When you think of songs that led exciting, dynamic, transformational lives as opposed to the stuffy, conservative existence of so many others, who does your mind turn to automatically? If the answer is "Bob Dylan", give yourself a prize...
This is twice when your posts make me entertain the possibility that synchronicity is real. Only yesterday my news feed contained a piece on Quinn being Noel Gallagher's favorite Dylan song accompanied by a not bad take.
Last summer I told someone of an intoxicated incident in college involving walking down a country road. I'll gloss over my state of undress. I was rescued by a literature professor who happened upon me. His name was Tom Jones. The next day I read your email which reviewed Along Came Jones.
On another note, I agree with your take of Mighty Quinn as a satire of the counterculture. Those lines about guarding fumes and making haste put me in mind of Kid Charlemagne.
I never knew, until reading this blog post, that the real line is "everybody's gonna want to doze." I always heard it as "want a dose." Now that I know the truth, the song is completely unlistenable. Thanks for ruining it, George. I'm tossing my Mighty Garvey LP right now.
Another gem, wishing you'd post more often. Putin's horrible regime gotta be stressful! Love the hit version + can almost stomach when bobby zee sings an obvious classic. Dislike the band (way too bloated aside from a couple of worthy tracks early on) while the hollies covering mr. zimmerman before nash quit is certainly intriguing. Keep them "life of a song" essays coming.
It's easy enough to write if you just repeat things that have been said by everybody else. If you try to say something that might not have been said, it takes far more time. Above all, it takes inspiration, and inspiration is hard to combine with stress.
Maybe you shouldn't worry so much about coming up with something that hasn't been written before. I mean, even Stephen King doesn't seem to worry much about it, and unlike you, he charges money for his work. OK, all kidding aside, I mean, first of all, we readers don't know all these other reviews. And second, even if you write something we've read before, your unique perspective and knowledge will make it interesting again.
So, I've got a long response here, funny for such a humble (though, as your Manfred '78 version particularly shows, maybe not so humble!?!?) song. Here it is:
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I'd never heard the Manfred single version—good highlighting, it was interesting.
I think you go too far in calling the song in general an ode to inactivity. Dylan's version, sure, does have that feel. But the lyrics of the song in general don't point that direction. Really the only line that points clearly in that direction is the "making haste" one. The song's mainly just everyone's in despair and Quinn's gonna solve everything by his presence. The dozing part could also allude to the inactivity thing, but my take is that part has more to do with alleviation of anxiety/stressors that were making them all sleepless. And I guess you have the feeding pigeons as a mundane activity, but it comes off more as funny/cooky imagery than any call to (in)action.
In that case, Manfred is able to change interpretation of the lyrics, because they never reliably pointed towards any message in the first place. As far as I can tell from my first time hearing his version, they just crank up the psychedelia and counterculture-togetherness, which was already an element of the original.
I agree essentially about the Ian & Silvia version. Sounds inappropriately sincere, lacking in the necessary irony. Makes it sound almost like a parody, ironically in its lack of irony!
Lol @ woah guitar now in Dylan's Isle of Wight version... that caught me too when I relistened after seeing the topic of your post here. (Across my endless listenings to Bob live recordings, I too have never him do the like elsewhere.)
So, now I would like to talk about another Bob version, if you'll excuse me getting more Bobby rather than focusing on the song itself as your piece centers on... the 2003 performance, rare even for the time, as it seemed he'd given up on it after those five 2002 tries. I do know what you mean as far as by then "studying the evolution of his songs in concert had become a rather stiff and unrewarding affair." Still, there's something to be said for the virility (odd word to use for Quinn the Eskimo, but that's what this version has!) of this performance. Before the last three shows in 2003, Bob had gotten laryngitis and had to cancel at least one gig. But he turned it all around with these three shows, where despite his rougher-even-than-usual 2000s voice, it became better used than for all his preceding shows in 2003 (leading the way too to a dynamite spring 2004 run, but that's another topic). These three 2003 enders were filled with rarities of song choices. Quinn being one. And somehow, despite his dark performance style around the time, Quinn gets an appropriate reading for sure, playfulness all intact (and a cool harp solo to boot!).
