Dylan Cover #563 Ben Sidran "Ballad of a Thin Man"

 In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's tune is a cover by Ben Sidran  playing "Ballad of a Thin Man'"

Jazzy January has invade Mondays! All this month we will check out various artists covering Dylan with a jazz vibe.

This month we are also doing another special focus in RtBE's Dylan Covers series. In the past we have highlighted The Byrds, Coulson-Dean-McGuiness-Flint, The Hollies, Joan Osbourne, Mountain, Betty LeVette , Reggae Covers and many more.

This month we highlight Ben Sidran's Dylan Different for a full month of Dylan Covers.

Thoughts On Original:
From the first time we tackled a cover of this tune:
Surprisingly we have not touched upon a cover of this track yet in the series, possibly because it has never been anywhere close to a favorite of ours. This tune seems to be a clear product of Dylan's time and space, hounded by media/fans/everyone and lashing out in a burnt out manner. Not containing his best lines or playing it has never really grabbed hold, except a few times in the live setting.

Cover:

Thoughts on Cover Artist:
RtBE had not heard of Ben Sidran before this month. He is a a smooth keyboardist and jazz vocalist from Chicago who started his musical career in the Steve Miller Band. Recording over 40 albums, he is a music lifer. 

Thoughts on Cover:

A herky jerky start moves more to a smooth transition during the chorus, before going back to the circus like verses. Keyboards, piano and sax all highlight the music. A unique way to kick off this month of Dylan covers that display a jazz feel.