Monocled Alchemist

Episode 7

Dylanisms | Podcast Mixes Celebrating Bob Dylan Cover Versions |  ‘Dylanisms’ is my 10-song mix podcast project, building an extensive archive of (mostly) 1960s recordings of Bob Dylan songs as recorded by various solo performers and groups many years ago.

I will zoom in on the well known and the very obscure outfits who covered Dylan’s numbers, in particular those unknown teenage garage bands from USA. There are many but this list on Wikipedia doesn’t even acknowledge them.

My ‘Dylanisms’ project will be regular and will uncover everything worth hearing. It will last for a one-year paid subscription with my hosting platform RSS.com. By then, my mission will have been accomplished and the Gods shall anoint my feet with patchouli oil . . .

Tracks in order of appearance:

01 Cher – “All I Really Want To Do”
02 Cher – “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright”
03 Cher – “Blowin’ In The Wind”

This new mix of ‘Dylanisms’ kicks off with three Dylan numbers from Cher‘s debut solo LP (Liberty LBV 3058) from 1965. She brings her femme folk-rock to “All I Really Want To Do”, “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright”, and “Blowin’ In The Wind.”

All tracks produced and arranged by Sonny Bono at Gold Star Studios, Hollywood, California with the aid of elite studio musicians.

04 Noel Harrison – “Love Minus Zero”
track taken from the LP ‘Noel Harrison’ (Decca LK 4783) 1966
The urbane actor and singer may have been overshadowed by his father Rex but his suave, English demeanour found great appeal in British conscious America – he moved to the United States in 1965 – where his debut album, ‘Noel Harrison’, was released in 1966 just as he landed a starring role in the spin-off TV series The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.

Dylanisms | Podcast Mixes Celebrating Bob Dylan Cover Versions

“Love Minus Zero” was one of four Dylan songs given Harrison’s agreeable semi-spoken makeover with intricate elaborate arrangements.

05 Julie Felix – “One Too Many Mornings”
track taken from the LP ‘Changes’ (Fontana STL 5368) 1966
When Julie Felix sold out the Royal Albert Hall in 1965 The Times described her as “Britain’s First Lady Of Folk”; she was often tagged “Britain’s Joan Baez”, despite being born in Santa Barbara, California.

06 The Picadilly Line – “Visions Of Johanna”
taken from the LP ‘The Huge World Of Emily Small’ (CBS BPG 63129) 1967
The Picadilly Line were duo Rod Edwards and Roger Hand and their own songs form a cryptic concept which is blended into a mixture of gentle folk-rock and orchestrated pop creating a uniquely British rendering of an otherwise faithful take on Dylan’s ‘Visions Of Johanna’.

07 The Byrds – “All I Really Want To Do”
taken from the LP ‘Mr Tambourine Man’ (CBS BPG 62571) August 1965
An alternate take of this was issued as the group’s follow-up single to “Mr Tambourine Man”.

08 The Rainy Day – “I’ll Keep It With Mine”
single release (Rough Trade RT 140) 1984
Susanna Hoffs, vocals, David Roback, guitar and tambourine, Will Glenn, violin.

09 The Chocolate Watchband – “Baby Blue”
taken from the LP ‘The Inner Mystique’ (Tower ST-5106) April 1968 – extended mix, longer than the single release.

10 The Hollies – “I Want You”
taken from the LP ‘Hollies Sing Dylan’ (Parlophone) May 1969