Jimi Hendrix recorded a cover version of Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” on January 21, 1968, with guitarist Dave Mason and Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones on piano and percussion at Olympic Studios in London. But Hendrix, the guitar hero, was dissatisfied with the mix of Eddie Kramer and Chas Chandler, and with sound engineer Tony Bongiovi’s overdubbed guitar parts during the following summer at the Record Plant Studio in New York City. This second version was released as a single on the album Electric Ladyland in September 1968. The single reached number 5 in the British charts on October 23, 1968, and number 20 on the Billboard charts on September 28, 1968.
According to Kramer, “[Hendrix] loved Bob Dylan… He was fascinated by the color of the lyrics and the tone of the lyrics, and of course the chord sequences were wonderful, too.”77 Dylan greatly admired the king of the six-string. In the booklet accompanying his Biograph album, Dylan said he liked Hendrix’s version, and adopted it in concert after Hendrix’s death. Dylan added, “Strange though how when I sing it I always feel like it’s a tribute to him in some kind of way.”12
The Ballad Of Frankie Lee And Judas Priest
Bob Dylan / 5:35
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar, harmonica
Charlie McCoy: bass
Kenneth Buttrey: drums
Recording Studio
Columbia Recording Studios, Nashville: October 17, 1967
Technical Team
Producer: Bob Johnston
Sound Engineer: Charlie Bragg
Genesis and Lyrics
With eleven verses, this ballad is the longest song on the album. “The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest” is the story of the “best of friends.” One day, Frankie asks Judas for money. He places a roll of cash on a stool and says, “Take your pick, Frankie Boy / My loss will be your gain.” The choice is actually Cornelian: money or eternity; be a moral but mortal man or a soulless but immortal false prophet. Frankie then goes into a house “with four and twenty windows / And a woman’s face in ev’ry one”—a brothel in which he engages in debauchery for sixteen days and nights, and then dies of thirst in Judas’s arms on the seventeenth.
Unusually for Dylan, the last verse of “The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest” ends with a moral, just like Aesop and La Fontaine. “Well, the moral of the story / The moral of this song / Is simply that one should never be / Where one does not belong / So when you see your neighbor carryin’ somethin’ / Help him with his load / And don’t go mistaking Paradise / For that home across the road.”
Who are Frankie Lee and Judas Priest? They could be the two sides of Dylan, one dark and one light, or an allegory of the relationship between Dylan and his manager Albert Grossman—and, beyond that, the relationship between any artist and the recording industry. The moral for Dylan would be for each of us to take charge of our own destiny.
Production
“The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest” was the third and final song recorded during the first session for John Wesley Harding. Just one take was necessary. The song ends with a fast fade-out, suggesting a small recording problem. Like “All Along the Watchtower,” the song is based on three chords. The only difference between this song and “All Along the Watchtower” is that here Dylan repeats himself for three additional minutes, giving an unrelieved quality to the song, especially since the performance is not up to par. The guitar part lacks rigor and Bob Johnston probably was horrified at hearing, in just fifteen seconds, Dylan’s plosives on each letter p in the first verse, including “Priest” in the first line. Maybe Dylan hit the mic or the mic holder. The tone of the ballad is rather serene, with a touch of humor and irony in Dylan’s voice. Dylan performed the song live with the Grateful Dead in 1987.
FOR DYLANOLOGISTS
Two bands derive their name from this song: the English heavy metal band Judas Priest, and the Swedish punk rock band Frank Lee, founded in 2006.
Drifter’s Escape
Bob Dylan / 2:50
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar, harmonica
Charlie McCoy: bass
Kenneth Buttrey: drums
Recording Studio
Columbia Recording Studios, Nashville: October 17, 1967
Technical Team
Producer: Bob Johnston
Sound Engineer: Charlie Bragg
Genesis and Lyrics
Bob Dylan wrote “Drifter’s Escape” for the album John Wesley Harding after seeing the movie The Ox-Bow Incident, directed by William A. Wellman (1943). The movie stars Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews, and Anthony Quinn and concerns three men suspected of cattle rustling in a small town in Nevada. They are convicted and hanged. Only one citizen speaks out against the majority to ask, in vain, for a fair trial.
