I'm Not There
|
List Price: Our Price: $7.16 You Save: $4.80 (40%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $5.94 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for I'm Not There
Free Music Review: Excellent!
Hit: 5 Stars
The artists on this album recreate Dylan in their own unique way. I love it!Free Music Review: Gotta Wonder What Bob Thinks of This ...
Hit: 4 Stars
The idea of Bob Dylan allowing a bunch of mostly young indie rock types record their versions of his songs seems a bit unlikely, but then again so does the thought of the world's greatest songwriter acting in commercials for huge corporations like Victoria's Secret and Cadillac. While most of the time Dylan plays it distant and cold, just as any self respecting done-it-all legend should, he'll occasionally drop his rigorous façade and let someone peek in. The someone in question behind this 34-song collection - or so it seems - is film director Todd Haynes, the man responsible for such films as Velvet Goldmine, Far From Heaven and Corporate Ghost.
When word came out that Haynes had cast a bevy of actors - including Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Richard Gere and Heath Ledger, to play Dylan - people, especially the Dylan purists, started to worry. Though the film has yet to hit theatres nationwide, the press and trailers currently available imply that Haynes treated the film as more of a loose celebration of all-things-Dylan, rather than a story about the man himself. One listen to the sprawling I'm Not There soundtrack leaves the same impression. The songs here, many of which feature backing accompaniment from a super group called The Million Dollar Bashers, come off as a celebration. And not just any celebration, but a celebration played by some of the best bands of the current generation.
Television guitarist Tom Verlaine, Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley, Dylan bassist Tony Garnier, Wilco guitarist Nels Cline, legendary guitarist Smokey Hormel and Medeski, Martin and Wood key-man John Medeski join Sonic Youth guitar legend Lee Ranaldo in the aforementioned Million Dollar Bashers, the band responsible for giving the soundtrack legs to walk on. Fronting the Bashers throughout are Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam), Stephen Malkmus (Pavement), Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and Verlaine himself. Additionally, Calexico back other artists on five songs, including Jim James (My Mourning Jacket), Iron & Wine, Roger McGuinn (The Byrds), Willie Nelson and Charlotte Gainsbourg, thus - along with the Bashers - offering a level of continuity not usually found on compilations featuring over 20 different artists.
Also along for the ride are Cat Power and her Memphis Band, Sonic Youth, Richie Havens, John Doe (X), Yo La Tengo, Mason Jennings, Los Lobos, Jeff Tweedy (Wilco), Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees), Mira Billotte, Sufjan Stevens, Jack Johnson, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, The Hold Steady, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, The Black Keys, Marcus Carl Franklin, Bob Forrest and Antony and the Johnsons. Also included is the legendary (but never properly released) title track from the film in the form of it's original glory.
So there you have the facts. And while this album hardly plays through in a way that will satisfy everyone, it does attain the uncommon "something for everyone" element. My favorites, you ask? Sure. The Malkmus tunes with the Bashers, specifically "Ballad of a Thin Man" and "Maggie's Farm," are - believe it or not - nearly as raucous and memorable as the originals. Sonic Youth's take on the title track also stands out, as do Jeff Tweedy's straight-ahead version of "Simple Twist of Fate," the two Yo La Tengo tracks, Willie Nelson's "Senor," and Iron & Wine's take on "Dark Eyes." While some of the tracks, namely the cuts by Eddie Vedder, Cat Power, Mason Jennings and Los Lobos, feel a bit too much like cover band recordings, the bulk of I'm Not There is well worth your time, likely due to the excellent production throughout, especially the tracks handled by Joe Henry and Lee Ranaldo.
As much as I enjoyed this album, I have to admit that it hit the shelves pretty quickly. More than anything else, it has me dreaming of Dylan dropping everything and taking 10 or 11 new songs into the studio with The Million Dollar Bashers at his back and Joe Henry on the boards. Maybe even invite Dylan-superfan Ranaldo along for executive producer duties. Until then, we have I'm Not There, one of the better tribute albums you'll ever find. (Greg Locke)
Free Music Review: Surprisingly good
Hit: 4 Stars
The intricate guitar work on All Along The Watchtower makes Eddie Vedder's a respectable rock cover, while Sonic Youth's interpretation of I'm Not There has a vaguely menacing start that morphs into the melancholy; it's quite unusual to hear this band doing a tender ballad with such feeling. The style changes to appealingly arranged country-folk with Jim James & Calexico on Going Down To Acapulco and stays in that genre as Richie Havens performs a jittery take of Tombstone Blues.
Stephen Malkmus' mid-tempo Ballad of a Thin Man impresses with its instrumental flourishes, Cat Power's Memphis Blues likewise charms with its instrumentation and Yo La Tengo's Fourth Time Around is a sensitive understated gem. The mood turns exotic on Dark Eyes with its oriental-sounding percussion, then explodes exuberantly on Karen O's edgy Highway 61 Revisited. Roger McGuinn & Calexico does a subdued but moving version of One More Cup of Coffee whilst The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll gets a typical acoustic guitar singer-songwriter treatment by Mason Jennings.
