POLL: Bob Dylan's Street-Legal - your favourite track?

This is such an underrated record in Dylan's body of work. Some of the writing is absolutely superb; he's in a rich vein of form and it's extraordinary to think he could come up with Blood on the Tracks, Desire and this so long after Bringing it all back Home, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde. If anyone else had come up with this collection of songs it would be praised to the skies; because it's by Dylan, however, it's a bit overshadowed by his other works.

One interesting thing to note is that, despite some terrific vocal performances, it's the first record of his where there is evidence of significant vocal decline. Nonetheless, it's a really great piece of work which deserves a bit more attention.

 

Is Your Love in Vain for me. I enjoy this record an awful lot and always have - I know it's more middle of the road, but the penmanship is still intact, the backing vocalists don't seem intrusive, the overall mood is very laid back and relaxed.

 

"Where Are You Tonight? (Journey Through Dark Heat" isn't just my favorite Street Legal songs, but is a constant in my Dylan Top 10 overall (most of the time. at least, I admit such a list fluctuates constantly). I get chills every time I listen to it.

 

I chose "Is Your Love in Vain?", but Street Legal is another one of Dylan's albums I struggled to enjoy, despite repeated attempts.

Here's what the album cover looks like:

 

Same here!

 

I'm one of the 15 people that's gone for 'Is Your Love In Vain?'. Makes the album for me.

 

All the way, not least because of the couplet that is quoted in the first post.

But it's really a very good (if not great) album all around. 'Very good' from Dylan is better than a lot of artists best ever, mind you. Even if I prefer the Jerry Garcia Band take on this one (as well).

 

"Señor" also, although could have chosen the last song.

"Blood on the Tracks", "Desire" and "Street Legal" are for me, the pinnacle of his work. I know many don't rate "Street Legal" that highly, and the sound on this LP was not that great when released, but I love it.

 

"Señor (Tales Of Yankee Power)" is my choice, but "Where Are You Tonight (Journey Through Dark Heat)" is running neck-and-neck. I love Street-Legal; I like it as a whole better than Desire.

 

Saw philly and Cleveland shows in 1978 of this tour. Great memories. Voted for 'talk this over'. Some of the forced rhymes are hilarious. Like the sound of one hand clappin'.

 

I love that album

I remember seeing an announcement of its pending release and pestering the recordshop salesmen about it. I paid 45 francs for it. I found the lyrics sheet and tried to make sense of those mysterious verses. Really like going to shul and analyzing a text to death.

There was an article in French magazine l'Express (equivalent to Newsweek) and Dylan on the cover. I read it religiously

I made all my friends listen to it. Drove my mom nuts blasting it day in day out on my lo-fi stereo in our apartment.

I was 14. It was yesterday

 

Wonderful album!!

 

"Señor (Tales Of Yankee Power)", the only song which truly stands out for me. I'm not able to pick a favourite from the album's remaining tracks, they're all good but nothing stands out.

 

My favorite Dylan album, with Desire and BOTT up there too--what a trilogy.

"Changing of the Guards" and "Senor," but every track is great.

 

What was I thinking when I wrote this? It's the Bob Dylan album for me.

 

I voted for "Changing of the Guards." Got this album on release and loved it, still do. I have never understood the poor reviews it got on release. Classic Dylan. Great lyrics, arrangements and tunes. Much prefer it to Desire, overall.

 

Takes of Yankee power.

 

Changing Of The Guards for me. A wonderful mystical quality, and the way it fades in and out give it a mysterious aura, almost like dropping into somebodies thought processes for a while.

 

Likewise

 

I wonder if there is any bootleg material from around the era of this great album?
If so.....enough for a Bootleg Series release

I’d also like a great sounding vinyl version, but IIRC I read that the mixing and mastering weren’t great.

 

I have the original Lp and the remastered cd. I like both. I dont agree with the majority view that the original sounds bad. I think it adds to the atmosphere

 

I picked Senor however might have been swayed as Garcia does an amazing version of it that I love a lot.

 

I voted for "Changing of the Guards" naturally.
What precisely is happening in this story-song, have any of you figured it out?

Who else thinks Dylan is assuming the female voice in "Is Your Love Invain?" as in speaking from a woman's point of view? or is it a dialog with him playing both parts back and forth?

Why did the single "Baby Stop Crying" become a hit in England but not in the USA?

 

All good questions. But who knows?!

 

Changing Of The Guards; no contest for me. It's the only song I really love on that album.