A cover of Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues from Neil Young has been described as “chilling” by listeners.
The Bob Dylan classic was covered with the man himself on stage, with Young joining the Mr. Tambourine Man songwriter for a performance at Kezar Stadium. The cover, dating back to 1975, has since been uploaded to YouTube, where fans of the legendary duo are praising both the writing and the new version, which takes Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues in a different direction. Fans were delighted by the cover, which has all the usual hallmarks of Young’s instrumental style. That unique vocal is present too, with a slightly slowed tempo for the song. It’s fast becoming a fan favourite, with many sharing their love for the cover in the YouTube comments.
One user wrote: “This is my favourite Dylan song sung by one of my favourite musicians of all time. I have never had the chance to see him in concert, I still hope to…” Another added: “Another chilling cover of this masterpiece.” A third shared: “Excellent guitar solos. Great cover.”
The guitar solos within are outstanding, and many fans believe Young’s rendition of the song is the best cover available of Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues. One listener has suggested Dylan may even be a little jealous of the cover, as Young “crushed” it.
They wrote: “Nothing to hear here… unless you wanna hear one of the best Dylan covers you’ve ever heard in your life! Neil just crushes this tune. It’s a straight out of the park home run. He owns it. Pretty sure Bob appreciated it, but at the same time was a little jealous because Neil just claimed it.”
Another simply wrote: “Best version.” A third added: “If not Neil Young, then only The Rolling Stones would be able to play this song so sensitive and bluesful!” The Rolling Stones would make another Dylan hit, Like a Rolling Stone, a staple of their setlist.
Not everyone was thrilled by Young’s cover though, with one detractor writing: “Parodyh. Only exposes why he was and always will be in Dylan’s shadow.” Another added: “Only Bob did it better!”
A third added: “Style of performance is a mismatch to Bob Dylan’s lyrics – the performance seems mechanical because it fails to capture the emotion of the song.” One user even suggested Young’s version is “like a muffler pipe dragging down the streets”.
They raged: “Are you kidding me? More like a massive mechanical failure with that Gibson wailing away like a red-headed stepchild! Neil’s sneering version sounds like a muffler pipe dragging down the streets of what was and never will be avenue. Just like every verse of this song and the ’emotional’ state of the absolutely down and beyond broke-down character in the tune.
“Highway 61 Revisited is one of the most beautiful tunes on Earth, but Neil’s nod, much like many of the Grateful Dead’s versions of Dylan tunes, took the songs to another (higher) and variable level of expression Dylan very much appreciated and could not match, in his own right.” You can judge it for yourself below.
