Last November, Cat Power took over London’s Royal Albert Hall to recreate Bob Dylan’s iconic 1966 “Royal Albert Hall” concert. That show, during which Power closely followed the setlist of Dylan’s infamous tour, is being memorialized with the new live album Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert, out now via Domino, but you can hear her renditions of now.
Power, aka the musical alias of Chan Marshall, says Dylan’s music has been an inspiration to her since she was five years old. His 1966 tour was a bit contentious to folk purists, as it saw the singer-songwriter switch from acoustic to electric guitar midway through the set. Power, however, is part of the camp who believes the tour was a major turning point in rock ‘n’ roll.
“In a way, Dylan is a deity to all of us who write songs,” she explains in a press release. In songs like “She Belongs to Me” and “Ballad of a Thin Man,” Power’s singing voice is certainly much different than Dylan’s, but her covers are just further proof of the brilliance in his songwriting.
“When singing ‘She Belongs to Me’ in the past, sometimes I turned it into a first-person narrative – ’I am an artist, I don’t look back.’ I really identified with it like that,” she goes on. “But for the show at Royal Albert Hall, I, of course, sang it the way it was originally written — with the respect for the composition…and the great composer.”
Physical orders for Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert are ongoing. Stream the record via Apple Music and Spotify below.
Power will further honor Dylan next February with a tribute show at New York City’s Carnegie Hall. You can grab tickets here.
Meanwhile, Dylan is on a tour of his own, and you can grab remaining tickets here.
Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert Artwork:
Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert Tracklist:
01. She Belongs to Me
02. Fourth Time Around
03. Visions of Johanna
04. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue
05. Desolation Row
06. Just Like a Woman
07. Mr. Tambourine Man
08. Tell Me, Momma
09. I Don’t Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
10. Baby, Let Me Follow You Down
11. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
12. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
13. One Too Many Mornings
14. Ballad of a Thin Man
15. Like a Rolling Stone
