Jun 29, 2012 at 9:17 AM | MusicNews | By Laura Studarus

We’re big fans of covers. The musical equivalent of a fruit basket or box of chocolate, what better way to thank a musician for their influence on your art than by making one of their songs your own? 

And who better to cover than Bob Dylan? Inspired by our previous list of cover songs (http://www.rocksquare.com/Community/MusicNews/506), we’ve compiled eleven takes on classic Dylan tunes worth knowing. Check out our favorites below.

1. Jimi Hendrix – “All Along the Watchtower”

Can any list of Dylan covers be made—or even not start out with—Hendrix’s seminal cover of stand-out John Wesley Harding single, “All Along the Watchtower?” Recorded for Electric Ladyland with the Jimi Hendrix Experience and released a mere six months after the original, Hendrix proved that time doesn’t need to pass before a cover can succeed on its own merits.

 

2. Sufjan Stevens – “Ring Them Bells”

Dylan wrote Oh Mercy during a spurt of inspiration over the course of a single month. Likewise, Stevens’ heavily orchestral take on album track “Ring Them Bells” feels imbued with pure, artistic conviction.

 

3. Yo La Tengo – “Fourth Time Around”

Recorded as part of the I’m Not There soundtrack, Yo La Tengo stays true to both themselves and Dylan’s original version, paring lackadaisical vocals with an acoustic guitar and light organ flourishes. The result is as refreshing as a summer’s breeze.

 

4. Van Morrison and Them – “It's All Over Now, Baby Blue”

 “It's All Over Now, Baby Blue” was Bringing it All Back Home’s ultimate breakup tune—a track dedicated to an unsentimental end of a relationship. Van Morrison (and backing band Them) stays true to Dylan’s detached sentiment, adding a few early space-aged synths for good measure.

 

5. Beck – “Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat”

 There’s always been sly sense of humor to much of Dylan’s work—a discussion of which usually gets glossed over, in favor of endless conversations about his cultural significance. (Not that we’re arguing.) Here, Beck brings all of Dylan’s wit to the forefront of his cover of Blonde on Blonde cut, “Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat.” Don’t buy it? Try balancing a mattress on a bottle of wine.

 

6. The White Stripes – “One More Cup of Coffee” 

One of the darkest cuts on Desire—an album filled with violent tales and wandering outlaws—Dylan falls for a wild gypsy woman. It’s a sentiment White’s feral howl translates perfectly, as his raw guitars transform the song into a passionate garage rock plea. Recorded as part of The White Stripes’ self-titled debut album, the cover stands seamlessly alongside their original catalogue.

 

7. Antony & The Johnsons – “Knockin' on Heaven's Door”

 “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” first saw the light of day as part of the Garrett & Billy the Kid soundtrack. Covered by Antony & The Johnsons as part of the I’m Not There soundtrack, the exquisite anguish of Antony’s ethereal voice captures a palpable sense of weariness.

 

8. My Morning Jacket – “You’re a Big Girl Now”

 Recorded as part of Amnesty International Dylan tribute album Chimes of Freedom, My Morning Jacket’s take on “You’re a Big Girl Now” is a piece of stripped down, folk bliss.

 

9. Elvis Costello – “License to Kill”

His return to more secular recordings after a string of gospel-centric releases, Infidels was perhaps one of Dylan’s most scattered releases, a crazy-quilt of styles pulled together only by the strength of songwriting and his most polished production to date. Costello’s take on album cut “License to Kill” is an exceptionally soulful rendition.

 

10. Adele – “Make You Feel My Love”

 Adele turns Time Out of Mind cut “Make You Feel My Love” into a heartbroken, big-voiced ballad. We think Dylan—a hopeless romantic in his own right who once stayed up all night to pen “Sad-eyed Lady of the Lowlands” as an ode to his then-wife—would approve.

 

11. Charlotte Gainsbourg – “Like a Woman”

Also a track that stemmed from the I’m Not There soundtrack (and later appeared on Gainsbourg’s live album, Stage Whisper) Gainsbourg’s take on the Blonde on Blonde cut crackles with emotional fragility, whispering heartbreak where Dylan once shouted.

 

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