Ten Bob Dylan Covers

Somehow Bob Dylan is 83(!) years old today. For his birthday, here are 10 of my favorite cover versions of Dylan tunes. 

#10: Patti Smith. A Hard Rains A Gonna Fall.  Patti got so nervous during this Nobel Prize ceremony performance that she had to stop and restart at around the 2-minute mark. Legend. 

 

#9:  Eddie Vedder. Masters of War. It's sad how much we need this song right now. 

#8:  Nina Simone. Ballad of Hollis Brown. Covered at the height of the 1960s civil rights movement, Nina Simone turned The Ballad of Hollis Brown into a movement anthem. 

#7: Dave Alvin. Highway 61 Revisited. Dave Alvin's alt.country style works perfectly for this Dylan classic. 

#6: Joan Bez. Farewell Angelina. Joan Baez covered lots of Dylan songs, and Farewell Angelina is not the best known. It's simply my favorite. 

#5: The Band. I Shall Be Released. The Band's 1967 debut album "Music From Big Pink" featured mostly original songs, but their covers of Dylan songs became extremely popular and led to them touring and performing with Dylan. 

#4: The Byrds. Mr. Tambourine Man. The Byrd's were great at doing folk rock versions of Dylan's songs. 

#3: Dylan, Roger McGuinn, Tom Petty, George Harrison and Others. My Back Pages. Just an amazing performance from classic rockers who all owe a debt to Dylan.

#2: Jimi Hendrix. All Along the Watchtower. Still as powerful today as when it was released in 1968.

#1: Neko Case. Buckets of Rain. If there is a better singer out there than Neko Case, I don't know who it is.