This Manfred Mann stuff with the live versions is getting pretty wild. I'm going to have to check out what you describe.
...
Having checked: Geez, that was crazy. Quinn as a like 80s hair rocker, with progressiveness too. I guess this is where hippies mutated to by '78, if they hadn't gone disco or just otherwise light non-counterculture. This is so crazy I don't even know what to think of it, if I like it or not. It definitely was the God Quinn like you speak of.
^^ Lol, I wrote the above before reading that you also can't decide if it works or not. Good, so that's a normal reaction.
And finally, I had forgotten about this until a search for the above post-in-progress showed me these lyrics on my phone too, but here is... a chess-themed version of Quinn I wrote.
---
"Queen the Big Show" (Chess-Themed Cover Version of "Quinn")
Everybody's buildin', the big forks and the moats
Some are buildin', lined up rooks, others are glorifyn' GOATs
All mid pieces are in a pair... Every one of the toy
But when Queen the Big Show gets here... Every King's gonna go to Troooy, ah
C'mon big mouths... C'mon big grins
You'll not see none win like the Miiighty, Queen
C'mon big touts... C'mon chess fiends
You'll not see no piece like the Miiighty, Queen
Now I likes to do just like the rest, I like my foes all beat
But getting pinned and development waste, it ain't up my damn street
Everybody's just standing round on the board hacking enemies by the limb
But when Queen the Bigga Show gets here, she's gonna be check-matin' him
[chorus]
Now tramp fates, and discov'ry do, make 'em all fall y'all
Just tell me who to mate, and I'll tell you she's on the wall
Nobody can get any pieces deep, these positions are all closed
But when Queen the Big Show gets here, those positions knight'll rose
Great use of “I’m younger than that now” — it’s a line I continue to find relevant as I trek further into my forties.
This is twice when your posts make me entertain the possibility that synchronicity is real. Only yesterday my news feed contained a piece on Quinn being Noel Gallagher's favorite Dylan song accompanied by a not bad take.
Last summer I told someone of an intoxicated incident in college involving walking down a country road. I'll gloss over my state of undress. I was rescued by a literature professor who happened upon me. His name was Tom Jones. The next day I read your email which reviewed Along Came Jones.
On another note, I agree with your take of Mighty Quinn as a satire of the counterculture. Those lines about guarding fumes and making haste put me in mind of Kid Charlemagne.
Well, it's not unusual to be rescued by Tom Jones... sorry.
Synchronicity certainly exists, Sting told us so!
I never knew, until reading this blog post, that the real line is "everybody's gonna want to doze." I always heard it as "want a dose." Now that I know the truth, the song is completely unlistenable. Thanks for ruining it, George. I'm tossing my Mighty Garvey LP right now.
Always heard it that way too.
Another gem, wishing you'd post more often. Putin's horrible regime gotta be stressful! Love the hit version + can almost stomach when bobby zee sings an obvious classic. Dislike the band (way too bloated aside from a couple of worthy tracks early on) while the hollies covering mr. zimmerman before nash quit is certainly intriguing. Keep them "life of a song" essays coming.
It's easy enough to write if you just repeat things that have been said by everybody else. If you try to say something that might not have been said, it takes far more time. Above all, it takes inspiration, and inspiration is hard to combine with stress.
Maybe you shouldn't worry so much about coming up with something that hasn't been written before. I mean, even Stephen King doesn't seem to worry much about it, and unlike you, he charges money for his work. OK, all kidding aside, I mean, first of all, we readers don't know all these other reviews. And second, even if you write something we've read before, your unique perspective and knowledge will make it interesting again.
So, I've got a long response here, funny for such a humble (though, as your Manfred '78 version particularly shows, maybe not so humble!?!?) song. Here it is:
---
I'd never heard the Manfred single version—good highlighting, it was interesting.