The “weak character” discussed throughout the song is actually quite comparable to the two characters in “The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest.” He also tries to escape from a rigid society. However, there are two notable differences. The drifter, like the unfortunate Joseph K. in The Trial (1925) by Franz Kafka, is a victim of a system he does not understand. In the first verse, Dylan sings, “And I still do not know / What it was that I’ve done wrong.” He faces a crowd and a jury bent on revenge and find him guilty, even though the judge is sympathetic but powerless.
The lightning that strikes the courthouse can be seen as divine intervention, the hand of God, or perhaps as a metaphor for the motorcycle accident Dylan suffered on July 29, 1966, resulting in a kind of rebirth. Before the accident, a suicidal Dylan was in search of light, and afterward, an almost mystical Dylan was able to find an answer to his questions, much like the drifter who leaves the courthouse “while ev’rybody knelt to pray.”
Production
“Drifter’s Escape” was recorded on October 17, 1967, and was the first song recorded for John Wesley Harding. It was recorded in five takes. The second take was selected as the master. The song ends with a very fast and steep fade-out, obviously to hide a defect. Dylan’s voice is plaintive and anxious, as are the notes from his harmonica (in D), underscoring the disorder of the vagabond, of the songwriter himself. As a drifter a few years earlier, Dylan did not understand the criticism he received. The high tessitura, probably a deliberate choice, achieves this tense and fragile tone. “Drifter’s Escape” is based harmonically on two chords, which allows many musicians who have recorded the song to exploit its rock side, electric and hypnotic. Dylan performed it in concert in an energetic way, probably influenced by Jimi Hendrix’s version of “All Along the Watchtower.” The combination of bass and drums by Buttrey and McCoy is once again excellent. Joey Burns, Calexico’s singer and guitarist, told Mojo he was struck by “Drifter’s Escape”: “The song has this story, and then there’s a moral behind it as well. Then you start getting into the performance aspect: the looseness of his delivery, the band’s playing—which is just phenomenal. It’s not overdone, it’s not over-thought. It’s just very organic and completely beautiful.”76 Dylan interpreted the song in the comedy-drama film Masked and Anonymous, directed by Jeff Rosen in 2003. The film script was written by Bob Dylan and Larry Charles.
HOMAGE TO HANK
“Drifter’s Escape” is a homage to Hank Williams, one of Bob Dylan’s main musical influences. Williams was also known as “Luke the Drifter.”
A SERENDIPITOUS PERFORMANCE
Dylan performed “Drifter’s Escape” for the first time on April 30, 1992, at a concert in Eugene, Oregon, the day after the verdict in the Rodney King case. As background, on March 3, 1991, Rodney King, an African-American, was arrested by police officers for speeding and being under the influence of alcohol. Refusing to exit his vehicle, he was beaten and taken to a hospital. On April 29, 1992, the jury acquitted the four police officers, resulting in several days of riots. The following February, the police were retried. Only two of them were convicted.
Dear Landlord
Bob Dylan / 3:19
Musicians
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Bob Dylan: vocals, piano
Charlie McCoy: bass
Kenneth Buttrey: drums
Recording Studio
Columbia Recording Studios, Nashville: November 29, 1967
Technical Team
Producer: Bob Johnston
Sound Engineer: Charlie Bragg
Genesis and Lyrics
In May 1967, during his first interview after his motorcycle accident, Dylan told reporter Michael Iachetta, “Songs are in my head like they always are. And they’re not going to get written down until some things are evened up. Not until people come forth and make up for some of the things that have happened.” He may have been referring to the conflict with his manager, Albert Grossman, who had convinced Dylan to leave Columbia Records. Since then, Grossman had treated Dylan like a workhorse, forcing him to prove to MGM Records that his motorcycle accident had not altered his exceptional ability as a songwriter. More seriously, Dylan realized that during a concert in Stockholm on April 29, 1966, he had, without noticing, signed a contract for publishing rights that was very advantageous for his manager.
