The Pretenders‘ Chrissie Hynde has shared details of a new Bob Dylan covers album that she recorded largely over text.
‘Standing In The Doorway: Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan’ comprises nine renditions of Dylan’s songs, released via BMG on May 21 – a few days before the icon’s 80th birthday.
Hynde made the record “almost entirely by text message” with her Pretenders bandmate James Walbourne who, according to a press release, would record an initial idea on his phone and send it to Hynde to add her vocal before the tracks were mixed by Tchad Blak.
Speaking about how the album came together and its inspiration, Hynde said: “A few weeks into lockdown last year, James sent me the new Dylan track ‘Murder Most Foul’. Listening to that song completely changed everything for me. I was lifted out of this morose mood that I’d been in.
“I remember where I was sitting the day that Kennedy was shot – every reference in the song. Whatever Bob does, he still manages somewhere in there to make you laugh because as much as anything, he’s a comedian. He’s always funny and always has something to say. That’s when I called James and said, ‘Let’s do some Dylan covers’ and that’s what started this whole thing.”
‘Standing In The Doorway: Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan’ tracklist:
01. ‘In The Summertime’
02. ‘You’re A Big Girl Now’
03. ‘Standing In The Doorway’
04. ‘Sweetheart Like You’
05. ‘Blind Willie McTell’
06. ‘Love Minus Zero / No Limit’
07. ‘Don’t Fall Apart On Me Tonight’
08. ‘Tomorrow Is A Long Time’
09. ‘Every Grain Of Sand’
Accompanying the release of Hynde’s album is Tomorrow Is A Long Time, a new film that captures the recording process of her Dylan covers.
The Michael Nunn and William Trevitt-directed film features exclusive filmed performances of all nine songs. It airs on Sky Arts on May 24, Dylan’s birthday.
Last month, Hynde teamed up with Fender for a signature guitar, which pays homage to the Ice Blue Metallic Telecaster she purchased in NYC nearly 40 years ago.