I'm not going to do anything as extreme as that - but great idea. I have however found myself listening to intense amounts of Bob since the news broke. As I've mentioned before - 'The Basement Tapes' have been hammered all over again. 'Another Self Portrait has had a spin. My 'Another Self Portrait' spin off playlist has had a spin. And last week I decided to make a new 'Best of 80s Dylan' playlist!! What this has to do with 'The Cutting Edge' is anyone's guess - but I've been playing that to death and really enjoying songs like 'Jokerman,' 'Brownsville Girl,' and 'Dark Eyes' Just on an audiophile note - I'd love to have the remastered version of 'Brownsville Girl.' Does anyone know whether the remastered version of 'Knocked Out Loaded' has had a standard stand-alone CD release?
Also, once my copy arrives, my reading for the first few days (at least) will be this book that I bought a few months ago but haven't gotten around to yet: http://books.simonandschuster.com.au/The-Dylanologists/David-Kinney/9781451626933 Seems appropriate.
You can buy it from http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/SICP-30576. They are very reliable and reasonably fast, you should be able to receive it before the Cutting Edge arrives and you have no time for anything else.
On a related note, BBC Radio 4 are broadcasting a programme called 'Highway 61: 50 years on' on Sunday afternoon at 13:30 - it promises interviews with some of the session musicians and clips of previously unreleased songs: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06gtk2l
I had a similar experience a few years back with Duke Ellington. I had nearly always listened to Ellington in the context of an Ellington record. One day I happened to put on a compilation album of swing stuff and when Duke came on I was struck by how unearthly and weird his sound was in the context of the day. Later, seeing some film footage, I realized that unlike other bands, he didn't just have the soloist use mutes and other tonal distortions - he often had the whole band playing distorted tones. Ever since I've made a point of creating mix CDs that highlight things in context like that
I've never heard that and it's very interesting. Often you hear of people as great innovators and just can't hear it, so I always appreciate it when someone can articulate just what that innovation was.
A bit off topic, but that happened to me in the same way with Rembrandt. Saw an exhibition of contemporary works, and when it got to one by him, it was evident that he was approaching things in a whole different way at the time.
Brownsville Girl....How any critic could blast an album that had that track, and go further to criticize the whole era, is beyond me. It was a masterpiece. I'd like to hear the entire Brownsville Girl session. 3 or 4 CDs of takes of Brownsville Girl. With and without overdubs. Its whole evolution from Danville Girl.
Good idea to play Elvis like that, but I think a better idea would have been to play an hour plus of 1950-54 honky tonk and southern white gospel and then early Elvis to get the context, with some early black R&B as well
I've never heard that album to be honest. Or Down In The Groove. 'Brownsville Girl' is an utterly amazing song though yes... and although the heavily reverbed 80s production is a little off-putting the sheer majesty of the thing carries all before it. It could be considered one of the overlooked masterpieces in the canon.
If you did: Bob Dylan's Carnival Jukebox: Musical Textures of Blonde on Blonde (1966) I'd put up a link to it if I only knew how.
My absolute favourite way to listen to music. Have done it plenty of times with just specific artists, or genres, or decades as a whole sometimes. You learn so much more about the all important context doing it this way.
Brownsville Girl is superb - if a little overblown - but that album has no other redeeming features and has the worst thing Dylan ever recorded on "They Killed Him". I can't think of any major artist who's sunk as low as this. I'm a lifelong Dylan fan too. (Well except the last decade or so..)
I like both. And though I'd like to hear Brownsvill Girl minus the "big sound" production, that big sound was very good too, and fit the "film-like" concept of the song.
You don't like post 2000 classics like Cross the Green Mountain? Workingman's Blues? some of the best things he has ever done.
Side 2 of "Knocked Out Loaded" is one of my favorite Dylan album sides. I find much redemption within.
As I recall, "Brownville Girl" was reported to be remixed for its inclusion on the 3CD Dylan box from a few years ago. I believe the new mix was supposed to tone done the elements you describe a bit.
Well, I'm over stating things I guess. I probably should say I find much less to enjoy post TOOM. There are exceptions like Cross The Green and Girl From the Red River Shore but I can't really share people's fondness for Love & Theft, Tempest , the dreadful TTL or Modern Times. As for Christmas in the Heart and Shadows in The Night - don't get me started.
