Tag: “bob dylan”

Review: Willie Nile does Dylan – and very well

By Ken Paulson –
I was sitting with a group of Nashville musicians last Saturday night when the conversation inexplicably led to the flurry of “new Dylans” that emerged in the ’70s, most with real musical merit.
Bruce Springsteen. Steve Forbert. Elliott Murphy. John Prine. Willie Nile.
Nile may carried those Dylan comparisons for the longest time, in part because of a vocal resemblance. It’s not something he shies away from, as evidenced by “Positively Bob – Willie Nile Sings Bob Dylan,” his new covers collection.
Most of the tracks are from Dylan’s first decade as an artist, and classics abound. But the beauty of Nile’s renditions is that they free Dylan’s revered music from the wax museum. This stuff rocks.
When was the last you yelled “Turn it up” when “Blowin’ in the Wind” came on?
I’m sure there are Dylan fans who will be put off by some of this, but the album is undeniably fresh.
Highlights include full-throttle takes on “The Times They Are A-Changin’, “Rainy Day Women #12 and 35” and “I Want You.”

Review: Rick Nelson’s “Complete Epic Recordings”


By Ken Paulson
— Rick Nelson was best known as a teen idol whose family starred in The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, one of the most popular television shows of its era.

But he was also one of those rare artists whose best work actually came after his hit-making and television star years.

His early hits hold up well and most feature James Burton on guitar, but Nelson’s most interesting work came with the formation of the Stone Canyon Band, a pre-Eagles outfit that helped pioneer country rock.

Nelson’s 1972 hit “Garden Party” set the stage for a series of tasteful albums, which included a number of his own compositions. Windfall, Rick Sings Nelson and Rudy the Fifth were all adventurous and entertaining albums. Unfortunately, the sales were not as impressive as the content and Nelson left MCA to sign with Epic. He hoped for a rewarding creative environment, but it didn’t turn out that way.

Rick Nelson: The Complete Epic Recordings (Real Gone Music) contains three albums Nelson recorded for the label, only one of which was released in his lifetime. The best material here is outstanding and the rest is instructive.

Intakes, the only album to have an official release in Nelson’s lifetime, was outstanding, yet largely overlooked. It included “One X One” and Wings – two fine Stone Canyon Band songs – plus terrific covers of Gallagher and Lyle’s “Stay Young” and Brenton Wood’s hit “Gimme A Little Sign.”

The next 10 songs on the album are from the never-released Back to Vienna album. As James Ritz points out in his excellent liner notes, this was an aggressive attempt to modernize Nelson’s sound, with Al Kooper at the helm. It was all too much and the songs sound cluttered and unfocused.

There are some interesting moments, including a cover of Arthur Alexander’s “Every Day I Have to Cry Some” and Bob Dylan’s “Mama, You’ve Been on My Mind,” but most of Vienna is forgettable. Still, this is a valuable slice of rock history and it’s good to have it available.

The second disc in the set is called “Rockabilly Renaissance” and features classic rock ‘n roll performances in a stripped-down style that Nelson had to be very comfortable with. There are great moments throughout, including a sizzling version of “That’s All Right Mama”, a driving “Rave On” and a totally unexpected take on Stealers Wheel’s “Stuck in the Middle.” A highlight is “Send Me Somebody to Love,” one of two tracks written by a young Tim Krekel. Inexplicably, Epic sat on this release, eventually putting out an EP with four remixed tracks.

Like other releases from Real Gone Music, The Complete Epic Recordings is a collector’s dream. In addition to releasing the original rockabilly album that Nelson delivered to Epic, the collection has multiple alternate mixes. Do you love John Fogerty’s “Almost Saturday Night?” You’ll find it here in three different incarnations.

If Rick Nelson had not died in a plane crash in 1986, today he would be a regular at the Americana Music Festival, honored as the creative artist and pioneer he was. The Complete Epic Recordings serve as a vibrant reminder of his talent and range.

