Monday, February 7, 2011

Dylan Cover #1 Grateful Dead - "She Belongs To Me"

In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's tune comes from The Grateful Dead, and is of Bob Dylan's 1965 song "She Belongs To Me".

Thoughts on Dylan's Original:  This is a gem of a song, a twisted tale that entwines beauty and deceit, darkness and sparkling Egyptian Red Rings.  One of his best in it's mystery, elusiveness and bitter biting undertones; really pure Dylan and one of his all time classics.  Loved it when I first heard it, still love it today, the fact that it hasn't been played over the last 3 years is a shame.

Cover:


Thoughts on Cover ArtistWell...duh....

Thoughts on Cover:  Wow this is a winner.
The Grateful Dead have always shown their love of Dylan and I am sure they will pop up in this series a few more times, but this is really an excellent video directed by the drummer's son, Justin Kreutzman.  The image itself is gorgeously shot in black and white and captures the three string pluckers of the Dead interacting wonderfully.  Lesh's bass line is wandering yet sturdy, Weir's vocals are pretty as always and Jerry's solo's are dynamite with his acoustic flavor hearken back to his bluegrass (or Dawg Days) with David Grisman.

The twists away from the original version lay with Garcia and Lesh, as Phil's Bass line is up beat and a bit more bouncy then with the original.  Garcia's solo has a flamenco touch and is crafted gloriously high up the fret board in a style he was known for and frankly Dylan (and few others) could ever pull off.  This one will stay in the rotation for it's clarity, production values and overall booshness.

Grade (A being Blood on the Tracks, F being Dylan):
A- (deduction for no drums)

Wilson's Take:  (Wilsons take will arrive once the carrier pigeon flying from his secluded shack in Nova Scotia lands on my fire escape with the parchment strapped to his ankle...damn pigeons...always late...Ahh Here it is:)

The Grateful Dead's rendition puts "She Belongs To Me" around the campfires that no longer burn in America. The Dead give us one of those six string and six pack sessions played on summer nights in the North Country. It's a serenading acoustic gospel - soft and elegant but it's not about the same woman that obsessed Dylan. Theirs is nostalgic. Dylan's original on Bringing It All Back Home is an homage; a testament to a new kind of creature that the young Dylan can't take his eyes off. His electric guitar delivers a marching beat that leaves no doubt that the girl with the sparkling Egyptian rings indeed doesn't look back...leaving "She Belongs To Me" as the ironic psalm of a girl who can't belong to anyone.

1 comment:

  1. very excited about The Music Never Stopped http://bit.ly/eeqfxQ

    ReplyDelete