Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage
You can’t stop Bob Dylan. The seemingly indestructible 70-year-old force still puts out albums (his last was 2009′s Together Through Life) and still tours constantly, despite the fact that he turned 70 this year.
For his next trick, Dylan is partnering with the Country Music Hall of Fame to release The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams on his own Egyptian Records.
The album will feature never-recorded lyrics written by country legend Williams set to new music care of the likes of Jack White, Norah Jones, Alan Jackson, Jakob Dylan, Sheryl Crow, and Dylan himself.
The album, which coincides with the closing of the Country Music Hall of Fame’s exhibit on the Williams family’s impact (it shuts down at the end of the year), will be available on October 4.
The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams sounds a lot like the Mermaid Avenue project, a collaboration between Billy Bragg and Wilco that set unrecorded Woody Guthrie lyrics to new music. It yielded two albums’ worth of tunes, most of which were pretty excellent (“She Came Along to Me” and “Stetson Kennedy” are particular standouts).
Considering how much Dylan owes to Williams (especially in his more recent work), it’s an appropriate tribute. But what’s your favorite Bob Dylan tune? Let us know in the comments below.
Read more on EW.com:
Hear Bob Dylan’s unfinished song, with songstress Nikki Jean: ‘Steel and Feathers (Don’t Ever)’ — EXCLUSIVE
Bob Dylan was addicted to heroin in early ’60s, old interview tape reveals
Bob Dylan at 70: Still alive
the “Every Grain of Sand” demo from Bootleg Series vol. 3. that’s Dylan’s best song and is a landmark in American music.
Can’t wait to hear the Jack White track!
For me its a tie between “Idiot Wind” on Bootleg Series Volume 2 and “Desolation Row” on Highway 61 Revisited.
I love how this article ends with one of the most generic and hardest questions to answer. “What’s your favorite Bob Dylan song?” Geez.
I have a special place in my heart for the song “Maggie’s Farm” as it was my introduction to Bob Dylan. “Masters of War” is also great
This sounds like a cool project — I hope it’ll be at least half as good the ‘Mermaid Avenue’ albums…
As for my favorite Dylan song, it’s kind of hard to narrow it down; but for now I’d go with a tie between “Lily, Rosemary & the Jack of Hearts” (great ‘Blood on the Tracks’ tune) and “Like a Rolling Stone.”
My favorite Dylan tune seems to change with time. I’ll always have special place for the whole Times They are A-changin album as it was my first real intro to Dylan. I recently learned the guitar chords to “Things Have Changed” so right now I’m lovin it – lol.
And a follow-up thought – hope everyone is takin advantage of the wealth of music Dylan is bringin out from the archives in his three seasons of Theme Time Radio. It’s all across the spectrum (not including his own), and you actually get a sense of what it would be like to hang out with the old guy. If you’re persistent, there are ways to get the shows on CD. I listen to em all the time when I’m drivin. Just another amazing reason why I appreciate the Bobster.
Hazel.