I’ve always heard Dylan was a lousy guitarist-that is interesting-how long ago was this-maybe he has improved in recent years?
“I’ve always heard Dylan was a lousy guitarist-that is interesting-how long ago was this-maybe he has improved in recent years?”
Well, he has had over 40 years to master Jimi’s version. Almost anyone could, over half a lifetime.
Dylan began as an acoustic guitar strummer. Mostly he just played block chords as accompaniment to his ‘singing’ and harmonica work. He was really more of a performance poet than anything else.
When he began playing the electric guitar in concert back in the seventies, his fans objected, but he stuck with it anyway. He really was awful, and I was embarrassed for him.
I’ve never kept up with him, so who knows? Maybe he really put in the work to become an excellent electric guitarist.
Back in the 90s. Too bad we didn’t have cellphone video-cams back then.
Two nights in a row in Berkeley.
Dylan came out on stage, alone, cracked a grin, and then just did it.
Since then he’s done various electric versions of Watchtower with full band, and even a jam with Springsteen.
Those are similar, incorporating a few Hendrix-esque licks—and many of those are on youtube—but not the same by a long shot.
What I saw live was Dylan doing a perfect cover of the Hendrix version.
The audience went berserk.
Bob doesn’t play guitar in concert any more, just electric piano. Even then it’s mostly just posturing and hitting a few keys here and there.