It seems like only yesterday that JEM Records launched its Celebrates series with a stunning tribute to John Lennon. But the math tells me that that was almost six years ago, and here we are now with the 7th installment, JEM Records Celebrates Bob Dylan. The fact that Marty Scott and JEM's talented roster of bands have kept this project going all this time and produced a new album every single year is beyond impressive. That shows a tremendous commitment — and I can't even begin to imagine how much works goes into bringing these albums into existence. I know not everyone is on the tribute album train; however, I love the idea of celebrating great songwriting and enrichening the legacy of great songs. In the case of Bob Dylan, we're talking about perhaps the greatest American songwriter of the rock 'n' roll era. You could do a triple album of Dylan covers and not even scratch the surface of his most essential work. So song selection was going to be critical here. JEM Records Celebrates Bob Dylan does an excellent job of choosing some of the obvious classics but also going outside the box a few times. And, as we've come to expect in this series, none of these bands/artists settle for a note-for-note cover. Marty Scott gives them all free reign to make these songs their own, and they do just that.
The earlier JEM Records Celebrates installments seemed like such no-brainers because they involved such core influences (Beatles, Kinks, Who, Beach Boys) on the label's roster. But with these last two albums (Dylan and David Bowie), we're really starting to see what makes this project interesting. It's clear that all these artists are big Dylan fans, but you might not always notice it in their own music. So to hear them take these classic songs and put their own signatures on them is very exciting.
The Half/Cubes come the closest to a "straight" cover with their version of "The Mighty Quinn," but still they interpret the song through the lens of power pop and classic guitar pop. The Airport 77s make "It Ain't Me, Babe" sound like, well, The Airport 77s! The Midnight Callers give 1965's "It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue" a fresh makeover that brings to mind Big Star and Badfinger. The Weeklings tackle one of Dylan's most iconic songs, "Rainy Day Woman #12 and 35," and completely transform it with their master class harmonies. Similarly, The Grip Weeds and The Anderson Council make "This Wheels On Fire" and "Queen Jane Approximately" sound like classic slices of later '60s UK guitar pop. The On and Ons imbue "Meet Me In The Morning" with a vintage garage rock feel, while The High Frequencies reimagine "Subterranean Homesick Blues" as an early '80s new wave hit. It's no surprise that Paul Collins (covering "Stuck in Mobile with The Memphis Blues Again") and Nick Piunti (covering "Mr. Tambourine Man") both knock it out of the park. Then there are the two curveballs. The Jive, making its debut for JEM, has at "I Ain't Gonna Go To Hell for Anybody" from Dylan's gospel period. It's both a surprising selection and a surprisingly sophisticated performance — sounding completely unlike what I would have expected from The Jive. I feel like I've walked into a room and found the class clown solving the impossible math equation that the teacher left on the board. Perhaps the album's most extraordinary cut is The Cynz's rocking take on the extremely controversial "Neighborhood Bully." The song has been a fixture on The Underground Garage this summer, and hats off to Marty Scott for having the guts to back up the band's song choice.
Like its six predecessors in this series, JEM Records Celebrates Bob Dylan does exactly what it aims to do: celebrate an artist who changed music. In the liner notes, Richard Barone writes, "Does the world really need another Bob Dylan tribute album? The answer, at least for the foreseeable future, will always be 'Yes.'" I could not agree more. You don't even have to be a huge Dylan fan to enjoy this album. The songs speak for themselves, but what these artists have done with the source material is remarkable in its own right. If you view a cover song not as act of generating filler but as an act of love and admiration, I think you'd have to say these JEM Celebrates albums demonstrate how it ought to be done. Great songs ought to be both played forever and re-made forever. Even hardcore Bob Dylan fans, who will surely listen to this record critically, will have a hard denying that these 12 bands and artists truly get it.
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