Sordel Listens To Dylan

In this rather different album-by-album thread I hope to provide my impressions of all 47 discs of the Dylan Complete Album Collection boxed set. I say “different” because I will be taking the album in a completely personal order, and for most of the time will be listening to the albums for the first time.

Although I know the first eight albums from the previous Mono boxed set, and have some other stray Dylan in my collection, there is not a single case where I have any but the most glancing experience of the stereo versions of these albums and plenty of examples where I won’t have heard a single song on an album.

In any case, I’ll be flagging up my history with each album as I come to it.

Before we get going, some points:

• If you’re interested, please follow this thread. I imagine it won’t be on the top page of the forums much, and it’s going to take as long as it takes.
• I’ll be giving verdicts, but none of them will be final, so don’t get offended if I write off your personal favourite! (And do tell me why I’m wrong about it …)
• I don’t know much about Dylan at all. If you feel that some facts will put me on a better track with some of these albums, don’t be shy.
• If you want to hop onto this thread and listen/comment along, please do.
• Don't hold it against me if I don't get to the end! I bought this box for what remains of my lifetime.

For anyone who hasn’t followed my chequered history with listening to Dylan in the past, I wrote a long post in the course of another thread.

So, with no more ceremony, let's start:

Street-Legal

Why This One?: I didn’t want to start with any of the albums that particularly interested me, and this one is disc 23 out of 47,

Preconceptions: None. Never heard it before in any form and I don’t think I’ve heard any of the individual songs either. I have a couple of covers of “Senor (Tales of Yankee Power)”, one by Jerry Garcia and another by Richard Shindell, but I couldn’t pick either of them out of a lineup.

1. “Changing Of The Guard” - Bad start for me. It’s a long song, and the fade-in, coupled with that strange fade-out of what was actually a “proper” ending, makes it feel even longer. It seems strange to me that such a portentous lyric is paired with such slight musical content: I’d almost appreciate another songwriter taking this lyric and trying something different with it.
2. “New Pony” - The snarl in Dylan’s voice is one of the best things about this raw blues. This track is more to my taste, although I think I prefer what Nick Cave does with this type of song. Also, while the song itself is all well & good, the instrumental backing & backing vocals don’t match the intensity that Dylan brings to the vocal.
3. “No Time To Think” - Nice mid-tempo waltz (a distant relative of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” maybe?) with a lot of highly-worked lyrics. The band is better arranged on this track, and the way the vocal speed alternates from slow to fast work quite well, although at over eight minutes this song definitely outstays its welcome, and even the attractive doubling of violin and saxophone pretty soon gets dull. This is another song with far too portentous a lyric for the song’s mood.
4. “Baby Stop Crying” - More what I’d expect of Dylan in this period, I suppose, this shapely soul ballad has another nice arrangement with the organ pulling its weight. The lyrics are rather sketchy on this one, and it’s not a style that particularly speaks to me, but you can’t really argue with the chorus, which works well.
5. “Is Your Love In Vain?” - This love song has a lot of weight thanks to the brass chorale and heavenly chorus in the backing vocals. The melody is basically a hymn tune, and although it definitely plays to the slowly waving arms of a concert audience it’s also a fragile song that could be performed in many different ways. I was surprised to read that this song was criticised for sexism … it doesn’t read that way to me and I think that the subject matter could be more metaphorical than “instructions to a new girlfriend”.
6. “Senor (Tales Of Yankee Power)” - The weightiest song on the album, despite unfortunate glancing resemblances to both “Jolene” & “Bang Bang”. This one reminds me of Alejandro Escovedo. Best song on the album probably.
7. “True Love Tends To Forget” - This pleasant but nondescript soul ballad fades up, oddly, directly on the end of “Senor”. It reminds me of Van Morrison, which (in my case) is a bad thing.
8. “We Better Talk This Over” - Again, this upbeat country ballad is distinguished by some nice craft in the way the lyrics fit against the rhythm, with the extra bars thrown in to keep the ear guessing.
9. “Where Are You Tonight (Journey Through Dark Heat)” - This anthem has obvious resemblances to “Like A Rolling Stone” which could be either a good or a bad thing.

Overall: If you’ve just been given 47 discs of Dylan and have undertaken to listen to them all, Street-Legal isn’t a bad start, really. The style of backing vocals used throughout is a bit of a disappointment, because they seem very generic and not used especially well. The songs, though, are varied and highly crafted: Dylan really sounds like he cares, which may or may not become a factor in my listening to some of the other albums.

Most of my listening notes for this album were written before I read about its troubled recording process & mixed reception. I actually think that the problems with forming the band are quite audible on the finished product: the performances are timid, even hesitant, and there seems to be a fundamental problem with the backing vocalists (who are for me the weak link on the album).

“Senor” and “Is Your Love In Vain?” get promoted into my Dylan playlist.

 

Bump for the evening and U.S.

 

Nice idea for a thread, but if you don't take the albums chronologically, don't you run the risk of missing out on the context of the times as well as the artistic progression and development that lead to the album in hand?

 

Yes, exactly what I'm going for! The idea is to bounce around a bit rather than work on the basis of a 'received' history of Dylan. (Of course I'm not a complete blank slate, but I'm hoping that an odd order throws up some different insights maybe.)

