8½/10 VARIOUS ARTISTS – CHIMES OF FREEDOM: THE SONGS OF BOB DYLAN, HONOURING 50 YEARS OF AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL (FONTANA)

That’s not enough to make this a successful project, though – agreeing with a concept is not going to raise any money. What will get people’s attention, however, is the collection of Dylan covers by no less than 72 world-class acts (plus the closing track from His Bobness), with only three songs being repeated over all four discs.

The line-up includes Dylan’s forerunners (Pete Seeger – Forever Young), peers/ex-girlfriends (Joan Baez – Seven Curses), kindred spirits (Billy Bragg – Lay Down Your Weary Tune), contemporary contrary folksters (Flogging Molly – The Times They Are A-
Changin’) and, um, Miley Cyrus (You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You’re Gone).

 There is no other context in which all of these individuals would otherwise gather and arguably no other songwriter who has produced enough material of this quality to let them all loose on. A fantastic compilation. – BD