Expecting Rain

i think this understates the value of these sorts of compilations. of course no one can interpret dylan like dylan can. he has a HUGE home court advantage - especially with it being a court on which so few can play.

but the purpose of this album in particular and others (i just gathered may your song always be sung vol 3), is to bring dylan's songwriting to a broader audience. we are technically not the customers...unless we are buying them as gifts for our loved ones who are not so well enlightened.

broader across music genres, broader across ages and tastes, and broader across global boundaries. when hear these i am always impressed at how a far dylan song can be morphed (even if the product isn't always to my taste) and in many cases it provides a portal through which i could tolerate hearing a different music genre that i ordinarily wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. in several cases the product is a treasure.

this is experience is right on par with dylan's goals, i think.

now having said that, it's funny that this link points out some of the most abysmal tracks of the album, what are the odds?:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/art ... le2319739/

Amen brother.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTPltpnfUwg

...what about this...?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdJx86b0 ... plpp_video

Really? I think almost all of them are listenable. Not all of them are outstanding, but there aren't really any that jump out as being horrible. You can only do so much with a covers album, as the original versions are all drilled into our brains and actually improving them is more or less an impossible proposition. Even if any of these versions WERE better than Dylan's, we wouldn't be able to tell, because the originals are the bedrock of our Dylan experience. Cover albums are losing situations for the artists who are recording the covers, except on the rarest of occasions.

My overall review is pretty much right on with MD23Rewls; Very few that offend me, but even less that jump out at me. Here is my all-too long, unnecessary, song by song breakdown:


1) One Too Many Mornings – Cash & The Avetts - Probably my favorite by artist selection (big Cash fan and Huge Avetts fan) and it is great to hear. If I had my druthers though, I don't think the composite does either artist the credit an individual song would have done. Check out the Avett's version from Jimmy Fallon the other night, live with just Scott, Seth and Bob; I liked it alot compared to the re-recording of the Cash/Dylan version.
http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com ... -mornings/

2) Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat – Raphael Saadiq – Pleasant enough with a good sound.

3) Drifter’s Escape – Patti Smith – Nice version but not too memorable to me.

4) Ballad Of Hollis Brown – Rise Against – Not necessarily my type of music, and kind of a gimmicky cover, but I liked it a lot. Loud and angry. Seemed to fit the song.

5) Blind Willie McTell – The Nightwatchman – Nice version, kind of a Leonard Cohen vocal wannabe.

6) Corrina, Corrina – Pete Townshend – Finger picking, nothing stand out.

7) Most Of The Time – Bettye LaVette – I didn’t care for this. The instrumentation is fine but something about her voice grates on me and I didn’t like the liberties she took with the lyrics at all.

8) This Wheel’s On Fire – Charlie Winston – This was fine but nothing of a highlight.

9) Simple Twist Of Fate – Diana Krall – Piano version which is pretty. Fine vocal, but doesn’t hit the the mark anywhere near what the song is capable of.

10) You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere – Brett Dennen – Typical laid-back take on the song a la Sweetheart Of The Rodeo. Somewhat annoying vocal.

11) Love Sick – Mariachi El Bronx – I thought this was cool, a Spanish flavor departure from the creepy Time Out Of Mind echo.

12) Blowin’ In The Wind – Ziggy Marley – Didn’t like this at all.

13) Changing Of The Guards – The Gaslight Anthem – I very much enjoyed this once it gets going. Makes me want to listen to the original, but a cool cover.

14) Not Dark Yet – Silversun Pickups – Pretty faithful to the original arrangement but I can’t stomach the vocals.

15) You’re A Big Girl Now – My Morning Jacket – Kind of consistent with the theme so far, pleasant enough (I like MMJ’s echoey sound) but nothing that really jumps out at you. Doesn’t hit the territory Jim James hit on the I’m Not There soundtrack with Goin’ To Acapulco, but pretty good.

16) Boots Of Spanish Leather – The Airborne Toxic Event – Starts slow but I like some of this. The violin parts are great.

17) Girl From The North Country – Sting – Fine, with some fingerpicking parts similar to the original, but can’t say I’d ever go out of my way to listen to this.

18) Restless Farewell – Mark Knopfler – Nice version, good instrumentation.

19) Outlaw Blues – Queens Of The Stone Age – This is fine for a more modern rock version similar to the original, but I’ll take the original.

20) Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 – Lenny Kravitz – Cranks up the speed but similar in nature to the original. Can’t say I’m much of a Kravitz fan but this isn’t a bad listen.

21) One More Cup Of Coffee – Steve Earle & Lucia Micarelli – Boring.

22) Heart Of Mine – Blake Mills & Danielle Haim – Laid back version of an, in my opinion, underrated song.

23) You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go – Miley Cyrus – Ah the dichotomy of Hannah Montana covering Dylan. Heard a lot of flack about it but its fine by me, I think it’s a pleasant enough version. A few spots where I think she reaches too far on the vocals, but I liked it.

24) Lay Down Your Weary Tune – Billy Bragg – Love it!

25) License To Kill – Elvis Costello – Understated version, Elvis does well with this. A little more rhythm would have helped this one along.

26) Lay Lady Lay – Angelique Kidjo – Not sure what to make of this, other than it doesn’t go anywhere.

27) Ring Them Bells – Natasha Bedingfield – Nothing wrong with this I guess, but not my style of music. I keep thinking of Lilith Fair when I hear it.

28) Love Minus Zero / No Limit – Jackson Browne – There’s nothing wholly standout here but I just love the sound and pace here for some reason. A good song to drive to.

29) Seven Curses – Joan Baez – Pretty and menacing, yet without the drive of Dylan’s.

30) No Time To Think – Belle Brigade – Fits this group better than Dylan, good song choice for them.

31) Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You – Sugarland – Fun enough live version, she has some pipes. If you want a really fantastic live version, check out My Morning Jacket doing the arrangement a la RTR: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYdsMDRhfw0

32) Mr. Tambourine Man – Jack’s Mannequin – Pleasant background music maybe for a clothing store, but nothing memorable.

33) 4th Time Around – Oren Lavie – OK but monotonous.

34) All I Really Wanna Do –Sussan Deyhim – An opium den B-side. Bad.

35) Make You Feel My Love – Adele – I liked it better when Garth Brooks did it. And that’s not saying much.

36) With God On Our Side – K’naan – This is terrible and a bad idea.

37) I Want You – Ximena Sarina – Kind of the cutesy hipster sound you hear a lot nowadays, but I like her voice.

38) She Belongs To Me – Neil Finn & Pajama Club – Not much to say. It’s just there.

39) Bob Dylan’s Dream – Bryan Ferry - Not much to say. It’s just there.

40) Tomorrow Is A Long Time – Zee Avi - Not much to say. It’s just there. I’m seeing a trend.

41) Just Like A Woman – Carly Simon – Nobody does it better…except Dylan, Richie Havens, The Byrds…Just kidding. Nothing spectacular but it’s fine for a late night piano version.

42) The Times They Are A-Changin’ – Flogging Molly – I Love this. Haven’t heard Flogging Molly in years and it’s typical for their Irish hard rock / punk sound, but it works on this song.

43) Buckets Of Rain – Fistful Of Mercy – I like this one a lot too, cool electric slide sound with a nice rhythm on a great song.

44) Man Of Peace – Joe Perry –“… I wanted to bring it out because it's a brilliant traditional blues folk kind of song," Perry says. Err…OK…but actually I like the sound of this, nice fuzzy blues, good cover.

45) It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue – Bad Religion – This is fine as an older-school punk cover of a great song. A good sound that is pretty sincere.

46) Desolation Row – My Chemical Romance – I don’t vehemently hate this like a lot of people seem to do, but I don’t like it. It could be done a lot better at that pace and in that style.

47) Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door – Nadir Khayat (RedOne) – Do any versions of this song ever sound any different? I don’t think I could respond to this song by anyone anymore, but certainly not this one.

48) Abandoned Love – Paul Rodgers & Nils Lofgren – This is a very cool version, love the guitar and wait till the accordion kicks in.

49) New Morning – Chuck Criss & Darren Criss – I like the idea of the acoustic New Morning and a couple of brothers playing and singing together, but it’s a little too clean cut for me. Still not bad though, and I like the strings later in the song.

50) The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll – Cage The Elephant – I’ve heard a few of the originals from these guys and I thought they would kill if they had the right Dylan song. Unfortunately I don’t think this is it. This goes OK, but never goes anywhere. A serious misappropriation.

