Talkin' Bob Dylan

ribbons · 08-14-2021, 11:29 AM

"When a man can rhyme 'kelp' with 'help' and cause your heart to lurch - that's poetry." - Sam Shepard (on "Sara")

Lisnaholic · 08-14-2021, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marie Monday

... and i think the whole Poet pedestal Dylan is put on overrates him (and is also unfair to him; he can't compete with a great poet but there are other things he has to offer)

Yes, that's a good point - but the label that Bob really hated was the whole "prophet of a new generation" stuff that was written about him in the mid 60s.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mucha na Dziko

And here with Dylan's albums, all I can hear is him being "weaker at making music".
I'm not one of those purists, who'd say that Dylan's only good when he's 19-21 and acoustic.

Far from it.

It's that his albums/songs have (in my personal opinion) less vigor, less internal energy. They are more like "trying to play that one song, that was to hard for you until now".
And I just don't find joy in it.

And don't get me wrong: I really like the track "I contain multitudes". But that's the thing: I really love the track the was one of the main singles. And no the other way around.

It just doesn't feel to me like "The Dylan" I'm accustomed to.
Or something.

You know what...I've known many albums that came to me "right away", and also many of those that "came in time".
But I don't think there as a Dylan album after Oh Mercy, that actually managed to "come afer some time". It's truly just like he'd had burned out himself.

I can always be proved wrong on this field, though.
[If you have something, that you think could change my mind – then send it right away; I'm truly open here]

I agree, Mucha. When I talked about Bob's age, it was just to "let him off the hook" a little.
Even with Oh Mercy , I thought the first side was excellent, but the second side was a lot weaker - and the albums since have their moments, but have a lot of lesser material too.

With your high praise for Keith Richards in old age, I'd better check out the album you mention.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DianneW

Final Video...for now
Quite the most beautiful Bob Dylan song in my view......

Quote:

Originally Posted by ribbons

"When a man can rhyme 'kelp' with 'help' and cause your heart to lurch - that's poetry." - Sam Shepard (on "Sara")

Yep, you've ended up with one of his best, Dianne. My two favourite verses:-

Quote:

I laid on a dune, I looked at the sky
When the children were babies and played on the beach.
You came up behind me, I saw you go by
You were always so close and still within reach.

I can still see them playin' with their pails in the sand
They run to the water their buckets to fill.
I can still see the shells fallin' out of their hands
As they follow each other back up the hill.

That so paints a picture in song!

DianneW · 08-15-2021, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lisnaholic

Yes, that's a good point - but the label that Bob really hated was the whole "prophet of a new generation" stuff that was written about him in the mid 60s.

I agree, Mucha. When I talked about Bob's age, it was just to "let him off the hook" a little.
Even with Oh Mercy , I thought the first side was excellent, but the second side was a lot weaker - and the albums since have their moments, but have a lot of lesser material too.

With your high praise for Keith Richards in old age, I'd better check out the album you mention.

Yep, you've ended up with one of his best, Dianne. My two favourite verses:-

That so paints a picture in song!

Making sure to listen to all my favourite songs with the lyrics...ok the music carries me away the lyrics sometimes just break me up...not that I care what people think any more..life is just the once...tears can often be happiness I find...

Crowquill · 10-28-2021, 02:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DianneW

Final Video...for now
Quite the most beautiful Bob Dylan song in my view......

Honestly my one Dylan opinion I arrived at during the initial writing of this was that I like Desire/Blood on the Tracks Dylan best, and also I think Sara is his best song, which is saying something amongst his catalogue but dude wrote the best divorce albums imo.

bob_32_116 · 10-28-2021, 04:23 AM

"Talkin' Bob Dylan" is a tautology.

DianneW · 11-08-2021, 02:16 PM

few facts some good....
https://www.musicinminnesota.com/20-...bout-bob-dylan

San Antone · 03-15-2022, 03:14 AM

Just jumping into the discussion about Dylan's Rough and Rowdy Ways (2020) and his late period in general. For me the albums starting with Good as I Been to You (1992) and World Gone Wrong (1993) were a return to form. After the wasteland of the '80s I found it very refreshing for him to return to the guitar/vocal style and singing old songs.

I acknowledge Oh, Mercy as his best release in the '80s, but I have a problem with Daniel Lanois's production, on that as well as Time Out of Mind. This is not to say that I avoid them, but they are not among the ones I consider his best.

