Paradiddle Records & Recording Studio - Bob Dylan Uncovered Vol. 3

Listen to the Paradiddle Record's Uncovered Series playlist on Spotify.

A review of Bob Dylan 3 by Michael Doherty.

Bob Dylan is obviously one of the most talented and prolific and revered songwriters of all time. He’s written hundreds of songs, which have been covered by hundreds of artists (thousands, if you count all the unrecorded renditions that have happened in every coffeehouse and folk club since the 1960s). The year 2006 saw the release of Bob Dylan Uncovered, a compilation of Dylan covers by artists such as Cadillac Moon and Russ Seeger. A decade later, to celebrate Bob Dylan’s 75th birthday, Bob Dylan Uncovered Vol. 2 was released. That one featured recordings by The Hideaways and Claudia Jacobs. Dylan has written enough excellent material to justify many more volumes in this series. Just take a look at the track list of Bob Dylan Uncovered Vol. 3, which includes such gems as “She Belongs To Me” and “When I Paint My Masterpiece” (both of which were covered by the Grateful Dead, by the way). This volume in the series is different from the previous two releases, in that certain musicians play on most of the tracks, including Chris James on vocals, guitar, bass, organ and pedal steel; Pete Mancini on vocals, acoustic guitar, and bass; and Bill Herman on drums and bass.

The album gets off to a great, lively start with a rocking, grooving rendition of “Watching The River Flow,” a song Dylan released as a single in 1971. Chris James provides the vocals, and plays guitar, bass and organ on this track. He is joined by Roger Murdock on drums. I particularly like the guitar work on this track. Then Pete Mancini delivers a sweet, heartfelt version of “Shooting Star,” a song from Dylan’s 1989 LP Oh Mercy. Chris James delivers some nice work on organ, and Lynn Herman adds some pretty work on flute. Michael Korb is on electric guitar, delivering a really good lead in the second half, and Bill Herman is on drums. That jam toward the end is wonderful, with each of the musicians getting a chance to shine. I wish it went on a little longer. This is one of my personal favorites. Chris James follows that with a soulful, moving version of “Going, Going, Gone,” a song from Planet Waves, again delivering some excellent work on guitar. Bill Herman is on drums and bass, and Pete Mancini provides backing vocals.

Pete Mancini sings lead on “Precious Angel.” This is a song from Bob Dylan’s Christian phase, originally appearing on his 1979 album Slow Train, and it contains religious imagery and references. But it is also a love song, and Pete Mancini seems to focus on that aspect of the song in his vocal performance. Dave Wise joins him on electric guitar, adding some good work. Mark Mancini’s work on piano is warm, and at the heart of this rendition. I also like the backing vocals by Annie Mark, Donna Domingo and Chris James. That’s followed by another of the disc’s highlights, “Señor (Tales Of Yankee Power)” (here titled simply “Señor”), with Pete Mancini again on lead vocals, guitar and bass. But here he is joined by Jon Preddice on cello and Brian Chabza on violin, and their presence adds to the great emotional impact of this rendition. This is such a good song, and this is a powerful version. Jerry Garcia Band used to do a great job with this one too.

Speaking of Jerry Garcia, the disc’s next two tracks are ones the Grateful Dead used to cover (and which Bob Weir still performs). The first is “She Belongs To Be,” a song from Bringing It All Back Home, one of my favorite Bob Dylan albums. This track is a solo effort by Chris James, who sings and plays guitar, organ and bass on it. And, partly because of the lack of drums, it has a somewhat raw and immediate feel, which I like. It sounds like he adds the word “red” (or possibly “wedding”) to the line “She wears an Egyptian ring, it sparkles before she speaks.” Then Annie Mark sings lead on “When I Paint My Masterpiece,” delivering an unusual rendition with a hopping country sound. Chris James once again delivers some seriously good work on guitar. Tom Hopkins is on upright bass, and Mark Pohl plays drums on this one. The lines from this song that pop in my head frequently are “Someday everything is gonna be different/When I paint my masterpiece.” In this version, Annie Mark sings, “Someday it’s gonna be different.”

Things then get moving with “Got My Mind Made Up,” a song from Knocked Out Loaded. Chris James delivers an energetic version, and on this track he is joined by Scotty Micciche on harmonica, and Roger Murdock on drums. It feels like it fades out a bit too soon. I want these guys to jam on this one a little more. The album then switches gears, going back to country with “On A Night Like This,” a song from Planet Waves. Pete Mancini sings lead on this one, and plays both acoustic guitar and bass. This is the first of two tracks to feature Chris James on pedal steel. I love his work here. Mark Mancini delivers some delightful work on piano. The second track to feature Chris James on pedal steel is “If Not For You,” with Peter Mancini on vocals. This is a slow version, which feels right for the song. I’ve always preferred slower renditions of this one.

