Bob Dylan's New Album - Shadows In The Night

Of course, it is released in Ireland today.

 

It's all over the Internet now anyway.

 

I'm a Bobiphile so not unbiased, but this is rather a stunning achievement which once and for all proves the "rasp"
is a put on. You don't hit the notes on "Ballad of a Thin Man" he hits in concert without having a voice left.
This is a lovely album, well recorded with wonderfully understated arrangements.
This is further proof than nobody emotes or interprets a lyric, be it his own or others, like Dylan.
Well done Maestro and thanks for sharing this with us.

 

Of course you could always actually listen to the album then have an opinion you could share.

 

The DJ on this radioshow loved the album and actually said he found it the best thing Bob s ever done
So much for the theory one poster here shared that the radiodj så would laugh themself silly over this album

 

Oh, I don't so. I think some nights his voice is okay and some nights it's shot. Same goes for the days/nights he's in the studio. He just doesn't care, be it live or on a recording.

From what I've heard, Shadows In The Nights makes a nice companion piece to Christmas In The Heart the way GAIBTY does to World Gone Wrong. I think Shadows is leap years better than CITH, mainly because of the care put into the arrangements, the same way I feel World Gone Wrong wrong is leap years better than GAIBTY for the same reason.

 

And SITN is not only leap years better than CITH, its a country mile superior to either GAIBTY or WGW too.

 

Thank you for the link. The DJ actually plays the entirety of the album across the two hour show (not in order), and states a few times "I think it's the best thing that he's ever done" (a bit much for me, even if someone LOVES the album).

Having now heard it in its entirety, I have a more positive feeling about the record than I did listening to individual tracks as they dribbled into availability over the past months. The moments of vocal strain are less of an issue to me when the whole album is heard in context, and I think this is a group of songs that need to be heard together (this is not good "shuffle" material, IMO). "I'm a Fool To Want You" is my early favorite - I went back to listen to it again. "Some Enchanted Evening" is my least favorite - it's songs like this that drove me away from this genre of music and into singer-songwriters decades ago - a tired old war horse with nothing fresh to offer (for me, anyway).

 

SOTN might not be the best thing Dylsn ever has done( as some DJ said) . But one thing is for sure-it s the best album of songs from the great american songbook connected with Sinatra- that Dylan ever has done.

 

Not sure if the link to Uncut magazine review has been posted yet?
http://www.uncut.co.uk/blog/the-view-from-here/bob-dylans-shadows-in-the-night-reviewed

 

I have heard it once. Listening to it last night. It's a great late night/bedtime album. Total time is a bit short, though - 35:21

The sound is wonderful. I see no evidence of compression on the whole thing.

 

To hear Bob sing these lines from Why try to change me now is worth the price of admissoon itself. Very fitting words I would say

Why can't I be more conventional
People talk and they stare
So I try
But that can't be
Cuz I can't see
My strange little world
Just go passing me by

 

No, it's the perfect length.

Yes, the sound is really wonderful in its clarity and freshness.

 

No, it's bit short.

 

Heard the album today..... It was listenable.

5/10

 

Are you serious?

 

GAIBTY compares favorably to GOBBLEDYGOOK as well...

 

After listening through it 3 times I must say without getting carried away that this album blows me away. Im a very long-time admirer of Dylan but no Dylanogolist -actually listen to loads of different music. Also a great admirer of singers like Sinatra and Holliday. For instance I own and regularly listen to all Franks Capitol albums. So the kind of music Dylan interprets here is not new to me. There are a few things that makes me sure that this is an album I will keep on listening to and an album that more likely than not in the future will be regarded as a masterpiece of sorts,

1. The choice of songs and brilliant sequencing. This album really begs to be listened to from beginning to end. With some exeptions the songs are rather obscure and the lyrics linked together in the sequencing really tells a story about life and loss. In the context of the sombre, mediative feel of the album the last song Lucky old sun feels like a grand finale.
2. The arrangements and musicianship. Some of the arrangements on this album are otherwordly. Steelguitars, muted horns, bowed bass, small interludes of cousin and electric guitars gives this album a shimmering chamber-feel. A joy in the headphones. Honorable mention to longtime Dylan band member bassist Tony Garnier whose instrument has a great conversation with Dylans voice here.
3. Dylans singing. His phrasing, emotional focus and timing are - imo-nothing sort of sensational. Id rarely heard him sing this good-at last not for some decades. His voice is worn-that fits the mood of the album but noway is the voice shot. The way he plays with the words are truly great and when he sometimes seems to lose it he somehow hit the right notes anyway. I know what some people think of Bobs vocals but the singing here on some songs like Im a fool to want you is pure genius
4. The recording. The sound quality of this album is so good I almost feel Im there with the musician. We can even hear Dylan breath.

Did I mention that I like this album a lot

 

A little short?? Positively sesquipedalian compared to Nashville Skyline.

 

I bet Joni Mitchell could have done it better.

 

http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/m...ass-in-vulnerability-and-revelation-1.2085449

 

Great rewiew- here s a quote from it that I liked a lot
"Those who complain that Dylan can’t song are treated to a masterclass in timing, phrasing, nuance and interpretation. Even the cracks in his voice leave a poignant trail."

 

This is why I was surprised when lots of people expressed shock when the project was announced-Dylan & Sinatra share many similar qualities as vocalists-the description of Bob's voice in this review would apply equally to Frank.
It's the sort of quote that would wirk perfectly as a description of Sinatra's She Shot Me Down album from the early 80's where the ( relative) fragility in the vocal added to the power of the music.

 

Absolute nonsense. Gobbledygook is acknowledged as a prog rock masterpiece especially the UK mono first press. Cauliflower ears mate.

BTW the new Dylan album is lovely too.

 

Nope. Wikipedia is just wrong in this case; the booklet (if you´d like to call it so, it´s just a two-sided a bit thicker inlay) says: Produced by Jack Frost.