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Author Topic: Bob Dylan Thread  (Read 62994 times)
phirnis
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« Reply #125 on: April 30, 2009, 05:44:38 AM »

Here's what the Guardian think about it:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/apr/24/bob-dylan-together-review
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« Reply #126 on: May 02, 2009, 09:35:26 AM »

I picked it up the other day, very good album. Man he's still got it.
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Sheriff John Stone
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« Reply #127 on: May 06, 2009, 06:31:17 PM »

Together Through Life debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts, ahead of Hannah Montana: The Movie. Smokin
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« Reply #128 on: May 08, 2009, 10:25:39 AM »

Not up to the standards of "Modern Times" or "Love & Theft", but a fine album nonetheless. After subjecting myself to Bob Mould's latest uninspired and slickly-produced retread of an album, I quickly put Dylan's new one back on to remind myself that music can still have a little soul and a ruined voice can be immeasurably better than an auto-tuned one.
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Sheriff John Stone
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« Reply #129 on: May 24, 2009, 08:27:58 AM »

Happy Birthday, Robert Allen Zimmerman....May 24, 1941....May you stay forever young.... police
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Sheriff John Stone
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« Reply #130 on: July 03, 2009, 08:16:50 PM »

Dylan's summer ballpark tour has begun. He's performing "Jolene" as an encore.
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Sheriff John Stone
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« Reply #131 on: July 15, 2009, 05:39:59 PM »

Saw The Bob Dylan Show last night in Allentown, PA....

Willie Nelson opened up and played an hour long set of standards, including a couple of Hank Williams' songs. Willie rushed through the set, but the songs weren't rushed. Willie was great, as usual. Two things stood out. First, Willie sounded as if it were 1979 instead of 2009; his voice was strong and clear as a bell. Incredible for a 76 year-old who smokes, er, cigarettes. The second thing was Willie's guitar playing. He was the only guitar player on stage - no Jody Payne who retired, or Willie's son - and Willie carried that band. He played all kinds of riffs on that old guitar, and the sound mix was excellent. And to think Willie had carpal tunnel surgery; amazing. Gotta love Willie...

Then John Mellencamp took the stage. Let me say right now that I will never again speak badly about John Cougar Mellencamp. This was no little ditty about Jack and Diane crap. This was explosive, in-the-gut rock and roll. He basically blew poor Willie off the stage! All those radio hits that you grew to hate - got new life. The crowd was into it, and Mellencamp was all over the stage, invigorating the band. And what a band! Outstanding lead guitarist. Sometimes there were three guitars playing, this was Blue Oyster Cult stuff. I gained new respect for the guy. There was none of that preachy, Farm Aid-ish, I'm from a small town rap. He just came to play some good old rock and roll. Loved it!

After two outstanding sets, Dylan took the stage at about 9:15 wearing a black suit with red stripe, red shirt, and a white hat. He opened (on guitar) with a rollicking "Leopard Skin Pill-Box Hat" and we were off. He followed with an interesting take on "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright"; Dylan substituted guitar solos for the harmonica. Bob then took a seat at the keyboard for the remainder of the show. The band played a driving version of "Rollin' And Tumblin'", Denny Freeman and Stu Kimball really sounded good on this one. And then the concert took an interesting turn.

Bob decided to highlight his last three albums and, in turn, he lost the crowd; well, most of them. "Spirit On The Water" was only OK, and yes, "Tweedle Dum And Tweedle Dee", a song which I actually like, returned. You could feel the restlessness in the air. Dylan needed to pull out an ace. Unfortunately, he chose "Workingman Blues#2". It was well performed, but people started for the bathrooms - and the exits. During his next two songs, "Honest With Me" and "If You Ever Go To Houston", he lost more fans, and you could actually hear people talking over the music. I was involved in a friendly game of "Name That Tune" with some people around me. It took a while to identify the songs.

