Cover Wars: It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (Bob Dylan)
Some of the best Cover Wars are Bob Dylan tunes, one of my personal favorites was The Wicked Messenger. Released on the 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home, mystery has always surrounded the identity of Baby Blue. It’s been recorded a lot, we’ll cap it at eight renditions – have a listen.
The Contestants:
Artist: The 13th Floor Elevators
Album: Easter Everywhere
The Skinny: Leading off this week is the band situated in between 10,000 Maniacs and 10-20s in my iTunes collection and their psychedelic interpretation from a critically acclaimed studio album from 1967.
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READ ON for more covers of Bob Dylan’s It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue
Artist: Bonnie Raitt
Album: Steal This Movie
The Skinny: Bonnie Raitt contributed this cover to the 2000 biographical film about Abbie Hoffman.
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Artist: The Byrds
Album: Ballad Of Easy Rider
The Skinny: The Byrds recorded a number of legendary Bob Dylan covers including two of my favorite readings: Mr. Tambourine Man and My Back Pages.
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Artist: Grateful Dead
Album: Dick’s Picks Volume 9: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY 9/16/1990
The Skinny: The Grateful Dead had a whole bunch of Bob Dylan covers in their live repertoire, four of which were played over 100 times. All Along The Watchtower (123), Queen Jane Approximately (129), When I Paint My Masterpiece (144), and the winner – It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (145).
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Video from a year later in 1991:
Artist: Joan Baez
Album: Farewell, Angelina
The Skinny: Joan Baez, one of the folks rumored to be “Baby Blue,” recorded this on her album named after a Dylan tune, in the same year that the original It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue was released.
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Artist: Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs
Album: Under The Covers Vol. 1
The Skinny: A great cover here from volume one of two volumes that Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs recorded together.
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Artist: Richie Havens
Album: Stonehenge
The Skinny: Folk legend recorded this cover for this 1970 studio album.
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Artist: Them
Album: Them Again
The Skinny: Last and most certainly not least is this stellar cover from Them featuring Van Morrison on lead vocals. Them really was quite the ensemble with a real knack for tackling covers.
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13th Floor, FTW!