30 Days of Dylan #22: The Ballad Of Frankie Lee And Judas Priest

May 2011 sees the 70th birthday of Bob Dylan. To celebrate, we're taking you on a journey through the lesser celebrated avenues of his back catalogue. A journey down Highway 61 that won't stop off at 'Blowin' In The Wind', 'All Along The Watchtower' or 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door' but will call by...

The Ballad Of Frankie Lee And Judas Priest (1967)

Here we have one of the essential Dylan story songs; told with just the right balance of narrative and poetic mystery. The dialogue between Frankie and Judas at the songs opening is fascinating enough, but then events take a stranger turn. The song concludes with two major question marks; why is the little neighbour boy who tells us “nothing is revealed” concealing such guilt? Also, is the stated moral of the story really the moral at all? It has been speculated that Judas represents the music business, with its take it now or it’s gone forever negotiating practices and baiting of gullible, dependent subjects with promises of all earthly pleasures on a plate. That could explain why Dylan feels that everything is kept under wraps by those shamefully in the know as yet another victim loses his life, soul or both. Certainly one of the more plausible theories I’ve encountered. Ultimately it doesn’t really matter; as is so often the case the pleasure is in the exquisite articulation of the tale. So skilfully executed is it that Dylan even gets away with rhymes like mouse and house!

Thea Gilmore has given Bob a major heads up by covering the whole of the songs parent album ‘John Wesley Harding’ to coincide with his three score and ten landmark. I am in no way going to question Thea’s motives, there’s nothing to suggest it’s nothing more than a totally sincere gesture. Sadly however, for me it proves that simply covering a classic album in itself does not automatically generate another classic album. The original record is one of a very few that I can play all the way through then instantly return to the first track and start again. The depth of the imagery and layers upon layers of meaning in every song, coupled with the raw urgency of the delivery make it an album that always leaves you wanting more. My initial feeling upon hearing Thea’s version is that I’d have preferred her adhering to Dylan’s recording policies as well. That is, get a small combo together, possibly on purely acoustic instruments, and get them to play the album through straight in one day without any rehearsal. As it stands this is just a bit too over-produced and it renders an exceptional set of songs a bit dull in places. I’m just not sure you’re doing ‘All Along The Watchtower’ any favours by playing it akin to ‘A Horse With No Name’. By no means a bad record obviously, and the version of todays song as featured below is a fair effort, but the genius of the original remains untouched.

Free music - The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest