I'm Not There
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Free Music Notes for I'm Not There
Free Music Review: The Good Cop to the Film's "Bad Cop"
Hit: 3 Stars
Seeing that this album serves a defiantly arty film the music contained herein is especially tame. This is partly due to the two central purposes of the soundtrack. Firstly to represent the sheer scale of Bob Dylan's influence via the sprawl of the packaging--33 covers by a range of important musicians past and present. This is important since for all of the ambitions of film it ended up glorifying the personas and myths over the music itself. Secondly, many of the tracks here would need to double for performances in the film, limiting the palette of sonic tricks available to the performers. So Karen O couldn't employ any of the noise freakouts her daytime band's known for, and Steve Malkmus and Eddie Vedder just ride the rails set by the originals. In the end many musicians resorted to mimic rather than interpretation.
Calexico provide the backing tracks for five songs here, and work best within the constraints set upon them. They don't veer away from the sounds of mid sixties Americana, but every cover breaks away from its source in rich ways. By way of contrast `The Million Dollar Bashers' provide for another five tracks and their work recalls a competent bar band. Who would have ever guessed that putting Steve Shelly, Lee Renaldo, Tom Verlaine, Nels Cline and John Medeski together would result in such a distinction? Their moody take on `Cold Irons Bound' is a highlight however.
Nothing here will make you throw out any of your Dylan albums, but Mason Jenning's warm rendition of `The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll', Jim James & Calexico `Goin to Acapulco', Ramblin Jack Elliot's `Just Like Tom Thumbs Blues', Mira Billotte's `As I Went Out One Morning' and the four other Calexico tracks come close.
Free Music Review: The Spirit of Dylan isn't quite here, either
Hit: 3 Stars
A bunch of indie/alt stars get together and pay tribute to Bob with a lot of covers. It's an uneven experience. The most famous songs tend to come across worst. Stephen Malkmus, Karen Oh or Cat Power trying to turn well worn phrases like 'you know something is happening, but you don't know what it is' into their own comes off very karaoke. Other efforts work better. Yo La Tengo demonstrate that Fourth Time Around is a song they were in fact born to cover (and what a great song--practically invented the passive-aggressive attitude towards romance that has defined indie-rock forever). Eddie Vedder (with a lot of help from Tom Verlaine on guitar) pulls off an excellent All Along the Watchtower. And the less famous songs, like John Doe's version of Pressing On, and Sufjan Stevens' Ring Those Bells, tend to work better. However, there is a problem with the overall gestalt. In his day, Dylan was incredibly audacious--ignoring his cult and crossing straight over into the world of pop. By contrast, nearly all the performers here seem a little timid and smug. Here's an alternative idea--how about an album with all the acts who manage to straddle that art/commercial divide today--Kanye West, Amy Winehouse, Daft Punk, etc.--covering Dylan. Some of these acts are probably unfamiliar with his catalogue, and I'm sure that would be for the best.
I was tempted to add a star to my rating because of the inclusion of the previously unreleased Basement Tape, I'm Not There. It is outstanding.
Free Music Review: A Major Disappointment
Hit: 3 Stars
As a Dylan collector/completist, I disagree with those who believe "only Dylan does Dylan best." One measure of the greatness of Dylan's work is the extent to which it lends itself to interpretation. This has led me to not only collect the work of the man himself, but also to amass a collection of nearly 900 cover versions of Dylan songs. I was REALLY looking forward to this collection, but I'm sorry to say it is a major disappointment - which is hard to fathom given the level of talent involved. There are a few high points here: John Doe's "Pressing On" and "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine", Iron & Wine & Calexico's "Dark Eyes", Sufjan Steven's odd take on "Ring Them Bells", and The Black Keys "The Wicked Messenger." Most of the rest is, quite simply, uninspired and (horrors!) boring. Here's hoping the film is far better than its soundtrack.
An addendum: I've now seen the movie and, unfortunately, have to place it in the same category as the soundtrack: a major disappointment. If you love Dylan and you love art film, then you should see it - realizing it is a flawed but valiant attempt to capture the "thin wild mercury" of The Man. Otherwise, don't waste your time. The high point: Cate Blanchette is astounding - if the Academy Awards actually rewarded talent, they would simply hand her the best actress statuette today and forego the rest of the charade.
Free Music Review: substance over quality reigns supreme
Hit: 3 Stars
While I freely admit that imitation is a high form of flattery, and along that vein, so is re-interpretation, I have to also confess that once again I find myself disappointed with another spineless tribute album to a great artist. While there are some great covers here, no doubt, for my money they are the covers by existent sages, not the rabble clamoring around studio mics. While Dylan didn't live the vagabond lifestyle he so aptly portrayed in his music, his chameleonic nature allowed him to empathize to the point of true artistry: he became his creation. I've only been able to listen to this album once since I purchased it (with great anticipation, mind you), and fully expect it to litter CD sales boxes at Roses in the near future. Save your money; go out and purchase a remastered Dylan album (any one will do, particularly Blonde on Blonde), or try the Masked and Anonymous soundtrack. Shirley Caesar hits "Gotta Serve Somebody" on the nail (no pun intended).Free Music Review: interesting, but not great
Hit: 3 Stars
The problem with a set like this is that only a true Dylan fan would be interested, but the Dylan fan would immediately realize that the covers are less rich and dynamic than Dylan's originals. If you're looking for a different interpretation of Dylan's music, you're much better off looking for Dylan's covers of himself. Over the years, he was constantly reinterpreting his own music in often fresh and interesting ways and some of this is available on his many concert recordings.
I'm not opposed to covers in general. I really enjoyed the "Instant Karma" and "I Am Sam" covers of Lennon and the Beatles. This Dylan collection is not in the same league, unfortunately.