Wednesday 27 February 2013

Francis Cabrel: Comme Blind Willie Mc Tell

A clip for the song Comme Blind Willie Mc Tell by Francis Cabrel, from his album of Dylan covers Vise le Ciel.

The original Dylan song was never officially released when it was recorded for his 1983 Infidels album, and it remained an out take until it surfaced on his Bootleg Collection vol 1-3 collection in 1991.

It surfaced on bootlegs before its official release, and the quality of the song was such that it was held up by collectors as an example of just how good Dylan's out takes could be, even in what many regarded as the later stage of his career.

The song is now regarded as among Dylan's finest work, Dylan himself performing it live after The Band began performing it and releasing it on their Jericho album in 1993.

Dylan himself said the song was never developed fully and never completed it.

Dylan's recording of the song, a low-key performance that featured him on Piano and Mark Knopfler on acoustic guitar, is one of those rare astonishing works

Despite the song being rooted in an American historical context, the French language version of the lyrics still sounds natural and authentic, with French historically being spoken in some Cajun communities in southern states.

Cabrel's version shows that an artist can still cover a Dylan song, make it his own and keep the magic intact.



No comments:

Post a Comment