I love the swirling, uptempo Billy by Los Lobos as well as Mark Lanegan's brooding Man in the Long Black Coat. Mira Bilotte takes a pop approach to As I Went Out One Morning but it pales beside Malkmus & Lee Ranaldo's brief but atmospheric Can't Leave Her Behind and Sufjan Stevens' memorable Ring Them Bells with its frequent tempo changes. Just Like a Woman is sung in a soft, whispery voice by Charlotte Gainsbourg while the ecstatic I Wanna Be Your Lover by Yo La Tengo stands out.
Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova's old-style folkie You Ain't Goin' Nowhere is quite appealing but Ramblin' Jack Elliott's bluegrass rendition of Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues is a real treasure, soulful and absorbing. The hard-rock Wicked Messenger and Tom Verlaine's sleepy Cold Irons Bound don't resonate much with me, nor does Mason Jennings' The Times They Are A Changing which attempts to imitate Dylan's original with harmonica and all.
It's a matter of taste; no tracks are really bad and there's plenty of variety. Overall, this is a surprisingly appealing album and a fitting tribute to Dylan. The most devoted fans and purists will probably reject the album outright but I've found many tracks of merit and as mentioned before, there's no total disaster anywhere. In its diversity, it brings to mind the Leonard Cohen tribute soundtrack I'm Your Man.
Free Music Review: I'm Not There....or there....
Hit: 4 Stars
Bob Dylan has always been a mystery to both his fans and his haters. He has one major trait that Hollywood no longer produces: mystery. This is why the upcoming Dylan biopic I'm Not There is a huge deal to such a huge amount of people. They want to see inside the mystery.
But like most movies, the film was preceded by the soundtrack. A sprawling 37-song collection of Dylan covers by everyone from Jack Johnson to Willie Nelson. Some of the songs are good while others are not so good. But one thing can be made certain. Dylan himself would probably expect nothing less.
The first thing one will notice upon listening to this soundtrack is that many Dylan staples have been left out, replaced by much more obscure material by the legend. Gone are "Like a Rolling Stone," "Hurricane," and "Blowin' in the Wind," among others. It's interesting that these tracks have been chosen not to be included, but one might attribute this action to one simple fact. Many people believe only Dylan can do Dylan, and especially if you're talking about those classics. I for one believe this was a good choice in that I believe only Dylan can do justice to the song "Hurricane."
Another interesting thing about this compilation is the amount of well-known modern artists that contribute. In an age where Rihanna and 50 cent dominate the radio airwaves, many people of my generation don't even know a Bob Dylan song, much less like one. But artists like Jack Johnson, Eddie Vedder, and Sufjan Stevens all cover songs here. One can only hope that their names will lead a younger generation to the original Dylan classics.
But now we'll move on to more important stuff like answering the question of if the music is even any good. As a disclaimer I must state that I might be a bit biased in this area. I'm one of the few in my generation that not only knows who Dylan is, but actually enjoys his music. In fact, he's my favorite artist in a pretty large collection of artists from both past and present. That being said, I do believe that a majority of these songs do justice to their original counterparts. This can best be explained by the fact that none of these songs is a radical departure from their original form. All the melodies and rhythms have basically remained the same. The songs are still good and in many cases are being sung by artists with a more pleasant voice than Dylan. (Of course, we all know Dylan was never lauded for his pipes.)
I won't go in to the individual songs because those are things that people will argue about until the end of time. Some will love Yo La Tengo's gorgeous rendition of "4th Time Around," (in my opinion) others will call it sacrilegious. But whether you like the covers or not is not the point of this compilation.
This record and the film accompanying it will once again have people talking about Dylan. And that can never be a bad thing.
Free Music Review: A very good sort-of-soundtrack album
Hit: 4 Stars
For those who haven't seen the movie, be aware that most of the songs on this "soundtrack" are not used in the movie. The movie uses more originals than covers, which is as it should be. Nonetheless, this is a good collection of covers. I'm a pretty big Dylan fan, but there are a couple songs on here that I had never heard of (such as "Billy 1"). Some of the songs presented here should not be covered by anyone, but these artists do their best. For instance, Eddie Vedder does a decent version of "All Along The Watchtower", but no one could ever approach Hendrix's cover or Dylan's version from the Concert For The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. As some critics have noted, some of these artists are too reverent toward the originals and, therefore, add nothing to them (one song even has a Dylanesque harmonica solo--why??).
Having said that, rest assured that there are a number of excellent songs here. Marcus Carl Franklin (the black kid in the movie) does an outstanding version of "When The Ship Comes In." John Doe does a great job on two songs ("Pressing On" and "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine"). Richie Havens gives us a very energetic performance of "Tombstone Blues." Stephen Malkmus does a nice version of "Ballad Of a Thin Man" (used to great effect in the movie). I've never heard of Bob Forrest, but he does very well with "Moonshiner." I also really like Cat Power's version of "Stuck Inside Of Mobile..."
There are a few misses on this album, as you would expect, but it's very good overall. Ramblin' Jack Elliott tries his best with "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues", but his voice is shot (he's probably even older than Dylan). I like Willie Nelson, but his typically lazy singing on "Senor" can't compare to Dylan's powerful vocals on the original.
I'm one of those who think that covers almost never match up to the originals. However, this is a worthwhile collection for any Dylan fan. And make sure you go see the movie. It's a priceless experience for any Dylan fan (it's even better if you've seen Don't Look Back and the recently released Live at Newport Folk Festival 1963-65 DVD).