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Bob Dylan<\/a> recorded the original version of his song “All Along the Watchtower<\/a>” on Nov. 6, 1967. Less than a year later, the Jimi Hendrix<\/a> Experience recorded such a memorable version that if you type the song title into Google, it comes up as a “song by Jimi Hendrix.”<\/p>\n Even Dylan admitted the guitarist’s version was awfully powerful.<\/p>\n “I liked Jimi Hendrix’s record of this and ever since he died<\/a> I’ve been doing it that way,” he said in the booklet that accompanied his 1985 album Biograph<\/a><\/em>. “Strange how when I sing it, I always feel it’s a tribute to him in some kind of way.”<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 1. Brewer & Shipley<\/a><\/strong> “Watchtower” but imagine it’s sung by folky cowboys. That’s the best way we can describe this version by Brewer & Shipley.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 2. Dave Mason<\/a><\/strong> Dave Mason played a 12-string acoustic guitar on Hendrix’s version of “All Along the Watchtower,” a gig he would later recall <\/a>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.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 3. U2<\/a><\/strong> Here is the first of a few live versions of “Watchtower” we’ve included on this list. In\u00a0U2’s 1988 documentary, also titled Rattle and Hum<\/em><\/a>, Bono <\/a>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.”<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 4. Indigo Girls<\/strong> Indigo Girls’ version of “Watchtower” appeared on their very first live album, 1991’s Back on the Bus Y’all<\/em>. The vocal here is outstanding, on top of some excellently-layered acoustic guitars.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 5. Neil Young<\/a>,\u00a0Willie Nelson<\/a>\u00a0and Crazy Horse<\/strong> 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…<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 6. Buddy Miles Express<\/strong> Buddy Miles was a member of Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 7. The Grateful Dead<\/a><\/strong> Back in the late ’80s, Dylan and the Grateful Dead toured together<\/a>, 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<\/a> on lead vocals.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 8. Dave Matthews Band<\/a><\/strong> 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\u00a0Red Rocks Amphitheatre\u00a0in\u00a0Morrison,\u00a0Colorado.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 9. Neil Young and Chrissie Hynde<\/a><\/strong> Here we are back with Neil Young, who also performed “Watchtower” with Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders<\/a>. (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<\/em><\/a> in 2021.)<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 10. Taj Mahal and the Hula Blues Band<\/strong> Who says “Watchtower” couldn’t benefit from a little saxophone part? It works here on Taj Mahal’s 2001 version of the song.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 11. Paul Weller<\/a><\/strong> Paul Weller’s 2004 album Studio 150<\/em> is a collection of 12 different covers, including one of “Watchtower.” There’s some great backing vocals here from\u00a0Carleen Anderson, Sam Leigh Brown and Claudia Fontaine.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n
From: Weeds<\/em> (1969)<\/p>\n
From: Dave Mason<\/em> (1974)<\/p>\n
From: Rattle and Hum<\/em><\/a> (1988)<\/p>\n
From: Back on the Bus, Y’all<\/em> (1991)<\/p>\n
From: 1994 Farm Aid<\/p>\n
From: Hell and Back<\/em> (2004)<\/p>\n
From:\u00a0Various Live Versions<\/p>\n
From:\u00a0Live at Red Rocks 8.15.95\u00a0<\/i>(1997)<\/p>\n
From: Road Rock Vol. 1<\/em> (2000)<\/p>\n
From:\u00a0Hanapepe Dream\u00a0<\/i>(2001)<\/p>\n
From: Studio 150<\/em> (2004)<\/p>\n