Topic: Bob Dylan

[zimmie'5555]

I didn't ask for Wikipedia's thoughts 

[Phil M]

I didn't ask for Wikipedia's thoughts 

I agree with them, happy now?

[zimmie'5555]

I agree with them, happy now?

Fair enough

[Phil M]

Fair enough

Was gonna say 'I wrote them' but seems that did the trick.

[IloveGuinness17]

Set list from Oct 20th 2007 at the Collisuem in Bloomington Ill which I attended

Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
 Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
 I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
 Tangled Up In Blue
 'Til I Fell In Love With You
 When The Deal Goes Down
 The Levee's Gonna Break
 Workingman's Blues #2
 High Water (For Charlie Patton)
Spirit On The Water
 Highway 61 Revisited
   

 Ain't Talkin'
 Summer Days
 Masters Of War
  Thunder On The Mountain
 Band intros
 All Along The Watchtower

Great concert although it seemed many people in crownd haven't listened to anything post mid 70's of Dylan, but the atmosphere was still good. I saw the last few minutes of Costello becuase I had snuck off with my mate to go enjoy a joint before Dylan came on. His classics were all redone marvelously. All in all he sounded good.

By the way If you haven't seen I'm Not There yet. Its a must. A metaphorical masterpiece. Its haunting, absolutley haunting.

[zimmie'5555]

By the way If you haven't seen I'm Not There yet. Its a must. A metaphorical masterpiece. Its haunting, absolutley haunting.

Actually haven't seen it yet, I heard mixed reviews?

[IloveGuinness17]

Actually haven't seen it yet, I heard mixed reviews?

Its not a movie that you can grasp after only seeing it once. Its certainly not what I expected. In truth I didn't know what the hell to think of it. I knew I had seen a great piece of cinema but it wasn't until the 3rd time I watched it at home did I begin to see what was going on. If your into Dylan (which I know you are Zimmie) you'll notice alot more regarding certain moments of Dylan's life then someone who isn't into him to such an extent that if you know little you'll probably not understand what is going on at all. But I really think you'll like it Zimmie

[grimreaper]

his discology is en-route

[zimmie'5555]

Its not a movie that you can grasp after only seeing it once. Its certainly not what I expected. In truth I didn't know what the hell to think of it. I knew I had seen a great piece of cinema but it wasn't until the 3rd time I watched it at home did I begin to see what was going on. If your into Dylan (which I know you are Zimmie) you'll notice alot more regarding certain moments of Dylan's life then someone who isn't into him to such an extent that if you know little you'll probably not understand what is going on at all. But I really think you'll like it Zimmie

I really like the concept of having several different actor's play different 'Dylan's' and the way that might make the character of 'Dylan' in the film ambigious and mysterious, you could even say this is a very 'Dylanesque' view of the notion of identity and character. Would like to see how that worked, if it worked, and whether the 'Dylan' portrayed in the film is as fractured, blurred and complicated a character as the real Bob Dylan. You'll most likely be right about Dylan fans getting it more than non-Dylan fans though, that's probably where the indiffirent reviews come from, as I expect one would probably need to at least be somewhat familiar with the man and his music. I'll get round to seeing this at some point, have been meaning to since it came out!

[CarraIsBoss]

Considering other artists I am big fans of I think I would like Bob Dylan but where do I start? The only song I have is, It's all over now, baby blue. Could anybody point me in the direction of which album to discover first.

[bellinter]

Considering other artists I am big fans of I think I would like Bob Dylan but where do I start? The only song I say is, It's all over now, baby blue. Could anybody point me in the direction of which album to discover first.

Start with the latest best off... its a very good collection. Then the likes of Blonde on Blonde and Blood on the Tracks. Thats how I started (with an best of, not the current one) with him and it worked for me

[zimmie'5555]

Considering other artists I am big fans of I think I would like Bob Dylan but where do I start? The only song I say is, It's all over now, baby blue. Could anybody point me in the direction of which album to discover first.

Start with the 'purple' best of, then Bringing it All Back Home, Highway 61, Blonde on Blonde & Blood on the Tracks. Then, The Times They Are A-Changin', Live '66 & John Wesley Harding and then work your way from there. Though it may be best buying 'Biograph' or something like that to start with.

[Ginamos]

Another approach may be to go chronologically starting with "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" album from 1963 and going through to 1969's "Nashville Skyline". Then cherry pick the subsequent albums.

I'd recommend the allmusic Dylan discography to guide you, the album star ratings IMO are reasonably fair.

[IloveGuinness17]

CarraIsboss

I would also recomend getting some live dylan. Particularly from 64-65. Its some great stuff.

[zimmie'5555]

CarraIsboss

I would also recomend getting some live dylan. Particularly from 64-65. Its some great stuff.

