I'm Not There | Track-By-Track Review

As a Dylan and indie rock fan, the recent I'm Not There soundtrack from the Dylan biopic could not have been more tailor made for me. The soundtrack is a two-disc set of bands (mainly indie, few major) covering Dylan tunes. So, with that in mind, let's roll through the covers:

Eddie Vedder | "All Along the Watchtower"
Vedder should know better. Unless you're a bar band playing for kicks and giggles, you don't cover this song in the same manner as Hendrix. You won't out-Hendrix Hendrix and you'll just remind everyone that you aren't Jimi. Poor.

Sonic Youth | "I'm Not There" | Buy

As Hendrix claimed "Watchtower" with his cover, this previously officially unreleased but widely bootlegged tune is now Sonic Youth's. I love the constant fuzz and feedback rolling in the background. Excellent.

Jim James & Calexico | "Goin' to Acapulco"
Calexico are the stars of this soundtrack as they back a few different artists on many of the best tracks. Trumpet and xylophone along with Jim James' (of My Morning Jacket) slow vocals makes for a good cover.

Richie Havens | "Tombstone Blues"
Same Havens washboard strumming style that you either love or hate. I generally don't care for Havens but his usual style is spiced up with some drumming, background vocals and finger-picking lead guitar. Good.

Stephen Malkmus | "Ballad of a Thin Man"
I've never cared for this song and this version hasn't changed my mind. Why? Because it's largely the same as the original. In fact, Malkmus has a few tunes on the soundtrack which are straight covers of the originals. What has happened to Malkmus? I was one of the biggest Pavement fans ever and loved how Malkmus did things in his own unconventional way. However, he's really become quite bland in his post-Pavement career. Dull.

Cat Power | "Stuck Inside Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again"
The arrangement is largely the same as the original except perhaps a bit more R&B with the saxophone and background singers. However, what really sells this version is Chan Marshall's singing. If you like her voice and her album The Greatest, you'll like this cover. Very nice.

John Doe | "Pressing On"
John Doe still has big balls. The former X bassist looked over Dylan's catalog and dove for the gospel era. I love the album Saved and the original version but am surprised and impressed that someone would tackle Dylan's largely unpopular gospel work with the entire catalog to pick from. His version is very similar to the original but I'm pleased that he's giving the obscure tune new attention. Ballsy.

Yo La Tengo | "4th Time Around"
YLT brought two things to their version. They added in organ which follows the melody and gives it a bit more of a soulful sound. The other thing is Georgia's vocals which are just killer on this tune. Georgia doesn't have much range but this song doesn't need any. It just asks for a sweet plaintive voice. Beautiful.

Iron & Wine and Calexico | "Dark Eyes"
Well, they tried. However, it's tough to make a crap song into something special. It certainly has the stamp of I&W's new multi-instrumental sound but the song still feels rather plodding. Just a poor song choice.

Karen O | "Highway 61 Revisited"
I don't care for the original (the penny whistle sound annoys me). I don't like Karen O's Yeah Yeah Yeahs. And to complete the hat trick, this "true to the original" cover stinks too.

Roger McGuinn & Calexico | "One More Cup of Coffee" | Buy

I've always loved this tune and it's dark western feel. So, it was a natural to have Calexico work on this song. Their sound perfectly meshes with the feel of the original. However, it's fully teased up with lots of different instruments dancing behind McGuinn's aged vocals. Love it.

Mason Jennings | The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
What's the purpose of covering an acoustic folk song with an acoustic folk song version. It adds absolutely nothing to our experience and interpretation of this song. Worthless.

Los Lobos | Billy 1
You knew Los Lobos would go after a tune from a cowboy western soundtrack. Certainly more rocking than the original and the accordion is a nice touch. However, for some reason, it doesn't slay me. OK but nothing great.

Jeff Tweedy | "Simple Twist of Fate"
Always a sad song and Tweedy plays that up with his acoustic guitar and violin. However, similar to the last tune, it's OK but nothing particularly special.

Mark Lanegan | "Man In the Long Black Coat"
Not significantly different from the original; perhaps a bit of distant organ. However, the version is somewhat saved by Lanegan's voice. It's got just a bit of that Johnny Cash scratch to carry the anguish of the original. OK.

Willie Nelson & Calexico | "Señor (Tales of Yankee Power)" | Buy

Best track on the entire two-disc set. I've never been much of a fan of the original but I'm ODing on Willie's vocals and Calexico's omnimous southwestern support. And then when some unnamed guy steps up to sing the final verse in Spanish, it's time to tip your hat and call them the winner. Fantastic.

