Beware of Le Bob: Hugues Aufray

While Johnny ’alliday mimed the Gallic Elvis in the Sixties, Hugues Aufray took the part of the French Bob. In 1965, he recorded Aufray chante Dylan, adapting Bobster songs like It Ain’t Me, Babe (Ce n’était pas moi) or All I Really Want To Do (Ce que je veux surtout) – a stunt he repeated in 1996 with Aufray Trans Dylan. New Yorker, his brand new hommage to the three-chords prophet, mainly features duet versions of the most blowin'-in-the-wind Dylan classics, among them collaborations with Alain Souchon, Eddy Mitchell, Jane, and Carla. My grandpa thinks it sounds thrillingly authentic ... though he missed a duet with, erm, Demis Roussos.

Hugues Aufray w/ Jane Birkin – Tout comme une vraie femme
Hugues Aufray w/ Carla Bruni – N’y pense plus, tout est bien


Bonus #1: Aufray’s version of Dylan’s Motorpsycho Nightmare, 1965. The right stuff.

Hugues Aufray – Cauchemar Psychomoteur


Bonus #2: French 60s garage princes Les 5 Gentlemen with Dis-Nous Dylan. Original by The Sandals, who also scored Bruce Brown’s surf dream Endless Summer. Shoot the curl!


Les 5 Gentlemen – Dis-Nous Dylan
The Sandals – Tell Us Dylan
The Sandals – Theme from Endless Summer


Bonus #3: The answer, my friend. Mark Vidler’s grand bastard remix crossover of The Times They Are a-Changin’ and Like a Rolling Stone. Plus Dr. Seuss told through the voice of Bob Dylan. Genius!


Go Home Productions – Rolling Times
Dylan Hears a Who – Green Eggs and Ham