Watch: The Tallest Man on Earth - Bob Dylan Covers

The Tallest Man on Earth has long been compared to Bob Dylan. At a show in Lincoln Hall, Chicago on May 28th, he didn't help himself move away from those comparisons. In fact, he's moved even closer, as he played a cover of Bob Dylan's 'I'll Keep it With Mine'. Not only that, he then followed it up with his take on 'The Man in Me' with Nathan Rathlieff.

You can catch the Tallest Man on Earth in Whelan's on June 10th.

Watch The Tallest Man on Earth - 'I'll Keep it With Mine':


Watch The Tallest Man on Earth - 'The Man in Me':

Stream: Bob Dylan - Christmas album again

Quick before they're taken down, here's the clips from Bob Dylan's upcoming Christmas in the Heart.

Stream:

Stream: Bob Dylan - Christmas in the Heart clips

Who cares if there's four months to go? It's Bob Dylan. And anyhow, the album is out next month. Amazon has some 30 second clips of all the songs, and they sound incredible.

Tracklist:
1. Here Comes Santa Claus
2. Do You Hear What I Hear?
3. Winter Wonderland
4. Hark the Herald Angels Sing
5. I'll Be Home for Christmas
6. Little Drummer Boy
7. The Christmas Blues
8. O Come All Ye Faithful
9. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
10. Must Be Santa
11. Silver Bells
12. The First Noel
13. Christmas Island
14. The Christmas Song
15. O Little Town of Bethlehem

Stream:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-In-The-Heart/dp/B002P6S22K/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1253119404&sr=8-8

Setlist: Bob Dylan, O2 Dublin, 6 May 2009

Last night's show was Bob Dylan's last of the current leg of his Neverending Tour. Similar set list to the first night, but he did change it up a little. 'If You Ever Go to Houston' sounded even better the second time.

Setlist:
The Wicked Messenger
Girl From The North Country
Man In The Long Black Coat
Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
Blind Willie McTell
Desolation Row
It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
Po' Boy
Highway 61 Revisited
Ballad Of A Thin Man
I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
Ain't Talkin'
Summer Days
Like A Rolling Stone
All Along The Watchtower
If You Ever Go To Houston
Spirit On The Water
Blowin' In The Wind

Setlist: Bob Dylan, O2 Dublin, 5 May 2009

Bob Dylan returned to the Point last night, but now it's a whole new venue, where he sounded even better than last time. And what a great looking setlist.

Setlist:
1. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat (Bob on keyboard)
2. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right (Bob on guitar)
3. Lonesome Day Blues (Bob on keyboard)
4. Just Like A Woman (Bob on Keyboard and harp)
5. Rollin' And Tumblin' (Bob on keyboard)
6. John Brown (Bob on keyboard and harp)
7. Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again(Bob on keyboard and harp)
8. Under The Red Sky (Bob on guitar)
9. Honest With Me (Bob on keyboard)
10. Masters Of War (Bob on keyboard)
11. Highway 61 Revisited (Bob on keyboard)
12. Ain't Talkin' (Bob on keyboard)
13. Thunder On The Mountain (Bob on keyboard)
14. Like A Rolling Stone (Bob on keyboard)
---
15. All Along The Watchtower (Bob on keyboard)
16. If You Ever Go To Houston (Bob on keyboard)
17. Blowin' In The Wind (Bob on keyboard)

Download the first ever live performance of 'If You Ever Go to Houston' last night. Thanks to gorgeous George for the setlist and download:
Bob Dylan - 'If You Ever Go to Houston' (live at the O2 Dublin)

And check out IndieLimerick's review here:
http://indielimerick.blogspot.com/2009/05/bob-dylan-live-at-02-dublin-050509.html

Album Preview: Bob Dylan - Together Through Life

Official cover for Bob Dylan's new album Together Through Life. Also a preview from this month's UNCUT magazine:


We now know that the new Bob Dylan album, which unexpectedly will be with us on April 27, is called Together Through Life. We know also that it was written and recorded quickly.


Dylan had been asked by the French film director Olivier Dahan, who made the Edith Piaf biopic, La Vie En Rose, which Dylan had apparently liked, to write some songs for his new movie, My Own Love Song. Dylan duly came up with a ballad called “Life Is Hard”, and was so inspired the next thing anyone knew he’d written nine more new songs and not long after that – bingo! – here’s Together Through Life in all its rowdy glory.


What’s it sound like? Well, early reports have hinted at a mix of Dylan’s beloved Chicago blues and the loping border country feel of, say, “Girl From The Red River Shore”, the latter courtesy of Los Lobos’ David Hidalgo, whose accordion features on every track, alongside Dylan’s formidable current touring band and as yet unidentified guest musicians.


Both musical elements are indeed here, brazenly matched on nearly ever track, Hidalgo either providing lyrical lilting counterpoint to the band’s hard driving blues muscle or flinging himself headlong into the fray with pumping riffs, as on the jumping “If You Ever Go To Houston” (“keep your hands in your pockets and your gun-belts tied”).


The broad template for much of the album would appear to be, let’s say, “Thunder On the Mountain” and “Rollin’ And Tumblin’” from Modern Times, but in truth these tracks are, overall, much punchier, a raucous edge to everything in sight. Only the noble “Life Is Hard” is in the crooning style of something like “Beyond The Horizon” and even here there’s a ragged edge to things that wasn’t apparent on Modern Times, a rawness – emotional and musical – that separates it from that album and its immediate predecessors, “Love And Theft” and Time Out Of Mind.


Together In Life gets in your face immediately – with the wallop of the cheerfully-titled “Beyond Here Lies Nothin’”, which is driven by spectacular drumming and massed horns, a trumpet prominently featured – and over the course of its 10 tracks doesn’t back off, doesn’t appear to even think about doing so, Dylan’s voice throughout an unfettered roar, a splendid growl.


The album broadly is preoccupied with themes of mortality, lost love, grief, the passing of time, memory, waning days and lonely nights. The mood of these songs, however, couldn’t be more different to the mordant reflection of, for instance, “Not Dark Yet”. Together Through Life is a rowdy gut-bucket, by turns angry, funny, sassy, Dylan heading noisily in the direction of that last good night.


“My Wife’s Home Town”, “Shake Mama Shake” and the stingingly ironic “It’s All Good” – an hilariously-wrought litany of personal and national woe – are all eventfully robust, heartily defiant.


“Forgetful Heart”, meanwhile, is set to a measured stalking beat that recalls “Ain't Talkin'”, while the cantina drift of “This Dream Of You”, with accordion and fiddle taking lead instrumental spots, is fleetingly reminiscent of the first version of “Mississippi” on last year’s Tell-Tale Signs. Elsewhere, there may be things about “Feel A Change Coming On” that will remind you of “Workingman’s Blues”.


On first listen, then, a great album that when it comes out and goes on repeat will get better and better.

Download: Bob Dylan 'Dreamin' of You'

Just like the free Kings of Leon download, Bob Dylan is offering a free download on his website to prepare you for his upcoming album. No, no, it's not an album of new material, it's yet more live stuff as well as some unreleased rarities and studio cuts, but when it's Dylan, you can't go wrong. I remember seeing him play the Point a few years back around Christmas, and 'Maggie's Farm' was so good I sometimes find myself singing it when I wake.

The track 'Dreamin' of You' is taken from his upcoming Bootleg Sessions 8: Tell Tale Signs, which will be released October 7th (or the 3rd in Ireland).

http://bobdylan.com/#/user/register