13th Floor Elevators, Van Morrison’s Them and San Jose, California’s The Chocolate Watch Band. All three came up the other night while discussing favorite renditions of Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue.” Me, I’m tied between The Chocolate Watchband and Them as, really, the two are not all that dissimilar. I’ve always assumed the Watchband’s psychedelic/garage take was, in essence, just the band doing a ‘cover’ of Them’s version replacing Morrison’s delivery with Watchband vocalist David Aguilar’s Jagger-esque croon. Regardless, this version smokes.
20 thoughts on “The Chocolate Watchband :: It’s All Over Now Baby Blue”
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I’ve gotta say Them trumps this version…
Dylan’s own cover – live in 1966, that appeared on Biograph. It’s AWESOME.
the country gentlemen’s version is pretty decent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yrgo31S74Qo
but their take on dylan’s ‘copper kettle’ on ‘live in japan’ form 1970 is excellent.
http://pigeonkickers.blogspot.com/2007/07/david-coverversion-bob-dylan-vs-country.html
I have to go with the Them version as my favorite. I think Beck sampling it for “Jackass” makes it have an even more special place in my heart. That is easily one of my favorite Beck songs thanks to Them…
This song came over the stereo today at lunch and I stopped a group conversation to talk about it. What a great coincidence that you posted it. Thank you.
I had this version stuck in my head the summer I started Ice Cream Man. so much so that I made a lil video – http://vimeo.com/18067769
full 6-minute movie – http://vimeo.com/18061185
Matt – awesome
Leon Russell’s version of this song on “Leon Russell and The Shelter People” is not to be forgotten…
This version is fantastic. It is so much better than the version with overdubs found on Inner Mystique. Where is this version from? Thank you.
@peter “44”
Thank you. Can’t get enough of it.
definitely the best version.
Dylan says he was thinking of Gene Vincent’s “Baby Blue” when he wrote this song. So a weird line can be drawn from Gene Vincent–>Dylan–>Them–>Beck–>South Austin Jug Band.
13th Floor Elevators still gets the WIN in my book!
You may want to check out the Belfast Gypsy’s version, too. This band consisted of a couple of ex-Them members, and actually recorded their version before Van’s version.
the byrds have a nice version!
Bryan Ferry’s version is elegant and decadent… like much of his work. I favor it highly. And, make no mistake about it – he was cool and hip before you or your parents were. and he will be cool and hip long after you abandon your wannabe writer dreams and work at wal-Mart (did I say that out loud… oops!)Although anything by Chocolate Watchband is worthy. It’s just that goddamned bad imitation of Jaggeresque phrasing that I find hard to get over… Alas, they nonetheless remain all too forgotten.