Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" vs. the Byrds?

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Dylan, without question,

― Colin O., Sunday, 20 July 2003 04:46 (twenty-two years ago)

shatner

― James Blount (James Blount), Sunday, 20 July 2003 04:52 (twenty-two years ago)

This thread is over.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 20 July 2003 05:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Dylan

― Bryan Moore (Bryan Moore), Sunday, 20 July 2003 05:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Byrds

― Mike Ouderkirk (Mike Ouderkirk), Sunday, 20 July 2003 07:53 (twenty-two years ago)

byrds. they played and sang so, so much better than bob. bob should probably not have bothered performing his owns songs a lot of the time.

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Sunday, 20 July 2003 08:30 (twenty-two years ago)

the byrds didn't "play" a note of mr. tambourine man!!

― Justyn Dillingham (Justyn Dillingham), Sunday, 20 July 2003 09:34 (twenty-two years ago)

i like both versions a lot, but the byrds version is virtually a different song. there doesn't seem much point in comparing them.

― Justyn Dillingham (Justyn Dillingham), Sunday, 20 July 2003 09:36 (twenty-two years ago)

I used to prefer Dylan's, but now I prefer the Byrds. I listened to dylan so fucking much that I memorised every sodding note, so when I put the CD on it just annoys the hekl out of me. Byrds' riff, however, probably won't annoy me so quickly.

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Sunday, 20 July 2003 15:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Dylan's. I haven't heard the Byrds version for a while though. But Dylan's rendition of that song is one of my favorite Dylan recordings.

― Al Andalous, Sunday, 20 July 2003 15:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Dylan's, easily.

― My name is Kenny (My name is Kenny), Sunday, 20 July 2003 15:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Note: One of the few times the acoustic version is better.

― My name is Kenny (My name is Kenny), Sunday, 20 July 2003 16:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Human flesh vs human poo.

― Cozen (Cozen), Sunday, 20 July 2003 16:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Byrds, by a mile

― Wandering Boy Poet, Sunday, 20 July 2003 18:53 (twenty-two years ago)

byrds. though i love dylan, i much prefer the other side of "bringing it all back home". guess i'm just electrocentric. i just adore that gorgeous 12string intro the byrds do. and the perfect harmonies, and the way one of em plays simple little syncopated guitar chords. purty.

― The Lady Ms Lurex (lucylurex), Sunday, 20 July 2003 19:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Dylan's.

― David A. (Davant), Sunday, 20 July 2003 20:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Byrds. Any Dylan song that he's not singing-Classic

― brg30 (brg30), Sunday, 20 July 2003 21:37 (twenty-two years ago)

I like the words that are in Dylan's version but not in the Byrds version.

― Applepie Baseball, Sunday, 20 July 2003 22:30 (twenty-two years ago)

both make me wish I was high.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 20 July 2003 22:37 (twenty-two years ago)

You have all misread the question - it's not about which version is better. It's Dylan's "Mr Tambourine Man" taking on The Byrds. ALL OF THE BYRDS. Sure it's an seemingly unbalanced fight but I think Dylan's Mr Tambourine Man might just pull it off.

― N. (nickdastoor), Sunday, 20 July 2003 22:50 (twenty-two years ago)

the byrds didn't "play" a note of mr. tambourine man!!

what does this even mean? i didn't say "write"!

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Sunday, 20 July 2003 23:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Justyn, the instrumentation on the Byrds' 'Tambourine Man' was McGuinn + session musicians.

― Jeff Wright, Monday, 21 July 2003 01:27 (twenty-two years ago)

righty ho

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Monday, 21 July 2003 01:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Session musicians or not, Byrds win.

― Andrew Frye (paul cox), Monday, 21 July 2003 02:54 (twenty-two years ago)

the Con-Funk-Shun version is better than either of these by a long way

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Monday, 21 July 2003 03:25 (twenty-two years ago)

oh, the byrds with no question at all about it. dylan himself is so dull.

― Tad (llamasfur), Monday, 21 July 2003 03:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Dylan's, because the Byrds' leave out the best verse(s).

― Tim Stewart (Tim Stewart), Tuesday, 22 July 2003 12:05 (twenty-two years ago)

I like the The Byrd's version of "My Back Pages" better than their "Mr. Tambourine Man".

― earlnash, Tuesday, 22 July 2003 13:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Dylan's b/c it has a xylophone or something in it and has a strange wandering meter, and because Roger McGuinn's best 12-string hooks were yet to come: "Turn! Turn! Turn!" and "My Back Pages."

