Uncovering Dylan Volume 4 (2024) CD Review

Bob Dylan has written an incredible amount of excellent songs over the years, and so it comes as no surprise that he’s been covered by a wide range of artists, from Bad Religion to The Band, from the Grateful Dead to Green Day, from Jimi Hendrix to Robyn Hitchcock, from Nina Simone to Emma Swift. In 2006, Paradiddle Records released a collection titled Bob Dylan Uncovered, which featured different artists performing some of their favorite Bob Dylan numbers, and a decade later released Bob Dylan Uncovered Vol. 2. In 2022, the third volume was released. That one was a bit different, as it featured some of the same musicians playing on multiple tracks. Now we are getting the fourth volume in the series, though the title has changed a bit for this new release. Rather than Bob Dylan Uncovered, this one is called Uncovering Dylan. This release goes back to the format of the first two volumes, in that there are different artists performing on each of the tracks, including groups like The Belle Curves and The Lucky Ones.

This disc opens with Mike Nugent & The Blue Moon Band covering “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere,” and putting their own spin on it, with that good rhythm which starts their rendition. This is a song that was first recorded by The Byrds, with Roger McGuinn famously mixing up a couple of words. Bob Dylan then referred to that mistake in his own version, and it’s that version that inspired this cover by Mike Nugent & The Blue Moon Band. They do a wonderful job with it. I particularly like the work on mandolin in the second half. Plus, it features both male and female vocalists, each taking different verses and delivering the chorus together. Toward the end they join forces for an extended section, delivering a verse together and then riffing on the chorus, and everything sounds great. This is a song that Michael Kessler also covers on his new album, Gravel Road. Things then get bluesy with Kerry Kearney & The Kings Of Psychedelta’s rendition of “Meet Me In The Morning,” a song from what is arguably Bob Dylan’s best album, Blood On The Tracks. This rendition is electric and features some strong work on guitar and some really nice stuff on organ, the band getting to jam a bit. I like how the guitar gets a chance to cut loose, particularly toward the end.

The Other Shoe covers “Sweetheart Like You,” a song from Dylan’s Infidels, an album that I still don’t own. It was also released as a single. Its main line is “What’s a sweetheart like you doing in a dump like this?” It has a rather sweet vibe, but there is a lot going on here lyrically, leading to several different interpretations as to the song’s meaning over the years. This rendition features a passionate vocal performance and some good work on keys. There is also good stuff on electric guitar, particularly as the song approaches its conclusion. Then Ray Lambiase delivers a thoughtful, slow, pretty rendition of “It Ain’t Me, Babe.” Kate Corrigan joins him on vocals, making it a duet. The pace and the way this song is presented really invite us to pay attention to the lyrics, to take a fresh look at them. Some of the lines are more striking in this rendition, such as these: “Go lightly on the ground/I’m not the one you want, babe/I’ll only let you down.” I love this rendition.

“Nobody ‘Cept You” is a song that I first heard when I got The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961-1991 set.  Tom Moran delivers an excellent rendition, delivered mainly on acoustic guitar, along with bass and keys. He plays all the instruments on this track. But it’s his heartfelt vocal delivery that makes this rendition so good. That’s followed by “One Of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later),” which comes from another of Dylan’s most beloved albums, Blonde On Blonde. This version by The Belle Curves begins in a sweet and pretty place, and builds from there until it suddenly bursts up to a different level, a wonderful moment. Singer Delaney Hafener gives a good and varied vocal performance here, making this track another of the disc’s highlights. Then from Nashville Skyline, Revolver chooses “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You,” the record’s closing number. These guys do a nice job with it. I especially like Eric Hammond’s work on piano.

“Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues” is a song from Highway 61 Revisited, one of the first Dylan albums I ever bought. It’s a song that I saw the Grateful Dead perform a few times, always a treat for those folks in the Phil Zone. The Lucky Ones deliver a wonderful rendition, featuring strong work on accordion and a great raw edge to the vocal performance. I like how they bring it down a bit for these lines: “Well, I started out on burgundy, but soon hit the harder stuff/Everybody said they’d stand behind me when the game got rough/The joke was on me, there was no one there to call my bluff.” This track also features some nice work on pedal steel. That’s followed by “Maggie’s Farm,” another song that the Grateful Dead used to cover. This song comes from Bringing It All Back Home, another of my early Dylan album purchases. Ken “The Rocket” Karb puts his own spin on this one. There is a rawness to this vocal performance too, and an interesting combination of instruments and sounds backing him. There are some bluegrass elements, such as fiddle and banjo and mandolin, and also a heavier edge in the guitar and bass work. The combination is very cool, and the track also features some really nice stuff on harmonica. On Bringing It All Back Home, Maggie’s Ma is “sixty-eight, but she says she’s fifty-four.” In this version, she says she’s twenty-four. Not sure she can pull that one off, but maybe. Dylan has delivered the twenty-four number in concert. This is another of the disc’s highlights.

The Locksmiths deliver a seriously enjoyable rendition of “Positively 4th Street” that includes horns, along with some good work on keys. This is a song that was released as a single by Bob Dylan, and included on Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits. The Locksmiths jam a bit at the end. Then we get a second song from Nashville Skyline, “Tell Me That It Isn’t True,” here done by The Lone Pine Radio boys. This track features a good vocal performance. When Frank SanPietro sings, “What I’d like you to do is tell me that it isn’t true,” I believe him. There is an honesty to this performance, and there is both hope and ache in his delivery, as he seems to be living the song. That’s followed by a second song from Highway 61 Revisited, “Ballad Of A Thin Man.” The version here has something of a different sound, with Dee Harris accompanying his own vocals on acoustic and electric guitars, a solo effort. There is a delicious raw power to this rendition which works perfectly. The album concludes with the most recent Bob Dylan song chosen for this release, “Things Have Changed,” which was featured in the movie Wonder Boys. A great song from a great movie. Ray Lambiase’s rendition might not have the same attitude as the original, but it’s still really good and features some strong work on guitar. This song is not included in the online version, only on the CD.  “People are crazy, times are strange/I’m locked in tight, I’m out of range/I used to care, but things have changed.”

CD Track List

1. You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere – Mike Nugent & The Blue Moon Band
2. Meet Me In The Morning – Kerry Kearney & The Kings Of Psychedelta
3. Sweetheart Like You – The Other Shoe
4. It Ain’t Me, Babe – Ray Lambiase
5. Nobody ‘Cept You – Tom Moran
6. One Of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later) – The Belle Curves
7. Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You – Revolver
8. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues – The Lucky Ones
9. Maggie’s Farm – Ken “The Rocket” Korb
10. Positively 4th Street – The Locksmiths
11. Tell Me That It Isn’t True – The Lone Pine Radio Boys
12. Ballad Of A Thin Man – Dee Harris
13. Things Have Changed – Ray Lambiase

Uncovering Dylan Volume 4 is scheduled to be released on May 24, 2024 on Paradiddle Records.