Bob Dylan lovers of the World, Unite!

[mjp]

I love the song but every time I hear it, his palpable bile and contempt just creeps me out to no end.

A lot of his songs must creep you out then. Dylan was/is an angry fucker. See; Idiot Wind, Positively 4th Street, Masters Of War, The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll, Like A Rolling Stone, etc., etc., etc.

When Dylan is (was?) great, he is really, really great. And when he sucks, he sucks pretty bad. But I admire his kind of "all or nothing" approach. And you can rest assured that if you don't like something he does, he doesn't really care, and you can just wait a couple of years and he'll be doing something else anyway. When someone has 50 albums to their credit you have to expect low spots, detours and sour notes.

 

[CarversDog]

You've got a lot of nerve/To say you are my friend ...

Yeah, vicious and angry. I don't think I stated myself clearly (seems I do that here quite often) ... Dylan's use of vitriol is jarringly effective, perhaps more effective than any other contemporary musician I can think of (well, there is that rendition of "My Way" by Sid Vicious) but I can only take Angry Bob in small doses yet when I'm in the mood for that sort of musical catharsis, no one does it better, IMHO.

Okay, I'm going to go put Positively 4th Street on now ...

 

[melancholic]

Desolation Row
Visions of Johanna (live acoustic versions)

I know it's been discussed elsewhere whether his lyrics are truely poetry or not, but these two are chock-full of imagery. Fantastic songs as well.

If visions of Johanna and desolation row are not poetry i don't know what is. the acoustic version of visions from the Manchester free trade hall is one of my favorites and desolation row is a timeless classic. many people consider desolation row to be a modern interpretation T.S Eliot's the waste land. But as far as I'm concerned it far better than the waste land land and anything else Eliot wrote.

 

[bospress.net]

great lyrics, poetic lyrics, but not poetry.

 

[Purple Stickpin]

A lot of his songs must creep you out then. Dylan was/is an angry fucker. See; Idiot Wind, Positively 4th Street, Masters Of War, The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll, Like A Rolling Stone, etc., etc., etc.

When Dylan is (was?) great, he is really, really great. And when he sucks, he sucks pretty bad. But I admire his kind of "all or nothing" approach. And you can rest assured that if you don't like something he does, he doesn't really care, and you can just wait a couple of years and he'll be doing something else anyway. When someone has 50 albums to their credit you have to expect low spots, detours and sour notes.

That's spot-on. One of the best example is that famous bit right before "Rolling Stone" at the Manchester Free Trade Hall, May 17, 1966, when he berates the audience member and then turns to his band and says "play it fuckin' loud!" The vitriol in that version is so bad I have to clean my CD player every time I play it.

I've long said that Dylan was the first punk rock musician. Not that the music he played was anything what we now refer to as punk rock, but he was punk. He looked his establishment right in the face and gave them a musical "Fuck You." Gotta admire his determination and conviction.

You've got a lot of nerve/To say you are my friend ...

Yeah, vicious and angry. I don't think I stated myself clearly (seems I do that here quite often) ... Dylan's use of vitriol is jarringly effective, perhaps more effective than any other contemporary musician I can think of (well, there is that rendition of "My Way" by Sid Vicious) but I can only take Angry Bob in small doses yet when I'm in the mood for that sort of musical catharsis, no one does it better, IMHO.

Okay, I'm going to go put Positively 4th Street on now ...

One thing about Dylan that really confounds me is they way he talks about certain songs. I mean, he denies that Positively 4th Street was written in response to the criticism of his switch to folk rock, yet it was recorded a mere four days after the 1965 Newport Folk Festival controversy (with Pete Seeger trying to cut the power cables), and the message is pretty clear.

 

[melancholic]

great lyrics, poetic lyrics, but not poetry.

No matter what anyone says i still believe that Dylan could have been a very successful written word poet. and trust me for the most part i don't like rhyming poetry. But for Bob Dylan I make an exception. Songs such as visions of Johanna are, as far as I'm concerned, on the same level as any of the so called "great" poetry of the last century.

 

[chronic]

You haven't read Tarantula, have you? Okay at best (in my miserable opinion).

 

[melancholic]

I have read tarantula and it was not not released for a reason at the time of writing . it is a work that Dylan was under pressure to finish. He turned in a weak manuscript that the publishers deemed unfit for publication and they were right, it was released later simply to make some money of Dylan freaks like me. It is a stoned out mess filled with in-jokes and sad attempts a humor. and it was released as novel not as a collection of poetry. Dylan at this worst, really.

 

[Purple Stickpin]

Dylan at this worst, really.

Well, after Joey, of course. ;)

 

[Bukfan]

Desire is great, although "Joey" has to be one of his more annoying tracks.

What annoys me about "Joey" is Dylan praising the mobster, "Crazy Joe" Gallo, as if a mafia hood is some kinda Robin Hood...

 

[Erik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chronic
...I just think You Gotta Serve Somebody was a terrible song.

A terrible song and terrible advice.
[...]
Stupid bearded fucker and his lousy Minnesota advice. Last time I try to live my life according to the words in a Dylan song, I'll tell you that.

Or... as John Lennon would say: Serve yourself (Youtube link)

 

[jmoshea]

anybody here read Chronicles: Volume One? I thought he did an excellent job there. Not poetry, but good writing in places.

