Comments | halevei: nowhere man; nowhere land

halevei

nowhere man; nowhere land

Jul 10, 2005 03:50

I found a rare Dylan performance of "Percy's Song" and I love it. Bob's rendition is matter-of-fact and rather dry. Joan's cover (which can be seen in "Don't Look Back") is more melancholy and I think her voice nicely accompanies the plaintive melody of her strumming. Either way, it's a long song done well.

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ringodelight July 10 2005, 02:57:15 UTC

whos that girl w/ mr dylan?

halevei July 10 2005, 14:09:52 UTC

it's Joan Baez. she's a true folk legend, and probably my favorite female artist. back in the 60s she did a lot of old folk covers and had an affair with dylan. actually, before he was famous, she took him on tour with her (she was already well-established in the folk community) and introduced him to folk audiences throughout the country. she really believed in him, and loved him - though she tried to get him to be more political and use his powerful influence for social improvements and the such. she covered MANY of his early songs, and while he was on his final solo acoustic tour of england (as documented in the 1965 documentary "don't look back"), she thought he would give her a leg up with her british audience (and repay the favor she had done for him by bringing him onstage in earlier days)by bringing her on stage for a couple of performances - but he didn't, and she ended up leaving halfway through the tour. anyway, their romantic/physical relationship ended when she met sara, whom he had been dating simultaneously in new york ( ... )

halevei July 10 2005, 14:43:28 UTC

She wrote a song about Dylan called "Diamonds&Rust" that is pretty good. The title comes from a pair of diamond cufflinks she gave him that he is wearing on the cover of Bringing It All Back Home and in turn how the love that warranted the gift of diamonds has since passed and has therefore turned to rust.

On the Rolling Thunder Review, Bob asked (in cocky BS fashion) if she was going to play that song "about robin's egg eyes" because he knew it was about him (his eyes are robin's egg blue... really, they're gorgeous) but she put him in his place by replying, "Oh Diamonds&Rust? I wrote that song about my husband, David."

I love that. Dylan has a reputation of being a jerk in his youth.

shady_sadie July 11 2005, 19:43:29 UTC

Hello, random person here. I recommend Fairport Convention's cover of Dylan's Percy's Song (wow, that's a lot of possessives). It is on their Unhalfbricking album (1969). You'll love Sandy Denny... Enjoy!

halevei July 11 2005, 21:14:41 UTC

Thanks, I've always enjoyed Percy's Song and I'm interested in any renditions.

halevei July 11 2005, 21:21:42 UTC

I was looking at your interests and wondering how you can like Donovan, but not Dylan. I think Donovan is good in his own right, and I never compare him to Dylan (though so many do) but I just think that they kind of go hand-in-hand. I've met people who liked Dylan but not Donovan, and those who like both of them, but I've NEVER me anyone who liked Donovan but not Dylan.

Or do you like Dylan in general, but not enough to put him on your list of interests?

shady_sadie July 11 2005, 22:50:49 UTC

You're right that Donovan and Dylan are quite different, and I don't consider them to go hand in hand so I don't think it's so unusual for someone to like Donovan and not Bob Dylan.

My reason for not listing Bob Dylan is probably closest to "like Dylan in general, but not enough to put him on your list of interests." I think he's a great songwriter, but I don't care much for his singing. However, hearing Dylan covered by someone else, like Joan Baez, is many times a revelation.

I'm surprised you would have a problem with this because I noticed in one of your entries you saying how you don't like it when people say too casually that they're a fan of Dylan when they don't know much about him at all. I'm probably in that school of thought as well.

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