Intermittent cover performances across the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour have left a desire to hear traditional tunes like no other. Seek out the classics and find out which ones Bob Dylan covered. Plenty to choose from – and one of his finest performances comes from this adaptation of House of the Rising Sun. Staggered, gasping and crying out for a break – Dylan sounds desperate for something, anything, to land at this stage. A song popularised by The Animals but adapted long before their version is his salvation for this 1987 show. Utterly triumphant. A loud and bombastic version of a track which featured on the very first Dylan record, his self-titled folk piece.
Instrumentally, this is probably the best Dylan has sounded through the 1980s. Collect all those bootlegs and live pieces you like, the sharpness of the band surrounding him, the unique swing paired with a classic track, all of it comes together with razor-sharp intent. Dylan steadies himself after a somewhat shaky first line. It is the beats he leaves between each word, this wild experimentation to filter in and out over the next three decades, which comes close to derailing it. But a wild instrumental accompaniment prevents disaster and, if anything, elevates this House of the Rising Sun rendition beyond compare. This is from a month of wild dates and appearances, with Tom Petty and George Harrison filtering through and onto the stage. These recordings from the wild make up for a particularly ghastly Dylan and The Dead live recording.
Yet even with a cover as wonderful and experimental as this, the signs of fatigue had set in. It can be heard in Dylan’s voice, shifting in tone and finding its place in a song best connected to The Animals. Heavy guitar work is the real difference and regardless of the vocal work Dylan presents it is the instrumental backdrop which sticks out. Heaving those thick guitar notes through is a wonderful treat for the ears and with a pianist matching the pace of Dylan staggering the vocals, it comes together neatly. Percussion eventually finds its way, drumming into place and bringing that much-needed layer, pulling House of the Rising Sun from its roots and creating a cacophony which benefits the backing vocalists more than anyone. Dylan feels like a bit player despite controlling the flow, and it works wonderfully.
Whether intended or not, the keen flow Dylan provides and soon sinks into to make way for the exceptional instrumental blur towards the end is as lucid as it is liberating. It feels like a sudden riff, a demonstration of musical clarity and impact. Richard Hawley does much the same when elongating his guitar-heavy songs like Standing at the Sky’s Edge in live recordings. Few can turn an established piece into an interesting, extracurricular event – though it should be no surprise Dylan, more particularly the touring unit he assembled for 1987, could do it. Hunt this recording down and treasure it. Make copies, and keep one for yourself. Who knows when the internet will fall, and if it does we will gather under the hole-filled tarpaulin to talk of the time Dylan covered a classic. One of many.
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