3 of a kind - All along the watchtower

New category - Three of a kind! Comparing 3 versions of the same song. Today: All along the watchtower.

Original
'All along the watchtower' was written by Bob Dylan in 1967, and appeared on his album from that year, John Wesley Harding. Most of 1967 had been quiet for Dylan following his motorcycle accident, and when he returned with the JWH album, he had gone back to the largely acoustic style of his initial albums. AATW featured a simple melody and Dylan's trademark harmonica/acoustic guitar sound. The album itself didn't have any real hits for Dylan, but AATW has since become one of his much loved songs, and one that Dylan estimates that he's played over 1500 times over the years.

Best known
In 1968, the Jimi Hendrix Experience released a version of the song on the album Electric Ladyland. Hendrix's version was radically different from Dylans, opening with a short guitar solo and featuring his innovative guitar-work throughout. Even below his vocal line, the guitar is still working it's way through the song, and in between the verses he lets rip with some great solos. This version was instantly more memorable and more famous than Dylan's original, and the single release of it reached #20 on the Billboard chart. The greatest thing to be said about this best known (and simply BEST) version of the song, was said by it's composer himself. Dylan revealed in the liner notes of his Biograph box set that he preferred Hendrix's more rocking version of the song, and Dylan himself would play it closer to Hendrix's version when playing it live. Hendrix would also record other Dylan songs, most notably 'Drifter's Escape'.

Latest
One of the latest interpretations of the song was recorded by Bryan Ferry, and included on his 2007 album of Dylan covers, Dylanesque. Featuring blues rock great Robin Trower on a blistering guitar, Ferry's version leans mostly on the Hendrix rendition but the guitar work and vocal line is quite different. Where Jimi Hendrix let his passion for the material shine through and allowed himself to go slightly off key on a few lines, Ferry's vocal delivery is comparatively quiet and restrained like much of his work is, and Trower throws in his own brand of soloing throughout.

Bottom line
All three versions of the song are great, but Hendrix's version is by far the best and the most famous. It features prime examples of his amazing guitar skills and is one of my favourite Dylan covers ever. Rolling Stone magazine included it on it's list of the 500 greatest songs ever, at #48! Not bad for a cover version at all.

Also...
Among countless others, the song has also been recorded by the following:
The Fratellis
Eddie Vedder
U2 (live)
Dave Matthews Band (live)
Grateful Dead
Neil Young