Customer Reviews

Garcia Plays Dylan

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love Dylan and I love Jerry even more, so it goes without saying that I probably enjoyed this two-disk set more than the casual fan of either artist would. That being said, if you are strictly a Dylan fan you should enjoy the majority of these tracks. If you are strictly a Garcia fan you will certainly love all of these tracks. If you are both you are in for a real treat. This compilation has been done before with "Postcards From The Hanging" a few years back. However, Postcards was all Grateful Dead interpretations of Dylan. This comp includes Jerry's other projects, which are the highlight of the majority of the album.

Sound quality is generally very good considering the time periods. Highlights include a scorching Tough Mama, a surreal Knockin' on Heaven's Door (Donna wails well in this one folks), Simple Twist of Fate & I Shall Be Released are excellent, there is no other option, Tangled Up In Blue includes some mind boggling guitar work. The album closes with a nice take on It's All Over Now Baby Blue circa 1990 Dead. These are just highlights to me mind you (there are more I'm sure); the rest of the disk is great as well. The only glitch may be the 13-minute Masterpiece where Jerry butchers the lyrics (not in a forgetful sense, in a tonal sense. However, the guitar work is typical jaw dropping Jerry). Wicked Messenger wears me a little thin as well.

Overall a great compilation of work played by one of the greatest musicians (and his cast of friends) ever, interpreting one of the greatest songwriters ever, now that's hard to beat.

This was a great album to get. Jerry Garcia sings Dylan is the first disc to properly combine the talents of Jerry (and The Dead in some cases) with the genius of Bob Dylan. It was attempted in the late eighties with Dylan and The Dead, an album that while although the album cover was pretty cool, the material was pretty much all very lame. It was also attempted a few years before this release with Postcards Of The Hanging: Grateful Dead do Dylan... also, less then exceptional.
Here it is done well. Here I can't complain that the album gets stale as it plays out like I could with Postcards... (I think the main reason with Postcards is that most of the cuts are Bob Weir singing really lengthy Bob Dylan tunes and Bob Weir just shouldn't sing that much. I mean, I've seen him do a few Dylan covers well in in concert, but stacked on top of each other they get old fast)
Jerry handles Dylan much nicer, and in fact, the tunes performed with Jerry Garcia Band are much better then songs he performed with the Dead.. (perhaps Dylan and The Dead just don't mesh as well as it seems like they should).
In point... I think that SHE BELONGS TO ME is the same version from Postcards, and that may have been the one stand out track from that disc, so right away it should be easy to just forget about it and put your eggs into this basket.
The bulk are from The JGC and are easily the highlights...my personal top three are TOUGH MAMA, WICKED MESSENGER and TALES OF YANKEE POWER although pretty much everything is worth listening to. They don't seem like a waste of time, it feels like there is emotion to these takes, and the band bring it a life of their own. That is essentially why this disc is good, and Postcards isn't.
Here new life is added to Dylan songs, there its like a karaoke show, and you wish you just had the real Dylan cuts.
Here is a disc thats worth listening to, whether you are a fan of Dylan or Jerry or The Dead or all of the above... there is some great stuff on here.

Many people attempt to sing Dylan songs. Jerry always seems to nail it; in his own style. This is a great two CD set. The cover is different as advertised. No Problem. It features the Jerry Garcia Band - Legion of Mary and of course the Dead. Jerry up front in all three. Highly recommended.

The songs on this two-disc set are some of Dylan's greatest (Tangled up In Blue, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Simple Twist of Fate, and It's All Over Now, Baby Blue to name a few) being covered by Jerry throughout his career (both with the Dead and the Jerry Garcia Band). Rhino did a great job compiling these tracks. While they come from different bands over many years, all the songs flow well together and this is a collection that you'll treasure forever. This is truly a must have for both Jerry and Dylan fans.

This collection is a great reminder of how versatile Garcia was. Nobody does Dylan covers better than Garcia, and this CD, spanning several decades and many band configurations, shows off some of his best attempts. Jerry always brought out the best in the musicians he played with, and Dylan brings out the best in Jerry. What a great combination!

Dylan covers can grow tiresome because nobody can truly capture the essence of Dylan except the man himself. That being said, The Dead probably come the closest, and this collection by Jerry Garcia is good, if not great. Some of the selections drag on, and many are done in similar fashion, but a Dylan or Dead fan will love it, and some of the highlights are clearly worth the purchase.

Not too much BIG" jam material here, but good performances of Dylan tunes. Perhaps too many later shows used for me (90's)...but solid. I would recommend scores of Dead and Jerry albums before this, but if you are partial to Dylan stuff by Jerry you should be happy here.

Some artists are naturals at covering other artists songs...my favorite is the Stones covering Chuck Berry...and there are others...Garcia covering Dylan is a natural.....Jerry typically expands the songs in his usual way and it always fits...its a terrific album for what it is.....a compilation of Garcia playing Dylan...mostly heard before.....whether it be with the Dead or others...its a very nice package

a must have for a Dylan Fan. Most version are arranged better by Jerry than Dylan was ever able to do.

This is quite good for anybody who wants a good representation of Jerry's interpretations of Dylan's music, with some fine versions of Tough Mama and Simple Twist of Fate. I must admit that I am a sucker for Jerry Band covers of Dylan. The Dylan lyric with the Jerry Band mojo is perfect for Jerry's style and soul to come shining through. A regrettable omission is Tears of Rage.