Dylan needed to rally and he did. "Highway 61 Revisited" was a highlight of the evening; Dylan was doing his Ray Manzarek imitation on the organ, reelin' and rockin' to the music, and the band was on fire, especially Denny Freeman and Donnie Herron. I/we were hoping for another classic, and Dylan went into "Ain't Talkin'". Yeah, it's a good song, but tonight it was a big downer. The guy sitting next to me didn't know the song, so I told him, "Well, you got ten minutes of it coming up". He went to get a beer. The final song before the encores, "Thunder On The Mountain", was tremendous. What Dylan did was rearrange the song to sound like "Summer Days", which it replaced in the set. It now swings more than it rocks, but it was very effective.

We had to salvage this set, so we left our seats and went down to stand in front of the stage for the encores. Dylan did a good, slowed-down version of "Like A Rolling Stone" and a cool take of "Jolene". I like "Jolene", but I don't think it's ready for encore status. Bob closed the show with a thunderous "All Along The Watchtower". He was really into it, dancing around behind the keyboard, looking out at the audience, and singing his heart out.

And that is what I will take out of this show. Dylan gave 100%, he sang his guts out. On the later songs, I think he actually sounded better than the records. All of the songs were impeccibly performed; the band was tight. It was a very professional set, not sloppy at all. But it was hard to get around the setlist, or lack of more familiar material. I think the great majority of people attending Dylan's concerts have given up hope for more "oldies", hits, or even songs that they know! But, I can't believe they were satisfied or pleased with the majority of stuff that Dylan is choosing to perform. I'm willing to bet that half of the people there had no idea what songs they heard last night. And, of course, that doesn't phase Bob Dylan in the least. Dylan accomplished his goal. He came to deliver a set of well written, well performed , Bob Dylan songs. And that WAS delivered.
« Last Edit: July 16, 2009, 05:38:34 PM by Sheriff John Stone » Logged
TdHabib
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« Reply #132 on: July 15, 2009, 06:55:04 PM »

Good review SJS. Thankfullly the crowd I saw Zimmy with last Firday was much more appreciative--even during "If You Ever Get to Houston" people were paying attention. I would've loved to have seen "Workingman's Blues" again, I love that tune. Btw I just remembered a quote from McCartney (who I'm seeing on Friday---excuse me, I'm just excited) where he said that someone came up to Bob and said "Boy I loved Mr. Tambourine Man, the audience loved it too" and he said "right, that's out of the set tomorrow!" You gotta love him for basically picking songs out of the air for his shows...

Also I forgot to mention in my thread that when I saw Bob last week someone got yelled at---and almost thrown out of the show---for dancing during the show. He was blocking most of the old farts (me, 40, and my son, 17, brought the average age down by a good number) who didn't want to stand up! "Rock and roll!"
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« Reply #133 on: July 15, 2009, 07:47:23 PM »

Good review SJS. Thankfullly the crowd I saw Zimmy with last Firday was much more appreciative--even during "If You Ever Get to Houston" people were paying attention.

Thanks, TdHabib. I probably should explain or expand on my take of the audience's reaction to Dylan's setlist. I watched it very closely because it is fascinating to me.

I really believe there are two types of Dylan fans. First, there are the fans who just buy a ticket to see a summer concert, get a deal (three legends for the price of one), enjoy some good live music, and hope to stumble upon some "classic" Dylan, you know, hearing the living legend from the 60's. For the most part, these are the people who sit in the seats. There are exceptions of course (I being one; I like to sit in the seats). I don't think Dylan is playing for these fans.

