Questions for Dylan fans from a Country Fan

I almost forgot. Dylan went in and recorded some of his best songs that he had given away in 1971 with Happy Traum.

I Shall Be Released
Down in the Flood
You Ain't Going Nowhere
Only a Hobo

These almost sound like Bob Dylan doing "Outlaw Country". It is my absolute favorite Dylan recording session.

One more in this vein is "Watching the River Flow" recorded with Leon Russell.

 

There are no rules, of course. Dylan is no more a "Country" singer than the Grateful Dead is a "Country" band, but there is much to be mined in both, IMO. Dylan's more of a "high plains dustbowl drifter" type. Not exactly country, but in a similar vein. If, at the end of it all, you only like two Dylan tunes, that's fine; I've no reason to be bothered by that, so don't dwell on that aspect of your post. I'd recommend checking out the 1967-1974 studio releases:

John Wesley Harding
Nashville Skyline
Self Portrait
New Morning
Dylan
Planet Waves

Also, Telltale Signs (Bootleg Series 9), Another Self Portrait (BS 10) as well as On Mercy! and Time Out of Mind.

But I'd be remiss if I didn't at least mention A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall, It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding), Desolation Row, Visions of Johanna (live, acoustic) and Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands. Five of the best musical compositions in any genre from any era. Then again, you indicate that his writing does nothing for you, so maybe you let those slip by. No big deal.

On a related note, you might want to check out Grateful Dead's cover of Merle Haggard's Sing me Back Home (8/27/72, Veneta, Sunshine Daydream preferably; see youtube).

 

I think if I hadn't been exposed to Dylan's 'country' albums I wouldn't have acquired an interest in country music in general. Going from Dylan's duets with Johnny Cash to Johnny himself I discovered a lot of that old time country and folk material that would have taken me far longer to come across.

"Leopardskin Pillbox Hat" is definitely one of my favorite Dylan songs. "Baby Tonight" I feel is a great song, but it comes off as something he could write before breakfast.

Dylan's catalog is so vast, I would say keep trying, something may click. If it doesn't it doesn't.

When I was 19 I considered myself a big Dylan fan, I had more than 10 albums, had been to see him live, etc. A co-worker was talking about the song "Hurricane" - I'd never heard of it! So it's likely there are aspects of his work that never occurred to you either.

Since then Desire, with (Emmylou Harris on backing vocals) has become one of my favorite albums, there's some country-westernish material on there as well, you could add that to the list.

I don't know anything about Dylan's thought processes or manner of composition, but judging from his work, he's a master of the ancient poetic practice of transmitting his influences and writing his own work into the tradition. I'm not surprised to hear his radio show reflects that material.

 

What a well-structured distillation of some 55 years of toil. Well put.

 

In actuality, "Nashville Skyline" is a great introduction to a C&W Bob Dylan.
The songs, the singing, the production, the musicianship is superb and is a highly recommended album that fits the criteria indicated in these postings.
It is an excellent record.

 

"I Forgot More (Than You'll Ever Know)" from Self Portrait....

 

Listening to Blonde on Blonde right now. I have been really enjoying slowly picking and choosing album cuts and have found a ton of Dylan I can't believe I had never liked before. I still can't handle the earliest stuff though. Thanks everyone for the time you took to offer advice.

How about post me some of your "can't live without" Bob Dylan tracks.

 

I typically center on the mid-60's rock albums Bringing it All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited, and Blonde On Blonde. It makes sense that you like Blonde on Blonde if you are a country fan, but I would still suggest listening to the other two aforementioned albums, even though they are more rock and folk based. I also really like his mid 70's period, primarily the singer/songwriter based Blood on the Tracks and the slightly experimental Desire.

 

1. The Death Of Emmett Till
   
2. A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
3. Ballad of Hollis Brown
   
4. Boots of Spanish Leather
   
5. Seven Curses
   
6. Percy's Song
   
7. Bob Dylan's 115th Dream
   
8. Tombstone Blues (Newport Folk Festival - July 24, 1965)
   
9. It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
10. Desolation Row
11. Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?
    