The Bootlef Series: Live '64 & '66 are a must

[Bootle]

If you've never really listened to him then I'd suggest trying his more successful and mainstream stuff first. Theres no point trying something obscure because that'd just put you off probably.

It'd have to be Bringing it All Back Home or Highway 61 revisited.

Failing that, one of the "best ofs", not biograph though, I feel thats for people who have heard them all but want to hear it a bit differently.

[zimmie'5555]

Image was all: Ex-girlfriend on Dylan

http://www.ndtvmusic.com/story.asp?id=ENTEN20080040983

Rock legend Bob Dylan's ex-girlfriend Suze Roloto has criticised him heavily in her biography, calling him vain and a liar. She also reveals that she had to illegally abort his baby in the 60s.

Roloto, who appeared on the cover of Dylan's breakthrough album "The Freeeheelin", makes these controversial revelations in the book "A Freewheelin' Time" set to be released in May, conatctmusic.com reports.

The 64-year-old Roloto writes: "Much time was spent in front of the mirror trying on one wrinkled article of clothing after another, until it all came together to look as if Bob had just gotten up and thrown something on. Image was all."

She also revealed that he lied about his childhood including "the sad story he told of being abandoned at a young age in New Mexico and then going to live with a travelling circus".

"He had an uncanny ability to complicate the obvious and sanctify the banal - just like a poet. Bob was charismatic; he was a beacon, a lighthouse. He was also a black hole," she added.

The two eventually broke up because she couldn't handle the "pressure, gossip, truth and lies that living with Bob entailed".

[CarraIsBoss]

Got his greatest hits, haven't had chane to give it a good listen yet.

[IloveGuinness17]

Image was all: Ex-girlfriend on Dylan

http://www.ndtvmusic.com/story.asp?id=ENTEN20080040983

Rock legend Bob Dylan's ex-girlfriend Suze Roloto has criticised him heavily in her biography, calling him vain and a liar. She also reveals that she had to illegally abort his baby in the 60s.

Roloto, who appeared on the cover of Dylan's breakthrough album "The Freeeheelin", makes these controversial revelations in the book "A Freewheelin' Time" set to be released in May, conatctmusic.com reports.

The 64-year-old Roloto writes: "Much time was spent in front of the mirror trying on one wrinkled article of clothing after another, until it all came together to look as if Bob had just gotten up and thrown something on. Image was all."

She also revealed that he lied about his childhood including "the sad story he told of being abandoned at a young age in New Mexico and then going to live with a travelling circus".

"He had an uncanny ability to complicate the obvious and sanctify the banal - just like a poet. Bob was charismatic; he was a beacon, a lighthouse. He was also a black hole," she added.

The two eventually broke up because she couldn't handle the "pressure, gossip, truth and lies that living with Bob entailed".

I'm not too surprised by this. Dylan is a performer as much as he is anything else. I am really not that shattered because he tried different clothes on to see which one he looked better in. I think thats a human universal to some degree. Dylan is a character in a play or movie but instead he chose life and music to express this.

I also thought its farily well known that Dylan would concauct wild and adventurous stories about his upbring to make his persona bigger.

His music is prettty good too

[Yorkykopite]

Image was all: Ex-girlfriend on Dylan

http://www.ndtvmusic.com/story.asp?id=ENTEN20080040983

Rock legend Bob Dylan's ex-girlfriend Suze Roloto has criticised him heavily in her biography

It doesn't matter Suze. You looked great on that Freewheelin' cover.

[Bootle]

If you're trying to work out what Desolation Row was about you're missing the point.

Out of interest, what was the point then?

[Bootle]

Nah, there had to be a point, an idea, a reason. I dont get the impression Dylan just "did things". It was crafted.

I appreciate the idea that there may be some bouncing lyrical nonsense but there must be an underpinning theme. There will have been references to contemporary issues that are quite diffcult to pick up on now.

[Rhaegar21]

I wonder if anyone's drawn a painting of Desolation Row - you know one of those crazy big one's with a thousand things happening. All the characters shown at one place or another.

Think about it.

I must commission someone to do it

[zimmie'5555]

Nah, there had to be a point, an idea, a reason. I dont get the impression Dylan just "did things". It was crafted.

I appreciate the idea that there may be some bouncing lyrical nonsense but there must be an underpinning theme. There will have been references to contemporary issues that are quite diffcult to pick up on now.

Yes, there would have been something thematic in the song, a notion or an idea or a commentary on something when he was writing it. Of course there is an element of free form and stream of conciousness in the song, but there is something that is underpinning all of that.

[zimmie'5555]

Just watching "getting to dylan" on google vid. Its an old omnibus episode centering on his appearence in a film in the mid-80s.  If you're a Bob fan its worth watching, the second half especially.

