I approached Twelve, Patti Smith’s new covers album, with some trepidation: I’m generally not fond of the covers genre; I normally avoid Dylan covers (unless they’re by Bryan Ferry or Van Morrison); and my admiration for Ms Smith is not unreserved.
But my, how I’ve been enjoying Twelve, and particularly the excellent Dylan track, Changing Of The Guards. Smith’s version of the iconic Street Legal opener is compelling – her insouciant style is ideally suited to the mystery and majesty of the lyrics. I found myself listening anew to a song that’s fast becoming one of my favourite Dylan compositions.
The album is chock full of tasty selections – some of the finest songs in the rockpop canon. Hell, I even like the Beatles choice!
Are You Experienced?
Everybody Wants To Rule The World
Helpless
Gimme Shelter
Within You Without You
White Rabbit
Changing Of The Guards
The Boy In The Bubble
Soul Kitchen
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Midnight Rider
Pastime Paradise
Twelve: recommended!
Gerry Smith
Wednesday 5 September 2007
Tuesday 4 September 2007
Recommended Rick Rubin profile in New York Times
Thanks to Mark Hall for a link to a highly recommended profile of music biz player Rick Rubin in Sunday’s New York Times.
The Music Man, by Lynn Hirschberg, is a long revelatory feature article, based around interviews with the legendary founder of Def Jam and agenda-setting producer (Beastie Boys>Johnny Cash), now co-head of Columbia Records, parachuted in by Sony to save the company from becoming irrelevant in the new music economy.
Rubin’s first two signings have been a rock band, Gossip, and an English operatic tenor, Paul Potts.
www.nytimes.com/2007/09/02/magazine/02rubin.t.html?_28&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
Gerry Smith
The Music Man, by Lynn Hirschberg, is a long revelatory feature article, based around interviews with the legendary founder of Def Jam and agenda-setting producer (Beastie Boys>Johnny Cash), now co-head of Columbia Records, parachuted in by Sony to save the company from becoming irrelevant in the new music economy.
Rubin’s first two signings have been a rock band, Gossip, and an English operatic tenor, Paul Potts.
www.nytimes.com/2007/09/02/magazine/02rubin.t.html?_28&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
Gerry Smith
Monday 3 September 2007
Dylan’s poetry to be taught in English schools
While a few university courses have been scrutinising Dylan’s work for years, not many school pupils have studied his songs as part of the official curriculum.
That’s about to change with the news (in yesterday’s Independent On Sunday) that lyrics from a range of songs, including I Dreamed I Saw St Augustine, are to be included on the national curriculum for English schools, thus ensuring the widest possible exposure for Dylan’s art among the iPod generation.
Some English teachers, of course, have been slipping Dylan into lessons for decades – Anne Ritchie, a good friend of The Dylan Daily, was exposing her 12-16 year old North London classes to Zim, alongside the Romantic poets and the Beats, 35 years ago. She wasn’t alone.
The welcome news of Dylan’s elevation is likely to resurrect the spurious media “debate” of a decade ago which attempted to belittle Dylan by comparing his poetry with that of Keats. It’s a wrong-headed exercise - if you’re going to compare Dylan with heritage poets, why bother with minor talents like Keats? The only worthwhile comparison is with Shakespeare.
Gerry Smith
That’s about to change with the news (in yesterday’s Independent On Sunday) that lyrics from a range of songs, including I Dreamed I Saw St Augustine, are to be included on the national curriculum for English schools, thus ensuring the widest possible exposure for Dylan’s art among the iPod generation.
Some English teachers, of course, have been slipping Dylan into lessons for decades – Anne Ritchie, a good friend of The Dylan Daily, was exposing her 12-16 year old North London classes to Zim, alongside the Romantic poets and the Beats, 35 years ago. She wasn’t alone.
The welcome news of Dylan’s elevation is likely to resurrect the spurious media “debate” of a decade ago which attempted to belittle Dylan by comparing his poetry with that of Keats. It’s a wrong-headed exercise - if you’re going to compare Dylan with heritage poets, why bother with minor talents like Keats? The only worthwhile comparison is with Shakespeare.
Gerry Smith
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