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Michael Hedges — All Along The Watchtower
Album: Live On The Double Planet
Avg rating:
5.4

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Total ratings: 116








Released: 1987
Length: 2:58
Plays (last 30 days): 0
"There must be some way out of here", said the joker to the thief
"There's too much confusion, I can't get no relief
Businessmen, they drink my wine, plowmen dig my earth
None of them along the line know what any of it is worth."

"No reason to get excited," the thief, he kindly spoke
"There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke
But you and I, we've been through that, and this is not our fate
So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late."

All along the watchtower, princes kept the view
While all the women came and went, barefoot servants, too

Outside in the distance a wildcat did growl
Two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl
Comments (14)add comment
 rhlrstn wrote:
Yikes. This song would be intimidating to cover... And I don't find this interpretation does it any justice...
 
I suppose it could be intimidating if one thought about comparing it to the Hendrix cover or something, but it's actually a standard folk progression, pretty easy to play.  Though it's very well-played, I don't find this version especially engaging but I guess it was a part of his live performances back then - sort of like the response to when an audience seems to say "Play something we know."
What a pointless cover of a great song!
Yeah, it's not an any way an improvement on the improvement.   He's a brilliant guitar player, but he can't plug in the feeling at all.  Maybe just a decent alternative.
R .I.P., Michael Hedges. Taken way too young. Outstanding musician. Listen to his other songs. 
I like other things he's done. This is a swing and a miss, sadly.
 linus59 wrote:
A brave attempt.
 
There's a fine line between brave and stupid...
Yikes. This song would be intimidating to cover... And I don't find this interpretation does it any justice...
fo a short moment I thought this was David Byrne
Chicken or the egg: Is he channeling Dylan or Hendrix? If neither had ever been associated with the tune, and this was an original, it would fly a bit higher. Anyway, it's truncated and a bit dull. Noble attempt, though. 
never speak ill of the dead but...
 Grammarcop wrote:
All Around the Watchtower vultures circled, waiting to pick the bones of this interpretation. 

 
Now that is a great comment!
All Around the Watchtower vultures circled, waiting to pick the bones of this interpretation. 
Perhaps this will take a few more hearings. Right now it seems to be more about the fancy instrument that the song itself, IMHO.
A brave attempt.