"'There's too much confusion, I can't get no relief," says "the joker to the thief" in this highly symbolic song originally written by Bob Dylan. Bear McCreary wrote an alternative setting of it for the Battlestar Galactica TV show, a show about a failed war where the survivors are seeking refuge.
Now, I never saw the show, but from this song, I'd expect the characters to be a determined lot, fighting for survival and for their goals. After checking the Wikipedia entry on the TV show, that seems like it fits. The music is quite interesting, an intriguing combination of archaic and modern. (The show seems to be a futuristic sci-fi with common belief in the Greek gods.)
Anyway, music makes me think of the Middle East and classic rock. The vocals… Well, classic rock, and buried. I think it could sound far better, particularly if the singer's voice wasn't drowned out by the music so often.
The lyrics themselves are odd. A joker and thief are chatting about life philosophies, evidently from a watchtower where they can see the servants and everyone going about their lives. From my research, the joker is Bob Dylan, and he's complaining about the thief (Elvis) getting credit for developing a music style he actually stole from the African American population.
Still. I'd have no way of knowing that without any research, and the song doesn't make much sense even when you do know what it means. The symbolism is likely meant to be open to interpretation, though, so I guess that's okay. And the song does give a good sense of "This is life."
Overall, Bear McCreary's version of "All Around the Watchtower" is worth listening to for the music. Otherwise, it's okay. I suspect that fans of classic rock will like it most.
Lyrics: 4/5
Music: 5/5
Vocal(s): 3/5
Overall: 7/10
Check out the Battlestar Galactica: Season 3 album on Amazon!
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