All Along the Watchtower

November 22, 1967

All Along the Watchtower is a song by Bob Dylan. It first appeared on his album John Wesley Harding, which was released on December 27, 1967. In its original version, the title via an instrumentation with acoustic guitar, bass, harmonica and drums disposal.

In musical significantly altered form was known All Along the Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix in 1968, which added the title to his psychedelic guitar playing and a new rhythm introduced. Bob Dylan himself has endorsed this interpretation later as " significant " and own live performances of the piece is based on it. The Frankfurt Music journalist and radio host Volker Rebell called the Hendrix version of "the essence of rock music par excellence ".

The song has been covered by numerous other singers and groups, such as Michael Hedges, Eric Clapton, Steve Vai, Neil Young, Bryan Ferry, U2, Paul Weller, Pearl Jam, XTC, Matt Roehr, Keziah Jones, Dave Matthews Band, The Grateful Dead, Frank Marino, Lisa Gerrard, Werner Lämmerhirt, the Dutch jazz / rock guitarists guitarist Jan Akkerman and Chris de Burgh and Bear McCreary for the TV series Battlestar Galactica.

Other uses

• The last two lines of text at hand Alan Moore in his comic epic Watchmen and awakened her with an almost literal interpretation to life. Likewise, the song has in movies for comic Watchmen dive - The Guardians of 2009.

• At the end of the third season of the television series Battlestar Galactica, the song plays a central role. It serves as a wake-up signal for the " final five " Cylons. Next make the notes of the song navigation coordinates for the flight to the ground dar. In the series finale finds the interpretation of Bear McCreary and the version of Jimi Hendrix use.