Bob Dylan help wanted

Posted by: Minky on 25 October 2003

I hate to admit this but I may as well be honest and say that I have spent my whole life avoiding Bob Dylan. OK, that's a lie : I bought "Slow train coming" when it came out (when I was 19) because it had MK on guitar and PW on drums on it, and at the time I was listening to DS first album quite a bit.
I also own "Love and Theft" which I admire a bit but don't really ENJOY that much.

Anyway, I was in me local CD shop the other day and, spread out across the counter like a pack of cards was the complete Dylan catalogue. Apparently they have all been remastered and published in SACD/CD hybrid format. "Slow Train Coming" has been on my list of must-gets since I moved to CD years ago and there it sat. Sorted. I picked it up and attempted to pay but the resident Mr knowledge has seen me coming. "What about the rest mate ?". "Well - to be honest" I say, "I have spent my whole life avoiding Dylan, and I ain't about to stop now". "Look" he says, "I am putting "Blonde on "Blonde" and "Blood on the Tracks" in your bag. Have a listen and if you don't like them, bring the bastards back".

So. As I was removing the cling-film wrapper from “Blood on the tracks” in preparation for a speedy and unplayed return, the album that was on me CD player finished. May as well have a quick listen I suppose. Imagine my surprise when, after a few bars, the old goose bumps had kicked in big time. After several listens it is my opinion that BOTT is destined to become a classic. It’s passionate and wise and unbelievably fresh (it has phrasing that today’s rappers would be happy with). BOB on the other hand is not to my taste and (I am sad to say) will probably not fare as well.

If you are like me and think that there is too much good new music coming out to dwell on the past and have avoided Bob like the plague, I urge you to have a listen to BOTT. It may help you (as it has me) to "get" his royal Bobness. If you are a BD historian and understand why I like BOTT so much, please help me : what else am I missing out on ?

Posted on: 25 October 2003 by ErikL

If you like acoustic and bluesy Dylan (or even if you don't know yet), buy Highway 61 Revisited. It starts with "Like A Rolling Stone" and includes my favorite Dylan ditty "Tombstone Blues". It's bluesy goodness. You know you need it. Your iPod wants it.

I'll add that if you want to give electric Dylan another chance, there's no better place to go than the live Royal Albert Hall album. CD 1 is all acoustic. CD 2 he's backed by The Band.

(Samples at both links)

Posted on: 25 October 2003 by Rich Jerskey

Hey Minky,
if you fancy BOTT then ya gotta try Bob's "World out of Time". It's a fairly recent effort (1997?) and very worthy of a listen. If you're still trying to avoid Mr. D and don't want a whole album, then try the soundtrack to "Wonder Boys" which not only features some of the best from "World..." but a great collection of very tasteful numbers from a previous era (a pretty cool movie with Michael Douglas and Tobey McGuire). Check it out. If you don't like it, I'll send my most humble apologies.

Posted on: 25 October 2003 by Rich Jerskey

Make that "Time out of Mind". The other title was a Henry Kaiser and David Lindley deal in Madagascar...a little "iffy".

Posted on: 25 October 2003 by Minky

Rich,

Sorry, I lied again. Is there no end to my deception ? I also have "Time out of mind" which IS good but ..

Rereading my original post I'm not sure I conveyed what I like so much about BOTT. Firstly the songs are really melodic and really sweet. Secondly Dylan feels like a man possessed singing them. He doesn't have a very tuneful voice but he makes up for this with urgency and anger and by punctuating the songs with startling vocal dynamics ("Simple twist of fate" is a revelation - I can't believe I haven't heard it before). Maybe I have latched onto a phase that he was going through that he never repeated. I hope not.

"Highway 61" sounds promising. From memory "Like a rolling stone" has the ingredients I am looking for. Maybe I'll try that one next. Could it be that I have the "prehistoric Dylan" gene ?

Posted on: 25 October 2003 by Rich Jerskey

Yea, Blood on the Tracks is in a class of it's own. No doubt. Highway 61 Revisited does have the great Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield as does Blonde on Blonde. Dylan had his own Supersession before it was fashionable.

Also, Have you listened to "Desire"? It's got some very impassioned vocals by Mr. D that I put right up there with BOTT. Don't lie now, have you heard it?

