Bob Dylan cover album

[Tommie52]

I just read that Bob Dylan is planning a cover album: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/ ... 5-20141031
Hopefully 'I Could've Had Religion' is one them.

[Tom Jonas]

I have never understood what Could I have religion is all about, probably because I am an agnostic. But, on the other hand, I have never really listened to the text. As a musical piece I don't think it is any of Rory's highlights, but the poetic text could be something subtile which an agnostic protestantic Swede never could understand.

[capo]

Well, I'm a Atheist but I think I know what the song is about, SEX Rory has met up with a BAD woman, who has led him astray from a, say we say, a pure, upright life. And know he has the "Devil" in him! Or not.

[AnnaMaria]

I don´t understand the lyrics either but then I´m a Swede too.
But did Rory write this song? Or is it a trad arr?

[Tom Jonas]

Great!
Another Swede who has realised the immense impact on the musical scene that Rory had, which we have heard from many powerful sources. I'm sure Jack Bruce was one of them.
No, we will never understand the Irish relation with the Church. Traveling around you soon notice the importance of Churchs in Irish towns and villages. Is that what the text is about? The impact of the Church on the daily life and more subtle existential issues?

[RobertaSparrow]

First I hope that "I Could Have Had Religion" will be on Dylan's album, but I won't be surprised if it isn't. It would be nice if musicians like Dylan, who knew and enjoyed Rory's music, would do some of his music to keep his memory alive, but if Dylan played Cork, yet never saw fit to mention Rory in his home town, I don't think I expect much more from him.

I Could've Had Religion isn't a terribly intricate song, but that is not what makes it great. It's a simple blues, brought to life by Rory's passionate musicianship. It was a favorite of the crowd, as soon as he started the recognizable intro you could feel the crowd's attention. It's just like any of Rory's more intense performances, a showcase for his talent. And when he began to play it again, toward the end of his life, in parts he sang it took on almost the passionate pleading of a prayer. Maybe to Rory it was.

Did he write it or didn't he? He always attributed it to someone else. Prior to Rory's first recordings of it, I haven't found quite the same tune done by anyone before him. Found similar ones. There was a thread on this forum that went round and round about that.

The Thread viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3203

And seems to me that one of the reasons Dylan did not record the tune previously, was that his staff in researching it, found it was mostly Rory's creation, undoubtedly influenced by many others. But since Dylan claimed in clear conscience he couldn't record it and say, traditional arranged by Bob Dylan, that he would have to acknowledge Rory as its author, he declined to record it.

The song IMHO is about love gone bad, yes about sex, but more about corruption and the loss of innocence, and about "evil" women controlling men through sex. As written by a man of course.

It's a great song.

And BTW, Catholicism isn't unique to the Irish

RobertaSparrow the Dark One

[AnnaMaria]

Ooops, no wonder I didn´t understand the lyrics. You know here in Sweden we don´t do sex. It´s a number (6!) and my children arrived with the stork

I Think I have to listen more carefully to the song. Honestly I haven´t payed it enough attention. It might be a "It took some time" song to get used to.

I haven´t been to Ireland but I have visited a lot of other catholic countries. I love visiting the big Cathedrals. Just to sit there in silence, no priests, no loud speaking Tourists, in the dark, whith a Candle you get these feelings of happieness just being alive. Ok, I´m born a protestant but my religion would be more like homemade. I love visiting mosques, synagogues, churches too.