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That said, there is quite a bit of beautiful stuff here. Eliza Glikyson starts off the set with an approriately sweet, yet still slightly stinging, "Love Minus Zero / No Limit," and in doing so is one of the only of the younger performers not to embarrass herself. The Roches demonstrate just how cool Dylan can be with their tongue-in-cheek "Clothes Line Saga," and Martin Simpson's effortless guitar on "Boots of Spanish Leather" is exactly right. Norman Blake's and Peter Ostroushko's "Restless Farewell" veritably improves on the original. Rosalie Sorrels is, of course, a proven force, and her version of the gorgeous "Tomorrow is a Long Time" is not only even prettier than the original, but also demonstrates a full understanding and appreciation of the song's power (something almost never accomplished in this collection, especially among the younger performers). And finally, in a moving tribute from one grizzled warrior to another, Ramblin' Jack Elliott's "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" is both the thinnest arrangement (just the singer and his spare guitar picking, recorded live), and the most powerful performance, of them all. Jack's voice and phrasing, and his mastery of and intimacy with the song, prove he is clearly a man who has been there and back, and who understands that Bob has made the same trip. Listening to Jack sing Bob's song, you have to smile even as your eyes mist up at the thought of all those years. Jack's "Don't Think Twice" may or may not be the best version of the seminal song, but it's far and away the best thing here.
This collection is inconsistent, surely, but if you skip over the self-righteous efforts of the new folkies to the musicians who have a clue, your patience is more than rewarded. As Ramblin' Jack Elliott says at the end of his piece, Happy Birthday, Bob.
Most unsusual selection: Clothes Line Saga by Suzzy & Maggie Roche, originally on "The Basement Tapes."
Highlights are a very slow version of I Want You by Cliff Eberhardt, Tom Landa & The Paperboy’s Irish reel treatment of All Along The Watchtower, and Hart-Rouge’s French-language version of With God On Our Side. Spider John Koerner & Dave Ray offer Delia, the traditional song Dylan himself covered on his "World Gone Wrong" album. Ramblin’ Jack Elliott’s Don't Think Twice, It's All Right is the only live track (from 1990) on the CD, complete with a spoken introduction that's worth the cost of the CD.
Packaging: jewel-box in a slip-case; 20-page booklet with artist photos, bios & comments; credits
Format: CD; 15 tracks (14 songs-#14 is a 1:48 spoken intro); 63:09
Dylan still appreciates the real and he certainly recognized that this 'birthday gift' was the real deal. Read, by contrast, Mikal Gilmore's interview with Bob Dylan in the November 22 Rolling Stone for Dylan's keen nose for phoniness.
Mikal knows what's what. His brother is Gary Gilmore, of Mailer's *Executioner's Song* fame and Mikal's own superb *Shot in the Heart,* which I have used in my war and violence courses. His attachment to the 'real' in life seems to have gotten Bob Dylan to speak in non-oblique ways about what he is about.
Well, there was the 1991 Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammy's where Dylan was presented with a ridiculous proposal to have others (mainly pop phonies) sing a medley of his songs, and all he had to do was "show up." So he said okay.
BEGIN QUOTE
DYLAN: Then the Gulf War broke out. The Grammy people called and said, "Listen, we're in a tight fix. So-and-so, who was going to sing 'Times Are A-Changin',' is afraid to get on an airplane. So-and-so, who was going to do 'Like a Rolling Stone,' doesn't want to travel becuase he just had another baby and doesn't want to leave his family." That's understandable. But then so-and-so, who was going to sing, "It's All Over, Baby Blue," was in Africa and didn't want to take a chance flying to New York, and so-and-so, who was going to sing "All Along the Watchtower," wasn't sure he wanted to be at any high-visiblity place right then, because it might be a little dangerous. So they said, "Could you come and sing? Could *you* fill the time?" And I said, "What about the guy who's introducing me [Jack Nicholson]?" They said, "He's OK. He's coming."
Anyway I got disillusioned with all the characters at that time-with their inner character and their ability to be able to keep their word and their idealism and their insecurity. All the ones that have the gall to thrust their tortured inner psyches on an outer world but can't at least be true to their word....I just lost respect for them. There's a few that are decent and God-fearing and will stand up in a righteous way. But I wouldn't want to count on most of them.
END QUOTE
Count on "A Nod to Bob" instead.