Jason and the Scorchers - Absolutely Sweet Marie

Artist: Jason and the Scorchers
Song: Absolutely Sweet Marie (Bob Dylan)
Album: Fervor (1983)

[@ChannelEleven59]

I'd trade this Nashville for the one we have now.

[@AudioFileZ]

Yeah, even a decade ago. It's so yuppied up to the point of sick.

[@robertwomack1411]

You said it man

[@rachelpsmith3129]

I saw them open for Talking Heads in Nashville in probably 1985. Might have been the best show I ever saw. For a brief moment that year Jason and the Scorchers seemed like the greatest rock band in the world and like their great success was inevitable. That didn't happen but that night he came out in a red devil costume and cowboy hat and the music was loud violent and exciting. It was amazing.

[@joe10jo]

I went to high school in Nville around the same time and some Of us would skip school to see them jam @ the Quad @ Vandy.

[@JCKnuckles]

Jason and the Nashville Scorchers were incredible ❤

[@robbbarnett4978]

I knew the drummer Perry Baggs in his last years. He was a great guy and lived a life only some know; Traveled the World and was a hell of a drummer. RIP Perry, many miss you, but you live on in your music.

[@AudioFileZ]

Thank you Bob for writing a song that Jason and crew could take to stratospheric heights. Your song is the bomb, but this version is the de facto version, end of discussion.

[@thomasgallagher7092]

I saw them open for Stevie Ray Vaughn in October of 1984 at the Agora Ballroom in West Hartford CT

[@El_Jackalope]

That must have been awesome!

[@wynnmatthews1858]

I was 18 when they cut this track. Man, what I wouldn't give for a time machine to go back...

[@Ralphieboy]

First J&S song I ever heard, I was hooked immediately.

[@aljustal6554]

It was also the first Scorchers song I ever heard circa early 1984. When I learned that Bob Dylan wrote it, and that it could be found on an album I'd never heard of from 1966 called "Blonde On Blonde", I had to check that out as well. I fell totally in love with that Dylan album, but never lost my love for the Scorcher version of the song, either. They sped it up and toughened it, although they left out about a third of the lyrics.

[@chuckschillingvideos]

I feel sorry for you that you cannot appreciate a song like this. And, yes, it's a great cover of a Dylan song.

[@petersnerdly]

These guys nailed it. That's why it sounds so good 30 years later somewhere bob Dylan happy

[@drowningin]

A happy Bob Dylan? Does such a thing truly exist?

[@jkj10]

@@drowningin he’s probably a lot happier than some might think.

[@victorwaddell6530]

duct tape cowboy boots , treated like lepers In Nashville, leopardskin stetson hat , the first band I got drunk listening to in 1984. harvest moon . lead guitarist played with iggy pop . GO SCORCHERS !

[@TGiannini007]

Spoke with Warner’s mom at one show at the University of Georgia around 83.

[@clengquist]

Man did I enjoy seeing them WITH REM in Hoch Auditorium at the University of Kansas. Ah, to be 20 again!

[@petersnerdly]

Warner Hodges is one of the greats!

[@viiimusic9913]

Second floor stage at Tootsie's. And that view of the Ryman is no longer possible because of the museum across the street. Nashville is different from back then but ill still go back there at the drop of a hat. I just wish bands like this were still playing as often there.

[@erichimmelreich8814]

Got a nice raw edge to It!!! Worthy of turning way up on volume!!!🎸🎸🎸

[@NashvilleMac]

Heard about Perry Baggs (the Scorchers' drummer) passing away day before yesterday, and had to look this up. I can still remember like it was yesterday the band playing Alternative Jam at Cantrell's in Nashville; Perry was flailing the drums, Warner was almost sawing his guitar in half, and at the end of the song Jason jumped and got enough air to put his fist through the drop ceiling. Most energetic performances EVER! RIP Perry.

[@MrPicroute]

Here we are ! That's what I call real music ! Great hello to all the fans from a Belgian fan !

[@Staroth999]

I was in this video never thought I would see this again! Thanks for posting it!

[@larrynapier5003]

I was a part of this I wrote White Lies & If Money Talks, do you know. Carla Ross

[@drowningin]

Which one are you? The girl in purple? My dream?

[@sickboyjg]

screenshot or it didn't happen.. lol

[@hersheysnake]

@@sickboyjg... Nobody cares weather you believe or not... Now be a good little troll and go away...

[@drowningin]

She's not lying. I just wonder which babe she is in the video. I love the girl in purple.

[@flailingerman]

A-men brother!! Got to see 'em twice, once in the eighties and then again late 90's I think. These guys started the whole cow-punk movement and this song was one of the keys!!!

[@mikewattdisciple]

I saw them last night for the first time in 15 years. Man, they still bring it as hard as ever! Jason and Warner have so much energy. And the new album is really good, too--they played a mix of that and the early stuff. Don't miss'em if they come to your town.

[@robbburns4707]

One of the reason that the 80s were great REAL MUSIC THAT ROCKED.

[@aljustal6554]

Opening shot is inside Hatch Show Print. Still going strong since its founding in Nashville in 1879, although it has since moved from its Lower Broadway location depicted here. Also depicted: Tootsie's Orchid Lounge. At around the 2:29 point, the boys in the band exit the back door of Tootsie's and head across/up the alley to the Ryman Auditorium. That alley is right where they took the cover photo for the "Fervor" EP, their first major label release--they walk right by the same "Welcome Opry Boys" sign.

[@igloo3232]

best live "bar" band in the world with the possible exception of Dash Rip Rock. But they deserved to be far more than what the record companies allowed them to achieve.

[@nancyaiken5732]

One of my all-time faves!! I listened to this on the way to work today and it made my day. ❤❤👍

[@babylonbob]

saw these guys in 83 at Harolds in ATL. Jason fell off stage on top of my date and knocked her tooth out we been in love with them ever since no hard feelings it was rock n roll the way it was soposed to be Raw barebones and the greatest live act I ever saw except for Elvis and maybe The drive by truckers!P. Braggs your in my prayers take care brother I'll see you june 2

[@john9944]

If Bob Dylan had only known. I saw Jason as well as The Del Lords and Del Fuegos in a period of about a month....Now that was a pretty good month.

[@GrlLeastLikelyTo]

This is so 80s... it reminds me of being born.

[@chuckschillingvideos]

I positively adore the guitar harmonic at 2:04. Magical.

[@rocmiller3]

Awesome bob dylan song!

[@porgy]

Saw them at Mississippi Nights on Laclede's Landing in St Louis back in the 80's. After the show Warner and I went bar hopping. What a fun night that was.

[@RisteardXD4]

Just discovered these guys while searching for different punk genres. They were listed as cow punk. Never thought I'd find a band that encompasses two different genres that I enjoy: punk and country! They remind me, in the way they mix two vastly different genres well, of The Pogues, while Shane MacGowan was the frontman.

[@ginoedmisten824]

Best. Dylan. Cover. Ever.

[@catfatherb2072]

Great live band to boot!

[@nancyaiken5732]

Agree 💯 ❤

[@larrynapier5003]

We loved Tootsie she fed us ! I miss her !

[@hopsista321]

One of the best bands ever, this was listened at lake Saimaa beaches during summer '88 and since that :)

[@porgy]

saw them twice in the 80's at mississippi nights in st. louis. i took the guitar player to another bar where this band was playing and he got up and jammed with them. great night.

[@avalancha13]

Yeah the Scorchers still kick ass. I saw em in Raleigh, a couple of nights ago. I was into them in the 80's. And you hit it on the head thinking they are Nashvilles answer to the Ramones.

[@MikBarn99]

'Fervor' ,one of my fav discs ever, 'Lost and Found too',....and great video,..pure dynamite r'n'r ,..a gem

[@powerkor]

cool, these guys should be doing well in the rock/country biz today

[@hagakure6410]

what I always liked about this song besides the fact it just rocked is that it still manages to channel Dylan even though it's rocked out. and the lead singer always reminded me of a young Bill Paxton. :)

[@HugeGene]

My fav Cuntry-Punk band, mid-80's. Saw 'em in concert in 1986 in a Tequila- drenched stew in a sweaty, crowded club in Charlotte. BEST R n' R show of me life... " So where are you tonight, Sweet Marie???"