51) It Ain’t Me, Babe – Band Of Skulls – I like their voices and the laid back sound with the lonesome slide.

52) Property Of Jesus – Sinead O Connor – One of my guilty pleasure Dylan songs. I have a tough time stomaching O’Connor, but I will just judge the music and I thought it was a fine listen.

53) Shelter From The Storm – Ed Roland & The Sweet Tea Project – I’ve liked this one a lot, I really enjoy the instrumentation, nice guitar playing.

54) Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right – Ke$ha – I’ll leave it with SirDogg’s comments, “And that Kesha track is the worst, is she crying? Does she have a cold? Or do she sound like that?” Good Lord.

55) Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right – Kronos Quartet –The Amnesty International crew that put this compilation together must have known they needed another version of this great song to cleanse the palette after that last trainwreck. A quartet founded in 1973, I like hearing these types of interpretations of Dylan songs, though I don’t think I’d classify this as my favorite.

56) I Shall Be Released – Maroon 5 – Nothing wrong with this version. Love to hear that organ.

57) Political World – Carolina Chocolate Drops – I like this a lot and love the CCD. Very cool version, though I would have probably liked to see a version of some of the other songs they were considering per the article with Dom Flemons, can you imagine Black Diamond Bay, Went To See The Gypsy or say the Tangled Up In Blue with the ’84 lyrics? http://www.examiner.com/bob-dylan-in-na ... kson-cover

58) Like A Rolling Stone – Seal & Jeff Beck – Actually not as bad as it looks on paper. I still get mildly offended when someone tries to cover LARS, but they do OK here.

59) Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream – Taj Mahal & The Phantom Blues Band – I HATE this. Embarrassing.

60) Senor (Tales Of Yankee Power ) – Dierks Bentley – I’d already picked up the album version of his cover, so this live version wasn’t a surprise. I like it a lot, they do a good job. Cool to hear the ‘bluegrass’ reworking of the song.

61) One Of Must Know (Sooner Or Later) – Mick Hucknall – A very faithful version, only thing I miss of the original is Kenny Buttrey, feels empty without that snare. And Dylan, I guess.

62) I’ll Remember You – Thea Gilmore – Nice sound, I like her a lot. Check out her John Wesley Harding cover album…awesome.

63) John Brown – State Radio – Kind of a cool sound, but nothing that really jumps up and makes a name for itself.

64) All Along The Watchtower – Dave Matthews Band – Certainly heard their version many times over the years. Not a Dave fan by any means. I don’t really mind their version; maybe it’s from hearing it so many times. It has its place.

65) Subterranean Homesick Blues – Michael Franti – Nice upbeat version I guess. Reminds me of a Fruit Of The Loom commercial or something.

66) Mama You Been On My Mind – We Are Augustines – Nothing bad, nothing memorable.

67) Tryin’ To Get To Heaven – Lucinda Williams – OK but her voice has just never really done it for me.

68) Quinn The Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn) – Kris Kristofferson – Cool acoustic version by one of ancients by now whom all moderns prize. Kristofferson says, "I have no illusions about myself as a singer, but I like the feel of that 'Quinn the Eskimo.' I figured I could get away with that."

69) Gotta Serve Somebody – Eric Burdon – Kind of a funky version from the man from Newcastle, though nothing that raised any hair on my neck.

70) I’d Have You Anytime – Evan Rachel Wood – Dylan by way of George by way of Marilyn Manson. Very pretty actually, though I’ve never been a terribly big fan of the song to begin with.

71) Baby, Let Me Follow You Down – Marianne Faithfull – Very cool, live version with just ukele accompaniment. Very cool.

72) Forever Young – Pete Seeger With The Rivertown Kids – I love this, maybe it’s because he’s 92 years old, or maybe it’s just because it’s a song I love and it’s a fun combination.

73) Chimes Of Freedom – Bob Dylan – I thought it was rather boorish…too much improvising on that wretched harmonica.

Stand-Out Tracks
- The Times They Are A-Changin’ (Flogging Molly)
- One Too Many Mornings (Avetts & Cash)
- Senor (Tales Of Yankee Power) (Dierks Bentley)
- Changing Of The Guard (Gaslight Anthem)

Because, as mentioned above and in other various threads, 'no one sings Dylan like Dylan'.

the real question is, why are we discussing the Amnesty album on the thread that is about why we are not discussing it!

it seems so off topic.

