Tomorrow night's Sons of Anarchy montage will be graced by another rock 'n' roll classic: Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower." For this one, music supervisor Bob Thiele Jr. and The Forest Rangers slow things down and take the classic tune to a whole bluesier level.
"We've slowed it down considerably, making a dramatic shift in the tempo and feel," Thiele told Rolling Stone, which is hosting the track exclusively. "The great Bobby Womack deserves credit where credit is due. Forest Rangers Matt Chamberlain (drums), Davey Faragher (bass), Phil Shenale (keys) and Greg Leisz (lap steel guitar) are present as usual. Also, Gia Ciambotti sings some high s--t the way only she can do."
The song, which clocks in just under four minutes, features a vicious performance by vocalist Billy Valentine. The singer, as Thiele points out, also gave Sly Stone's "Everyday People" a Sons makeover, in addition to tunes by Bonnie Raitt and Marvin Gaye previously.
"Billy and I have been together slogging through the mud of the music business for over 25 years," Thiele said. "I'm probably not alone in singing the praises of Billy. He's a singer's singer."
SOA is currently in its seventh and final season. The premiere last month, which featured an impressive take on Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," attracted 6.2 million viewers, TV by the Numbers reports.
The show debuted in 2008 and has been a powerhouse hit for FX ever since. In January, creator Kurt Sutter even revealed that he was in talks to make a prequel for the show set in the 1960s centered around the origins of the motorcycle club.
"I've had discussions with the network about it, and I think they are open to it," Sutter told fans at the Sons for Sandy Relief event in Asbury Park, N.J., earlier this year. "I think there is something really interesting about the origins of the club. And to do a period piece set in the '60s, post-Vietnam could be kind of cool. I don't think we would dovetail and start right after the series ended, but it's something I'm potentially excited about."
