10 Cover Versions That Are Absolute Masterpieces
3. All Along The Watchtower (Jimi Hendrix)
When Bob Dylan released his John Wesley Harding album in 1967 it was seen as a return to his acoustic roots. Acquiring a copy before its official release, Jimi Hendrix knew he had to cover one of the album’s tracks.
After some consideration Hendrix chose All Along The Watchtower. He had always felt a close affinity to Dylan’s music, claiming that his songs "... are so close to me that I feel like I wrote them myself."
This was definitely the case with All Along The Watchtower and he was in the studio laying down his version in less than two months. He quickly cut a large number of takes on the first day and even reportedly took over on bass guitar when original bass player, Noel Reading, left proceedings.
Dylan was overwhelmed when he heard Hendrix’s version and claimed that the visionary guitarist had improved his song. In an acceptance speech in 2015 Dylan said "We can’t forget Jimi Hendrix ... He took some small songs of mine that nobody paid any attention to and brought them up into the outer limits of the stratosphere, turned them all into classics."