Bold it is to say you have the musician’s “masterpieces” at hand, it is bolder still to say so of Bob Dylan. 20% of Muscle and Bone’s Masterpieces of Bob Dylan is comprised of Oh Mercy material. There are no cowards here. Dylan fans should brace themselves all the same for this compilation effort which brings in Political World and Ring Them Bells for the last parts of the covers album. Bold choices, indeed, but not at all weighed well with the rest of the material. Odd suggestions for what are received as Dylan’s masterpieces too, and neither are. Dylan may pride himself on how quickly he put together Ring Them Bells and the religious influence is clear, but it feels like a bizarre compilation closer when Blind Willie McTell and She Belongs to Me are just behind it. But Muscle and Bone has selected songs which feel like examples of their instrumental appeal and skill, rather than what would work for Dylan. It’s a fascinating collection of folk covers, adapting songs that were never given that tone at the time.
Masterpieces of Bob Dylan opens with Greatest Hits Vol. II track, I Shall Be Released. This is, indeed, a masterpiece. But the profiling of Dylan’s ten defining songs, these great masterpieces, is bizarre. These are the decisions of a lunatic, and we must back them to the hilt. But are these covers? The lyrics are wildly different to any recording or live version fans may be familiar with. There’s so little information on Muscle and Bone available, too, that figuring out what they’ve done here becomes little more than guesswork. What they do provide are some touching instrumentals that do feel fitting given the context of the recordings. I Shall Be Released benefits from that steadied acoustic guitar, it’s a very charming rendition and that’s all Muscle and Bone can truly hope for here. Ballad of Hollis Brown sounds as chilling and contemporary here as the Dylan original.
Susan Weber and Walt Campbell, should they be the duo behind this, can take a bow. Exceptional adaptations of Dylan’s work. They are two of the few to continue that mystique which appears around even the worst of Dylan’s work. But these are masterpieces and they are delivered as such, consistently too. Their adaptation of Highway 61 Revisited doesn’t quite land and loses the thrill, but considering Masterpieces of Bob Dylan is filled with risky adaptations and the bulk are strong, it’s a small thing to fall short on. A softer flourish and slower tempo to Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right, is nothing short of beautiful. There’s still space for a harmonica solo too. It really is quite the treat to hear it come together like this. Adapting Dylan’s work is a game most have played but few are good at. Weber and Campbell are naturals.
What is, on paper, a ludicrous assessment of Dylan’s greatest hits, turns out to be a charming listen. What Muscle and Bone gets right here is detailing the delicacy of Dylan’s great songwriting skill. No matter the tempo or tone, as long as you have an instrument and the words memorised, you can pay Dylan his dues. Further on from that though, Masterpieces of Bob Dylan is a tremendous listening experience. A chance to connect with Dylan songs in new ways, through capable voices and confident instrumentalists, is often a treat. There are ten treats right here, some working better than others as is the case for cover albums, but there is plenty to love about Muscle and Bone that you won’t find in other, mainstream covers of Dylan’s work.
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