― amateurist (amateurist), Tuesday, 22 July 2003 13:52 (twenty-two years ago)

N. is funny.

Byrds. Presumably One Of The Most Important Records Ever.

It is possible to appreciate both in their different ways.

But on reflection, Dylan's version doesn't do that much for me.

― the pinefox, Tuesday, 22 July 2003 14:51 (twenty-two years ago)

Love them both but the Byrds' version shades it - they were one of the first bands to take on cover versions with the aim of minimising meaning and maximising prettiness, which is an approach I adore.

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Tuesday, 22 July 2003 15:06 (twenty-two years ago)

tico, outta curiosity, do you have other favourite examples of this approach?

― cameron, Tuesday, 22 July 2003 15:14 (twenty-two years ago)

The only Byrds Dylan cover which might actually improve on the original. Although having said that McGuinn sings all the bite and weariness out of it like he always does. Fuck it - what am I talking about - it's got to be Bob, even in the case of his most tired tune.

― Alex K (Alex K), Tuesday, 22 July 2003 15:19 (twenty-two years ago)

"You Ain't Goin Nowhere"

"Bells Of Rhymney"

Madonna's "American Pie"

LB's "Jealous Guy"

DJ Sammy "Boys Of Summer"

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Tuesday, 22 July 2003 15:20 (twenty-two years ago)

one month passes...

Dylan's version is the demo. Byrds' version is the finished classic.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 29 August 2003 00:21 (twenty-two years ago)

dylan's version just seems to hit home that little bit harder than me, although i do rather love both. and tim stewart is OTM, the byrds did leave out the best bit.

― Bob Shaw (Bob Shaw), Friday, 29 August 2003 11:39 (twenty-two years ago)

"for me", not "than me"

― Bob Shaw (Bob Shaw), Friday, 29 August 2003 11:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" vs. the Byrds vs Bob Shaw FITE!

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 29 August 2003 11:48 (twenty-two years ago)

my version will feature a solo on the swanny whistle

― Bob Shaw (Bob Shaw), Friday, 29 August 2003 13:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Dylan easily.

― Emilymv (Emilymv), Friday, 29 August 2003 14:42 (twenty-two years ago)

just when my doctor assured me my blood pressure was down, geir returns.

― amateurist (amateurist), Friday, 29 August 2003 16:15 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...

phlar

― phlar, Saturday, 23 April 2005 20:07 (twenty-one years ago)

two months pass...

let dance

― john bender, Sunday, 10 July 2005 17:52 (twenty years ago)

Byrd's cover was a far greater creative achievement than Dylan penning the song. Brilliant McGuinn vocal btw.

― Aaron A., Sunday, 10 July 2005 18:28 (twenty years ago)

And that's Hal Blaine on drums on the Byrds recording. . .

― JAS, Sunday, 10 July 2005 20:09 (twenty years ago)

Byrds. They cut the song in half, kept the best verses, and showed Dylan what he could do with his own material.

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Sunday, 10 July 2005 20:17 (twenty years ago)

(I'll take Dylan's version of "All Along the Watchtower" over Jimi's, though.)

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Sunday, 10 July 2005 20:18 (twenty years ago)

Byrds' version sounds great, but is also slightly lameoid in that it was part of this geeky "oh, we're doin' all these heavy Dylan songs, man" thing.

Dylan wins by a mile.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Sunday, 10 July 2005 20:27 (twenty years ago)

Geir OTM upthread. Dylan is the demo, and the Byrds is the studio verison.

― Orbit (Orbit), Sunday, 10 July 2005 20:37 (twenty years ago)

By that logic, the Boston Pops version of "Eleanor Rigby" kicks butt over the Beatles'.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Sunday, 10 July 2005 20:40 (twenty years ago)

there are plenty of demos a LOT better than their studio versions - much of the original "blood on the tracks," charlie rich's "i feel like going home," "while my guitar gently weeps"...

i like dylan's slightly more. the byrds' version is as pristine and beautiful as their other hits, but dylan's performance is extraordinary. it's one of his ugliest-sounding vocals - he practically belches a few lines - but he really conveys the 'trip' of the song in a way that the byrds don't even try to.

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Monday, 11 July 2005 05:13 (twenty years ago)

BOB DYLAN CAN'T SING

(cue a million weirdos telling me i am a fool and that that is a MYTH.)

― Ian John50n (orion), Monday, 11 July 2005 15:06 (twenty years ago)

ten months pass...

Dylan wins. The Byrds one is way too pretty for the song. You end up picturing the Tambourine Man as being this very sanitized character, maybe with a photobooth set up so you can have your picture taken with the tambourine man. Dylan's is so creaky and airy, you get a good taste of the morning mist after Carnivale or whatever the hell is going on. I can actually get a sense of someone being drawn into this weird journey on drugs following the tambourine man around.

