Bob Dylan has set his favourite musicians loose on a pile of Hank Williams's lost lyrics

Sean Michaels
Tuesday February 26, 2008
guardian.co.uk

Bob Dylan is spearheading a project to record a series of incomplete songs by the late, great Hank Williams. "He came upon, somehow, 20-25 unfinished songs by Hank Williams: just the lyrics, no music," the White Stripes' Jack White told MTV News. Dylan has enlisted the help of various contemporary roots musicians, including White, to write and perform music - taking these lost songs and making them found.
"I think it might come out this year," White said. "It's a cool record."

Jack White recorded a song called You Know That I Know at the Blackbird Studios in Nashville. Willie Nelson, Lucinda Williams and Alan Jackson have also been invited by Dylan.
It's an initiative that recalls the Mermaid Avenue albums by Billy Bragg and Wilco. On those records, Bragg and Wilco "finished" songs that had been left uncompleted by Woody Guthrie.

According to some reports, these Woody Guthrie lyric sheets were originally going to be given to Bob Dylan. Woody's daughter, Nora, changed her mind after hearing that Dylan had appeared at a concert for the Pope - an act she deemed contrary to her father's politics. Bragg was approached instead.

The Pope is clearly not a pressing concern for the Hank Williams estate.

http://music.guardian.co.uk/news/sto...ticle_continue

__________________
I have crawled so far sideways
I recognize dim traces of creation

Good golly.

Wonder what Bocephus gon' have to say about dis, huh?

And I know I'm a but I can never decide if it's the height of to try doing a 'bring it to completion" thing with the unfinished works of other departed artists -- or whether it's actually just the height of fucking presumption.

Usually I gotta admit I tilt toward the latter.
Oh wellz.

Interesting to see what kind of hash-up this will be.

Chyia, really really surprised

I can't wait for this.

can i just say how much i love your updates when they involve people like Hank Williams <3

dylan is weak and safe
hank hates bob

Hank Senior's the shit
I've known about this a while (there already was a post?)
its just a matter of waiting..........

alan jackson is a fucking twat. that kind of ruins it for me.

We share the same shit kicking yet crying in the beer country tastes I think. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry is one of the best songs ever written. For the most part new country can suck yeast infections.

__________________
I have crawled so far sideways
I recognize dim traces of creation

HG, I don't like much new country either but the stuff that's a little left of centre is some of the most amazing music ever written. I like that way you describe 'shit kicking yet crying in the beer country'. That's perfect.

I hope Lucinda Williams is involved in this. Her cover of Cold Cold Heart was excellent.

yeah she's mentioned in the article as contributing.

lucinda is one of the few women i can think of who wears being a piss-tank well. usually lady drunks are just disgusting.
and i bet she's a huge fucking cougar. tons of 22 year old cock, and who can blame her?

i'm sick of jack white though. hopefully he fucks off real soon.

I think Jack has three albums in the works, besides this tune, so you may have to go to Guam?

Lucinda I love,but mostly her first album which was more country than rock or folk, and I like the country Wilco stuff, Steve Earle. I know there are a few more, but I am forgeting them right now. But yeah, it's usually stuff that is oddly enough considered "alt country" ( dumb phrase) that I like, whereas the mainstream country hits, for the most part, come off as bad pop to me. If that makes sense?

__________________
I have crawled so far sideways
I recognize dim traces of creation

No, I agree. the mainstream country can verge on torture. It has been watered down into just popular music but the alt country is brilliant. My favourite band for that sound is the Silver Jews. The American water record breaks my heart everytime. I think underneath it all I think that is the best record ever recorded.

Oh, yeah I like the Silver Jews too. Good call.

__________________
I have crawled so far sideways
I recognize dim traces of creation

i love outlaw cuntry pretty dang much.

so win!