12. I Wanna Be Your Lover
    
13. Visions of Johanna (live acoustic, London, 5/26/66)
    
14. She's Your Lover Now
    
15. Obviously Five Believers
    
16. Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands
17. Idiot Wind
    
18. Black Diamond Bay
    
19. Sara
20. Up to Me
21. Abandoned Love
    
22. Seven Days
    
23. I Believe in You
    
24. Caribbean Wind
    
25. Every Grain of Sand
    
26. Brownsville Girl
    
27. Most of the Time
    
28. Series of Dreams

Several of these have multiple takes and certain versions are vastly better than others (I included specifics for a couple). You'll need to seek out Biograph and some of the Bootleg Series official releases to get the best versions of these. It really does make a huge difference.

 

If you have a visceral aversion to Bob's voice there's usually no getting around it. If you love country music listen to a 2000 live version of "Country Pie" officially released on a Japan only album unfortunately. Perhaps the humour of the Basements might appeal.

 

Sticking with Blonde On Blonde, "Pillbox Hat" is probably the one track I sort of have to get through. "Visions of Johanna" is tops for me. "Stuck Inside Of Mobile" was probably my first Dylan love. "Most Likely You Go Your Way", "Absolutely Sweet Marie", "4th Time Around" right up there from that album; "Sad Eyed Lady" is a great way to end it all. Of all the Dylan albums I love, this is probably the Desert Island disc for me.

I don't really go anywhere after Dylan; he is kind of his own island for me.

I would also be curious how you are listening to him. This might be a case where some sources are going to work against you especially on the voice/harmonica grate, I am thinking of many of the Sony SACDs; where others like the mofi SACDs work great to warm/smooth those edges and are overall very natural and analog sounding. I know I love it all so much more when it sounds right, which for me is the mofis mostly. On your topic the original CD John Wesley Harding is nice for stereo, and for Nashville Skyline the original CD was pretty grim while the 2003 remaster is nice. Blonde On Blonde is the mofi SACD for me.

 

"Pill Box Hat" is a very typical mid-60's Dylan tune. Kind of surprised you like that one if most of his stuff from that period isn't to your taste. "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" is lovely.

Have to recommend The Basement Tapes. Bob and The Band play around with all sorts of roots music and his singing is very laid-back. Instead of the heavily overdubbed original 1975 release, go for either the six-disc complete version or the double-disc Basement Tapes Raw.

 

Basement Tapes opened up for me where I truly started loving it only after getting the mofi SACD. I never tried the 6-disc though, only the original cd and remaster.

 

I was thinking about getting Basement Tapes, I was also looking at the Bootleg series. His voice doesn't really bother me anymore, I just have to be in the mood, but I just can't handle the protest type songs or the early folk stuff yet.

 

You asked for suggestions? Play "Beneath Still Waters" by George Jones. Then play "Not Dark Yet" by Dylan. You might hear a thing or two they have in common.

 

In a few weeks, Old Crow Medicine Show is releasing a live version of Blonde on Blonde they recorded last year. Obviously, I haven't heard it in full yet but I'm looking forward to receiving the pre-order. Maybe this will suit your taste or that of some others peeking in this thread:



Based on that short clip, I do wish they'd put it out on Blu-ray as well. Maybe on the 50th anniversary of the concert celebrating the 50th anniversary.

 

All I can say is please come see our Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, and the Nashville Cats exhibit at the Country Music Hall Of Fame & Museum. It's being held over until the end of this year.You'll totally understand country music's effect on Dylan, and , especially, Dylan's effect on country music! Old Crow Medicine Show recorded their new live album in our CMA Theater last year on the 50th anniversary of Blonde On Blonde's release. They performed it two nights in a row.They did a mind-boggling job on it in terms of arrangements and performance!
There is no question about Mr. Dylan's country bona fides & credibility among the local musicians here in Nashville....

