10 Live Covers Of Hard Rock Songs You Need To Hear
1. All Along The Watchtower - Neil Young & Pearl Jam
Eddie Vedder has expressed on many occasions his reverence for Neil Young, and over the years that reverence has been reciprocated by the old folk singer.
In 1993, Pearl Jam were invited to join Young on tour, and several years later they recorded Mirror Ball together. Remember, Pearl Jam only formed in 1990, so to be recording an album with one of their most respected influences five years later is testimony to the faith Young had in them as musicians.
Given the history of All Along the Watchtower, anyone hoping to do it justice needs to have an abundance of talent, an understanding of where the song came from, and a deep respect for its former incarnations.
Released in 1967, by its original writer Bob Dylan, his rendition was a sombre folk ballad with haunting bursts of harmonica punctuating each verse. Music critics and scholars have had a field day trying to unpack the narrative and musical structure of this song; there's an unexplainable brilliance and uneasiness to it.
With Jimi Hendrix's 1968 version, it took on a whole new persona, becoming a psychedelic exploration of musical space. Speaking to Sun Sentinel, Dylan said, "It overwhelmed me, really - he could find things inside a song and vigorously develop them - when I sing it, I always feel it's a tribute to him in some kind of way".
Somehow, Young & Pearl Jam were again able imbue this track with another life; no easy feat, but they understood what this song was.