BY NICK GAW

In print | November 15, 2007

When The Roots broke down to a trio for a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War” at Swarthmore on Nov. 3, Erin Heaney ‘09 leaned over to me and said, "I can’t believe this. No one knows the words." After looking around a little bit, I was forced to the same conclusion. But fear not, Swarthmore. If the prolific canon of Dylan’s work seems too much to handle, check out “I’m Not There,” the soundtrack to the soon to be released film of the same name. “I’m Not There” assembles a stellar collection of artists to cover work from all eras of Dylan’s career.

The soundtrack to “I’m Not There” was released on Oct. 30 in advance of the film, which hits theatres on Nov. 21. Both the soundtrack and the film cast many people to play the part of Bob Dylan. For the film, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Marcus Carl Franklin and Ben Whishaw all portray Dylan at different stages of his life.

Frankly, I don’t know how this is going to work out. Luckily, on a soundtrack, this division of labor is much more sensible. The soundtrack to “I’m Not There” features an incredible lineup of artists including Sonic Youth, Jeff Tweedy, Sufjan Stevens, The Hold Steady, Willie Nelson, Stephen Malkmus and a lot of Calexico. Each covers a Dylan song on the 34 track set.

The record begins with a dynamite version of “All Along the Watchtower” by Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) and The Million Dollar Bashers. This is Hendrix’s “All Along the Watchtower” complete with stellar guitar work all throughout the song. You’ll finish this song and wonder, “Who the hell are the Millon Dollar Bashers?” It turns out that they are something of a supergroup featuring, among others, Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo (guitar) and Steve Shelley (drums), Television’s Tom Verlaine (guitar), Wilco’s Nels Cline (guitar) and Dylan’s bassist Tony Garnier. Wow. That answers the question.

The Million Dollar Bashers, along with Calexico, are the true heroes of this collection. The Bashers provide a backing band for five tracks on the record, playing with the likes of Stephen Malkmus (Pavement) and Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs). Calexico, too, provides support on five tracks, working with Jim James and Roger McGuinn (The Byrds) among others.

Calexico joins Willie Nelson on Dylan’s Señor (Tales of Yankee Power). Nelson brings a damn fine performance to this simple, melodic rendition of the classic Dylan tune. This track stands out amongst the other fine performances on these records for Nelson’s command of the song, made real by his many years with guitar in hand. Fans of Calexico’s “In the Reins” will be pleased by their continued collaboration with Iron & Wine on “Dark Eyes.” This collaboration is now, as it was before, perfect.

And, yes, “I’m Not There” does house covers of some of Dylan’s most famous tracks. Mason Jennings covers “The Times They Are a Changin’” with an uncanny resemblance to Dylan’s own performance. Antony & The Johnsons cover “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” with an ethereal bent. Despite the many musicians who cover the tune, I don’t think I have ever heard a more soulful interpretation. Certainly the Guns and Roses version comes nowhere close. Thankfully, G&R do not make an appearance on this set.

As if to prove that actually everyone plays on this record, The Hold Steady adds a great rendition of “Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?” There is perhaps no better Dylan track for The Hold Steady to cover, since the song seems designed for Craig Finn’s unique vocal style and Tad Kubler’s screaming guitar.

This set is a phenomenal retrospective, spanning the career of the phenomenally influential musician. “I’m Not There” is a great place to break into Dylan’s work for newcomers and a novel way to experience these classic tunes for any Bob Dylan lover.

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