that is it liberally sprinkled with little gems (Julia Haltigan’s ‘Boots of Spanish Leather’ is a gorgeously understated ballad, from a lady that most patrons of Drive Thru might be unaware of, for example), meaning that it can appeal to Dylan acolytes as well as the uninitiated. Quality.
Ben
www.drivethrurecords.com
