Like most people, when I heard that remixer to the stars Mark Ronson was planning to sprinkle his magic over a Bob Dylan song, I groaned. Not because I consider any such activity sacrilegious; heck, if I could bring myself to admit I didn't completely hate (read: quite enjoyed) Ronson's reworking of the Smiths' Stop Me, I could get over his audacity at taking on Bob. And neither was my objection ideological: the whole concept of Versions (make various indie and rock tracks beloved to a nation sound like they're being played by a wedding funk band, rapping optional) may have been off-putting for most people but I didn't mind it and I'm not ashamed to admit I found the album interesting. For about a week.
And then the total insubstantiality of Ronson's production hit me. Versions sounds completely out of date and it's only been on the shelves for a matter of months. So what could be less exciting than Ronson Vs Dylan?
It was predicted on these pages that any reworking of Dylan's Most Likely You'll Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine) would involve a string section, some horns and a funky beat. Well, I've heard it, or at least the one minute and ten seconds of it available on Ronson's MySpace page, and I can confirm that said prediction is correct. Horns and a funky beat is just about all Ronson's version offers, with the only original aspect being Dylan's vocals. It makes for embarrassing listening. It's horrible.
Now, is anyone willing to defend it?