Mira Billotte | "As I Went Out One Morning"
Before hearing this cover, I was completely unfamiliar with Billotte and her band White Magic but I love her voice. The version is fairly true to the original but a bit brighter. The thing that makes it stand out though is Billotte. I'll be checking out some White Magic stuff. Very good.

Stephen Malkmus & Lee Ranaldo | "Can't Leave Her Behind"
There's something odd about covering an unfinished song. You know what might have been a ballsy thing to do??? Finish the song. Some would have seen it as sacrilege but I think Malkmus circa 1993 would have come up with something to progress the song. It is nice to have a listenable version of the tune though. So-so.

Sufjan Stevens | "Ring Them Bells"
I love Sufjan and when artists overhaul a song while covering it. So, it pains me to say how much this version sucks. Sufjan basically took one of the most morose Dylan songs out there, ran it through the Sufjan Peppy Song Creator v2.0 and came out with this pile of poo. It certainly sounds like a Sufjan song but completely dismisses any sentimentality of the original to the point that it sounds like a game show opening theme song. Trash.

Charlotte Gainsbourg & Calexico | "Just Like a Woman"
I've never cared for this rather sexist song and Gainsbourg's whisper sultry vocals doesn't change that for me. Blah.

Jack Johnson | "Mama, You've Been On My Mind"
The accordion is a nice touch but it's still largely a bland acoustic folk cover of a bland acoustic
folk song. Yawn.

Yo La Tengo | "I Wanna Be Your Lover"
True story: I once wrote YLT a letter suggesting that they'd be a great backing band for Bob Dylan. Ira wrote back saying that they loved my letter and spent the day practicing Dylan tunes and doing a Dylanesque version of "False Alarm". I like to think that this loose double-organ version came from that practice session. Good.

Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova | "You Ain't Going Nowhere"
Slightly faster than the original and I like the interplay of Hansard & Irglova's voices. However, it isn't much different than the version I'd expect to hear from some locals in a coffee shop hootenanny. Meh.

The Hold Steady | "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?"
This should have been a fantastic choice for The Hold Steady. The best bar band in the country blasting through one of Dylan's few bar rockers. However, they missed it. Not by a lot but it's just a bit flat. Disappointing.

Ramblin' Jack Elliot | "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues"
Geez. I thought Jack Elliot was dead. Apparently, he's 76 and still singing. Good for him; not so much for us as we have to sit through this dull version of Tom Thumb.

The Black Keys | "The Wicked Messenger"
Similar to The Hold Steady tune above, The Black Keys should have crushed this tune. It's a good choice for their song style but slowing the song down made it rather plodding.

Tom Verlaine | "Cold Irons Bound"
I like Verlaine's voice a lot but this cover slows the song down so much that it just becomes ponderous.

Mason Jennings | "The Times They Are A-Changin'"
Who the hell decided to put two songs from Mason Jennings on this project? Does this guy have a big following or something. I don't get it. Who listens to the original of this song and thinks,"You know what would be killer? If I performed it with the exact same instruments, cadence and pace. It'll be just like the original except without Dylan. Won't that be great?" A waste.

Stephen Malkmus | "Maggie's Farm"
This version only sounds good in comparison to most of the other songs on disc two. It's a fun rockin' version but so is the original. The guitar screeches a bit which is slightly interesting and the band builds nicely throughout the verse to a climax just before the chorus. However, it isn't anything special.

Marcus Carl Franklin | "When the Ship Comes In"
Franklin is just a kid and an actor by trade. So, I'll cut him some slack with his acoustic folk cover of an acoustic folk song. He does have a bit of soul in his youthful voice though which is nice. OK.

Bob Forrest | "Moonshiner"
While utilizing the same instrumentation as the original, Forrest speeds it up slightly and makes it better than the original. In fact, the original was so forgettable that I had to go back to the CD to figure out what song it was. Not great but not bad.

John Doe | "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine"
Another strong entrant from John Doe. I like the heavy bass drum roll and background singers. A bit dark country and a bit gospel. Nice.

Antony and the Johnsons | "Knockin' On Heaven's Door"
This song has been so widely covered that it's difficult to bring anything fresh to it. However, Antony has that beautifully sad voice going for him and this song is a perfect vehicle for said voice. It probably isn't everyone's cup of tea but I like Antony and this song.

Bob Dylan | "I'm Not There"
What the hell is Dylan doing covering Sonic Youth's song?

There are three bonus tracks available on iTunes if you buy the entire album. However, none of them are particularly standout tracks. So, if you bought the physical disc or individual tracks from iTunes, don't worry; you didn't miss anything significant.

Overall, I enjoy listening to the album.. The first disc is clearly better than the second disc but both of them have highs and lows. You could probably put together one phenomenal mix of 15-20 songs from the two discs.