The Cash OTMMs is interesting in so far as Bob's vocal from the bootleg is still prominent in the verses!! I loved Jackson Browne's, Steve Earle's and Knopfler's too!

Nice review muleskinner

I agree with SirDogg. There are not many outstanding covers on this compilation. However, I have to disagree with the statement that most of the songs are not “listenable”. Sure, the majority of the songs are nothing exciting, but that does not make them unlistenable. I mean, they do not make my ears bleed and, therefore, I would say they are acceptable. (Of course there are a few exceptions).

My personal highlights:

Johnny Cash & Bob Dylan & The Avett Brothers – One Too Many Mornings: I love the songs from the Dylan/Cash-Sessions from ’69. Johnny Cash was one of my favourite singers, what a voice! (And I admit, I enjoy Dylan’s Nashville Skyline voice as well. I know, many on here do not like it, but I think it is great). Anyways, it is nice to see that something from these ’69 sessions has found its way onto this compilation. Furthermore, the Avett Brothers are all right as well. Their performance at last year’s Grammys was excellent. Long story short, I think this is a good song.

Mark Knopfler – Restless Farewell: Another cover which I like quite a lot is Mark’s interpretation of “Restless Farewell”. I think Mark is a great guy and he definitely is an exceptionally gifted musician. I did not know much about him before I saw him twice in concert last year, but since then I have started to like him and his music quite a lot. With regard to the cover, I think it is great that he turned this song into a Scottish folk song kind of thing. It is just very different as compared to Dylan’s original interpretation, but that does not make Mark’s cover bad.

The Gaslight Anthem – Changing of the Guards: This one needs time to grow on you, but then it is really enjoyable. I did not like it at first, but now it is one of my highlights of this compilation. Great voice, nice guitar sounds, quite a passionate interpretation of a classic. Great!

Still pretty good:

Rise Against – Ballad of Hollis Brown: I am not really familiar with their music, but this was an interesting cover. There is a nice video of the making of their version of “Hollis Brown” on the website of the Rolling Stone. It is quite interesting to see how they worked on this cover, drew graphs and kept complaining about the lack of choruses in the song. Here is the link to the video: Making of “Hollis Brown"

Diana Krall – Simple Twist of Fate: Nice piano playing, a melancholic delivery. Fine by me.

The Airborne Toxic Event – Boots of Spanish Leather: This is another cover which is quite enjoyable, in my opinion.

Surprisingly pretty good:

Miley Cyrus – You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go: When they announced that Miley Cyrus was covering one of the Dylan’s songs, I prepared myself to rant and rave about the abysmal result of this “experiment”. However, I have to admit that I think she did a pretty good job with this cover. It is definitely better than I had expected. And who knows, maybe it will help to get younger people interested in Dylan’s music.

The averagest song around:

Joan Baez – Seven Curses: I like Joan Baez and I think she has done some pretty great Dylan covers. However, I think “Seven Curses” was a bad choice because it does not even come close to the brilliance of Dylan’s original. Her version is just mediocre. Why didn’t they choose her cover of “Lily, Rosemary & the Jack of Hearts”? This would have been absolutely lovely.

Suprisingly not that good:

Sting – Girl From the North Country: When they announced the tracks for the compilation last year, this was a cover which I awaited eagerly. But good God, that was quite a disappointment.

Elvis Costello – License to Kill : This one is (unfortunately) not my cup of tea either. I prefer Tom Petty’s cover of this song.

The bottom of the barrel:

Ke$ha – Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right: What the hell was that?

K’naan – With God On Our Side: What the hell was that?

Having said that, it is true, “no one sings Dylan like Dylan”. If I had to choose between a cover or Dylan’s original, I would always choose the latter. There are maybe two exceptions which come to my mind right now. Jim James’ cover of “Goin’ To Acapulco” from the I’m Not There soundtrack and probably Paul Weinfield’s interpretation of “Visions of Johanna”. Apart from that, Dylan’s the man.

^
What is it about Paul Weinfield's cover that you prefer to Dylan's version(s)?

Yea, as a "new" fan of Mr. Costello I had high hopes of this one. And I wasn't all that amazed.
Also I'd like to say one thing about my first comment, that this was after a first listen, maybe some of these will sound better to me if I ever listen to them again.
And again I shall mention Miley Cyrus' cover, she has the most amazing voice, if she'd only stick to these types of songs I'd consider buying her records..