[@JohnTurner313]

I've always loved this song, I had it on 45 RPM in the 80s and just about wore it out. That line "Six white horses!" has always stuck with me, love it!! Their live shows were super fun!

[@radiomindchatter7994]

That's the Nashville I remember!

[@MarkMingrone]

The people who thought of those party bus concepts weren't even born in '83. Heck, the parents of the bachelorettes partying on those busses weren't even dating in '83. Let's fire up the DeLorean!

[@paisleydiana]

saw them live once... they ROCKED!!! ..what a trip down memory lane...I feel a little old now..wonder if my kids would like them? Don't have their cassette anymore : )

[@avalancha13]

Saw the Scorchers in Raleigh, 1-8-11. They still kick ass.

[@zephyrsmyth]

I bartended at the Exit/In in Nashville when these guys were a new band. They always melted the crowd but I remember the fun when they would hang out after closing and party with me and Bruce and a few of the select. Awesome band-Incredible people. But they shouldn't have let the corporation talk them into changing their name. Originally, it was Jason and the Nashville Scorchers. They thought it would make the rest of the nation think they were a country band.

[@markkickmark]

WARNER EFFIN' HODGES!

[@TheBham54]

love this...gotta be one of the best guitar solos in country (or rock) ever...burn it up

[@bombardier2011]

ABSOLUTELY THE BEST VERSION OF THIS DYLAN`S SONG!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!

[@yotusboscrotus]

Thanks for this! I saw these guys at the long-defunct Howard Street Tavern in Omaha in 1983. There was no one at the show! We had a great time drinking beer and talking to the band between sets..........

[@daylefreddie]

one of the best versions of a dylan song just love it

[@CWM11B]

I have all the albums. AWESOME band!

[@maxgrossmann1636]

CWM11B I want all the albums!!

[@machias88]

thanks for the trip back in time! classic & killer.

[@jjschultz101]

One of the most entertaining live bands that I've ever seen. The video is so dated, but captures some great Nash Vegas landmarks, like Hatch Show print in the beginning. But that dancing, LOL, OMG! thank goodness the 80's are past us!

[@VerbotenDingleberry]

Best version *ever*.

[@SPJBR]

This song is like a freight train and the video is classic 80’s! I’m sure it’s a several long lost mix tapes.

[@kevinsmith8321]

One of my favorite covers of all time!

[@Bullovvic]

I saw them just last week in sweden. They've been doing their thing for a real while, but shit if they don't still look like they enjoy it, and do it well!

[@wrotenwasp]

Damn, haven't heard this since the early - mid 80s. I remember buying the cassette tape at Harmony house in Farmington Mi in the summer of 1983. Great music for cruising Telegraph Rd on a Saturday night.

[@TNbear0126]

A band I was in 30 years ago used to cover this. I wish we had another crack at it. Such a wild, fun song to play! It’s a rocker…

[@Cryuff4]

Love these f'ers. In their prime they could rock and and hold their own with any of the greats. If Money Talks Live is up there with anyone's close the show encore number.

[@TEXASFENDERBENDER]

Are you kidding-these boy still blow the roof off!! Also Dan Baird & Warner Hodges band Homemade Sin!!

[@gwendaley9386]

TEXASFENDERBENDER Also check out Warner with the killer Drivin'N'Cryin',and they fucn rock you all...

[@qkitselectronics5415]

Wow, youtube is good for something, never thought I would hear this again, listen to the whole album it rocks, thanks for posting 100 thumbs up :-) I should mention I had this on tape, wore it out, that's why I thought it was lost forever.

[@drowningin]

I was listening to this album driving down the interstate the day I got arrested, and served 8 years in prison. This record was as great a send off to prison as you could wish for! I lost that car, and everything in it including this record because they auctioned it off while I was away );

[@moondevil41]

I've never seen this before. JATS were one of a kind! Thanks for posting this.

[@treatmentbound]

35 years (!!) after I first heard the song, I finally saw the orig. video for it. Great cover by Jason and his smokin’ hot band.

[@hecubot]

Pin a Nobel Prize to the lapel of this song.

[@TGiannini007]

Saw these guys in 1982 when they were called Jason and the Nashville Scorchers.

[@AngrySemite]

Saw them opening for SRV in, IDK, '85? Great band.

[@markko17]

7 Justin Bieber fans have no idea what they just heard.

[@cmdennison]

The best live Cowpunk band ever. My rock life would suck...if i had never seen the Scorchers.

[@BenSHammonds]

Oh yes, my old school days song :) Love it

[@velvetmikey111]

So catchy it hurts

[@jayhawks69]

THANK YOU very much!!! love the scorchers since 1983- never saw that video!!!

[@sts44]

La meilleure version à mon avis

[@edforeman6401]

The best Cowpunk band.

[@hannestre3941]

Love this song!

[@cabbey31]

30 year anniversary?!? Hehe, Rick Zig - *NICE*!!!

[@eldo500]

Oh man, this is amazing!

[@stevemance6063]

the best band EVER !

[@Cryuff4]

They killed. Damn good.

[@STS777]

I love this band!!

[@vaughansinclair1897]

Ahhh Mercy... I first saw this video on a Big T V... Ahh That Is Working----All the way through it----Get your Back Beat a 'Thumpin'----And those licks for me! (thanks for posting!)

[@jayhawks69]

THIS IS my alltime Scorchers Fav- thank you so very much for posting!

[@drowningin]

Townes, is that you buddy?!

[@poughkeepsiejohn1]

If The Ramones grew up in Nashville instead of Queens, New York, they would've been Jason And The Scorchers.

[@theonlytruepunk]

Great stuff, kids.

[@Magicbrianwood]

Great song. Great vid. Cheers 'Dan

[@Remeday]

Hell yeah good stuff. Good Ol' Cowpunk!!

[@dj99surf]

Just got turned on to them. Great driving song!

[@Poordumbcracker]

Kick ass version.

[@bhdctn]

A cross between The Sex Pistols and Hank Williams Was always the way they were discribed dromed by my circle of friends.. I was living in Cleveland TN but saw them in Atlanta GA when I was in 11 the grade w the Minute Min and REM headlining. All three bands were great but Jason and the Schiortures we're only Matched by theigjty Black flag which I saw in Chattanooga a year later. Truely jewl in the crown of Cow Punk!! Go Nashville!!!

[@bodhimeister]

from the Rock and Roll Encyclopedia Cat ...

[@d4nx2y]

wow! I'd never seen any of the vids till now! cheers!

[@claygreen4723]

Love me some cowpunk!

[@stingodisanto]

Country Punk's'not Dead! I will love forever this song! Thank's Mr. Dylan...But r'n'r attitude is better ! Cow Punk is better! Jason and the Scorchers!

[@saveourrivers]

Dylan himself liked the Scorchers' version.

[@rogeralsop3479]

Pretty good.

[@met66]

Yep. Warner. swung the guit around his neck. Dad played with Johnny Cash.

[@mikekadas]

Absolutely Sweet Marie - Jason & The Scorchers [Nashville, Tennessee] - 1984 - "AMG Pick. While 'Absolutely Sweet Marie' was exciting enough to gain MTV and alternative radio airplay, the six originals (Fervor EP-1983) are equally impressive,..." - EMI Years [Import UK] (Acadia Records) [Disc 1]-2008. NOTE: a frantic cover of Bob Dylan's "Absolutely Sweet Marie" that made the original sound timid.

[@jimrauh3584]

One of the best covers of a Dylan song; just destroys Dylan's languid version.

[@Dougmeet]

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, here it is!

[@t.j.payeur739]

Bottle breaking music..seen it happen...Turn It UP!!

[@telecasterbear]

back in the late 80s, i called it willie nelson meets ac/dc.

[@TheD3mac]

actually it's all of those and more