Customer Reviews

Is it Rolling Bob?: A Reggae Tribute to Bob Dylan

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Jah is within I! Are you kidding me? A disc that combines my love of Bob Dylan's music with my love of reggae?! Lovefest. And just when it couldn't get any better, the second disc is version/dub! A lot of great reggae artist pitch in on this disc (Toots, Isaacs, Black Uhuru, Hammond) and do a great job. A bought this disc almost as a "novelty," but that really underrates it - it's a seriously good vibration. Enjoy!

This is yet another contradiction to our earlier assertion (in other places on this site) that tribute albums, as a rule, suck (we are flip-flopping once again). This is, in fact, another terrific one. Of course, in choosing to pay tribute to the greatest songwriter of our time, producer Dr. Dread has pretty much guaranteed the quality of the material. All that's left, then, is the quality of the performances and these are, at their worst, solid and, at their best (and we're thinking of the bitingly soulful version of Maggie's Farm by Toots Hibbert), transcendant. Although we were not familiar with more than half the reggae artists who perform on this cd, we probably should be. The vocal prowess of these performers is consistently amazing. Evidently,there are an awful lot of soul men in Jamaica, mon. It is also apparent how adaptable Dylan's music is to the spirit and rhythms of reggae. The song choices from Dylan's seemingly infinite catalogue are, for the most part, those one might expect to be performed by such artists-the popular (The Times They Are A-Changing, Just Like a Woman, Mr. Tambourine Man) and the spiritual (Gotta Serve Somebody, Knockin' on Heaven's Door). However, it is those choices that veer the farthest from the predictable we've most enjoyed. The same studio musicians (including reggae stalwarts Sly Dunbar and Earl `Chinna' Smith) were employed on most of the tracks, thus providing a coherence that tribute albums generally lack. However, that also results in a certain sameness to the arrangements, which detracts slightly from the music's kick. Once again, it is those songs that deviate from the relaxed reggae groove which have appealed to us most. The album concludes with Dylan himself and an all star band performing an electrifying remix of his own `I and I'-a perfect capper to an excellent cd.

Reggae versions of other types of music often compromise both the genre and the original. I don't know whether this album is quite good enough to overcome that limitation to be enjoyed by fans of only reggae or Dylan, but if you are a fan of both, this album is a must.

I found some of the tracks genuinely enjoyable, and while it is very much a reflection of my personal taste, I thought the singers of other tracks rather mangled Dylan's inimmitable delivery. But I find all the tracks a lot of fun and enjoy hearing these different renditions of old Dylan favourites.

So good is this that I'm hanging out for a second volume of 'Is it rolling Bob?'.

The flurry of utterly awesome roots reggae CD's coming out proves that this style will never die. This is not an exception. An incredibly fabulous collection of some of the best reggae artists of our time, performing the timeless songs of Bob Dylan. It just *works*, and you can tell from the very first track. Awesome production, crystal clear sound, you can tell alot of work went into making this beautiful music. Artists like Toots Hibbert on "Maggie's Farm" and Apple Gabriel on "The Times They are a Changing" sound unbelievably natural on thier renditions, as if they aren't even covers to begin with. "Subterranean Homesick Blues", covered by Sizzla, I COULD NOT BELIEVE how well Bob Dylan lyrics translate to a dancehall riddim! Absolutely AWESOME! They even got the harmonica player from Marley's "Rebel Music", incredible. I was never really into Dylan, (I'm only 21), perhaps I was too absorbed with the Beatles when I was obsessed with 60's rock, but now that I'm a huge reggae fan, this is a welcome addition to my growing collection of this genre of music. Coming from the side of a reggae fan, this is an awesome CD. I don't know if Bob Dylan fans would agree, but the way this CD is presented, with so much love and effort, it would be hard to dislike it. This is not a regular crappy cover album, this is a serious effort by the best Jamaica has to offer, and it shines. And god darn, if they didn't do a complete album of DUB to go along with it! Holy crap! It cannot get better. This has to be the best cover CD of Dylan EVER.

Bob Dylan's work has been adapted to all kinds of musical styles, and you'd think reggae would be a perfect fit, since, like Dylan, it often fuses of the spiritual and the political and both Dylan and many reggae artists have a fondness for lush but not gooey romantic ballads (No Woman No Cry etc).

But this CD really doesn't work for me. I like my reggae rootsy (as far as I'm concerned, Lee Perry is God, or I guess Jah), and this sounds like slick, soulless beer commercial reggae, the kind of thing you'd probably hear at a resort pool party. Producer Doctor Dread has a very unfortunate fondness for smooth jazz sax, cocktail lounge guitar and sacharine flutes. It's all very professional, yes. These are some of the top studio musicians in Jamaica (Sly, Chinna) and they hit all the right notes. But they're just picking up a paycheck. After this session it sounds like they could well have laid down some tracks for a Jamaican Tourist Board spot.