I mentioned in my above review that I went down to stand in front of the stage for the encores. Totally different crowd, totally different fan, totally different atmosphere. These people were singing and dancing to ALL of the songs, yelling out Dylan's name, and weren't leaving no matter what! I could immediately see that Dylan was playing to THEM. They knew the songs; they "got" the songs. And you know what else I noticed? You know at the end of the show when Dylan and the band line up and "pose" for the ending applause? Well, Dylan was only looking at the people down in front; he wasn't even looking up in the stands. I'm not saying he totally wrote/writes them off, but I truly believe one of the main reasons he's still doing these one-nighters is FOR those people who show up, stand for the whole show, dance and sing, and love the songs whether it's "Like A Rolling Stone" or "Tweedle Dum And Tweedle Dee". I think Dylan still appreciates an audience for his new(er) material, and those are the ones. I think he really needs, not applause or money, but a fan base that is open to what he doing - today.
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Alex
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« Reply #134 on: July 17, 2009, 08:06:27 AM »

Dylan's playing at a venue about an hour from me tonight, and I won't be going, unfortunately (have to work, plus no transportation to the concert)...   The ironic thing is that my dad is going to a country music festival at the same venue on Sunday...
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« Reply #135 on: August 27, 2009, 09:29:26 AM »

Jack Frost's very own Christmas album, "Christmas In The Heart", is on the way:

http://www.bobdylan.com/#/news/christmas-heart-be-released-october-13

 Grin


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Sheriff John Stone
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« Reply #136 on: August 28, 2009, 03:59:40 PM »

Jack Frost's very own Christmas album, "Christmas In The Heart", is on the way:

http://www.bobdylan.com/#/news/christmas-heart-be-released-october-13

 Grin

I know where I'm going directly after work on October 13th. Can't wait! Merry Christmas!
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the captain
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« Reply #137 on: August 28, 2009, 04:34:34 PM »

Christmas dislike aside, probably me too.
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« Reply #138 on: August 28, 2009, 05:08:36 PM »

Christmas dislike aside, probably me too.

One of my goals is to get you hooked on some good Christmas music, you Scrooge!. Maybe Zimmie will be a start... police
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the captain
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« Reply #139 on: August 28, 2009, 05:25:41 PM »

Oh, I already really like the Spector and parts of the BBs and Motown Christmas albums, as well as plenty of sacred Christmas pieces.
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« Reply #140 on: October 06, 2009, 10:22:13 PM »

And here is a preview of the new Christmas album: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gundu1yLjWY
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« Reply #141 on: October 11, 2009, 10:33:31 PM »

I've had the new xmas record for a few days and its definitely one of my top 5 Dylan records, no kidding!
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« Reply #142 on: October 12, 2009, 05:28:45 AM »

I've had the new xmas record for a few days and its definitely one of my top 5 Dylan records, no kidding!
Really?  Shocked  Grin

Well, personally I wouldn't go that far, but it definitely offers a lot of good fun, there's no real point in taking the album seriously as "the new Dylan album", more the result of Bob and his buddies having a good time in the studio recording all these songs. Nothing more, nothing less.

 
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« Reply #143 on: October 12, 2009, 09:13:56 AM »

Let's just say i enjoy listening to it more than most of the others, so, to me, that earns it the top 5 position.
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the captain
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« Reply #144 on: October 12, 2009, 02:37:15 PM »

I like it very much, too--more than Together Through Life, in fact. It doesn't sniff my top 5, but it might make my top 15 (which is still pretty good for somebody who has released as many, and as many good, albums as Dylan has).
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« Reply #145 on: October 12, 2009, 03:19:54 PM »

I've had the new xmas record for a few days and its definitely one of my top 5 Dylan records, no kidding!
Really?  Shocked  Grin

Well, personally I wouldn't go that far, but it definitely offers a lot of good fun, there's no real point in taking the album seriously as "the new Dylan album", more the result of Bob and his buddies having a good time in the studio recording all these songs. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

I see you point, 8o8o, and at first I kinda felt the same way. Then I got to thinking, is Christmas In The Heart so different than World Gone Wrong, Good As I Been To You, or even most of Self Portrait? And they are considered "legitimate" Dylan albums.

True, Christmas In The Heart is not Blonde On Blonde, Blood On The Tracks, or Love And Theft. But I don't see much difference than Together Through Life. Like the last couple of Dylan albums, it has some highs and lows. And, it brings out a couple of emotions in me. As I listen to it, I find myself cringing to some of the slowers cuts, laughing (in a good way) to some of the fun tracks, and even feeling a little moved by one particular track, "Do You Hear What I Hear".

