Dylan covers 1: top 100 Dylan cover songs
by Moondance 
This chart reveals/uncovers the incredibly rich and diverse realm of Bob Dylan cover songs. One estimate puts the number of Dylan cover songs to be over 105,000; however my own research suggests that the number of verified, publicly available number of Dylan cover songs is closer to 10,000! In any event, to make a chart of my top 100 Dylan cover songs is both hard & easy.
To fully acknowledge and represent this diversity and to cover Dylan's entire 60 year recording career, I set certain parameters:
* Limit any artist to only one cover song;
* Limit any Dylan tribute album to only one cover song ~ Note: the number/diversity of Dylan tribute albums discovered during the making of this chart has amazed me. Despite having listened to over 50 tribute album, including the 30 tribute albums listed in this chart, I have only scratched the surface {elsewhere on the BEA site I am aware of a user who has a 'top 100 chart of 100% Dylan cover albums'; and during my research, I stumbled across a website that listed over 400 albums comprising between 50% - 100% Dylan cover songs};
* For Dylan albums with only a small number of original songs (eg 'Bob Dylan'; 'Greatest Hits Vol II'; 'Self Portrait'; 'Masterpieces'; 'Knocked Out Loaded' etc), this chart includes at least one cover song to showcase those albums;
* For each of the 27 Dylan albums that contain all or mostly original songs, this chart includes between two - four cover songs with the exception of 'Under The Red Sky' ~ for which finding quality cover songs proved a challenge and thus only one cover song is included in this chart;
* In other words, every Dylan album that includes, in part or in full, original songs is referenced in this chart (at last count, that added up to 40 Dylan albums);
* Some songs written/co-written by Dylan but never recorded by Dylan have been included in this chart (eg Clapton, Goffin, O'Keefe);
* Dylan side projects (eg Traveling Wilbury's, movie soundtracks) have also been included in this chart, to give this chart the most comprehensive feel that I could put together.
The order of the chart listing will be chronological - based on the release date of the corresponding contemporaneous studio album or the recording date for those songs that were released much later on compilation albums (Greatest Hits VolII, Masterpieces), the 1975 Basement Tapes or the various Bootleg Series albums.
The only exception to the chronological order is the #1 entry by Linda Mason, which is recognised as the first album to be released that was 100% dedicated to covering the songs of Bob Dylan.
The data in this chart - eg number of times Dylan has performed a particular song in concert is as at June 2023.
- Chart updated: 02/01/2025 03:45
- (Created: 05/22/2022 06:40).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 2 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Dylan covers 1: top 100 Dylan cover songs has an average rating of 90 out of 100 (from 4 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from The Band. (Remove this filter)
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When I Paint My Masterpiece: No "Dylan covers chart" would be complete without a contribution from 'The Band' ~ they played a critical, supportive part in Dylan's initial foray into performing with an 'electric' set (August 1965 - May 1966) and then during Dylan's reclusive period at Woodstock, which (over the period April - October 1967 at The Band's 'Big Pink' home) produced the songs that were eventually released on 'The Basement Tapes'.
On The Band's fourth studio album 'Cahoots', they permit one song not written by Robbie Robertson to be included ~ and so, on side 1, track 2 there is the first official release of 'When I Paint My Masterpiece' ~ a song that The Band would also play at Dylan's 30th Anniversary Concert some 21 years later.
Dylan recorded his own version of 'When I Paint My Masterpiece' in mid-March 1971 and it was released at side 4 track 4 on his November 1971 'Greatest Hits Vol 2' double album - some 2 months after The Band's cover version had been released.
Dylan's first performance of 'When I Paint My Masterpiece' was at the War Memorial Auditorium, Plymouth MA on 30 October 1975 ~ the performance was recorded and became the opening track on the movie "Renaldo & Clara" ~ released on 25 January 1978; directed by Dylan; filmed during the Rolling Thunder Review 1975. The song was subsequently performed infrequently until a major revival beginning in 2018 ~ where, over a 5 year period, it has been performed over 248 times (of the 338 total career performances) including on the current 2021-2023 worldwide 'Rough & Rowdy' tour ~ culminating in its latest performance at Nagoya, Japan on 20 April 2023.
'When I Paint My Masterpiece' seems like a most fitting song for Dylan to include on what may well be Dylan's last worldwide tour - he is 81 afterall & as George Harrison once wrote - 'All Things Must Pass'.
'Someday, everything is gonna be smooth like a rhapsody/When I paint my masterpiece' [First added to this chart: 06/03/2022]
On The Band's fourth studio album 'Cahoots', they permit one song not written by Robbie Robertson to be included ~ and so, on side 1, track 2 there is the first official release of 'When I Paint My Masterpiece' ~ a song that The Band would also play at Dylan's 30th Anniversary Concert some 21 years later.
Dylan recorded his own version of 'When I Paint My Masterpiece' in mid-March 1971 and it was released at side 4 track 4 on his November 1971 'Greatest Hits Vol 2' double album - some 2 months after The Band's cover version had been released.
Dylan's first performance of 'When I Paint My Masterpiece' was at the War Memorial Auditorium, Plymouth MA on 30 October 1975 ~ the performance was recorded and became the opening track on the movie "Renaldo & Clara" ~ released on 25 January 1978; directed by Dylan; filmed during the Rolling Thunder Review 1975. The song was subsequently performed infrequently until a major revival beginning in 2018 ~ where, over a 5 year period, it has been performed over 248 times (of the 338 total career performances) including on the current 2021-2023 worldwide 'Rough & Rowdy' tour ~ culminating in its latest performance at Nagoya, Japan on 20 April 2023.
'When I Paint My Masterpiece' seems like a most fitting song for Dylan to include on what may well be Dylan's last worldwide tour - he is 81 afterall & as George Harrison once wrote - 'All Things Must Pass'.
'Someday, everything is gonna be smooth like a rhapsody/When I paint my masterpiece' [First added to this chart: 06/03/2022]
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Dylan covers 1: top 100 Dylan cover songs composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 15 | 15% | |
| 1970s | 14 | 14% | |
| 1980s | 4 | 4% | |
| 1990s | 14 | 14% | |
| 2000s | 28 | 28% | |
| 2010s | 14 | 14% | |
| 2020s | 11 | 11% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| Various Artists | 9 | 9% | |
| Graham Bonnet | 1 | 1% | |
| Ani DiFranco | 1 | 1% | |
| Bettye LaVette | 1 | 1% | |
| Linda Mason | 1 | 1% | |
| Counting Crows | 1 | 1% | |
| Elkie Brooks | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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50 | 50% | |
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24 | 24% | |
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10 | 10% | |
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7 | 7% | |
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3 | 3% | |
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2 | 2% | |
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1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Dylan covers 1: top 100 Dylan cover songs chart changes
| New entries |
|---|
 Classic John Martynby John Martyn |
| Leavers |
|---|
 Piece By Pieceby John Martyn |
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90/100 (from 4 votes)
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Showing all 4 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 100/100  | 07/17/2024 06:38 |  AlvaroIesus | | 77/100 |
| 100/100 | 08/14/2022 01:46 |  sssvnnn | | 83/100 |
| 95/100 | 05/31/2022 22:13 | arnellarsen | | 92/100 |
| 100/100 | 05/24/2022 10:30 | mikepen | | 93/100 |
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100/100
From AlvaroIesus 07/17/2024 06:38
AlvaroIesus 07/17/2024 06:38
Thanks.
#304368 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From mikepen 05/24/2022 10:31
Superb!
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