“Dear Landlord” is directly addressed to Albert Grossman. This is a request from an artist to his “landlord,” saying, “Don’t put a price on my soul.” At the end of the second verse, Dylan sings, “All of us, at times, we might work too hard / To have it too fast and too much,” before concluding in the form of a warning, “And if you don’t underestimate me / I won’t underestimate you.”
In 1971, Dylan came back to the meaning of his song. “Grossman wasn’t in my mind when I wrote it. Only later when people pointed out that the song may have been written for Grossman I thought it could have been… it’s an abstract song.”20 Dylan is a creator, and because of that he is often carried away by a flood of inspiration without necessarily understanding the meaning himself. This is what makes for his strength and talent. His songs, especially on this album, are not limited to only one fixed interpretation. In the end, attributing only one simple explanation to “Dear Landlord” and not seeking any further, more spiritual interpretations would be a shame.
Production
“Dear Landlord” is a piano blues song, chronicling of the artist’s disenchantment and disappointment. This is the last song recorded for the album. Like all the songs recorded during the final session of November 29, the exact number of takes is unknown. Harmonically, it is certainly one of the most ambitious tunes on the album. Dylan left his guitar and harmonica aside to play the piano. His voice reverberates and sounds as if he is pleading. Charlie McCoy distinguishes himself particularly well on bass, recalling Klaus Voormann’s sound. By listening to the overall sound, one wonders if it was not one of the major influences on John Lennon’s first solo album in 1970. Dylan included “Dear Landlord” in his stage set for the first time on October 25, 1992, during a concert in Providence, Rhode Island.
COVERS
In addition to Joan Baez (Any Day Now, 1968), “Dear Landlord” was recorded by two great blues singers: Janis Joplin (I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama! 1969) and Joe Cocker (Joe Cocker! 1969).
I Am A Lonesome Hobo
Bob Dylan / 3:25
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar, harmonica
Charlie McCoy: bass
Kenneth Buttrey: drums
Recording Studio
Columbia Recording Studios, Nashville: November 6, 1967
Technical Team
Producer: Bob Johnston
Sound Engineer: Charlie Bragg
Genesis and Lyrics
The hobo is a key figure in early twentieth-century American society. He appears as a vagabond or tramp, traveling by train throughout America and offering his services to farms to earn enough money to survive. An example is the hobo in the 1958 novel The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac.
Dylan’s hobo is lonesome, like most of the characters in the songs on his album John Wesley Harding. This feeling is a recurring theme in Dylan’s writing (as it is in Woody Guthrie’s) and appears in “Man on the Street” (1961) and “Only a Hobo” (1963). In the first verse, the hobo admits his faults, hoping to pay for them: “I have tried my hand at bribery / blackmail and deceit.” The second verse refers to Genesis: Abel is killed by his older brother Cain, who is forced then to wander the earth. In the final verse, the hobo—or, more explicitly, Dylan—offers moral advice: “Stay free from petty jealousies / Live by no man’s code / And hold your judgment for yourself.”
Production
“I Am a Lonesome Hobo” is certainly the most blues-rock song on the album John Wesley Harding, even if Dylan performs it on acoustic guitar. McCoy’s bass, which skillfully supports Buttrey’s drums as well as Dylan’s excellent harmonica part (in C), gives the song a Texas blues color.
Bob perfectly masters his reverberated vocal part. His singing is well controlled, like that on his previous albums; the intonations are less free-flowing. On this album, Dylan plays only acoustic (most likely on his Martin 0-18). He has totally abandoned finger-picking, and plays only by strumming. “I Am a Lonesome Hobo” was recorded in five takes, the last being the final. Dylan has never performed this song onstage.
