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Author Topic: Dylan Question-opinion for all Zimmerman-heads...  (Read 8501 times)
TdHabib
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« on: September 26, 2008, 07:39:37 PM »

Okay so I've gotten into one of those real Bob Dylan fixes lately---everybody knows the kind of thing I'm talking about---that happens every now and then...and I've come to a definitive conclusion: I love Highway 61 Revisited and that LP was never a particular favorite of mine. In particular, "Desolation Row," which I've been listening to nonstop, has really appealed to me...

So much so that I now have a dillemma, Blonde on Blonde was, is and will remain my very favorite Dylan LP of all time. But my second choice has been, since about 1989, Blood on the Tracks, but now that I'm listening so much to Highway 61, it's almost close to taking second place. Whether that will happen or not remains to be seen, but I'd like to ask everyone the question you've been so eagerly awaiting:

Do you prefer Blood on the Tracks or Highway 61 as a Dylan masterpiece? I know that both are terrific, but which is your personal favorite?

I know we have some real Dylan-heads here (the good Sherriff for one) and I'd love to get a wide-range opinion.
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the captain
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« Reply #1 on: September 26, 2008, 07:46:08 PM »

I prefer Highway 61, which isn't really among my very favorites. For me, there's Blonde On Blonde and Bringing It All Back Home, then the past two albums and the two you mentioned all in some kind of steel cage match for supremacy. But honestly, I'm trending the other way: Blood on the Tracks is recently growing on me. I think it comes down to the fact that Dylan has SO MANY thoughts, perspectives over the years. Everyone flows in and out of them over time. I can relate to Dylan X at some point, Dylan Y at another. It isn't an A>B>C situation so much as a "I used to like A, now I'm into B," etc.
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Sheriff John Stone
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« Reply #2 on: September 26, 2008, 08:29:10 PM »

I think it comes down to the fact that Dylan has SO MANY thoughts, perspectives over the years. Everyone flows in and out of them over time. I can relate to Dylan X at some point, Dylan Y at another. It isn't an A>B>C situation so much as a "I used to like A, now I'm into B," etc.

Yes, and that's what makes it such a difficult question to answer. Damn, TdHabib, this is a tough one. OK, on 9/26/08, I'll say:

1. Highway 61 Revisited
2. Blonde On Blonde
3. Blood On The Tracks

Highway 61 Revisited has no weak spots; it's consistently great. That's not to say Blonde On Blonde has any filler; it doesn't. It is just as consistent, but does it have the "highs" of Highway 61 Revisited? I don't know, they're so close. Again, it depends on what mood you're in, what you're looking for. Highway 61 Revisited is more straight-forward rock and roll, if you're looking for that. Dylan seems extremely focused, still maybe angry? Blonde On Blonde, while it too rocks, is a little more "out there", a little more druggy. And there's more "relationship" songs on Blonde On Blonde. Was there the slightest sign of Dylan mellowing? 

Blood On The Tracks has a couple cuts ("You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome", "Meet Me In The Morning", and "Buckets Of Rain") that are just a notch below. While I love "Lily, Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts", it seems slightly out of place, suited more for Nashville Skyline or Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid. But, hey, Blood On The Tracks is a stone cold classic!

Did I dodge your question enough, TdHabib?   
« Last Edit: September 26, 2008, 08:32:25 PM by Sheriff John Stone » Logged
CosmicDancer
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« Reply #3 on: September 26, 2008, 09:25:32 PM »

Blood on the Tracks is my favorite Dylan album of them all.  It is the home of my favorite Dylan tune "Idiot Wind".  That song never fails to blow my away.  The anger that comes through in Dylan's voice on that song is so captivating.  Every track on the record is an absolute killer.  Highway 61 is probably right behind it at #2.
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« Reply #4 on: September 26, 2008, 10:06:07 PM »

I pretty much agree with Luther.

But I think that 61 was the more significant album culturally, while BOTT is more consistently listenable(meaning I'm in the mood for it more often.) But the fact I'm in the mood for it more often is probably more indicative of my age and where I'm at as a person than anything else.

Blonde on Blonde is one of his most important records, but is not my personal favorite anymore(though it was at one point.)
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TdHabib
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« Reply #5 on: September 26, 2008, 10:53:27 PM »

I think it comes down to the fact that Dylan has SO MANY thoughts, perspectives over the years. Everyone flows in and out of them over time. I can relate to Dylan X at some point, Dylan Y at another. It isn't an A>B>C situation so much as a "I used to like A, now I'm into B," etc.

