Bob Dylan – Folsom Prison Blues Review

Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash were no strangers to trading covers. What a joy it is to hear Folsom Prison Blues covered by Dylan. There is no way around it. No other word for it aside from spectacular. An incredible experience where one of the finest songs put to tape is covered by one of the finest artists around. These are the extraordinary experiences we hope for, and Folsom Prison Blues is certainly a head above the rest for Dylan covers. Those opening bars are recognisable whichever artist they come from. A steadiness expands over Folsom Prison Blues which no artist could mangle. Yet here is Dylan skipping the first verse, the vital core to the Cash classic. He rips out the narrative spectacle, the sharp thinking Cash offered on the original, and in its place comes a smooth and slowed experience. 

It is thoroughly enjoyable. Dylan is in fine vocal form and the band plays with this sweeter tempo. A nice fixture for the live performances of the 1990s, that is for certain. Many of these covers would hear Dylan adapt and award himself with covers of the greats, stretched to their very limit. Folsom Prison Blues is a cut above the rest and benefits, even thrives, in the process of adapting it. New ranges and flurries of upbeat guitar work shake off the on-the-run bandit feel of the original. Without the roar of the crowd, a surprisingly muted audience for this one, it is on the slick instrumentals to carry it all forward. This works tremendously. Repetitions of the second verse is an odd moment, but it is carried forth with all the usual Dylan charm.  

The best renditions of Folsom Prison Blues come through the raucous crowds or the sly charm of the performer. Cash mastered it, of course. Dylan brushes it off and makes an inferior but still charming version of one of the greatest songs of all time. Yet with this cover comes a nice enough rendition. There is much joy to be had with it and it is not the only time Dylan has lent his voice and instrumental acumen to the Cash classic. Certainly not the best version of this cover from Dylan but certainly enough to enjoy with it. A swinging, smooth collection is what this one brings about. A niceness and a shifting, calmer take on a song with violence and retribution at its heart. There is an unrelenting lack of care at the core of this song but Dylan adds the softer touch. 

He adds regret and doubt to the crimes, and it may be why he skips out on using the first verse. Still, it makes sense to do so, and Dylan provides a bold yet somewhat forgettable interpretation of Folsom Prison Blues. Rejecting the titular prison and removing it from his version, instead focusing on the stories which landed the protagonist inside the jail in the first place. An interesting change and a skillfully portrayed performance, naturally, but one which lacks that little extra punch. Refinement of this style is not expected, this is a sudden live performance after all, but it is still neat to think about what could have been for the performance.