Then Bill Scorzari delivers a solo rendition of “High Water (For Charley Patton),” a song from Dylan’s 2001 album Love And Theft, here listed as “Highwater.” Bill Scorzari delivers a passionate performance here, playing acoustic guitar. This song contains lines from “The Cuckoo” and “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom.” This rendition gets more powerful as it goes, and interestingly some of its most powerful moments are its softest, as near the end when he repeats, “It’s bad out there.” The disc then concludes with “I’d Have You Anytime,” a song written by Bob Dylan and George Harrison, and included on Harrison’s All Things Must Pass. (Harrison also included his own version of Dylan’s “If Not For You” on that release.) Here it is sung by Rorie Kelly, who gives us an excellent performance. Lynn Herman again delivers some beautiful work on flute. Kenny White is on piano and organ, and Stephan Crump plays bass on this track.

CD Track List

Watching The River Flow
Shooting Star
Going, Going, Gone
Precious Angel
Señor
She Belongs To Me
When I Paint My Masterpiece
Got My Mind Made Up
On A Night Like This
If Not For You
Highwater
I’d Have You Anytime

Bob Dylan Uncovered Vol. 3 was released on July 14, 2022 on Paradiddle Records.

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Review of Bob Dylan Uncovered Vol. 3 from The Vinyl District:

While the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is well known, the musicians who appear on the third Dylan covers album from Paradiddle Records, Bob Dylan Uncovered, Vol. 3, may not be, but should. The New York-based independent record label has quietly become a rising record company, boasting an acclaimed roster of roots and Americana artists, including Pete Mancini, who has recently been touring with legendary songwriter Jimmy Webb.

The label seems to specialize in releasing spot-on collections of cover albums, paying tribute to artists like Dylan, the Kinks, and on its internationally successful, star-studded tribute album from 2020, Willie Nile. After listening to the third installment of the label’s Dylan cover’s album, it’s safe to say it boasts the best multi-volume collection of Dylan covers around.

While past sets have featured a wide range of artists, this new one primarily focuses on the aforementioned Mancini and Chris James. James played in the second incarnation of the Last Hombres (the first included Levon Helm) and more recently had a long tenure as the leader of the blues-rock group the Hideaways. His most recent project has been leading the Haymakers.

The album immediately kicks off with a sound that benefits from the blues roots of James, with a Butterfield-esque reading of “Watching the River Flow,” a 1971 Dylan single that appeared on his Greatest Hits Vol. II. James is regarded as a hot instrumentalist, but this track is a perfect example of what a fine singer he is also. Pete Mancini handles vocals on “Shooting Star” and makes the song, which was the final track on 1989’s Oh Mercy, all his own.

On “Precious Angel,” from 1979’s Slow Train Coming, Mancini’s vocal approach has a Joe Henry feel and the subtle approach here, with emphasis more on piano, reflects the way Dylan himself would approach this song live today, as he now often plays piano onstage. Mancini’s varied vocal abilities are on full display on the cinematic “Señor,” from 1978’s Street Legal, which has the hard-bitten vocal style of Lee Hazelwood.

Annie Mark, the wife and sometime musical partner of Chris James, makes “When I Paint My Masterpiece,” which The Band covered on Cahoots in 1971 and which appeared in 1971 on Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits Vol II, into a country gallop. That country feel is also evident throughout “On a Night Like This,” from the 1973 sole studio album collaboration between Dylan and the Band, Planet Waves, with its also evident Nashville Skyline feel and to-die-for harmonies from Mancini and James. “If Not For You,” which appeared on Dylan’s 1971 New Morning album and George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass, is approached in much the same vein as the way the Cowboy Junkies covered the Velvet Underground’s “Sweet Jane.”

While Mancini and James handle most of the vocals throughout, listeners are rewarded with three tracks from other vocalists: the aforementioned Annie Mark track, Bill Scorazi on “Highwater” from 2001’s Love and Theft, and Rorie Kelly on the bonus closing track, an exceptional reading of “I’d Have You Anytime,” the sole songwriting collaboration between Dylan and Harrison which appeared on Harrison’s All Things Must Pass.

It’s interesting that there is no duplication of covers on these two albums. Both of these albums prove the lasting durability and current relevancy of the Dylan songwriting canon.

GRADED ON A CURVE:

Various Artists,
Bob Dylan Uncovered, Vol. 3

A

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