Talkin' Bob Dylan

J

Jelli B

New member
Talkin' Bob Dylan

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Bob Dylan is arguably (or inarguably) the best songwriter of all time and if he's not the best he's easily one of the greatest. His career has spanned several decades and he's covered a variety of genres throughout it and recorded some of the greatest albums ever. This going to be my attempt to review his discography, from his debut to Modern Times. I'm only doing the official studio releases, though I may do all the bootlegs afterwarRAB. Wish me luck, first review is going to be up in probably an hour =x
 
I don't know, I may do that but I kind of want to review each album (nothing really extensive) though I imagine that will get tiring and I'll probably decide to no longer do that after the first 10 albums. I think I'll start doing that though after every phase (when he quit being just folk, etc) then eventually drop the individual albums when I get tired of it and just do that.
 
"The Basement Tapes (1975)"
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More work with the Band, most of this album was actually recorded in between Blonde on Blonde and John Wesley Harding. Now I remeraber reading about the recording of this in the Bob Dylan Chronicles, it was recorded in the basement of Big Pink in New York. Some of it feels incomplete, maybe it even is. Dylan would go to the house regularly and they would just sort of jam and what would come out of it was recorded. It's been awhile since I read the book so I'm not sure if that's exactly how it went but it was along those lines. I know it was a chill atmosphere that Dylan needed after his motorcycle accident.

The music here is rough and rootsy. This album isn't anything we haven't heard before but that doesn't make it bad. In fact Dylan does some of the best music he's done here It's stripped down, simple, great and just quintessentially Bob Dylan.

Favorite Lyric: "We pointed out the way to go / And scratched your name in sand / Though you just thought it was nothing more / Than a place for you to stand / Now, I want you to know that while we watched / You discover there was no one true / Most everybody really thought it was a childish thing to do / Tears of rage, tears of grief, must I always be the thief / Come to me now, you know / We're so low and life is brief."
Favorite Songs: OdRAB and EnRAB, Orange Juice Blues, Bessie Smith, Goin' to Acapulco, Tears of Rage, You Ain't Goin' Nowhere, Too Much of Nothing, Nothing Was Delivered, This Wheel's on Fire, Long Distance Operator, Open the Door Homer
 
I find them far from tedious ledzep.
In fact, I wish there were more threaRAB like this. *hint
It's well presented, informative and interesting.

It's threaRAB like these that keep rab from being just another message board.
 
"Dylan (1973)"
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Wow, thank you record label. We really needed songs that weren't good enough for Self Portrait, but at least there's a few redeeming songs on here as holRAB true for every Dylan album so far. Lily of the West, Can't Help Falling in Love and Ballad of Ira Hayes being my favorites (that isn't saying much considered whats on the album though). It's obvious Bob Dylan has done better albums, well he didn't really do this album it was asserabled by a record company but still you get what I mean.

Favorite Songs: Lily of the West, Can't Help Falling in Love, Ballad of Ira Hayes
 
The Country I Come From
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After a motorcycle accident which would give Dylan a much needed break from the world he returned to music world and to his roots. Blonde on Blonde showed much more folkyness than the more upbeat and rockin' Highway 61 Revisited but it couldn't be called a full return. With John Wesley Harding and albums following Dylan showed a return to his roots and showed a more country side to his music, even re-recording Girl From the North County with Johnny Cash and spending time in Nashville.
 
Planet Waves (1974)
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One thing I rarely have a problem with is Dylan's lyrics however on this album every other song seems to be about sex. That kind of gets tiring but songs like Forever Young, Wedding Song and Never Say Goodbye are beautiful, in fact I think they're some of the most poignant and just, well lovely Dylan songs I've heard so far. The Band sounRAB great backing him on this album though at times they're too laid back I can't help but wish there was some of the ferocity musically and vocally of Like a Rolling Stone.