Some of it is okay. Toots is always great, Apple Gabriel has a wonderful molasses-and-ganja voice, Michael Rose makes an interesting choice in The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carrol and Sizzla turns Subterannean Homesick Blues into a dancehall song, which works surprisingly well (and I don't like dancehall). The cover of Gotta Serve Somebody is pretty good too, partly because it was recorded separately from the rest of the CD so the backing music isn't so cold and efficient. You should probably just cherry-pick these from iTunes.

But even many of the good performances are sabotaged by that awful by-the-numbers studio sound.

First of all, whatever you do, don't buy the "single CD" version.
Make sure you get the double CD.
The first CD has some lovely tracks, the first song especially,
The Times They Are A Changing, is immediately addicting.
Lay Lay Lay is nice, as is Blowing In The Wind and Serve
Somebody. I would have liked the "dub" CD so much better IF
it had been clean of vocals (as essential dub must be) but as
I feared, all the "dub" tracks have too many vocals for my
taste. However, the saving grace is the final track on the
second CD, the "dub" of "I and I." This track is fantastic and
the reason I'm hanging onto "Is It Rolling Bob." If Bob Dylan were to have a dub song, this is the perfect selection, because of
the title. This track is magical and powerful, and Bob's vocals
don't bother me here...it's one of those singles that you program
to hear when you're in the mood. Really great. So is this
single track worth getting the entire double CD? Over the
long run, I'd have to say yes. I'm sure many people keep CDs
for single songs...and this is definitely among the best of them.

Here's the supreme cross-over cd: a collection of reggae artists who tackle Bob Dylan standards.
 Imagine 'The Times they Are A-Changin' with a reggae beat, or 'Maggie's Farm' sung by the gravelly voice of Toots Hibbert!
IS IT ROLLING, BOB? is reggae at its best: 1970s style, the height of the movement's technical accuracy, with the Dylan theme providing a diversity of classics with quite a new edge.

Combining Bob Dylan with the greats of Reggae is a long over due idea. What a combination of great song writing and Reggae interpretation. One of the best compilations I've heard. A must for any serious Dylan fan. I hope there is a volume 2.

This is a cd that's ideal for turning friends onto lesser know raggae artists. Billy Mystic's version of "Hard Rain" and Toots' take on "Maggie's Farm" challenge the notion that reggae's crossover potential died with Marley and Tosh.

It is a natural match, reggae and Dylan, like wine and good food , each compliments the other. The lyrics of Mr. Zimmerman seem as though they they were created for the backbeat and the soul of reggae. A perfect example is a classic song like "Maggie's Farm" where the producer Doctor Dread infuses it with some soul , slows it down and lets Toots Hibbert(of Maytals fame) do his magic. The lyrics in many regards are more pronounced on this disc than Dylan's originals because afterall his whiny voice was a little hard to understand at times. It is as though they have a resurgence of energy and importance and timeless relevance. "Just Like A Woman " sounds remarkably like Ricie Havens although it is by Beres Hammond. His enunciation is so similar that some people can be fooled. Someone listening to the disc recently with me said " I haven't heard him in a long time." I revealed to the person it was not Richie Havens as I figured that was who she was thinking of and she was blown away. Many of your old school favorites are featured on this excellent reggae disc inluding "The Mighty Diamonds" who do a nice version that shows off their abilities to harmonize on "Lay Lady Lay," Michael Rose of Black Uhuru's version of the epic "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carrol" comes to life again as a story needing to be told again as does "Blowin in the Wind" performed by co-founder Don Carlos of Black Uhuru and Gregory Issacs interpretation of the often recorded "Mr. Tambourine Man" becomes a sing along song once again. Included are more contemporary artists in the reggae genre like Sizzla who expels a fiery spew of words in "Subterranean Blues" much like Dylan did originally. The topper is a reggae remix of Dylan doing "I and I" that is nothing short of a brilliant conclusion. I too like many others thought this might be a mistake but I couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised. This disc has been on my rotation since early on in the summer and we are almost in November! There seems to be different bonus material available depending on where you buy the disc as I do not have the dub version so many talk about but rather a bonus DVD that is outstanding. The video is entitled "Crucial Videos " and features "Steel Pulse, Eek -A - Mouse ,Third World, Bob Marley and five others for a total of nine great videos including the making of "Is It Rolling Bob? ". Either way the bonus material is like dessert and like adding more sugar and spice on an already sweet deal. Great stuff for your reggae collection not to be missed.