― Doctor Casino (Doctor Casino), Friday, 26 May 2006 03:37 (twenty years ago)

Byrds for the guitar intro alone. It's only one of the most instantly identifiable sounds in the history of rock.

― Carlos Keith (Buck_Wilde), Friday, 26 May 2006 06:23 (twenty years ago)

Dylan by a mile. The Byrds version is lame. Dylan's has a timeless quality to it while the Byrds' just sounds SO 'sixties.'

― smartypants (smartypants), Friday, 2 June 2006 01:00 (twenty years ago)

three years pass...

Byrds' 'Lay Lady Lay' is elemental, that harpsichord-esque guitar seems to scan broad circles high above a stationary earth as the sun soaks the pristine innocence of a 60's I never lived in

Others I give to the Byrds: Bells Of Rhymney, All I Really Wanna Do

Dylan wins Chimes Of Freedom and Mr Tambourine Man

FITE!

― oh shit sorry another useless post (acoleuthic), Saturday, 13 March 2010 21:27 (sixteen years ago)

(For those of you who thought you had me nailed, I was BROUGHT UP on this stuff + a lot of American rock, and this debate is quite an interesting one to me)

― oh shit sorry another useless post (acoleuthic), Saturday, 13 March 2010 21:32 (sixteen years ago)

love them both -- my fave version might be Dylan live in 1966. Who else has done this song (aside from Shatner)?

― tylerw, Saturday, 13 March 2010 21:35 (sixteen years ago)

three months pass...

this thread makes me so mad. geir should be banned from the internets. maybe someone should take him for a walk or something.

i was right seven years ago.

― by another name (amateurist), Friday, 2 July 2010 15:58 (fifteen years ago)

byrds acoustic version of "tambourine man" on that Royal Albert Hall live disc is pretty ace. kind of splits the diff betw. the original byrds version and dylan. i think it's just mcguinn and clarence white.

― tylerw, Friday, 2 July 2010 16:03 (fifteen years ago)

i need to hear that! thanks.

― by another name (amateurist), Saturday, 3 July 2010 00:52 (fifteen years ago)

six years pass...

never dylan, ever

― spud called maris (darraghmac), Monday, 8 May 2017 22:49 (nine years ago)

My gushing about Dylan upthread still sells his version short. This was such a critical song and critical recording for me as a teenager. Twenty years on and I can still remember being in my bedroom listening to my parents' copy of Greatest Hits in the morning before school and being so drawn into this thing, it sounded like nothing I'd heard before.

The cuts for length by the Byrds are understandable given their goals but they cripple the song - not so much the specific lyrics they leave out, but simply the idea of making this song into a diverting 2:18 pleasantry. Sonically it was just as much of a bombshell but it totally loses the unhurried sense of Dylan's, which perfectly fits the narrative of the hazy, pleasantly-bleary, maybe-a-dream morning drift in the tambourine man's wake.

― ✓ (Doctor Casino), Monday, 8 May 2017 23:08 (nine years ago)

the thing about the byrds version is that, as good a recording as it is, it could basically be any song. it doesn't even really feel like the same composition as dylan's song. i like the byrds track because i like basically everything they did in that era, but the quips way upthread about dylan's song being a "demo" for the byrds version are so far off it's ridiculous.

― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Monday, 8 May 2017 23:19 (nine years ago)

i'd contrast that w/ hendrix's "all along the watchtower" where hendrix really seems to be determined to get across the dread and terror in dylan's song, despite how different his version sounds from the original.

― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Monday, 8 May 2017 23:20 (nine years ago)

deems otm

― Punnet of the Grapes (Tom D.), Tuesday, 9 May 2017 00:26 (nine years ago)

Dylan's versions of his songs are better than the covers in nearly ever case, but especially this one

― Treeship, Tuesday, 9 May 2017 00:39 (nine years ago)

the fact that geir preferred the byrds version makes me think that the superiority of the dylan version ought to be an official fact, like put it in the britannica or something

― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Tuesday, 9 May 2017 00:42 (nine years ago)

dylan's tambourine man is a song, the byrds tambouring man is a record

― brimstead, Tuesday, 9 May 2017 00:48 (nine years ago)

Not trying to duck the question--I think they're both incredible, as are these clips.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeP4FFr88SQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUSeJtqHIKE

I only barely think of them as the same song anymore.

― clemenza, Tuesday, 9 May 2017 00:50 (nine years ago)

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