City Blues / Ballad of a Thin Man

[The Shift]

Just listening to Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited, and Ballad of a Thin Man comes on...

That opening tack piano riff made me think my iPod had thrown a wobbly and jumped over to an early version, or a piano demo, of Brian Wilson's City Blues. Uncanny resemblance for those first few seconds, even though the pace is a little gentler in Dylan's tune.

Anyone else noticed this?

[variable2]

that would be on account of the same 2 chords (b minor, e minor) being used in both..

[Jay]

Funny how you don't notice something so obvious untill somebody tells you to look for it....

[The Shift]

that would be on account of the same 2 chords (b minor, e minor) being used in both..

It's more of a similarity than the chords used. It's, erm, a very direct inspiration.

[Jay]

It's more noticable on the "Cocaine Tapes" demo from 1982.

[variable2]

that would be on account of the same 2 chords (b minor, e minor) being used in both..

It's more of a similarity than the chords used. It's, erm, a very direct inspiration.

not much more concrete and direct than harmony.. along with melody and rhythm..

[MBE]

It seems inspired by the Dylan song, but I never thought of it before.  I know the Dylan album and the two Brian versions pretty well and it just never connected. There is some of the same foreboding vibe on the 1982 recording.

[donald]

The first lyric line of Ballad of a Thin Man would seem a fitting description of Brian....and you KNOW something is happening but you don't know what it is...Do you Mr. Wilson?


Perhaps an idea for a cover for Brian to do?  Perhaps patented BB background vocal sound in place of Al Koopers organ?    Definitely.  I can hear it in my head!

[Roger Ryan]

Well, isn't "Ballad of a Thin Man" inspired by the blues standard "St. John's Infirmary"? I would suspect the latter song would have been a bigger influence on Brian if he was thinking of writing a blues number.

[Fall Breaks]

The first lyric line of Ballad of a Thin Man would seem a fitting description of Brian....and you KNOW something is happening but you don't know what it is...Do you Mr. Wilson?


Perhaps an idea for a cover for Brian to do?  Perhaps patented BB background vocal sound in place of Al Koopers organ?    Definitely.  I can hear it in my head!

Me too. Imagine Brian singing "you see this one-eyed midget, shouting the world NOOOO!". Hilarious!