^ "Idiot Wind" is one of my favourite tracks from one of my favourite albums, and as you say, the music is excellent too; "Buckets of Rain", for example, has some very delicate guitar work.
I saw Dylan twice in concert, but on both occassions he was so far away that if I shut one eye and raised my thumb, I could blot him out completely ! This was about the time that Street Legal came out, and it was very moving to see so many people in row after row quietly hanging on for every word that this one little guy sang.
So,yes, five rows away makes you a lucky guy !

^ Yes, "contemporary American folk" sounds about right. I`m no genre expert either, but I`d say that chronologically Dylan`s music has moved through these genres:-
First, folk, then folk rock, then just rock and recent albums, leading up to Tempest, have been Americana rock.

Well, Briks, I`d define those terms like this:-
Traditional folk was either recorded long ago or tries to follow closely the style of long ago.
Contemporary folk is music that has been composed in the last 50-odd years, and includes some folk elements without being restricted to the traditional sound.
Folk is an English word that dates back about 1000 years, I should think, and it was originally applied to English music. Then the definition expanded to include European music, and finally American too. Today, with people having access to music all over the world, we talk about International Folk, which usually means folk music that doesn`t come from English speaking countries.
Does that make sense ?

Bob Dylan played Nothing I knew when I saw him a few years back, but maybe that's what i get for only having his 10 track greatest hits album.

Haha youre right.

Epic folk battles: Bob Dylan vs Donavan


Bob Dylan And Donovan - YouTube

I always thought this was pretty funny. I like the look on Donavan's face while bob's playing. He's sort of clinching his jaw, like he feels he's been outdone or he's just pissed at Bob for trying to outshine him. Its hard to tell if bob is being sarcastic when he says "that's a great song".

What do y'all think? Who wins?

"James Damiano has engaged in a half a billion dollar copyright infringement law suit with Bob Dylan. As the curtain rises on the stage of deceit we learn that CBS / Sony international recording artist, Bob Dylan not only used songs and lyrics written by James Damiano but also solicited Mr. Damiano's materials for a period of over ten years and eleven months. As per Judicial filings Bob Dylan's name is credited to the songs."

I read this story some time ago and it sounds ridiculous to me. Does someone know who this James Damiano is and what he has to do with Dylan. Here's his youtube channel:
James Damiano - YouTube

What did everyone make of Tempest?

^ Commendable that you have an interest in Dylan, but in fact there is already a thread dedicated to this album.
I would invite you to post there, but I find your user name exceedingly offensive and very inappropriate for a forum that may be viewed by the general public.

I've looked into this before. I think dignity is one of the songs he claims bob stole from him. Its certainly possible and could very well be true. But until I see some undeniable proof I wont pay much mind to it. Bob still has plenty of great work before this, work that is even Better than the songs James has claimed he has stolen.

:(

I'd feel bad to respond to the folk battle we have going up there because, like Neil Young, I have no Donavan experience! Man, at this rate I'm going to lose all my street cred due to the Dylan thread.

As far as record collecting goes, still looking for Self-Portrait. As far as digital listening goes, I intend to listen to Good as I Been to You fairly soon. I've actually been looking forward to it for quite a while, since the idea of Dylan doing traditional folk songs again is very appealing to me. I'm out of the awkward 80s though and through Under the Red Sky, so really I'm excited for anything.