Poll--The Weakest Link: Bob Dylan TIME OUT OF MIND, Round 5

We were prompt about dispatching "Can't Wait."

Five remain, one must go.

Discussion question: YouTube and other similar sites don't have a lot of Dylan's official canon as content, but there are plenty of videos of live performances (in varying degree of quality). Do you have some that you particularly like? Please share a link to it.

6 Can't Wait
7 Highlands
T8 Million Miles
T8 'Til I Fell In Love With You
T10 Make You Feel My Love
T10 Dirt Road Blues

 

"Love Sick' one more time.

To mix it up a bit, a video of a live COVER performance.

 

Cold Irons to go. Never been one of my favorites on this album.

Just watching this video now for the first time.

 

Needs more Soy Bomb. Maybe he wouldn't sign a release?

 

Trying' to Get to Heaven, but I will happy with any of these winning. Such a consistent album.

 

Really tough to choose now. I'll go with "Love Sick".

 

"Love Sick"

DQ: not familiar with too many videos. I guess the question is cover videos, not cover versions.........so won't answer cover versions yet (but getting there)

 

Yes, we are getting there...

JcS

 

Reading this closely, it's Dylan doing his own songs that I'm asking about.

Kind of like this one, from Toronto 1998, a hot version of "Cold Irons Bound:"

 

The evolution of this song is remarkable to me. This is a great version of the still reggae-fied arrangement. The Masked & Anonymous from early 2003 is a great rock-and-roller with Charlie Sexton on lead guitar, with Bob joining Larry Campbell on rhythm guitar. Lean, mean, and brutal, but played with real wit. It's really quite grand.

Later in 2003, Charlie went back to doing his thing for a while, and Freddy Koella came in on lead guitar, with Bob switching over to piano. When I saw him, he was seated all the way in the corner, stage right, with his Oscar on its own little bench right next to his (which was HILARIOUS to me), and honestly you could barely see him. Here, he's standing to play, front and center, and man, he really BANGS on that thang. He's less singing than barking, but his voice is really strong, and as far as I'm concerned, still peak rock and roll Bob...but the song has a completely different feel as a piano stomper.



Then I'll just link to this one from 2011. Bob's standing out front to sing, rather than play, except for 2 harmonica solos!!!! It's an even faster arrangement, but much smoother. It doesn't have those big BANGS at the end of every line. Bob's vocal is very soft, and I remember a lot of us asking at the time if he was done....only to discover that his voice was about to start getting a lot stronger. In retrospect, it was clearly an aesthetic choice, and a divisive one. I dug it, and while I'm glad he's singing much stronger now, it'd have taken a lot for me to be let down by a Bob show. Still, I've always thought of this song as towering, so to hear it sleek and quiet is pretty startling. Always glad to hear Bob on the harmonica though! Take a listen.

I meant to mention to folks in earlier rounds that I envy you folks who've gotten to see "Not Dark Yet" live. That and "Mississippi" are the 2 songs of his I love most that I haven't yet seen him play in person....

 

Tight at the top this time. I will again hold off voting until the end in case of a tie.

JcS

 

Only 30 players--poor discussion question, my fault.

JcS

 

I just don't feel that strongly about any one song on TOOM, except perhaps "Highlands" which I think approaches classic status. The album is uniformly good, but rarely brilliant.

I chose "Love Sick."

 

Last time I looked at this poll, 'Not Dark Yet' was on the way out.

Some people like that song I guess.

I will be sad to see either of the current front runners go. Both are a million miles ahead of 'Trying to Get to Heaven' in my book.

 

Not Dark Yet 30 Juni 1999

 

Poll--The Weakest Link: Bob Dylan TIME OUT OF MIND, Round 6