'Sweet Home Quarantine' online show on StageIt.com
All Bob Dylan except the John Prine song as he had just passed away

Review by Steve McGowan from Zub Records
Tonight was the fourth installment of Robyn and Emma Swift streaming from their home on the StageIt platform (www.stageit.com). Tonight’s show was billed as an all-Dylan show. I have never been much of a Dylan fan, but in the live Robyn review (tinyurl.com/zubreglive) I wrote:

Here’s another thing about Robyn Hitchcock. He is a true Dylan acolyte. I myself have never been a big Dylan fan. I understand his importance but I don’t really dig his sound. Robyn always does a Dylan cover, and they are always amazing. He gives the tunes a gravitas, a sense of mystery and melody that are only hinted at. Last year in Asheville, he opened the set with ‘Not Dark Yet,’ which he made sound like the best song ever written. If you’re like me (and you’ve seen plenty of artists do shitty Dylan covers) I encourage you to find a copy of Robyn Sings!, a two disc set of all Dylan covers by Reg. It’s amazing.

After some pleasantries, Dylan talk, and Robyn dubbing Dylan “the matrix where it all begins and ends,” Robyn and Emma were quick out of the gate with ‘Shelter From The Storm’ from Blood On The Tracks, their voices strong and powerful. They mentioned that they were playing mostly Dylan requests, and also a tornado watch was on right now in Nashville. Stuffed animal pals Jermaine (the female koala) and Perry (the lobster) made a quick appearance. They did an almost bouncy version of ‘Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right’ from The Freewheeling Bob Dylan, with Emma sounding super singing solo on a few verses.

Reg and Em talked of John Prine’s passing, and did a touching version of Prine’s ‘Speed Of The Sound Of Loneliness,’after which Robyn remembered Hal Wilmer, the Lou Reed producer and Saturday Night Live music executive, who also just passed. As they talked about playing “cheery” Dylan songs, Robyn said “No matter how dark it gets, it still remains relevant.” They then did another Blood On The Tracks song, ‘Simple Twist Of Fate,’ which Emma sang solo, bringing to it a soulful take. Emma went to get tea, and Robyn played “My favorite song In the world,” ‘Visions Of Johanna’ from Blonde On Blonde. This sprawling, almost Biblical song was given a great, slow interpretation by Robyn, slowed down and savored, not spitting out the lyrics (like Dylan) and bringing a strong melody to the party.

Describing the next song as “a follow up to ‘Sad-Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands,’ Reg did ‘I’m Not There’ from The Basement Tapes. Emma returned and could not find their cats, Tubby and Ringo, but did have tea and Quacky the plastic duck. Both Robyn and Emma sang all of ‘Lay Lady Lay’ from Nashville Skyline, a song in which you can really hear Dylan’s influence on Robyn’s songwriting. Next up was ‘Just Like A Woman,’ with a very pretty (!) arrangement where Emma and Reg sang all of the song in unison. They closed the show with another The Basement Tapes song, ‘Open The Door, Richard’ which ran over time, and the stream cut off.

Another great show. The streaming issues have improved, and these two are so talented and funny. I understand the importance of Bob Dylan. Watching the movie Don’t Look Back was revelatory, I recommend it highly if you haven’t seen it. But I never can get my head around the sound of Dylan’s music. To see artists like Robyn and Emma show us the beauty in Dylan’s music is a wonderful experience. Robyn especially seemed happy to be playing songs by his hero, and that feeling was infectious.

Open the door, Robyn!


Online review by Mark My Words
Here’s a late review of Robyn Hitchcock and Emma Swift’s all-Bob Dylan edition of “Sweet Home Quarantine,” which happened on April 8, 2020. This was the first “Sweet Home Quarantine” show that I tuned into. I enjoyed it a lot, so I’ve been a somewhat regular viewer since then. I had planned to see Robyn at the Turf Club back in April, but since that show was canceled, “Sweet Home Quarantine” has been giving me my Robyn fix.

Because Dylan is such a strong influence on Robyn’s work, it seemed natural to do an all-Dylan show. The show opened with two of Bob’s best songs: “Shelter from the Storm,” and “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.” John Prine had passed away just the day before, and Robyn sang Prine’s song “Speed of the Sound of Loneliness.”

Emma had a chance to show off her terrific voice on “Simple Twist of Fate.” It’s such a lovely and haunting song, and Emma gave it just the right touch. Robyn followed with his favorite Dylan song, “Visions of Johanna,” which he has often sung in concert. It’s always fun to hear Robyn’s version of this great tune. The next song was “I’m Not There,” a Dylan song from 1967 that wasn’t officially released until 2007.

Robyn and Emma harmonized together nicely on “Lay Lady, Lay,” “Just Like a Woman,” and “Open the Door, Richard.” Their voices blend very well together. It’s also fun to see Robyn and Emma’s bantering relationship. She calls him “Hitchcock,” which I find quite funny, and reminds him to stop touching his face. In the first couple of “Sweet Home Quarantine” shows I watched, Emma was sharply in focus, while Robyn remained a little blurry, which seemed quite fitting to me. Robyn referred to his toy trolleybus, Terence, as a “bonsai trolleybus,” which I found hilarious.