First of all, to avoid any misunderstandings, I love Dylan’s original version of „Visions of Johanna“, I really do.

However, I prefer Weinfield’s cover because it is so plain and unadorned. There is no band, no harmonica, no electric guitars, no bass. It’s just a simple guy with his acoustic guitar and that is all. Thus, he creates this hauntingly beautiful sound which fits perfectly to the mood of the lyrics, at least in my opinion. It’s like he’s sitting in his darkened apartment with his guitar while Louise is still sleeping in his bed … but that does not matter to him because the only girl who really matters to him is Johanna – but he cannot be with her. I don’t know, I guess it is kind of hard to explain. I just think the fact that Weinfield uses this simple arrangement fits better to the mood of the song.

To illustrate that, when I listen to Dylan’s version, this mood of melancholy and isolation (which is evident in the lyrics, in my opinion) is vitiated by the presence of the other band members. It is like Dylan sits in his darkened apartment, Louise is still sleeping in his bed … and Dylan’s trying to think about Johanna … but he can’t because there’s a marching band having a blast directly behind his chair. I don't know if you can relate to that...?

^^^ But then there is the live, solo acoustic version. Visions of Johanna is possibly Bob's crowning achievement and I don't feel that anyone could possibly sing the song with more awareness of feeling than the one that wrote it.

I agree that „Visions of Johanna“ is one of Bob’s masterpieces, but so far I have not heard a solo acoustic live version which gives me goose bumps. I know the one from the Royal Albert Hall ’66 but this one does not really impress me. I’m sure tellmemomma1966 will come and stone me for saying this… but to me it seems like a lackluster performance. When I hear it, I get the impression that there’s a person on the stage, stuffed with pills, who just wants to get the concert over with. It’s like he is tired of performing for a couple of English philistines, and that is actually quite a shame. After all, Bob is well capable of putting his heart into a performance. He has done it many times, that’s why he is such a remarkable singer. However, I just don’t feel it when I listen to this performance.

Then again, that’s only my impression of course. If there’s a better solo acoustic performance of “Visions of Johanna” out there, let me know. Until then, I’ll stick to Weinfield’s version if I need a shot of melancholy. I accept other opinions, though! I mean, it’s good that we have a lot of options. So everyone can find a version which appeals to them.

Again, certainly not trying to be argumentative I am not trying to convince you to change your opinion, either. It is valid and it is your perception. I would just like to add that No Direction Home was my first real exposure to Bob about six months ago. I was wowed by almost everything I heard, but when it got to the small clip of him singing VoJ, my hair literally stood on end. I just hadn't heard anything quite like it and it drew me like a magnet. I don't get the same feeling that you do, that he was just drugged up and phoning it in. I kind of felt like that is why he did it acoustic as opposed to full band (apart from maybe not being satisfied with how the Hawkes were playing it) so that it would receive every bit of attention that it deserved and the lyrics would be clearly understood. It sounds like to me he is focused on enunciating every word and weighing them carefully to get the meaning of this masterpiece across in these big halls. It is pure magic to my ears. In fact, magic isn't the word I need, but I can't think of the appropriate word to describe how those live acoustic versions make me feel.

The thing about the Weinfield version is that I don't think the singing is that good, he's obviously trying to sound like Dylan and it comes off a bit forced. I like Marianne Faithfull's cover better, even if she cuts out one or two verses.

The Johanna that was chosen for Biograph is brilliant. But I find most of the '66 performances of that song sublime, so maybe you won't like that one either. lol
And anyway, to me, the original reflects the loneliness of the lyric, even with the backing bad. One of his most perfect recordings.

Thank you! I really enjoyed that.

Mystical?

Just listened to this and thought "wow; how amazingly cheesy." It sounds like James Taylor doing his best Bob Dylan imitation. I can't trust a voice that smooth. I'm in agreement with others that the '66 versions are the most haunting versions, especially the Biograph one. Right now, however, I'm especially enjoying the vibe of the 2000 versions such as George, Washington. There's a certain acoustic push to them that makes it feel like he's driving away those old demons/memories.

