Monday, February 29, 2016

Dylan Cover #223 Billy The Kid "Jokerman"

In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's tune is live a cover by Billy The Kid playing "Jokerman"

Thoughts on Original:
From the first time we tackled a cover of this tune:
The kick-start to his "back to rock and roll" album Infidels, "Jokerman" is a monster. A torrent of images, symbols, thoughts, proclamations, fears and fables; it feels like a dam was broken in Dylan's brain and all of these things just poured out. Musically it moves along but doesn't add much to the towering wordplay as the tune is dominated by the lyrics which seem almost never ending; Dylan has penned wordier tunes, but few feel as heavy as this. Flawed, but reaching for something, it is a not a great Dylan song but it is one that lets us peak into his brain a bit. For more on this tune, check out this post.
Cover:

Thoughts on Cover Artist:
Have never heard of Billy The Kid, a Canadian born singer (named Billy Pettinger) who has been in various projects who you can find more about if interested. Turns out she put a demo collection/new album on bandcamp two weeks ago so you can check that out. As well as her Billy The Kid bandcamp, good stuff.
Thoughts on Cover:
Lots of words for a basic acoustic run through. Different than the original and it works really well for BtK who has an excellent voice and a great delicate handle on the song. A nice way to start the week with a winding hurricane of a song that takes more of a sweet feel with this cover.

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