All I really want to do

Dylan and the Byrds are going head to head for the third time. So far there has been one tie: Chimes of Freedom, and one win for the Dylan: Spanish Harlem Incident. This time I’m choosing between their respective versions of All I really want to do. Oddly enough, all three of these songs were first recorded for the same 1964 album, Another Side of Bob Dylan.

Bob Dylan:

The Byrds:

All I really want to do is a fairly popular Dylan song, and probably one of the best known non-political sons, at least before going electric. The Byrds version was released as their second single in June 1965, and reached number 40 on the American pop chart and number 4 on the UK chart. It was also released on their debut album, Mr. Tambourine Man, which just so happens to be the same album the other 2 songs were on as well.

Okay, so the Byrds win this round. It’s all tied up.

I just really like the Byrds Harmonies on this one. Plus they made it shorter. I think I’ve said this before but I kind of like short song. They don’t give you time to get bored of them. I do really like the harmonica on Dylan’s version, but I’m not a huge fan of that part where he tries to sing high on the chorus.

Dear Mr. Fantasy

Dear Mr. Fantasy is a song originally recorded by Traffic for their 1967 album Mr. Fantasy. The words were written by Jim Capaldi, and the music was written by Steve Winwood and Chris Wood. The album made it to number 16 in the UK and number 88 in the US. It’s probably also notable that Dave Mason left the group before the album was release, yet three of his songs appear on the UK version, three on the US version (each release has a slightly different track listing). It’s been covered by several bands including the Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, and Crosby Stills Nash and Young.

Canadian group Big Sugar covered the song in their 1995 EP, Dr. M.F. The song was released as a single in Canada and reached the number 59 spot on the Canadian pop charts.

Traffic:

Big Sugar:

I know, I know, I keep doing long songs. It’s not on purpose I promise. I totally pick these based on impulse. I know 5 minutes (and we have to do it twice) is a really long time so sit and actively listen to a song, but we’ve got to do it. So let’s just grit our teeth and bear it.

Okay. This was way easier than I thought. The 90s took a crap all over Big Sugar’s version. So I’m clearly picking Traffic’s to win. It’s got the Winwood Solos and the Harmonicas. You can’t go wrong. Even Winwood’s voice. Rolling Stone said, "[Winwood] probably [has] the major blues voice of his generation." They loved the album Mr. Fantasy. I don’t know if I’d go that far. He sings real good (well) though. Keep in mind I’m really bias and a total jerk though. So if you really love big sugar and you think their version is the best, and you didn’t even know that it was a traffic song before this, don’t be sad, I’m sure you are one among many who think the same thing. You guys are just wrong, and that’s okay.

20th Century Boy

T. Rex released 20^th Century Boy as a single in 1973. The song is written by T. Rex front man Marc Bolan. In the early 70s T. Rex was arguably the biggest band in the UK with a sting of 8 top 20 hits. During that time the mania that surrounded T. Rex was referred to as T. Rextasy, and was often compared to the mania that surrounded the Beatles. Despite that success, they never really got over in the US. The exception to that being the single Get It On (Bang a Gong), which reached number 10 state side. 20^th Century Boy peaked at number 3 on the UK singles chart. It wasn’t originally included on an album, but appears on a reissue of the 1973 album Tanx. It charted again in the UK in 1991 when it appeared in a Levis ad starring Brad Pitt. I think that’s the second time one of the songs I’ve featured has charted for a second time because of a Levis ad. Seems like pop music and advertising do go together. Who would have known? They’re used so rarely in ads these days.

20^th Century Boy has been covered by a whole bunch of people since its release. I’m featuring the Replacements version. It was included as B side on the single I Will Dare, along with a cover of Hank Williams’s Hey Good Lookin’. It also appears as a bonus track on the 2008 reissue of the 1984 album Let It Be. A critically acclaimed album, Let It Be has received several accolades over the years. In 2003 Rolling Stone ranked it the 239^th greatest album of all time, and called it a post-punk masterpiece. In 1989 Rolling Stone ranked it number 15 on their best 100 albums of the 80s list. When VH1 did its miniseries, VH1's 100 Greatest Albums of Rock and Roll they ranked Let It Be number 79. There’s more, but I feel like I’m starting to overdo it. Anyway, it’s an awesome album. You should probably check it out.

T. Rex:

The Replacements:

I totally like both versions of this song, but it’s pretty clear to me that the T. Rex version is better. I'm a huge fan of both these bands. Check them out if you haven’t. T. Rex’s Born to Boogie is one of the best rock and roll DVDs you can buy.

Sweet Jane

Sweet Jane, written by Lou Reed, and recorded by the Velvet Underground was released on the 1970 album Loaded. It’s also appeared on various live albums. When Loaded was first released the bridge was removed from the song. The full length version was released in 1995 on the Peel Slowly and See boxed set, and in 1997 on Loaded: Fully Loaded Edition. I’m going to use the full length version for the purposes of this blog.

Mott the Hoople cover Sweet Jane in the David Bowie produced album All the Young Dudes. Their version was released as a single in several countries including Canada, and the United States. Their version doesn’t appear to have charted.

The Velvet Underground:

Mott the Hoople:

It took me a really long time to be able to sit through both versions. They’re too long. Don’t get me wrong, I really like both of them. I just keep getting up and walking away from the computer. It kind of seems like I might have a short attention span. That and it’s kind of hard to do this longer songs. It’s feels a lot easier to get distracted when you listen to the same song twice, and the longer the song is the harder it is to do, especially if you’re trying to concentrate on it.

The VU’s version I better. There’s just something about the way Lou Reed sings it. It’s also the whole feel of the song. Its intro is also pretty cool. Mott the Hoople's version is really good, just not as good. I really like the guitar solo at the end of Mott the Hoople’s version. I think it’s probably the most notable thing about their version.