MUST BE DYLAN

"Many are the musical atrocities committed in the names of Christmas and charity; but rarely can they have been as downright weird as Christmas In The Heart." - The Independent Review

"It's a bizarre and bewildering collection...the man's serrated croon isn't just jarring -- it actually gives these chirpy old chestnuts a sense of menace. And it is awesome." - Washington Post Review

Clearly, you know where I stand. His video for "Must Be Santa" is pretty much how I always figured a yuletide bash thrown by Bob would unfold (Note: Sony won't allow me to link to the video anymore!) Sure, his "animals in a slaughterhouse delivery" is more than a bit jarring when paired with the super slick backing vocals that recall Ray Conniff in another dimension. But you know what? The playing is top notch and he sounds sincere, and that's good enough for me.

Anyway, for the blog mix, I selected only one tune (go out and buy the damn thing - all proceeds benefit the excellent and worthwhile Feeding America charity). The rest of the mix is a very quick trip spanning his whole career, from folkie to provocateur to recluse to born again to grizzled old bluesman - with some occasional help from his peers and his followers - covering Dylan always seems to bring out everyone's best effort. And that's all you can really ask for, right?

1. Talkin' New York (from Bob Dylan)
2. Don't Think Twice, It's Alright (from The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan)
3. My Back Pages (from Another Side Of Bob Dylan)
4. Mr. Tambourine Man - The Byrds
5. If Not For You - George Harrison
6. Visions Of Johanna (from Blonde On Blonde)
7. I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine (from John Wesley Harding)
8. I Shall Be Released - Nina Simone
9. Girl From The North Country (from Nashville Skyline)
10. Tomorrow Is Such a Long Time - Rod Stewart
11. Forever Young (from Planet Waves featuring The Band)
12. Pressing On - John Doe
13. Buckets Of Rain (from Blood On The Tracks)
14. Knockin' On Heaven's Door - Antony & The Johnsons
15. Every Grain Of Sand (from Shot Of Love)
16. Ring Them Bells (from Oh Mercy)
17. Love Rescue Me - The Omagh Community Youth Choir
18. Marchin' To The City (from The Bootleg Series, Volume 8)
19. The Christmas Blues (from Christmas In The Heart)

Special thanks to Susan and Ted for figuring this would be the ideal music-related and holiday-related gift this year.

Download the songs as a zip file from this location, or stream the songs in the player below: