‘He Took Us by Storm’ Features Artists Influenced by Bob Dylan: Review
by Jeff Burger
You won’t find any Bob Dylan recordings or even any of his compositions on the Dylan-themed He Took Us by Storm. Instead, as compiler Philippe Le Bras explains in his extensive liner notes, this anthology, released October 18, 2024, features material written and performed by Dylan’s close contemporaries who were “caught up in the lyrical and musical vortex he had generated around him” in the mid-1960s.
The program embraces many well-known artists, such as Dion, David Crosby, Bob Seger, Boz Scaggs, Leon Russell, Donovan, Tom Rush and Johnny Winter. Most of the tracks are relatively obscure, however, and in a few cases, the link to Dylan is, too. In most of the songs, though, you can clearly hear the influence of albums like Another Side of Bob Dylan, Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde.
As for the quality of the selections, the album cover’s promise of “25 lost classics” is hyperbolic, but the set does showcase a few numbers that might qualify as lost classics, and nearly all the remaining tracks are noteworthy. One standout is Dick Campbell’s self-penned “You’ve Got to Be Kidding,” which sounds reminiscent of Dylan’s “Positively Fourth Street” and features a backup band that includes Mike Bloomfield and Paul Butterfield.
Also excellent are Jackie Washington’s “Long Black Cadillac,” which is rumored to incorporate instrumentation by the Youngbloods, and P.F. Sloan’s “Halloween Mary,” which benefits from guitar work by the Mamas and the Papas’ John Phillips.
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Among other highlights are Woody Guthrie’s “Vigilante Man,” sung by the talented Sammy Walker, whose career was likely hampered by the fact that his voice sounds uncannily like Dylan’s; “Honey,” a track from Eric Andersen’s excellent More Hits from Tin Can Alley; and “Men of Good Fortune,” a Lou Reed demo that first surfaced on 2022’s Words & Music, May 1965.
You probably don’t need this album to appreciate the extent to which Dylan influenced his contemporaries. Still, if you’re a fan of his mid-sixties work, you’re bound to be both fascinated and entertained by this collection.
The album is available in the U.S. here and in the U.K. here.
A top editor at leading consumer and trade magazines for more than 40 years, Jeff has interviewed dozens of musical luminaries, including Bruce Springsteen, Steve Van Zandt, Roger McGuinn, John Sebastian, Wolfman Jack, Tommy James, Tom Waits, the Righteous Brothers, and the members of Steely Dan.
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