So, you are criticizing someone for having a smooth voice? Well, there is nothing stranger than a Bob Dylan forum, I guess… Personally, I have never gotten the impression that Weinfield tries to imitate Dylan’s singing style, so I guess we really perceive these things differently.

Anyways, I have thought about why I cannot relate to those ’66 live performances of “Visions of Johanna” and I think I know why they do not appeal to me. For me, this song is about isolation, about a guy who has these visions of the girl of his dreams and he is completely alone with these visions. They are in his head, and after all, your thoughts probably are the most personal thing there is. Now, performing this song before thousands of people breaks something of the spell. The mood of isolation, of the privacy of your own thoughts is just not the same anymore. Raging_glory has pointed out that (s)he likes that Dylan enunciates every word very clearly in these ’66 performances. For me, that is exactly one thing which I do not like at all. I love the studio version because Dylan just tells his story. But if you have to concentrate on proper enunciation to compensate for bad acoustics in the hall … it just adds an aftertaste of artificiality to the song.

I guess it does not make much sense to discuss this any further because it seems that we have different expectations when we listen to “Visions of Johanna”. Besides, I have already pointed out that I absolutely love Dylan’s studio recording. I agree with Giada when she says that it is one of his most perfect recordings (although “most perfect” is kind of tautologous ). I guess all I am saying is, I think this song would have been even better as a solo acoustic song, recorded in a studio.

(PS: I don’t know Marianne Faithfull’s version of this song, thus I cannot say if it is good or not.)

Well, you could probably pin 'tautologous' as a label on the entire forum. Nothing wrong with a little bit of repetition though. It's all in good fun. Your opinion differs from mine which, for me, also makes it interesting and valuable to this thread. As is everyone's, especially when approached constructively. So far, I haven't found a version of 'Visions' that I would listen to before one of Bob's. Just sayin'.

The minute the thoughts are written in a song, they are no longer private. The very idea that he wrote these words in a song and then went on to record it, means it was meant to be heard. The art now comes in conveying those feelings when you sing it before an audience. Just because someone sings it with an acoustic guitar in their bedroom doesn't mean they are able to convey feelings of isolation or loneliness any better since they are also performing for an audience the moment they throw that video up on youtube. It diminishes the power of these lyrics to restrict them to a specific setting, imo.

That is a good point, raging_glory. It would be stupid to restrict this song to a specific setting. However, that was not what I meant at all. Remember, Giada asked me why I liked Weinfield’s version and the reason why I like his interpretation of “Visions of Johanna” is the fact that it evokes this melancholic and intimate atmosphere – or as top o’ the hill put it, because it is “amazingly cheesy”. That is exactly the reason why I prefer it to Dylan’s version sometimes. As I pointed out earlier, if I am in a melancholic mood or if I am lost in thought, it is just perfect.

Of course there are days when I would pick Dylan’s original version right away and would not touch Weinfield’s cover with a ten-foot pole. For me, Dylan’s studio version is just different. I hope we can agree that the original version evokes another mood. There is still a spark of melancholy in it, but due to the presence of the band the music is a little bit more light and breezy and the intimacy is not so incisive. I mean, sometimes I dance through my apartment when I am listening to Dylan’s “Visions of Johanna”. I would never do that when I listen to Weinfield’s interpretation, simply because it feels different.

To cut a long story short, it all depends on how I am feeling. If I am in a melancholic mood, I would pick Weinfield’s version. If I am not in a melancholic mood, I would choose Dylan’s original version. Besides, I love the version from the BS7 as well.

(With regard to the live versions, I have really tried to get into the ’66 tour, but I just cannot relate to it. I like Dylan’s live performances between 61’ and 65’, I love the rare public appearances in ’69 (Johnny Cash show, Isle of Wight), I absolutely adore the Rolling Thunder Revue 75’ / 76’, and Dylan also has done some great stuff during the NET. But the Tour ’66 is just not my cup of tea (except for a fistful of performances.) I know many regard this tour as magical and mystical, but I cannot relate to that. I have tried, but I just do not see it. Be that as it may, I have accepted top o’ the hill’s advice and listened to Dylan’s version of “Visions” from George, Washington in 2000 and I think it is absolutely brilliant. For me, this is the live version of this song which I like the most (so far). The acoustic stuff from around 2000 is just amazing.)

I didn't mean to imply that his singing style in general is Dylanesque, just in that song.

Do you consider Johanna a love song?