 

I understand where you are coming from. Dylan was an acquired taste for me. I knew he had a good reputation but I didn't like what I heard. I kept trying different songs, and eventually I liked some, and other material from the same period became familiar, and I slowly expanded and obsessed.

One of the difficulties with and the strength of Dylan is that he swims in different musical oceans. Don't expect to like all of his work - after buying all his albums and loving the majority of them, there are some periods in his work that I don't really like. But I found the time has to be right. Many albums I didn't initially like, and revisited several years later and they grew on my then.

The album suggestions made above are all very good, so I won't bother repeating them again. Listen openly, give yourself a chance to become familiar with his style. Once you like an album, try the one before or the one after. But do your research - the one before or after may be in a very different style.

After you start to become familiar with Dylan and like a few albums, you can start to explore some of his other albums. His early folk albums may be a good transition point. He also put out a couple of blues albums in the 80's.

Good to hear you are listening to the Theme Time Radio Hours. They are very entertaining, and certainly educated me and opened me to a lot of music I was unfamiliar with.

Enjoy your Dylan journey.

 

I would get a copy of 'Blood On The Tracks'. If you have a CD player in your car get the first CD pressing. It's cheap online and it sounds like the album should. There are better choices for sound if you want to spend money on records. But most of the digital versions are forward and bright. Listen to Dylan's voice on this the same way that you listen to Jimmy Rogers or Sara and Mother Mayebelle ; it's a conduit of emotion and the sound of someone trying to make sense of the Human Condition. Dylan wears a lot of hats and puts up a lot of fronts as a singer, but the singing on this record is very honest and natural. And if you don't like his singing you just don't like it. I don't like 8 of Beethoven s Symphonies. We like what we like.

 

+1

What kind of music is 'Blood On The Tracks'?

Bob Dylan music.

 

Since your avatar is Gentleman Jim and he is my favorite make singer of all times, I cant get mad at you . And that might be part of the puzzle. Bob Dylan vocally is about as far away from Jim Reeves voice as one could imagine.

However, you asked, "What is is that appeals to others about Bob Dylan's voice?"

This is my take on why I like his voice. No, Bob isnt what youd call a pretty singer like Jim Reeves. But what he has is character to his voice. A different kind of expressiveness. And no one sings in quite so many different ways that he does. Its almost as if every style of singing was poured into him and then mangled just a bit. A beautiful kind of ugly.

No one would accuse Howlin Wolf as being a pretty singer, lyrical or melodious. Yet there is something about that giant, barrel chested, booming voice that rings true. He shakes the listeners very foundation. Hank Williams Sr did not have a smoothly beautiful voice. Yet there is not a more lonesome sounding singer.

Bob I think combines these two qualities (and more), then puts them into a blender of these amazingly complex layered lyrics. He isnt a melody singer. He is The Preacher. The one who stands with one guitar to represent everyman. And his voice is every mans voice. That is his appeal. The appeal of his voice to my ears.

Bob Dylan's catalogue is so vast that everyone has favorites. Do I think some songs are better than others? Sure. No one writes that many songs and they are all "Like A Rolling Stone" or "Visions Of Johanna". The ones you mention have been liked by me, cast aside, picked back up, considered really great, considered songs I could live without and then picked back up again as ones I love. Its cyclical with me.

Dylan is rooted in roots music mostly. Pick up the "World Gone Wrong" to see deep inside what Dylan likes. Or his Theme Time Radio Shows. He plays and talks about some of his favorite artists and songs. It runs the gamut of styles and genres. And so does my tastes. His big early influence was Woddy Guthrie. So he got me looking there. Then that led to Cisco, Jack etc. And who influenced them. Who do I hear in Dylan? Everybody. When I listen to many other artists do I hear Dylan? Many times yes. Dylans contribution to writing is detail and color in a story. As popular song writing has progressed I think Dylan has been a key influence in its progression. Rock or country.