Famed guitar hero Joe Perry rocks out Bob Dylan for Amnesty International

Joe Perry, lead guitarist for Aerosmith , rocks out Dylan’s Man of Peace for Amnesty International on Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan.  Profit from the sale of the CDs goes to support humanitarian work of Amnesty International.

The raunchy sound is just perfect – this is a song with attitude. One of 73 covers of Bob Dylan, listening to this song is why my job is so great.

Man of Peace

Bob Dylan Infidels

Man of Peace comes from the Infidels album in 1982. It is one of Dylan’s post-Christian period songs, full of Biblical and apocalyptic references. It’s also a good old rocker. The riff is “sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.”

“Look out your window, baby, there’s a scene you’d like to catch
The band is playing “Dixie,” a man got his hand outstretched
Could be the Führer
Could be the local priest
You know sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace” …

Dixie, Hitler, a priest and Satan – there are enough allusions to fill several songs.

“He’s a great humanitarian, he’s a great philanthropist
He knows just where to touch you, honey, and how you like to be kissed
He’ll put both his arms around you
You can feel the tender touch of the beast
You know that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace”

“Somewhere Mama’s weeping for her blue-eyed boy
She’s holding them little white shoes and that little broken toy
And he’s following a star
The same one them three men followed from the East
I hear that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace” (copyright © 1983 by Special Rider Music )

Christopher Ricks sees Dylan being self-deprecating when the condemns the man of peace for having a smooth tongue and knowing all the love songs.

“He got a sweet gift of gab, he got a harmonious tongue
He knows every song of love that ever has been sung
Good intentions can be evil
Both hands can be full of grease
You know that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace”

This is a reference no doubt to “Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” (3 Corinthians 11:14) (Ricks: Dylan’s Visions of Sin.) Ricks is one of the best books on the inner themes in Dylan’s music by the former editor of the Oxford Book of English Verse.

Oliver Trager wrote the song “found him still high in stump-preacher mode, spewing fire, brimstone, apocalyptic warning and maybe a touch of cock ‘n’ bull (as well as rock and roll)” (Keys to the Rain).  Trager’s Dylan encyclopedia is worth owning if you want the song by song, event by event coverage of Bob Dylan.

Joe Perry

Joe Perry (photo MPR Flickr Creative Commons non-commercial)

Joe Perry is the quintessential bad-boy rock star. The lead guitarist of Aerosmith and comrade of Steven Tyler, he lived the rock life of hard music and drugs. Since Aerosmith broke up he has worked on the Joe Perry Project and various reunions of Aerosmith with Steven Tyler.

His guitar sound is all Gibson Les Paul and Marshall amps with a few Fenders thrown in. The sound of Joe Perry is that raunchy crunch in “Man of Peace” and “Walk This Way”.

Joe Perry likes the famous “boneyard” logo on his guitars. He had Gibson make a special “Billie Perry” ES-335 named after his wife of 27 years.

Joe Perry raises horses and sells table sauces when he’s not busy at music. His latest solo CD is “Have Guitar Will Travel.”

Chimes of Freedom The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International

Most of the talent and engineering on the 73 song, 4-CD set was donated and the profits will go to the worthy work of Amnesty International.

For the complete set list and artists, see Mama You’ve Been On My Mind – We Are Augustines – video

Joe Perry on the Internet

Official Joe Perry website

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