COVERS
“I Am a Lonesome Hobo” was recorded by Steve Gibbons (The Dylan Project, 1998), Brian Auger and Julie Driscoll (The Mod Years: 1965–1969, 1999), and Thea Gilmore (John Wesley Harding, 2011).
I Pity The Poor Immigrant
Bob Dylan / 4:16
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar, harmonica
Charlie McCoy: bass
Kenneth Buttrey: drums
Recording Studio
Columbia Recording Studios, Nashville: November 6, 1967
Technical Team
Producer: Bob Johnston
Sound Engineer: Charlie Bragg
Genesis and Lyrics
Dylan’s immigrant is not at all the same as the one portrayed by Charlie Chaplin in his short film of 1917, The Immigrant. Dylan’s immigrant “uses all his power to do evil,” and “lies with ev’ry breath,” even if he “wishes he would’ve stayed home.” Once again, Dylan creates confusion with the most violent and the most pessimistic lyrics on the album. Are we, poor sinners, this unsympathetic immigrant, full of immorality, selfishness, greed, and egocentric dissatisfaction? Is it God himself speaking? When Dylan says, “Whose strength is spent in vain” and “Who eats but is not satisfied,” he references chapter 26 of Leviticus. But the text is open to other interpretations. Is Dylan referring to the questionable behavior of immigrants working in the steel industry during the 1940s in Hibbing, the city of his childhood? Or is he once again referring to his relationship with Albert Grossman, or even to the fate of Native Americans? In 1968, John Cohen asked Dylan if “[t]here might have been a germ that started [the song].” Dylan replied, “Yes, the first line,” adding, “To tell the truth, I have no idea how it comes into my mind.”20
Production
Dylan took part of the melody for “I Pity the Poor Immigrant” from Canadian folksinger Bonnie Dobson’s “Peter Amberley” on her album Bonnie Dobson at Folk City, released in 1962. “Peter Amberley” was an adaptation of the Scottish traditional song “Come All Ye Tramps and Hawkers.” From the first notes, the songwriter immerses us in a very nostalgic atmosphere, which has the effect of softening the darkness of the lyrics. The same color, particularly the rhythm and lengthy interventions on harmonica (in F), turns up later in some of the songs on Neil Young’s Harvest, released in 1972. Dylan’s new intonation is especially noticable in the fourth line. The intonation is fragile and the expression is painful. This “country waltz” does not leave the listener untouched. The words and music invite a degree of introspection in this musical style.
The song took ten takes. The last one was chosen as the master. Dylan performed the song live for the first time on August 31, 1969, at the Isle of Wight Festival. The concert was released on the deluxe version of The Bootleg Series Volume 10: Another Self Portrait (1
969–1971) in 2013.
FOR DYLANOLOGISTS
If some moments on Neil Young’s Harvest have a similar color to “I Pity the Poor Immigrant,” it is probably because Young recorded his album in Nashville with Kenneth Buttrey as the drummer.
The Wicked Messenger
Bob Dylan / 2:05
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar, harmonica
Charlie McCoy: bass
Kenneth Buttrey: drums
Recording Studio
Columbia Recording Studios, Nashville: November 29, 1967
Technical Team
Producer: Bob Johnston
Sound Engineer: Charlie Bragg
Genesis and Lyrics
Once again Bob Dylan was inspired by the Bible. The title of this song seems to be derived from the book of Proverbs, 13:17: “A wicked messenger falleth into mischief: but a faithful ambassador is health.” In the first verse, Dylan cites Elijah, the prophet of Israel and the messenger of the Messiah. The last line, “If ye cannot bring good news, then don’t bring any” is straightforward for Christians—the “good news” is the coming of Christ. Conversely, the one bringing bad news may appear demonic. The ancient Greek playwrite Sophocles wrote in Antigone, “No one likes a messenger who comes bearing unwelcome news.” Two thousand years later, Shakespeare took up this concept of the bringer of bad tidings in Henry IV and Antony and Cleopatra.
Bob Dylan All the Songs Page 39
