Now that we know the songs that will be on Bob Dylan’s next album, Shadows In The Night, all of which are best known for Frank Sinatra’s recordings of them in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. I thought it would be fun to hear Sinatra’s versions, along with versions of three of them by Dylan.
In addition to Dylan’s version of “Full Moon And Empty Arms,” which was officially made available online last May, I’ve included a live version of “Stay With Me” from one of the Beacon Theater shows, and two versions of “That Lucky Old Sun,” one with Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers backing Dylan.
In a statement Bob Dylan said this about the upcoming album: “It was a real privilege to make this album. I’ve wanted to do something like this for a long time but was never brave enough to approach 30-piece complicated arrangements and refine them down for a 5-piece band. That’s the key to all these performances. We knew these songs extremely well. It was all done live. Maybe one or two takes. No overdubbing. No vocal booths. No headphones. No separate tracking, and, for the most part, mixed as it was recorded. I don’t see myself as covering these songs in any way. They’ve been covered enough. Buried, as a matter a fact. What me and my band are basically doing is uncovering them. Lifting them out of the grave and bringing them into the light of day.”
Enjoy.
Frank Sinatra, “I’m A Fool To Love You”:
Frank Sinatra, “The Night We Called It A Day”:
Frank Sinatra, “Stay WIth Me”:
Bob Dylan, “Stay With Me,” live at the Beacon Theater, NYC, Nov. 29, 2014:
Frank Sinatra, “Autumn Leaves”:
Frank Sinatra, “Why Try To Change Me Now”:
Frank Sinatra, “Some Enchanted Evening”:
Frank Sinatra, “Full Moon And Empty Arms”:
Bob Dylan, “Full Moon And Empty Arms”:
Frank Sinatra, “Where Are You?:
Frank Sinatra, “What’ll I Do”:
Frank Sinatra, “That Lucky Old Sun”:
Bob Dylan & Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, live, True Confessions Tour, 1986:
Bob Dylan, “That Lucky Old Sun,” live, Irvine Meadows Amphitheate, Irvine, CA, June 29, 2000:
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[I just published my rock ‘n’ roll novel, True Love Scars.” Rolling Stone has a great review of my book in a recent issue. Read it here. There’s info about True Love Scars here.]