''Robyn Sings'' is a double album by
Robyn Hitchcock
Robyn Rowan Hitchcock (born 3 March 1953) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. While primarily a vocalist and guitarist, he also plays harmonica, piano, and bass guitar. After leading the Soft Boys in the late 1970s and releasing th ...
, released in
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains independence from Indonesia and ...
. The set is made up entirely of
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
covers, performed live at various dates.
The CD was the second release on Hitchcock's own Editions PAF! label.
Background
Hitchcock is a long-time Dylan fan,
and this is the first time he had released an album of covers, giving Dylan an especially privileged place in Hitchcock's oeuvre.
Disc details
Rather than nominate the two discs as 'one' and 'two', they are labeled 'stripes' and 'dots' respectively, in view of the printed pattern on each.
Disc Stripes contains eight recordings including two versions of "Visions of Johanna", which Hitchcock introduces as "the reason I started writing songs". His source material here is varied, spanning several decades of Dylan output from the mid-1960s up until 1997's "Not Dark Yet". Hitchcock's renditions are sensitive and sharp, with the occasional lyric change. (During the track "4th Time Around", Hitchcock forgets his words and has to request help from the audience.)
Disc Dots is a re-creation of the second part of Bob Dylan's '
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...
' concert of 1966, which actually took place in Manchester, and is famous for Dylan's confrontational stance against a heckling audience who objected to his electric instrumentation. Hitchcock runs through the set track for track, culminating with "Like a Rolling Stone".
Illustration
The CD insert features a shot of Hitchcock on the
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...
, at a 1996 gig for which he chartered two vintage open-topped buses, transporting his audience around certain beauty spots on the island, where the entourage would pull over and listen to a few numbers before boarding again and heading off.
Track listing
All tracks composed by Bob Dylan
Disc Stripes
#"
Visions of Johanna
"Visions of Johanna" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan on his 1966 album ''Blonde on Blonde''. Several critics have acclaimed "Visions of Johanna" as one of Dylan's highest achievements in writing, praising the allusiveness and subtle ...
"
#"
Tangled Up in Blue
"Tangled Up in Blue" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, which was released as the opening track on his 15th studio album '' Blood on the Tracks'' (1975). The song was written by Dylan and produced by David Zimmerman, Dylan's bro ...
"
#"
Not Dark Yet
"Not Dark Yet" is a song by Bob Dylan, recorded in January 1997 and released in September that year as the seventh track on his album '' Time Out of Mind.'' It was also released as a single on August 25, 1997 and later anthologized on the compila ...
"
#"4th Time Around"
#"
Desolation Row
"Desolation Row" is a 1965 song by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. It was recorded on August 4, 1965, and released as the closing track of Dylan's sixth studio album, ''Highway 61 Revisited''. It has been noted for its length (11:21) and ...
"
#"
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
"It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan and featured on his '' Bringing It All Back Home'' album, released on March 22, 1965, by Columbia Records. The song was recorded on January 15, 1965, with Dylan's acousti ...
"
#"Dignity"
#"Visions of Johanna"
Disc Dots
#"Tell Me Mama"
#"I Don't Believe You"
#"Baby Let Me Follow You Down"
#"
Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
"Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan. It was originally recorded on August 2, 1965, and released on the album ''Highway 61 Revisited''. The song was later released on the compilation album '' Bob Dylan's Gre ...
"
#"
Leopard-Skin Pillbox Hat"
#"
One Too Many Mornings
"One Too Many Mornings" is a song by Bob Dylan, released on his third studio album '' The Times They Are a-Changin in 1964. The chords and vocal melody are in some places very similar to the song " The Times They Are A-Changin'". "One Too Many ...
"
#"
Ballad of a Thin Man
"Ballad of a Thin Man" is a song written and recorded by Bob Dylan, and released in 1965 on his sixth album, ''Highway 61 Revisited''.
Recording
Dylan recorded "Ballad of a Thin Man" in Studio A of Columbia Records in New York City, located at 799 ...
"
#"
Like a Rolling Stone
"Like a Rolling Stone" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on July 20, 1965, by Columbia Records. Its confrontational lyrics originated in an extended piece of verse Dylan wrote in June 1965, when he returned exhausted fr ...
"
Personnel
*Robyn Hitchcock - vocals, guitar, bass, harmonica
*
Grant-Lee Phillips
Grant-Lee Phillips (born Bryan G. Phillips; September 1, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He led the group Grant Lee Buffalo in the 1990s, afterwards launching a solo career. He features as the town troubadour ...
- guitar, bass, background vocals
*
Jon Brion
Jon Brion is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and composer. He performed with the Excerpts, the Bats, 'Til Tuesday and The Grays (band), the Grays before becoming an established producer and film score comp ...
- guitar
*Richmond Chutney - drums
*Bill Bonk - piano, harmonica
Disc Dots personnel
*Jake Kyle - Musician
Mr. Danko
*Robyn Hitchcock - Musician
Mr. Dylan
*Patrick Hannan - Musician
Mr. Jones
*Tim Keegan - Musician
Mr. Manuel
*Andrew Claridge - Musician
Mr. Robertson
See also
*
List of songs written by Bob Dylan
This list contains songs written by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, including those where he is credited as co-author. The list omits traditional songs where Dylan has claimed arranger's copyright.
See also
* List of Bob Dylan songs based o ...
*
List of artists who have covered Bob Dylan songs
Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941) is an American singer–songwriter, author, poet, and painter who has been a major figure in popular music for more than five decades. Many major recording artists have covered Dylan's mater ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Robyn Hitchcock albums
Bob Dylan tribute albums
2002 live albums