No. 95

All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix (1968) Video - This is a very difficult song to rank because it's Bob Dylan's song. He deserves most of the credit, but this is my list of favorite songs and I simply enjoy the Hendrix version more. U2 and Dave Matthews Band have both recorded this on live albums. My guilt for ranking the cover ahead of the original was largely overcome by this Bob Dylan quote, "It overwhelmed me, really. He had such talent, he could find things inside a song and vigorously develop them. He probably improved upon it by the spaces he was using. I like Jimi Hendrix's record of this and ever since he died I've been doing it that way....Strange how when I sing it, I always feel it's a tribute to him in some kind of way."

Nobody seems to really know what the song is about. Dylan was in the midst of expanding his family, with children born in 1966 & 1967, and he had a renewed interest in the Bible, which was reflected in his music. There exists some similarity to the passages of Isaiah 21:5-9, but there's also a Watchtower Building in Brooklyn that is said to have been the influence for the song. Any microcosmic examination of the lyrics will, as in most Dylan songs, result in the reviewer either going insane or sounding really stoned, so let's accept it for what it is, an awesome rock 'n roll record.