Bob Dylan

Gavin B. · 08-22-2013, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blastingas10

Epic folk battles: Bob Dylan vs Donavan

Bob Dylan And Donovan - YouTube

I always thought this was pretty funny. I like the look on Donavan's face while bob's playing. He's sort of clinching his jaw, like he feels he's been outdone or he's just pissed at Bob for trying to outshine him. Its hard to tell if bob is being sarcastic when he says "that's a great song".

What do y'all think? Who wins?

Actually that scene from the D.A. Pennebaker documentary is a bit deceptive. Pennebaker wasn't allowed to film the initial encounter between Dylan in Donovan in that London hotel room in 1965. By all reports they got along famously and Donovan later introduced Dylan to the Beatles.

The actual documentary footage for Don't Look Back was staged for Pennebaker after their first meeting together. The scene where Donovan gushes with praise for Dylan's performance was cut from the YouTube video. Donovan actually requested the song It's All Over Now Baby Blue, which was perhaps the best song Dylan wrote to date. If Donovan was feeling competitive with Dylan, why did he request the most powerful song Dylan had ever written after singing one of his lesser known songs?

From Hard Rain: A Dylan Commentary by Tim Riley:

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At the party of his hero, Donovan is beside himself, happy just to be in Dylan's presence. He offers up To Sing For You, a generically innocuous songs the brings squishy smiles to the faces of the listeners. The guitar is handed to Dylan, and Donovan requests "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue."

I've seen that clip from Don't Look Back dozens of times and I don't think there was any animosity between Dylan & Donovan. If anything, Donovan got the last laugh. According to a Donovan biographer, the song he sings, To Sing For You, was a newly written tribute to Joan Baez, Dylan's girlfriend, with whom Donovan had a secret one-night a few nights before encountering Dylan for the first time.

Donovan was only 19 years old when the documentary was filmed and had just signed his first contract with Pye Records. Many critics correctly noted that Donovan was technically a better vocalist and guitar player than Dylan.

In one scene when the hotel management is complaining about bottles being thrown at pedestrians from Dylan's hotel room window, Dylan arrogantly dismisses their complaint, while Donovan humbly offers to go outside and pick up the broken bottles himself.