For me the entire period post 1992 has albums where Dylan has a good band, doing some good songs, and singing in a good voice. My main complaint is that they don't seem to be very distinguished, i.e. I can't tell one from the other in my memory. They don't have a strong individual character like the earlier ones. I can easily call to mind John Wesley Harding, or Bringing It All Back Home, or Blood on the Tracks. Those records are specific in my mind.

But the late records are all a blur. It could be that I just haven't listened to them that much, I mean, listened closely to them. I usually have them in a playlist just randomly playing in the background. But when I do pick one and play it in sequence I am always surprised at how good it sounds compared to all of the records after BOTT (except there are some individual songs that are exceptional).

I even can enjoy the three "Frank Sinatra" records, mainly because I like the band he put together for them. But they are odd. The only one from this late period that I never listen to is the Christmas album. But that is more of a factor that I don't listen to any Christmas albums. Not my thing.

His latest is very good, IMO. Very evocative, moody, and dark. But I must confess losing interest after about the first three minutes of "Murder Most Foul." I guess I'm not that interested in the JFK assassination, even though I remember it well from my childhood.

I say all this without thinking of myself as a Dylan obsessive who likes everything he does. I have my favorites, which are all fairly early. John Wesley Harding is my favorite, but I like all of the albums before that one. After that nothing sticks out until, as I said, Good as I Been to You, etc.

TheBig3 · 05-24-2022, 06:26 PM

Happy Birthday, Bob

Ayn Marx · 05-28-2022, 12:53 AM

Dylan does pop up is some strange places.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UHHc7POovg

05-24-2022, 06:26 PM	#208 (permalink)
TheBig3 killedmyraindog Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Boston, Massachusetts Posts: 11,172	Happy Birthday, Bob __________________ I've moved to a new address

08-14-2021, 11:29 AM	#201 (permalink)
ribbons Music Addict Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 1,265	"When a man can rhyme 'kelp' with 'help' and cause your heart to lurch - that's poetry." - Sam Shepard (on "Sara")

10-28-2021, 04:23 AM	#205 (permalink)
bob_32_116 Music Addict Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: 32S 116E Posts: 324	"Talkin' Bob Dylan" is a tautology.

11-08-2021, 02:16 PM	#206 (permalink)
DianneW Music Addict Join Date: Apr 2021 Location: S W France S. Deux Sevres Posts: 1,161	few facts some good.... https://www.musicinminnesota.com/20-...bout-bob-dylan

03-15-2022, 03:14 AM	#207 (permalink)
San Antone Groupie Join Date: Mar 2022 Location: Tennessee Posts: 14	Just jumping into the discussion about Dylan's Rough and Rowdy Ways (2020) and his late period in general. For me the albums starting with Good as I Been to You (1992) and World Gone Wrong (1993) were a return to form. After the wasteland of the '80s I found it very refreshing for him to return to the guitar/vocal style and singing old songs. I acknowledge Oh, Mercy as his best release in the '80s, but I have a problem with Daniel Lanois's production, on that as well as Time Out of Mind. This is not to say that I avoid them, but they are not among the ones I consider his best. For me the entire period post 1992 has albums where Dylan has a good band, doing some good songs, and singing in a good voice. My main complaint is that they don't seem to be very distinguished, i.e. I can't tell one from the other in my memory. They don't have a strong individual character like the earlier ones. I can easily call to mind John Wesley Harding, or Bringing It All Back Home, or Blood on the Tracks. Those records are specific in my mind. But the late records are all a blur. It could be that I just haven't listened to them that much, I mean, listened closely to them. I usually have them in a playlist just randomly playing in the background. But when I do pick one and play it in sequence I am always surprised at how good it sounds compared to all of the records after BOTT (except there are some individual songs that are exceptional). I even can enjoy the three "Frank Sinatra" records, mainly because I like the band he put together for them. But they are odd. The only one from this late period that I never listen to is the Christmas album. But that is more of a factor that I don't listen to any Christmas albums. Not my thing. His latest is very good, IMO. Very evocative, moody, and dark. But I must confess losing interest after about the first three minutes of "Murder Most Foul." I guess I'm not that interested in the JFK assassination, even though I remember it well from my childhood. I say all this without thinking of myself as a Dylan obsessive who likes everything he does. I have my favorites, which are all fairly early. John Wesley Harding is my favorite, but I like all of the albums before that one. After that nothing sticks out until, as I said, Good as I Been to You, etc.

05-28-2022, 12:53 AM	#209 (permalink)
Ayn Marx Music Addict Join Date: May 2022 Location: Sometimes Posts: 556	Dylan does pop up is some strange places. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UHHc7POovg