All best

Posted on: 26 October 2003 by the other nickc

Minky.

I started with 'Blood on the Tracks' so I think I know where you're coming from.

Try 'Desire' next.
Then go for 'New Morning' and 'John Wesley Harding'.

If you love BOTT chances are these albums will do it for you too.

IMHO you should leave Dylan's earlier stuff till later.

I envy you!

Nick

Posted on: 26 October 2003 by ChrisG

Minky

And when you've fifnished buying all these great albums you can get a ticket for one of the upcoming UK gigs and play "guess the song"!

Chris

Posted on: 26 October 2003 by TomK

quote:
After several listens it is my opinion that BOTT is destined to become a classic

I assume you're TTP. By the same logic Pet Sounds has a couple of catchy tunes, Citizen Kane is a promising soap opera and the Mona Lisa is a half-decent sketch.

Posted on: 26 October 2003 by Minky

If "TTP" means what I think it means, then YES, of course I am TTP. Nice analogies BTW.

Posted on: 27 October 2003 by Rasher

Minky - I started with BOTT, and after getting the wisdom from here, I have found nothing that really does it for me in the same way. I now have a few others, and I fully expected Blond on Blond to be another great one, but it isn't IMHO. I've sort of given up to be honest. Too much other stuff out there to spend time on it.

Posted on: 27 October 2003 by kid spatula

my favorite dyllan album is "another side of.."

does this make me weird?

Posted on: 27 October 2003 by greeny

The best 3 dylan albums are:
Blood on the tracks
Blonde on Blonde
Highway 61 Revistited.

I would strugle to split these three. However BOTT has a slightly different feel to nearly all other Dylan albums, He was in the throws of a Divorse and flushed with new love and these affected the type and tone of songs he wrote at the time.

Desire is an excelent album but not on a par with the above (IMO) however it probably has a more BOTT feel than either BOB or H61 so maybe you should try it.

I also think 'Oh mercy' is superb but if you don't like 'Time out of Mind' you may not get this either.

Posted on: 27 October 2003 by Minky

Thanks everyone. This has been REALLY helpful.

I'm off today to investigate. I'll let you know what I come up with.

Posted on: 28 October 2003 by Rasher

Minky - You in Brighton? Essential Music in the lanes (opposite Rounder) has them all for £6 each. But you probably already know that

Posted on: 03 November 2003 by TomK

Fopp has a large selection for a fiver each.

Posted on: 10 December 2003 by ErikL

Minky,

Whatever happened here? Did you like what you bought?

Posted on: 10 December 2003 by Minky

Ludwig,

I listened to quite a few and ended up buying "Blonde on blonde", "Blood on the tracks", "Highway 61 revisited", "Desire" and "Slow train coming", which I thrashed to within an inch of their lives. Still think that BOTT is the best.

Since then I have fallen down a a bit of an alt.country hole. Currently waiting for Wilco and Son Volt back-catalogue.

P.S.

Thanks very much for putting me onto EAC/LAME. It simply murders AAC.

Posted on: 10 December 2003 by ErikL

Minky,

I asked about Bob Dylan because I listened to "The Bootleg Series, Vol. IV: The Royal Albert Hall Concert" today. You need to buy it and sell the others.

RE: alt.country, I see that you like Ryan Adams. Have you picked up his old Whiskeytown stuff, particularly "Strangers Almanac"? I also recommend Uncle Tupelo's "Anodyne" and The Jayhawks' "Hollywood Town Hall" if you don't have those (yet).

(Glad the EAC/LAME thing is working for you)

Posted on: 10 December 2003 by Minky

Ludwig,

Yup, I have "Pneumonia", "Srangers Almanac", "Gold", "Demolition", "Heartbreaker", "Rock and Roll", "Love is hell 1" (all on my iPod) and yesterday I got a bootleg CD of "The suicide handbook" which is wonderful.

This week I also got Wilco "AM" and ordered Son Volt "Trace" (because I love Jay Farrar). I have an Uncle Tupelo Compilation that didn't grab me out of the box. I'll get Anodyne.

Thanks for the Jayhawks. I've been looking for something to get me started with them.