I think you go too far in calling the song in general an ode to inactivity. Dylan's version, sure, does have that feel. But the lyrics of the song in general don't point that direction. Really the only line that points clearly in that direction is the "making haste" one. The song's mainly just everyone's in despair and Quinn's gonna solve everything by his presence. The dozing part could also allude to the inactivity thing, but my take is that part has more to do with alleviation of anxiety/stressors that were making them all sleepless. And I guess you have the feeding pigeons as a mundane activity, but it comes off more as funny/cooky imagery than any call to (in)action.
In that case, Manfred is able to change interpretation of the lyrics, because they never reliably pointed towards any message in the first place. As far as I can tell from my first time hearing his version, they just crank up the psychedelia and counterculture-togetherness, which was already an element of the original.
I agree essentially about the Ian & Silvia version. Sounds inappropriately sincere, lacking in the necessary irony. Makes it sound almost like a parody, ironically in its lack of irony!
Lol @ woah guitar now in Dylan's Isle of Wight version... that caught me too when I relistened after seeing the topic of your post here. (Across my endless listenings to Bob live recordings, I too have never him do the like elsewhere.)
So, now I would like to talk about another Bob version, if you'll excuse me getting more Bobby rather than focusing on the song itself as your piece centers on... the 2003 performance, rare even for the time, as it seemed he'd given up on it after those five 2002 tries. I do know what you mean as far as by then "studying the evolution of his songs in concert had become a rather stiff and unrewarding affair." Still, there's something to be said for the virility (odd word to use for Quinn the Eskimo, but that's what this version has!) of this performance. Before the last three shows in 2003, Bob had gotten laryngitis and had to cancel at least one gig. But he turned it all around with these three shows, where despite his rougher-even-than-usual 2000s voice, it became better used than for all his preceding shows in 2003 (leading the way too to a dynamite spring 2004 run, but that's another topic). These three 2003 enders were filled with rarities of song choices. Quinn being one. And somehow, despite his dark performance style around the time, Quinn gets an appropriate reading for sure, playfulness all intact (and a cool harp solo to boot!).
Best recording I'm aware of of that, if you want to check it out if you haven't already: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSw_KHo2ftA
This Manfred Mann stuff with the live versions is getting pretty wild. I'm going to have to check out what you describe.
...
Having checked: Geez, that was crazy. Quinn as a like 80s hair rocker, with progressiveness too. I guess this is where hippies mutated to by '78, if they hadn't gone disco or just otherwise light non-counterculture. This is so crazy I don't even know what to think of it, if I like it or not. It definitely was the God Quinn like you speak of.
^^ Lol, I wrote the above before reading that you also can't decide if it works or not. Good, so that's a normal reaction.
And finally, I had forgotten about this until a search for the above post-in-progress showed me these lyrics on my phone too, but here is... a chess-themed version of Quinn I wrote.
---
"Queen the Big Show" (Chess-Themed Cover Version of "Quinn")
Everybody's buildin', the big forks and the moats
Some are buildin', lined up rooks, others are glorifyn' GOATs
All mid pieces are in a pair... Every one of the toy
But when Queen the Big Show gets here... Every King's gonna go to Troooy, ah
C'mon big mouths... C'mon big grins
You'll not see none win like the Miiighty, Queen
C'mon big touts... C'mon chess fiends
You'll not see no piece like the Miiighty, Queen
Now I likes to do just like the rest, I like my foes all beat
But getting pinned and development waste, it ain't up my damn street
Everybody's just standing round on the board hacking enemies by the limb
But when Queen the Bigga Show gets here, she's gonna be check-matin' him
[chorus]
Now tramp fates, and discov'ry do, make 'em all fall y'all
Just tell me who to mate, and I'll tell you she's on the wall
Nobody can get any pieces deep, these positions are all closed
But when Queen the Big Show gets here, those positions knight'll rose
[chorus]
Really loving this series.