Americana music chart: “Chimes of Freedom,” Gretchen Peters in Top 10

It’s an unusual week on the Americana music airplay chart, with no new entries in the top 40. The Chimes of Freedom Dylan tribute and Gretchen Peters’ Hello Cruel World are among the biggest gainers, with both breaking into the top 10.
The real action is on the most-added list with Anais Mitchell’s Young Man in America, Otis Taylor’s Contraband, the Chieftains’ Voice of Ages, Amos Lee’s As the Crow Flies and the Punch Brothers’ Who’s Feeling Young Now? picking up airplay.
Singer-songwriter and occasional Sun209 contributor Tommy Womack’s new Now What! has been added to seven stations, tying Bruce Springsteen. Pretty good company.

Guy Clark tribute #1; Ani DeFranco, Orbo & Longshots, Sons of Fathers enter chart

This One’s For Him, the outstanding double-CD tribute to Guy Clark, lands in the #1 spot this week after a steady run up the Americana Music radio airplay chart. You’ll find our review here.

New to the chart this week:

–  At #17, the massive Chimes of Freedom tribute to Bob Dylan. The album, with a generation-spanning line-up of artists (Patti Smith, My Morning Jacket, Lucinda Williams, the Belle Brigade, Joan Baez and Jackson Browne among them) benefits Amnesty International.

–  At #29, Ani DeFranco’s Which Side Are You On?

–  At #32, Orbo and the Longshots’ Prairie Sun.

– At #37 , the self-titled album by Sons of Fathers

– At #38, Lincoln Durham’s The Shovel  vs. The Howling Bones

And this note: The much-debated Grammy nominee Linda Chorney had one of the most-added albums on Americana music radio this week, with 10 stations picking up Emotional Jukebox.

(Follow Sun209 on Twitter at sun209com and on Facebook.)

Hank Williams’ “Notebooks” enters Americana chart

The highest entry on this week’s Americana music chart (# 17) is “The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams,” a collection of songs built around handwritten lyrics found on the day he died. The mix of artists is remarkable, and includes Bob Dylan, Alan Jackson, Lucinda Williams, Jack White, Norah Jones, Vince Gill, Rodney Crowell, Levon Helm, Jakob Dylan, Sheryl Crow, Merle Haggard and Holly Williams.
Also new to the chart: Bearfoot’s “American Story,” (# 39) Haggard’s “Working in Tennessee,” (# 36) Great American Taxi’s “Paradise Lost” (#37) and Southern Culture on the Skids’ “Zombiefied.” (#39.)
Robert Earl Keen’s “Ready for Confetti” is the nation’s most played Americana music album, moving past the Jayhawks to regain the top spot.

Bob Dylan, Leon Russell at the Ryman

A legendary music figure took the stage at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville tonight, performing his greatest songs in faithful, spirited versions. That was Leon Russell.
Of course, Bob Dylan took a different path.
Born just one year apart, Russell, 69, and Dylan, 70, were a study in contrasts.
Russell was determined to please. The newly-elected member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame did his hits and familiar covers, all at a brisk pace.
He opened with “Delta Lady,” the Rita Coolidge-inspired song that found its greatest success in the hands of Joe Cocker. He followed that up with the single from his first ‘Hank Wilson’s Back” LP,
“Rolling In My Sweet Baby’s Arms.”
He appeared frail, but you wouldn’t know it from the music. He covered the Beatles (“I’ve Just Seen A Face”) and the Rolling Stones. Despite the imagery, “Wild Horses” really shouldn’t be performed at a gallop.
Oddly, Russell began “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” the song that electrified audiences at the concert for Bangla Desh (and moviegoers thereafter,) but cut it short to repeat the refrain from “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” over and over again.
“A Song For You” was the absolute highlight, with Russell performing solo on piano.
And then there was Dylan. By now, we know what we’ll get: A terrific band, limited vocal range and dramatic re-intepretations of some of his greatest compositins.
For Dylan fans, that’s plenty.
More casual fans are left wondering whether Dylan is actually capable of performing his songs as they were originally recorded. It’s a lively set, but certainly doesn’t pander. I began with “Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat” and “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue,” before moving on to songs of more recent vintage, including “Things Have Changed” and “Thunder on the Mountain.”
I’ve always loved “All Along the Watchtower” by both Dylan and Jimi Hendrix and that song along would be worth the price of admission. Dylan’s re-working was so dramatic that I didn’t recognize it until I actually heard him sing the words in the title. Is that a daring re-invention or the waste of an extraordinary composition?