I think the voice is a problem, and this album is not for everyone. I think you have to appreciate Dylan to appreciate the album. You'll either like it or you won't. I like it, but, then again, I like Bob Dylan....
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the captain
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« Reply #146 on: October 12, 2009, 04:16:02 PM »

I don't think any--at least any of the good--Dylan albums are more than Dylan and his buddies (or a band, anyway ... I don 't know their social rapport) having a good time in the studio recording all these (those) songs. I don't think he went into the studio to cut Blonde on Blonde, Legendary Album. If he had, it probably would have sucked. But that's why Dylan creates great things. (It's also why he has created some terrible, terrible sh*t.)
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« Reply #147 on: October 12, 2009, 05:09:16 PM »

I don't think any--at least any of the good--Dylan albums are more than Dylan and his buddies (or a band, anyway ...

....and some new Bob Dylan songs. I don't want to speak for 8o8o, but I think that's what he was getting at. There is a diiference between a band just recording "covers" - and most Christmas albums are covers - and a band CREATING new music through newly written songs. I'm not a musician, but I have to believe the process is different when you're recording standards, and when you're molding, experimenting, and creating new material.
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« Reply #148 on: October 12, 2009, 05:13:41 PM »

Maybe yes, maybe no. Plenty of brilliant musicians have rarely or never written their own music. It's different, but not inferior. And Dylan comes from the folk tradition where really he was the exception (in bringing his own material), not the rule. I'd guess his heart is every bit in this project--at least it sounds like it.
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« Reply #149 on: October 13, 2009, 03:38:38 AM »

I see you point, 8o8o, and at first I kinda felt the same way. Then I got to thinking, is Christmas In The Heart so different than World Gone Wrong, Good As I Been To You, or even most of Self Portrait? And they are considered "legitimate" Dylan albums.

True, Christmas In The Heart is not Blonde On Blonde, Blood On The Tracks, or Love And Theft. But I don't see much difference than Together Through Life.
Of course it deserves its place in Dylan's catalogue, just like any other album would, but I regard it as a sort of sidestep. It's not the greatest Christmas album ever recorded, neither is it the worst. I say enjoy it for what it is (and we all agree there is plenty to enjoy!) or leave it be, but please don't take it too seriously, as some critics and fellow Dylan fans love to do everytime he puts out something new, by analysing every single song, every line, flipping it over, turning it upside down to find any possible links with the work of James Joyce or whatever. They can't do that now, that's why it gets a lot of stick. It seems that with whatever he puts out, it's either "the greatest thing he's ever done" or "a load of crap", there's no middle way.

I think the voice is a problem, and this album is not for everyone. I think you have to appreciate Dylan to appreciate the album. You'll either like it or you won't. I like it, but, then again, I like Bob Dylan....
That's right, but it has been like that since "Modern Times" at least, then again, his voice has always put people off, even in the mid 60s or when he came up with his "Nashville Skyline" voice a couple of years later. Once you can get over it, it's not so bad, for those who can't and need something more smooth there's Andy Williams' or Engelbert Humperdinck's Christmas album. But yes, as with Tom Waits' voice, you either like it, or you don't.

....and some new Bob Dylan songs. I don't want to speak for 8o8o, but I think that's what he was getting at. There is a diiference between a band just recording "covers" - and most Christmas albums are covers - and a band CREATING new music through newly written songs. I'm not a musician, but I have to believe the process is different when you're recording standards, and when you're molding, experimenting, and creating new material.
That is indeed what I meant, Sheriff. But Luther's right too of course, you don't go into the studio to create your masterpiece or anything, it happens or it doesn't, but this is different, the songs and lyrics were already there.

The idea to record some Christmas songs may even have its origin in Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour (his radio show), where he played some of these songs, and/or maybe they started doing one or two Christmas songs one day during the "Together Through Life" sessions (December 2008!) and it led to this.
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