Favorite Lyric: "May your hanRAB always be busy / May your feet always be swift / May you have a strong foundation / When the winRAB of changes shift / May your heart always be joyful / May your song always be sung / May you stay forever young."
Favorite Song: Forever Young (both), Never Say Goodbye, Going Going Gone, Wedding Song
 
I can't wait to get to Desire, it's my friend Chloe's favorite album by him. I heard it once and liked it but for some reason I only ever listened to Blood on the Tracks and Blonde on Blonde as well as a few random songs and that was all.
 
i've listened to this album and i fell in love with Bob Dylan even more. But there is a lot of song that talk about sex as you said, but if you listen to the whole album, all the songs are amazing and full of beautiful lyrics. I really hope when i listen to the next album, its just as good.
 
To be honest it makes it much easier if everyone knows who it is. You can spend a sentence or two stating what they did on the album and then you can just talk about what you think of it. On my top 100 there were more obscure artists and I had to go on about what it sounded like, here I don't. Everyone knows who Bob Dylan is so I don't have to spend much time talking about his sound. I'm doing Nick Drake next.
 
"Desire (1976)"
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The opening track shows Dylan returning to his topical roots with the firey song protesting the arrest and testifying the innocence of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter. You know Dylan has had some amazing openers, Like a Rolling Stone, Blowin In the Wind, Subterranean Homesick Blues etc and Hurricane is seriously one of the best. Needless to say, Hurricane really blew me away. I had high expectations for Desire, my friend Chloe said it was her favorite Dylan album and it was the follow up to my favorite Dylan album (Blood on the Tracks.) I don't think I like it better but I think this is my second or third favorite Dylan album and I think it's the most underrated Dylan album I've encountered so far too. The music is kind of Caribbean at times, Emmylou Harris does back up vocals it's pretty similar to the stuff he's been doing before but by no means does that make it bland. His lyrics are at some of his best hear, long gone are the rarabling and often nonsensical lyrics of his electric days and he's grown past being the voice of our generation now he just tells beautiful stories that are like poetry with songs like Isis and Sara.

Favorite Lyric: "Your breath is sweet / Your eyes are like two jewels in the sky / Your back is straight, your hair is smooth / On the pillow where you lie but I don't sense affection / No gratitude or love / Your loyalty is not to me but to the stars above."
Favorite Songs: Hurricane, Isis, Sara, Oh Sister, One More Cup Of Coffee, Joey
 
"John Wesley Harding (1967)"
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This album marked a return to his older albums except it showed a much more experienced songwriter. Using a variety of instruments to give it a much more full sound and doing more than just folk Dylan crafted a much more interesting and versatile album than he did in his earlier days. Yet none of the tracks seem as heavy hitting as songs like Masters of War and it wouldn't be right to call this album a folk album either. Songs like I'll Be Your Baby Tonight are without a doubt country songs. John Wesley Harding shows Dylan returning to his roots, only to stray from them again. Which isn't a bad thing, who would want to hear Freewheelin five more times?

Favorite Lyric: "I dreamed I saw St. Augustine, alive with fiery breath / And I dreamed I was amongst the ones that put him out to death / Oh, I awoke in anger, so alone and terrified / I put my fingers against the glass and bowed my head and cried."
Favorite Songs: I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine, All Along The Watchtower, The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest, I Am a Lonesome Hobo, John Wesley Harding



"Nashville Skyline (1969)"
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This is where Dylan goes full on country. Trading in his usually nasally vocals for a country croon, he took what he did on John Wesley Harding and expanded and built upon it. Now Dylan does some great stuff here, the re-recording of Girl From the North Country with Johnny Cash is beautiful but at times this album is pretty mediocre country stuff.

The good obviously outweighs the bad on this release, but the bad drags it down. Songs like Country Pie are boring not only lyrically but musically it's pretty typical country stuff. However Dylan does do country beautifully here on tracks like Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You, which thank god make up the majority of the album.

Favorite Lyric: "Whatever colors you have in your mind / I'll show them to you and you'll see them shine."
Favorite Songs: Girl From the North Country (with Johnny Cash), Lay Lady Lay, Tell Me That It Isn't True, I Threw It All Away, Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You

Girl From the North Country with Johnny Cash
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This should be an interesting thread. I am not a huge Dylan fan but who knows whether I will be swayed? I have three of his albums although I won't be adding THE TRAVELLING WILBURYS to my collection anytime soon!
 
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