Yes, and that's what makes it such a difficult question to answer. Damn, TdHabib, this is a tough one. OK, on 9/26/08, I'll say:

1. Highway 61 Revisited
2. Blonde On Blonde
3. Blood On The Tracks

Highway 61 Revisited has no weak spots; it's consistently great. That's not to say Blonde On Blonde has any filler; it doesn't. It is just as consistent, but does it have the "highs" of Highway 61 Revisited? I don't know, they're so close. Again, it depends on what mood you're in, what you're looking for. Highway 61 Revisited is more straight-forward rock and roll, if you're looking for that. Dylan seems extremely focused, still maybe angry? Blonde On Blonde, while it too rocks, is a little more "out there", a little more druggy. And there's more "relationship" songs on Blonde On Blonde. Was there the slightest sign of Dylan mellowing? 

Blood On The Tracks has a couple cuts ("You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome", "Meet Me In The Morning", and "Buckets Of Rain") that are just a notch below. While I love "Lily, Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts", it seems slightly out of place, suited more for Nashville Skyline or Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid. But, hey, Blood On The Tracks is a stone cold classic!

Did I dodge your question enough, TdHabib?   
Nah, it's alright, you answered the best you could...

If I could dig a little deeper...

The thing about Blood on the Tracks that always bugged me was that Dylan could've kept the original take of "If You See Her, Say Hello", and by all means should have, but replaced with that inferior version. I don't mind the three tunes you mentioned, perversely I think they fit in with the mood  Tongue I think the thing is whenever I get into my Blood on the Tracks mood, there's no stopping me...

But I was always irked about the second version of "If You See Her, Say Hello" the first version (acoustic) is pure emotion, one of Dylan's best vocals, and then the second version comes out officially and it's that watered down, fleshed out take...

As for Highway 61, the tune that hasn't clicked for me yet it "From a Buick 6." But I just listened to "Desolation Row" again, what a great song...
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the captain
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« Reply #6 on: September 27, 2008, 07:29:22 AM »

But I think that 61 was the more significant album culturally, while BOTT is more consistently listenable(meaning I'm in the mood for it more often.) But the fact I'm in the mood for it more often is probably more indicative of my age and where I'm at as a person than anything else.
That's an interesting aspect of music for me, and not just of Dylan's (although his age compared to mine (I'm 32 upon this writing), his longevity and his relatively consistent quality in different eras make him a prime case study). Because does the cultural importance of music, if the album doesn't hit that later listener the way a more personally enjoyable album might, matter so much? Sure, it does to people who were there. And of course there is the fact that if something changes culture, it matters in that regard because whatever comes after it is different than it would have been otherwise. But if I'm 15 now and can't personally relate to some album that's three times my age, then (for me) that's just not a good album. Sorry for the little off topic ravings. But it is important to me how often we see people say "oh, of course it's a great album and a classic, but I don't like it." It's a funny thing to say.
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« Reply #7 on: September 27, 2008, 09:28:32 AM »

Does it matter? I think it does in some cases but not in others. IN Dylan it does, because his music is sort of timeless--somebody discovering his sixties stuff today I think would react just like I did in 1990 or so when I first heard it. Only a few of his protests songs, rooted as they are in the issues of the time(Civil Rights, especially) are dated.

On the other hand, an album like Surfin' Safari, which probably was culturally significant for it's time is not all that hot nowadays--the whole thing is dated, even the stuff that has aged well. With a few exceptions, SS has an early sixties charm, but that's about it(other than a few moments of brilliance.)

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the captain
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« Reply #8 on: September 27, 2008, 10:07:58 AM »

Well nothing REALLY matters. Anyone can see. Nothing really matters...to meeeeeeeeeee.  LOL   Yeah, just a pointless but fun-for-me sort of sidetrack.
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« Reply #9 on: September 27, 2008, 12:24:42 PM »

Well, another thing is that there is a difference between a fifteen year old who doesn't like an album and a 32 year old who doesn't really listen to an album anymore. The thirty-two year old still likes the album(more often than not) but has just moved on. I can still listen to those old Dylan records, but his seventies stuff gets to me more now--though it doesn't blow me away like I was blown away in my twenties by the sixties stuff. I suppose when I'm seventy Modern Times will be the greatest album ever and BOTT will seem like overwrought tripe?
I'm just thinking aloud, I guess.

Also...one can appreciate an album on more levels than the visceral--and "cultural significance" can somewhat enhance a record.

On the other hand that "cultural significance" doesn't mean as much to me anymore is the reason why I have gravitated towards such an isolated(apparently) artist as Brian Wilson, who IMO does not have his finger on the pulse of culture at all...but makes good music.

