Best version of All Along The Watchtower?

Spiritual_Chaos

I dig the version with Neil from 2004. And Eddie solo in Water on the Road is great.

Any other versions that stand out?

2-feign-reluctance

U2's Rattle and Hum is my favorite cover of this song.

TheLuckyOnes

Hartford 10 with Ben from band of horses is pretty dang good.

Kevinman

Nobody covered it better than Jimi

darthvedder

I'm biased because I was there, but 7/18/2006 San Francisco with Lee Ranaldo. Was a total surprise.

jniko

Grateful Dead soldier field '92 with specialguest Steve Miller

dimitrispearljam

any version of jimi hendrix

InBetweenIsMne

Hendrix's.

JimmyV

Hendrix for sure.

As far as PJ versions go, Hartford 2010 with BofH Ben was great. Complete surprise and so much fun to see live.

AO288807

Jimis version is the best cover ever

slightofjeff

darthvedder said:

I'm biased because I was there, but 7/18/2006 San Francisco with Lee Ranaldo. Was a total surprise.

Plus one. I was there too. Completely surprised.

EB218946

Newark,NJ 2010 they closed the show with this song. Lead singer from band of horses as well. Cool version.

pledgeagrievance

TheLuckyOnes said:

Hartford 10 with Ben from band of horses is pretty dang good.

JLank11

I've never seen a better one than DMB in Central Park.

cockage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePXl7LdDoS8&index=2&list=PL8529EC59D3AD1A53

Hartford 2010

Mike D88

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcBfplJsRXw

Spiritual_Chaos

cockage said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePXl7LdDoS8&index=2&list=PL8529EC59D3AD1A53

Hartford 2010

Bens singing is a big weak... but maybe I'll go with this one.

Don't think this is a cover that PJ really elevates... but yeah. I guess I go with the Hartford version or Toledo.

Spiritual_Chaos

Funny that Eddie needs to read the lyrics to this one. Thought it was one song every rockstar knew by heart

njnancy

Hendrix owns this song, imho.

Spiritual_Chaos

njnancy said:

Hendrix owns this song, imho.

Maybe. But need a PJ version

(I think Neil Young does it pretty good too)

njnancy

Spiritual_Chaos said:

njnancy said:

Hendrix owns this song, imho.

Maybe. But need a PJ version

(I think Neil Young does it pretty good too)

Don't get me wrong - this song has been covered by many excellent artists - Eddie does a great cover - but I just love Hendrix's version the best.

eeriepadave

I prefer Hendrix and DMB's version over Pearl Jam's (sorry). Only version i have is the one from Leeds a few years back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKXwdfFHaLo

whoanelly15

JLank11 said:

I've never seen a better one than DMB in Central Park.

This. And Hendrix.

BF89905

DMB's is better..... I heard at MSG in 2010..... not a fan of how they play it, even though Pearl Jam is my favourite band without hesitation. Good luck in your search.

huntersthompson

whoanelly15 said:

JLank11 said:

I've never seen a better one than DMB in Central Park.

This. And Hendrix.

Agreed....
Hendrix took the folk song and started that rock and roll train upon which loads of fantastic artists have ridden. There is no band or person who covers it better than DMB...it is the tempo change that they make between the second and third stanzas that just slays it...

With that said, it is always a good cover to catch at a show. I do have to ask: What in the f was going through Dylan's mind when he wrote it?

One of my favorite criticism's of the song (and Dylan's writing of the song) is:
That whole artistic mystique is one of the great traps of this business, because down that road lies unintelligibility. Dylan has a lot to answer for there, because after a while he discovered that he could get away with anything—he was Bob Dylan and people would take whatever he wrote on faith. So he could do something like "All Along the Watchtower," which is simply a mistake from the title on down: a watchtower is not a road or a wall, and you can't go along it.

tempo_n_groove

DMB live at red rocks is a fantastic version!