 

[Black Swan]

Gates of Eden amazed me once more last week ,out of the blue.
I love Bob Dylan ,but not always in the mood.
A flashing, on and off, god to my generation.
Vicious and angry yes.
It's alright ma (I'm only bleeding).
Maggie's farm and Like a Rolling Stone were anthems . Also still listen to his very early accoustic stuff.
Ballad of a thin man once stopped me , frozen to the bones.
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFYlhw3g4P8&feature=related
He lost me when he was saved but I guess he needed that, just like we take detours to find ourselves later with more crap in our bags.
Unfortunately travelling light gets harder with time.

 

[Purple Stickpin]

anybody here read Chronicles: Volume One? I thought he did an excellent job there. Not poetry, but good writing in places.

I'm part-way through it (I'm usually part-way through about 8 or 10 books at any given time), and it's a very good read, yes.

 

[Bukfan]

anybody here read Chronicles: Volume One? I thought he did an excellent job there. Not poetry, but good writing in places.

I'm also part-way through with it and so far I find it interesting in places. I'm glad I bought it.

Anyone read the Dylan bio by H***** S*****? I think it's an ok bio.

 

[d gray]

the many moods of Bobby D -

this thread reminded me of some great dylan stuff i saw recently on youtube so i dug them up - i'm sure anyone interested has already seen these but wtf

cab ride with john lennon (bombed) - so funny him trying not to puke
[This video is unavailable.]

interview arriving in sweden (prickly)
[This video is unavailable.]

hanging with fans in hamilton filming movie (friendly!)
[This video is unavailable.]

 

[1fsh2fsh]

Far superior by a nose, huh? ;)

I could agree with that. Tunes like "Sara," "Black Diamond Bay," "Oh Sister," "One More Cup of Coffee," and "Hurricane (I think it's a great song)" are more consistent than "Blood on the Tracks".

I don't have the album in front of me, but didn't Dylan work with a co-writer on some of the tracks on desire? maybe a Jaques somebody? or maybe I'm all wrong on this, but I seem to recall.... and while on the subject I think that his "Planet Waves" album was really good and almost always overlooked.

 

[CarversDog]

If I am responsible for resurrecting this Dylan worshipping thread via the "What are you listening to now?" thread, I humbly apologize. Suddenly we have become bob.net

 

[1fsh2fsh]

anybody here read Chronicles: Volume One? I thought he did an excellent job there. Not poetry, but good writing in places.

Yeah, in places. in other places I thought it was a terrible hard thing to read. almost elementary. But I do hope that there is a volume two soon.

 

[Bukfan]

I don't have the album in front of me, but didn't Dylan work with a co-writer on some of the tracks on desire? maybe a Jaques somebody? or maybe I'm all wrong on this, but I seem to recall.... and while on the subject I think that his "Planet Waves" album was really good and almost always overlooked.

Yes, You're right! Dylan co-wrote all the tracks with Jacques Levy, except for "One More Cup Of Coffee" and "Sara"...

 

[Bukfan]

If I am responsible for resurrecting this Dylan worshipping thread via the "What are you listening to now?" thread, I humbly apologize. Suddenly we have become bob.net

Well, both Buk and Bob are very original artists and both of them are an acquired taste and not for everybody.
I'm glad you revived the thread!

 

[Gerard K H Love]

If I am responsible for resurrecting this Dylan worshipping thread via the "What are you listening to now?" thread, I humbly apologize. Suddenly we have become bob.net

Yes, you did good, but actually hank solo rounded you all up and segregated you to this place. I was whining about it so he did me a favor- that little f-ing corgi carries a lot of weight around here so don't mess with him.;)

 

[Purple Stickpin]

Well, both Buk and Bob are very original artists and both of them are an acquired taste and not for everybody.
I'm glad you revived the thread!

Second that.

 

[jmoshea]

Yeah, in places. in other places I thought it was a terrible hard thing to read. almost elementary. But I do hope that there is a volume two soon.

I was all wrapped up in the interest I had in the subject. I think I read the thing in one night. 1fsh, I think you and this guy kept a little more objectivity that I did...I enjoyed reading it my way though:

http://www.kunstler.com/mags_dylan.html

I hope there is a volume two...I've got a feeling there won't be one.

 

[Erik]

Dylan resembles Tom Waits in that he's a better song writer than performer.
I, at least, often prefer cover versions of Bob's songs.
Bryan Ferry has recently done a good job on Dylanesque:

 

[weary.tune]

great lyrics, poetic lyrics, but not poetry.

Perhaps you can tell me what poetry is?

wt

 

[hank solo]

Lyrics or poetry.... try here.

 

[rjwink666]

great lyrics, poetic lyrics, but not poetry.

I think like Dylan you can also apply the same to Leonard Cohen. This is despite Cohen also being published as a poet.

The music carries the words, where as with a poet the words create music.

 

[mjp]

Or... as John Lennon would say: Serve yourself (Youtube link)

Oh man, that is great.

Why couldn't Mark Chapman have been obsessed with Billy Ray Cyrus or Michael Jackson?

What kind of world?

 

[melancholic]

the many moods of Bobby D -

this thread reminded me of some great dylan stuff i saw recently on youtube so i dug them up - i'm sure anyone interested has already seen these but wtf

cab ride with john lennon (bombed) - so funny him trying not to puke
[This video is unavailable.]

the Dylan and Lennon footage is great. it is a clip from the documentary "eat the document". there is another great clip from the film where Dylan and Rick Danco, i think, try to buy a guy's girl friend for rick's jacket and a pack of cigarettes. unbelievably funny.

Well, after Joey, of course. ;)

maybe we should start a " we a hate Joey thread"
we could talk about in detail how terrible we think the song is. it would be fun, maybe

;)