Yes Guitarist Steve Howe Announces Limited Edition 10-Inch Vinyl EP of Bob Dylan Covers
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Revisiting Dylan Through a New Lens
Steve Howe, the longtime guitarist for progressive rock legends Yes, has announced a new release titled Signals Crossed, a limited edition 10-inch white vinyl EP featuring three previously unreleased interpretations of Bob Dylan songs. The project arrives December 5 via Howe’s own HoweSounds label and follows the September reissue of his 1999 album Portraits of Bob Dylan.
The upcoming EP includes fresh takes on Dylan classics I Want You, One Too Many Mornings, and Mama, You’ve Been On My Mind. The record features contributions from Geoff Downes, Dylan Howe, Stephanie Sounds, and Paul K. Joyce. Each track offers a new interpretation of Dylan’s songwriting through Howe’s distinctive style and arrangements.
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Exploring “Signals Crossed”
“I recorded I Want You before starting the released Portraits of Bob Dylan tracks, then I recorded two alternative versions of songs from the album in different styles,” Howe explained. “This version of One Too Many Mornings wasn’t in the right key for Phoebe Snow, who sang beautifully to an acoustic version on the released album. This version gives it an electric setting, taking a little from Bob’s Hard Rain version.”
Howe added that he revisited Mama, You’ve Been On My Mind with a brighter tone compared to the original. “I sang Mama, You’ve Been On My Mind on the original release, slow and a little mournful, but here it has a more upbeat and optimistic flavour. With the vocal harmonies and Dylan’s drumming, these tracks retain the mood of what I wanted to explore in 2000, songs about getting your Signals Crossed.”
A Longtime Passion Project
Howe reflected on his long-running connection to Dylan’s work. “The Portraits… idea was always a sort of pipe dream, and I originally recorded one song to start the project, and I thought, this will be good, I’ll do lots of Bob,” he said. “What I loved about it was having the chance to arrange them as I wasn’t going to copy what Dylan had done; I wanted to bring a little bit more to it.”
Signals Crossed will be released as a one-sided, mirror-backed white vinyl limited to 500 copies worldwide, and it will also be available digitally for download.