Seen that a while back, very interesting

[IloveGuinness17]

Nah, there had to be a point, an idea, a reason. I dont get the impression Dylan just "did things". It was crafted.

I appreciate the idea that there may be some bouncing lyrical nonsense but there must be an underpinning theme. There will have been references to contemporary issues that are quite diffcult to pick up on now.

I think he did do shit for the hell of it. Just to throw people off. Lennon did it all the time with the Beatles. When Dylan first became big his every word was analyzed and speculated upon. Wouldn't it be just like Dylan to go and write Desolation Row and say "figure this one out". He mentions something similar to this in No Direction Home I think some parts of it make sense or at least have points but alot of it is or is disguised in surreality.

[Phil M]

I fail to see why you need to go to such lengths to 'understand' him,
I just enjoy the music for what it is and appreciate the lyrical genius the man was blessed
with when it comes to songwriting, figuring out what hidden meanings the songs have
is for music magazines and the like imo, songs mean different things to different people
and when it comes to Dylan, much like the Beatles his music was and still is appreciated by folk of all ages.

[zimmie'5555]

I fail to see why you need to go to such lengths to 'understand' him,
I just enjoy the music for what it is and appreciate the lyrical genius the man was blessed
with when it comes to songwriting, figuring out what hidden meanings the songs have
is for music magazines and the like imo, songs mean different things to different people
and when it comes to Dylan, much like the Beatles his music was and still is appreciated by folk of all ages.

I'm not trying to 'understand' him as such, or trying to uncover some secret message. I love Dylan's voice by itself, the aesthetic quality of Dylan's music is what engages his fans in the first place, not merely the quality of his verbal dexterity. However, by dissecting and analysing what is, in many, or most of his songs, Dylan's extremely complex songwriting techniques and the imagery presented, as well the way they are performed, one is able to appreciate his art much more. Some songs have simple messages or themes, and do not need to be explained, such as 'I'll Remember You', 'Emotionally Yours' and 'Lay Lady Lay'. All lovely songs, very enjoyable indeed, but no further analysis is needed. Conversely, songs like 'Desolation Row', 'Tangled Up in Blue', and 'Chimes of Freedom' for example, are thematically ambigious, and with a level of analysis can be understood on a different level, and therefore enjoyed on a different level.

It is in the same way as poetry can be understood and appreciated on different levels. 'Daffodils' by Wordsworth, for example, is a lovely poem in aesthetic terms, but when further analysed in terms of the syntax and the poetic devices used by the poet, as well  as the context of the poem, it can be enjoyed or rather, appreciated on those terms too. In essence, it gives the poem a greater depth for the reader, and the experience for the reader is more valuable, if that doesn't sound too pretentious! 

Also, understanding and analysing what is sometimes pejoratively described as 'pop music' is relatively new. People don't really read poetry anymore, and as such 'pop' music is the 'new poetry', modern balladry. So people are much better versed in analysing poetry and prose, and lyrical analysis of modern music is dismissed. Yet there is as much value in analysing the art of say, Bob Dylan, amongst others of course (Leonard Cohen is another fine example) as there is in analysing Wordsworth, Pope, Keats, Shelley or Byron, say.

[zimmie'5555]

On a tour of South and Central America presently;

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/mexico/entries/2008/02/28/bob_dylans_curious_tour_of_mex.html

Bob Dylan’s curious tour of Mexico City
By Jeremy Schwartz | Thursday, February 28, 2008, 03:00 PM


Most famous entertainers play it safe when the visit Mexico City - they’ll leave their hotels to hit up a fancy Mexican fusion restaurant or do some shopping at trendy designer boutiques, but rarely do they get a sense of the real megalopolis. Not so rock icon Bob Dylan, who, while he was in town this week for two shows, did some sightseeing on Mexico City’s notoriously crowded subway system and worked out in a gym in a gritty nook of the historic downtown.

Dylan was spotted on Tuesday wandering through the Bellas Artes Metro stop, checking out some of the Lucha Libre photography on display on the station’s walls. Apparently, he created just a minor stir, with just a few people recognizing him and taking pictures with their cell phones.

Then Dylan did a little boxing at the Nuevo Jordan gym, impressing trainer Rodolfo “Guerco” Rodriguez, who had no idea the man in the ring was perhaps the most famous singer on the planet. “I said…these old guys are going to give each other heart attacks!” Rodriguez told the El Universal newspaper. “They told me that the oldest guy was Bob Dylan, this guy you’re telling me about…He boxed with all his friends and he did well; you can tell he’s practiced for awhile because he landed some good shots and brought his own professional (equipment). He knows what pugilism is and he enjoys it.”

