“Highway 61 Revisited” by Johnny Winter (1992)
Remember when I said there had been rock covers of Dylan long before The Scorchers tackled “Sweet Marie?” Sure you do. It was about thirty seconds ago. Well, one of the very best early rock takes on Dylan came from blues guitarist Johnny Winter, who put a studio version of “Highway 61 Revisited” on his second album – 1969’s Second Winter.
But to get the full effect, listen to this version from the 30th Anniversary Concert, played in Madison Square Garden thirty years after the release of Dylan’s debut. There was a lot of rock royalty on hand for the show – Petty and Clapton, Reed and Vedder, Young and Harrison. Johnny Cash! Stevie Wonder!! The guy who brought down the house was Johnny Winter.
After a quick little riff and a self-deprecating “It's sure is nice to be here,” he blisters through five minutes of blues rock bliss. “Highway 61 Revisited” is one of Dylan’s greatest compositions from the 1965 album of the same name that rewrote the rulebook for modern rock. Winter rocks it about as hard as a song can be rocked.
“Highway 61 Revisited” by PJ Harvey (1993)
And then PJ Harvey tackled it. This is the only song that I will repeat in this list. That’s partly because it is such an amazing song, and partly because the two artists – Winter and Harvey – give such special performances.
If Winter’s was the peak of blues rock execution, Harvey propels the song into the future with a stunningly modern cover that still rocks but introduces an entirely new sound blending blues and psychedelia in stunning fashion. With the help of producer Steve Albini, PJ Harvey’s second album, Rid of Me, was a landmark in the recently declared alternative rock genre. That did not stop her from disbanding her trio and going solo on her next album.
“Lay Lady Lay” by Ministry (1995)
In our journey from early folk covers to later rock and rollers, we reach the end of the 20th century with the flat-out metal of Ministry. But for all the cacophony and screaming vocals, the pretty melody that first appeared on Dylan’s gentle Nashville Skyline album in 1969 remains vital.
“Lay Lady Lay” fit nicely into the direction that Ministry’s Al Jourgensen wanted to explore on their Filth Pig album. It was slow and heavy but had a kernel of beauty at its center. Fans mostly hated it, especially this particular song. But retrospective reviews have been kinder.
“Lay Lady Lay,” which Jourgensen reportedly recorded entirely because bassist Paul Barker, with whom he had a classic rock & roll love-hate relationship, didn’t want to do it, remains an excellent addition to the many flavors of Bob Dylan covers over the years.