13 Overlooked Covers of Bob Dylan’s ‘All Along the Watchtower’

Bob Dylan recorded the original version of his song “All Along the Watchtower” on Nov. 6, 1967. Less than a year later, the Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded such a memorable version that if you type the song title into Google, it comes up as a “song by Jimi Hendrix.”

Even Dylan admitted the guitarist’s version was awfully powerful.

“I liked Jimi Hendrix’s record of this and ever since he died I’ve been doing it that way,” he said in the booklet that accompanied his 1985 album Biograph. “Strange how when I sing it, I always feel it’s a tribute to him in some kind of way.”

But Hendrix was not the only person to give “Watchtower” their own spin. Below, in no particular order, we’ve rounded up 13 other covers of the song that are worthy of being checked out.

1. Brewer & Shipley
From: Weeds (1969)

“Watchtower” but imagine it’s sung by folky cowboys. That’s the best way we can describe this version by Brewer & Shipley.

 

2. Dave Mason
From: Dave Mason (1974)

Dave Mason played a 12-string acoustic guitar on Hendrix’s version of “All Along the Watchtower,” a gig he would later recall as being “one of the most incredible, inspiring musical experiences I’ve ever had.” But he also recorded his own version for his 1974 self-titled solo album, playing an excellent lead guitar part.

 

3. U2
From: Rattle and Hum (1988)

Here is the first of a few live versions of “Watchtower” we’ve included on this list. In U2’s 1988 documentary, also titled Rattle and Hum, Bono can be heard saying: “What other band in our position would learn the chords of ‘All Along the Watchtower’ five minutes before they went on stage, play it live and record it? No one.”

 

4. Indigo Girls
From: Back on the Bus, Y’all (1991)

Indigo Girls’ version of “Watchtower” appeared on their very first live album, 1991’s Back on the Bus Y’all. The vocal here is outstanding, on top of some excellently-layered acoustic guitars.

 

5. Neil Young, Willie Nelson and Crazy Horse
From: 1994 Farm Aid

At 1994’s Farm Aid, two of the festival’s cofounders, Neil Young and Willie Nelson, came together to perform a song by another of its cofounders. That would be “All Along the Watchtower” by Dylan. More on Young a little later…

 

6. Buddy Miles Express
From: Hell and Back (2004)

Buddy Miles was a member of Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys from 1969 to 1970, so its fitting that he later recorded an incredibly funky version of “Watchtower” with his own band, the Buddy Miles Express.

 

7. The Grateful Dead
From: Various Live Versions

Back in the late ’80s, Dylan and the Grateful Dead toured together, so the Dead got pretty good at playing “Watchtower.” So much so that they kept playing it at their own solo shows, like in the video below from 1993 with Bob Weir on lead vocals.

 

8. Dave Matthews Band
From: Live at Red Rocks 8.15.95 (1997)

Many years ago, Dave Matthews would play “All Along the Watchtower” while busking on the streets of Amsterdam. His career grew from there, which led him to performing the song in a more professional fashion at places like the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado.

 

 

9. Neil Young and Chrissie Hynde
From: Road Rock Vol. 1 (2000)

Here we are back with Neil Young, who also performed “Watchtower” with Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders. (And in case you’d like to hear more of Hynde doing Dylan, she released an entire covers album called Standing in the Doorway: Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan in 2021.)

 

10. Taj Mahal and the Hula Blues Band
From: Hanapepe Dream (2001)

Who says “Watchtower” couldn’t benefit from a little saxophone part? It works here on Taj Mahal’s 2001 version of the song.

 

11. Paul Weller
From: Studio 150 (2004)

Paul Weller’s 2004 album Studio 150 is a collection of 12 different covers, including one of “Watchtower.” There’s some great backing vocals here from Carleen Anderson, Sam Leigh Brown and Claudia Fontaine.

 

12. Bryan Ferry
From: Dylanesque (2007)

Bryan Ferry also put out a full album of Dylan covers — his was called Dylanesque and it came out in 2007. “All Along the Watchtower” is on it, but we do recommend checking out the others, too.

 

13. Eddie Vedder
From: I’m Not There Soundtrack (2007)

Not only did Eddie Vedder record a cover of “All Along the Watchtower,” the song appeared in the 2007 Dylan-inspired film I’m Not There.