[zimmie'5555]

http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN0759005620080307

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - The normally taciturn Bob Dylan was moved to words on Thursday night when a young Brazilian woman rushed on stage and hugged him during a concert in Sao Paulo.

The American singer-songwriter is known for saying very little to his audience between songs and if he does it's usually an incomprehensible mumble.

During the encore of his second show in Sao Paulo, a long-haired woman ran on to the stage and embraced the star. A startled-looking Dylan hung on to his black Cordoba hat before a bouncer carried her away.

At the end of the song, he spoke to his fans for the first time in a two-hour show. "Thank you, friends. And I'd like to thank that young lady for coming up and joining us on stage."

Then he started chuckling to himself and said: "Where did she go? I want to give her my hat. Don't let her get away."

It was not known if the two did eventually get to meet formally. Dylan is currently on tour of Latin America with dates in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile.

[EddyT]

I was going to skip reading the thread and mention 'Desolation Row' as I think it's his best and most ignored song. However, I breezed past a few references so I shan't bore you all.

I'm a Dylan fan and have been since hearing 'Mr Tambourine Man' many years ago. I only own 'Highway 61 Revisited', 'Blond on Blonde' and 'Bringing It All Back Home' but they are all fine albums.

[Alonso_The_Assassin]

"Blonde On Blonde" and "Slow Train Comin'" is where it's at!

[Rhaegar21]

"Blonde On Blonde" and "Slow Train Comin'" is where it's at!

Been thinking of getting Slow Train myself.

[zimmie'5555]

Been thinking of getting Slow Train myself.

Yes, do. It's a good album. Very sleek, very polished, and I don't know whether that would be something you appreciate or not, but the songs stand up either way, especially "I Believe in You" & "When He Returns". If anyboy wants to delve deeper into his 'born-again' period (c1979-1981), be warned that aspects of it may be unpalatable, if you're not used to hearing somebody like Dylan turn into a Southern-Baptists Minister-type! However, it was creativily one of his strongest periods, and even if you don't agree with the message, the body of work still stands up. 'Shot of Love' is my favourite album from this period, though if anybody gets a chance, try and get hold of some live bootleg shows from 1980, as devisive as the mid-60's concerts at times, and as lively as the mid-70's tour with The Band.

[IloveGuinness17]

Yes, do. It's a good album. Very sleek, very polished, and I don't know whether that would be something you appreciate or not, but the songs stand up either way, especially "I Believe in You" & "When He Returns". If anyboy wants to delve deeper into his 'born-again' period (c1979-1981), be warned that aspects of it may be unpalatable, if you're not used to hearing somebody like Dylan turn into a Southern-Baptists Minister-type! However, it was creativily one of his strongest periods, and even if you don't agree with the message, the body of work still stands up. 'Shot of Love' is my favourite album from this period, though if anybody gets a chance, try and get hold of some live bootleg shows from 1980, as devisive as the mid-60's concerts at times, and as lively as the mid-70's tour with The Band.

Personally I think the Rolling Thunder review was his best live stuff period. Although thats not to take away from other brilliant performances.

[zimmie'5555]

Personally I think the Rolling Thunder review was his best live stuff period. Although thats not to take away from other brilliant performances.

It's certainly up there.

[omerta]

Quality line, delivered superly from an excellent song.

Bought most of his newer albums as well, and for me the only one song  that comes close to any of the older stuff is Bandit

"Turnin the pages, in this old book
Seems Familiar
Might be worth a second look
Warppin up dope in a paper bag
Talkin to yerslef, takin a drag"


Fuckin love that song, and the "lazy" strummin technique used on it.

f*ck me I thought I was the only one that loved "Bandit" - what a tune!

[Rhaegar21]

Yes, do. It's a good album. Very sleek, very polished, and I don't know whether that would be something you appreciate or not, but the songs stand up either way, especially "I Believe in You" & "When He Returns". If anyboy wants to delve deeper into his 'born-again' period (c1979-1981), be warned that aspects of it may be unpalatable, if you're not used to hearing somebody like Dylan turn into a Southern-Baptists Minister-type! However, it was creativily one of his strongest periods, and even if you don't agree with the message, the body of work still stands up. 'Shot of Love' is my favourite album from this period, though if anybody gets a chance, try and get hold of some live bootleg shows from 1980, as devisive as the mid-60's concerts at times, and as lively as the mid-70's tour with The Band.

Will probably get Oh Mercy next. But Slow Train is up there on my list, as is John Wesley Harding

[zimmie'5555]

John Wesley Harding should be next on your list!

[IloveGuinness17]

Just make sure you don't play the John Wesley Harding album too loud. Your ears might bleed from the harmonica. When you hear it Rhaegar, you'll know what I mean but its a class album in its whole.