Jem Records Celebrates Bob Dylan

Written By Mike Greenblatt

Dylan songs have always been so ripe for reinvention ever since The Byrds took “Mr. Tambourine Man” electric in 1965. Jem Records, the New Jersey label that had previously put out celebrations of John Lennon, Brian Wilson, Pete Townshend, Ray Davies, Jagger/Richards and David Bowie, now has a Dylan Celebration and it’s a Jersey-centric Dylan doozy. Amongst the 12 tracks are The Grip Weeds (“This Wheel’s On Fire”) New Brunswick; Paul Collins (“Stuck Inside a Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again”) Leonia; The Cynz (“Neighborhood Bully”) East Brunswick; The Anderson Council (“Queen Jane Approximately”) Highland Park; and The Weeklings (“Rainy Day Women #12 and #35”) Asbury Park. Produced by Jem main man Marty Scott, it was mastered at The House of Vibes in Highland Park and the liner notes were written by Hoboken darling Richard Barone of The Bongos. The songs bristle with static electricity buoyed by a power-punk pop urgency.

Mike Greenblatt

MIKE GREENBLATT has been writing for Goldmine magazine and New Jersey's Aquarian Weekly for more than 35 years. His writing subjects fill the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

He's interviewed Joe Cocker, Graham Nash, David Crosby, Carlos Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Johnny Cash, and members of The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. He was 18 when he attended Woodstock in 1969.

In addition to writing about music, Greenblatt has worked on publicity campaigns for The Animals, Pat Benatar, Johnny Winter, Tommy James and Richard Branson, among others. He is currently the editor of The Jersey Sound.

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