A Nod to Bob 2: An Artists Tribute to Bob Dylan on his 70th Birthday

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 17, 2011)
• Original Release Date: 2011
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Red House Records
• ASIN: B004TB6GNQ
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #43,473 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

A Nod to Bob 2: An Artists' Tribute to Bob Dylan on His 70th Birthday is THE definitive Dylan tribute from the Grammy-winning folk and roots label, Red House Records. A follow-up to their bestselling 60th birthday album A Nod to Bob, Red House pulls from their all-star roster of some of the most distinguished voices in folk, roots and blues music, assembling a knockout collection of Dylan deep cuts and classics. A Nod to Bob 2 features stunning performances by Hot Tuna, Danny Schmidt, John Gorka, Eliza Gilkyson, Meg Hutchinson, Lucy Kaplansky and more!

As an influential voice to the artists on the record, Bob's iconic songwriting has shaped their song craft in one way or another. A Nod to Bob 2 represents a wide spectrum of selections that span almost the entirety of Dylan's recording career. The 16 artists on the album deliver their distinct interpretations on songs like "What Good Am I?," (The Pines) "Born in Time," (Meg Hutchinson) "Mozambique" (Peter Ostroushko), "Just Like a Woman" (John Gorka), and "Every Grain of Sand" (Lucy Kaplansky), completely reworking each tune to make them all their own.

As long time fans of Dylan and his music, Red House Records is excited to present these amazing musicians to you as they pay tribute to a songwriting legend. So here is another nod to Bob and happy birthday wishes in this landmark year!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Happy 70th. Bob, May 22, 2011

By 

Steve "Chief" Johnson - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Nod to Bob 2: An Artists Tribute to Bob Dylan on his 70th Birthday (Audio CD)

A well deserved 70th. birthday gift for Bob Dylan from the folks at Red House records. It features artists from their stable doing their take on Dylan songs- some quite well known, others not so. With Dylan, the choice is mind boggling when deciding what to cover.

This disc is the follow up to the wonderful original "Nod to Bob" done 10 years ago on his 60th. birthday. That was also done by Red House, and had some of the same performers as this disc.

Since Red House is basically a folk/Americana label, this disc comes from that direction. Nothing too heavy. It has some real legends- Spider John Koerner (Dylans old roomate in Mpls.)doing his usual funky romp on "Days of Forty Nine". Hot Tuna(Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady, etc.) doing a rollicking "Mama,Let Me Lay it On You" with a great fiddle part.

It also has some newcomers like Meg Hutchinson doing a plaintive "Born in Time" and Danny Schmidt doing a beautiful reading of "Buckets of Rain".

It also features some of Red Houses' folk vets- like Cliff Eberhardt,John Gorka, and Ray Bonneville who deliver their usual great performances. Lets face it, with the choice of material to choose from in the vast Dylan song book, it's hard to go wrong.

I think this is a wonderful collection of some of Dylan's best done by some of today's best singer/songwriters/performers, who no doubt were all influenced by Mr. Bob himself. Highly reccommended.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars an excellent entry into the roster of Dylan cover albums, May 21, 2011

By 

Neurasthenic "neurasthenic" (New York City, New York) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Nod to Bob 2: An Artists Tribute to Bob Dylan on his 70th Birthday (Audio CD)

The original "A Nod to Bob" album was released ten years ago to mark Bob Dylan's sixtieth birthday. Unlike most collections of Dylan covers, which mix and match a fairly tired list of covers by pop singers over the last 40 years, that album included what were, I think, all new recordings by a fairly significant set of contemporary folk singers. For many listeners I think it may have provided an introduction to artists they might not have been familiar with previously, using Dylan's music as a bridge. On that collection, I particularly liked Spider John Koerner and Dave Ray's recording of Delia, which had a lot of character.

Ten years later, we have a sequel to mark Dylan's 70th birthday. It includes covers by many of the same artists as last time -- Cliff Eberhardt, Eliza Gilkyson (a totally enjoyable live rendition of Jokerman), Guy Davis, John Gorka, Lucy Kaplansky, and Spider John Koerner all come back for the second round. There's new blood too -- Danny Schmidt (who totally nails Buckets of Rain, a song I never cared for in Dylan's version or the often heard cover by Bette Midler), Hot Tuna, Jimmy LaFave, Meg Hutchinson, Peter Ostroushko, Pieta Brown, The Pines, Ray Bonneville, Robin & Linda Williams, and Storyhill, are all new to the sequel disc.

There's nothing radical here, but plenty of interesting and/or catchy renditions. Some dull ones too (Kaplansky's take on Every Grain of Sand is too similar to the original, I think), but that's what the fast-forward button is for.

Happy birthday, Bob.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dylan for the Current Generation, May 26, 2011

By 

Michael G. Shafto "computer and behavioral sc... (Menlo Park, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Nod to Bob 2: An Artists Tribute to Bob Dylan on his 70th Birthday (Audio CD)

Red House released 'A Nod to Bob' around Dylan's sixtieth birthday, and 'A Nod to Bob 2' on May 17, 2011, one week before his seventieth. The arrangements on the second volume reflect an alt-indie influence, but of course alt-indie music is itself influenced by the Beatles and Dylan (the #1 and #2 "greatest artists of all time" according to 'Rolling Stone'). In any case, the two volumes together begin to reflect the scope of Dylan's talent as a song-writer. (And, to be honest, many listeners will be glad that the 'Nods' do not reflect Bob's talent as a singer.) The real tribute to Dylan is the obscurity of many of the songs: The performers have listened to a LOT of Dylan, and in a number of cases the fresh arrangements and intense delivery here reflect a deep appreciation for some not-so-famous gems. Meg Hutchinson's "Born in Time" brings out the artistry and meaning of a song that is easily overlooked or forgotten. Pieta Brown does an amazing job with "Dirt Road Blues". Other stand-outs include "What Good Am I?" (The Pines), "Lay Down Your Weary Tune" (Storyhill), "The Days of 49" (Spider John Koerner), "Not Dark Yet" (Jimmy LeFave), and "Mozambique" (Peter Ostroushko). If you can name the albums where these songs first appeared, you are a pretty serious Dylan fan. Arguably, not one of them is the best song on its album, and not one of the albums would be among Dylan's top five. But you will want to hear them more than once. The Red House versions again make the case for Bob Dylan as the creative force who showed his own and succeeding generations of aspiring songwriters just what could be done within the popular song form.