In celebration of Bob Dylan’s birthday on May 24th, Jessica Rhaye and The Ramshackle Parade released a gospel-folk-rock cover of the folk legend’s “Ring Them Bells.” As the first single off their upcoming album, Just Like A Woman – Songs of Bob Dylan, “Ring Them Bells” comes as just a glimpse of the nod to Dylan that Rhaye has in the works.
Just Like A Woman – Songs of Bob Dylan will be Rhaye’s sixth studio album. Produced by Dale Murray, it’s officially her first album with the backing of The Ramshackle Parade.
“Our version of ‘Ring Them Bells’ — off Dylan’s 26th studio album, 1989’s Oh Mercy — takes on a gospel rock groove,” says Rhaye. “When Dale [Murray] played the piano and organ parts, he followed the approach of ‘organist’ Al Kooper on ‘Like A Rolling Stone’…
“Kooper wasn’t an organ player but wanted very much to be on the record, didn’t know how to play the song, and played late on all the chord changes. It created a signature sound.”
“So I didn’t learn the chords,” says Murray. “I just kinda played along. That was my approach on the organ and piano on everything here.”
In “Ring Them Bells” as well as the rest of the album, the production style takes on a bit of a relaxed style, mimicking the production quality of Dylan’s own music.
“Dylan always approached production with a minimalist hand,” Rhaye continues. “The real people, the noises of the shirt buttons, chairs scraping the floor — mistakes being made — these were allowed to stay in the final tracks rather than cut out on the editing floor. These features always made his work accessible. You could always tell three were real people somewhere in a room playing these tunes together.
“That’s what we hope listeners take away from this record.”
Tour Dates:
09.21.19 – Saint John, NB @ Imperial Theatre
10.09.19 – Fredericton, NB @ Charlotte Street Arts Centre
11.01.19 – Ottawa, ON @ National Arts Centre, Fourth Stage
11.03.19 – Toronto, ON @ Hugh’s Room
11.05.19 – Napanee, ON @ Dog House Studios