Should it matter is a better question than "does it matter," maybe.
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« Reply #10 on: September 27, 2008, 01:11:13 PM »

Highway 61. Beautiful little album Smiley
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the captain
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« Reply #11 on: September 27, 2008, 02:13:46 PM »

Should it matter is a better question than "does it matter," maybe.
I think I'd argue the exact opposite, as long as the latter includes "to me." Should it matter is bullshit. Does it matter to me is the only real question that ought to any individual.
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« Reply #12 on: September 27, 2008, 09:07:58 PM »

The original question is still intriguing me. I wonder which of the three above mentioned albums DYLAN would choose?
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lance
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« Reply #13 on: September 28, 2008, 01:08:34 AM »

Should it matter is a better question than "does it matter," maybe.
I think I'd argue the exact opposite, as long as the latter includes "to me." Should it matter is bull crap. Does it matter to me is the only real question that ought to any individual.
Hmmm...I see  what you are saying, but I am not only talking about individual taste, but I realize that you are talking about that and have been.

But I am not so sure that "collective taste" does not exist, though obviously it's as subject to change and fluctuation as my own individual taste. For me the question regarding "collective taste", meaning a sort of objective taste is "should it matter?" Not does itmatter--because it clearly does matter.

Anyway, we are far, far, far into territory on which I am at best more-inarticulate-than-usual.

SJS--I wonder WHAT Dylan WOULD say? I once read an interview with him in which he said he'd written over a thousand songs and the only one he didn't like was "Ballad in Plain D." My guess is he's proud of all of them--but doesn't really listen to any of them.
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the captain
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« Reply #14 on: September 28, 2008, 07:14:26 AM »

The original question is still intriguing me. I wonder which of the three above mentioned albums DYLAN would choose?
I don't think he'd tell us. Ask and he'd probably say that what he really likes is The Chirpin' Crickets, and that his records don't really matter one way or the other. My guess of his opinion, for no good reason, is Blonde on Blonde.
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« Reply #15 on: September 28, 2008, 06:34:25 PM »

Blonde on Blonde and Highway 61 are my least favorite Dylan albums.
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Sheriff John Stone
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« Reply #16 on: September 28, 2008, 07:16:09 PM »

Blonde on Blonde and Highway 61 are my least favorite Dylan albums.

If those are your least favorites, I'm curious to know what are your favorites....
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« Reply #17 on: September 30, 2008, 12:27:59 AM »

The first five albums, Nashville Skyline, and World Gone Wrong. If I had to choose one Dylan album, I'd choose Bringin' it All Back Home or Bootleg Series volume 6.
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« Reply #18 on: September 30, 2008, 02:30:02 AM »

Bringin' it all back home for me too!! Damn, unlike Highway 61 and Blonde on Blonde(for me), for some reason that one never gets old.

I also think his late sixties/early seventies stuff is pretty underrated. I Shall Be Released from his Greatest hits vol II is probably my favorite song--maybe ever.

I just sort of like his lyrics a little more when they are not trying so hard to be surreal and poetic, I find the lyrics of, say, Ballad of a Thin Man to be just a little forced. I realize it was all groundbreaking and new, but where's the soul? The soul is in the music of Ballad of a Thin Man more than the lyrics.
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« Reply #19 on: September 30, 2008, 09:29:15 AM »

Ballad of a Thin Man is why I used to hate Bob Dylan. I thought all his songs sounded like that.
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« Reply #20 on: September 30, 2008, 02:06:52 PM »

Ballad of a Thin Man is why I used to hate Bob Dylan. I thought all his songs sounded like that.

Interesting.  It is one of my favorite Dylan songs.  Different strokes for different folks!
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« Reply #21 on: September 30, 2008, 05:16:29 PM »

Oh yeah, Bringing It All Back Home, incredible. How's that for a run - Bringing It All Back Home to Highway 61 Revisited to Blonde On Blonde. Do you think Dylan was on a roll....
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« Reply #22 on: September 30, 2008, 05:36:38 PM »

I believe it is a three-album run matched only by Rubber Soul, Revolver and Sgt. Pepper.
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« Reply #23 on: September 30, 2008, 05:57:11 PM »

I believe it is a three-album run matched only by Rubber Soul, Revolver and Sgt. Pepper.

I started to think of some other three to rival it, but.....no, why even try. It is interesting how the Big 3 - The Beach Boys, The Beatles, and Bob Dylan all (arguably) peaked in 1965-66, at almost the exact same time! With all due respect to The Beatles' later stuff, of course....
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« Reply #24 on: October 01, 2008, 11:01:41 AM »

I believe it is a three-album run matched only by Rubber Soul, Revolver and Sgt. Pepper.

What about Summer Days, Pet Sounds, SMiLE (even though it was in pieces for almost 40 years)?

Between the Buttons, Flowers, Their Satanic Majesties Request?

Headquarters, The Birds The Bees and The Monkees, Head Soundtrack?

Surrealistic Pillow, After Bathing At Baxter's, Volunteers?

Still Cruisin', Summer in Paradise, Stars and Stripes? (just kidding on that one Smiley)
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