Link to Song: Quinn the Eskimo
Manfred Mann’s Cover Version: Quinn the Eskimo
Grateful Dead Cover Version: Quinn the Eskimo
What you should know about this song: This was another song Dylan released through the “Basement Tapes” recording, which he made with future members of The Band. The song was first brought to public attention by the British pop group Manfred Mann, who had received the “Basement Tapes” version and made their cover that topped the UK charts in early 1968. The next year, Dylan and The Band played “Quinn the Eskimo” at the Isle of Wight festival, the recording of which was included on Dylan’s 1970 release Self Portrait.
“I think Dylan really loved the stuff we did, and in the 60s he said he preferred our versions to anyone else’s. That’s because we treated them with a lack of respect and changed things around, rather than just copying them.” – Manfred Mann*
*Source: “Dylan: 100 Songs and Pictures” by Fine Communications
Photo Source: Don Hunstein