Since I'm not living through the times, this thread should offer up a completely different path from the shared experience of those forum members who heard many or all of these albums in release order.

 

Okay. I get you now-- a hopefully unbiased and more honest reaction to the material and only the material, outside of historical context. Very good...

 

Like your idea, but "Changing Of The Guards" might be my single favorite Dylan tune. Give it some time, the apocalyptic tale expressed therein will eventually resonate.

 

Yes, this is going to happen, but at least we agree that the lyric is a good one. All posts of a 'how did you possibly miss [insert song title here]?” type are welcome, anyhow.

 

This isn't going to feel real until we get some entries up, so:

Christmas In The Heart

Why This One? This is one that I have to do a little late or very, very early, so I thought I’d do it while it’s cold outside and some of the holiday spirit is still with me.

Preconceptions. It’s a holiday album, obviously. I have about six proper Christmas albums and they pull very heavy duty at the appropriate time of year, generally because my wife likes listening to a lot of Christmas music.

1. “Here Comes Santa Claus” - It seems theologically interesting that Dylan would open the album with a song that so explicitly combines the sacred and profane sides of Christmas (“Let’s give thanks to the Lord above /That Santa Claus comes tonight”) but otherwise this song (& version) is nothing special.
2. "Do You Hear What I Hear?” - I know that this is a famous song, but oddly I don’t know it; could be better known in the U.S.
3. “Winter Wonderland” - Okay version of what for me is a rather hackneyed song.
4. “Hark The Herald Angels Sing - Dylan in full Tom Waits mode. Actually, the very rough vocals sort of work, making it sound like the town drunk (or maybe Shane MacGowen) has joined us for the festivities.
5. “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” - This, more sentimental, song works better with the ragged vocals; for me this is the first standout on the album.
6. “Little Drummer Boy” - Interesting for the way that Dylan changes his vocal to evoke a child’s response.
7. “The Christmas Blues” - Weakest song on the album?
8. “O Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles)” - This one’s odd: first time I heard it I wondered if Dylan was being serious, second time I found it quite heartfelt.
9. “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” - The oddly square reworking of this song’s vocal rhythm draws attention to the lyrics. I suspect that Dylan felt that he didn’t have much to add to such a classic song, and to be honest he doesn’t really, but it’s not bad
10. “Must Be Santa” - Not a song I know, though it has a cheeringly raucous feel. A definite keeper.
11. “Silver Bells” - Another one that works well because of the contrast between the coarse vocals and the sentimentality of the song.
12. “The First Noel” - Rather mechanical performance, less successful.
13. “Christmas Island” - A very American piece of kitsch … not really much to my taste
14. “The Christmas Song” - Nice that he puts the preamble into this version of the song. I’m not the biggest fan of the pedal steel sound, but this is okay.
15. “O Little Town Of Bethlehem” - I wouldn’t personally haven’t ended the album with this one (and it’s the hymn tune for this carol that is less frequently sung in the UK) but it’s okay.

Overall - Coming from Street-Legal, I was struck by how good the backing vocals are on Christmas In The Heart: in fact, the contrast between the saccharine, on-point close vocal harmonies and Dylan’s ragged voice is one of the charms of the album. Holiday albums maybe rather throwaway (which is odd, because by definition they are perennial) but this is a rather good one, and goes straight into annual rotation.

 

Planet Waves

Why This One? I wanted to skip back to an earlier album (after a mid-period and late album) and this is about the earliest about which I know nothing at all.

Preconceptions. Loads. I’ve been listening to The Band on & off over recent years, including the boxed sets for The Last Waltz and The Academy Of Music. Also, having bought Another Self Portrait last year I already have some sense of the “sound” of Dylan with The Band (from the Isle of Wight concert), so I have some expectations that I’ll find this album interesting. That said, I think that “Forever Young” is the only one of the songs that I’ve heard before.

1. “On A Night Like This” - The accordion and acoustic guitar came as a surprise because I was expecting a predominantly electric album. Lyrically, the song is not particularly interesting to me, reading lyrically like a reworking of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” combined with musical reminiscences of “A Simple Twist Of Fate”.
2. “Going, Going, Gone” - This is more like it: a comparatively simple lyric and the earthy authenticity of The Band. The instrumental work and vocals all lock in very nicely: very different from the comparative weakness of those elements on Street-Legal. I wish that the album all had this feel: I’m reminded of the vibe of “A Change Is Gonna Come” (itself, as I now discover, directly influenced by Dylan). (p.s. I later found that I had Jerry Garcia’s 19-minute version of this song, which I had completely overlooked.)
3. “Tough Mama” - I’m not a big fan of mid-tempo rockers and this one seems to have lyrics overwritten with symbolism (which I maybe find more irritating than other listeners do). That said, if you don’t listen to the lyrics too closely, it’s okay.
4. “Hazel” - Very much of its time (this reminds me of Clapton & The Grateful Dead) but Dylan doesn’t seem quite comfortable with his own vocal style here, which sounds unusually “American” (by which I guess I mean “Southern”) for him.
5. “Something There Is About You” - A very ordinary melody paired with a strong lyric. It’s not difficult to see how Dylan influenced Mike Scott, for example, from this lyric. I doubt that this song will win me over, though: too dull for me musically. On re-listening I find that it sounds as though The Band is just marking time until Dylan gets through the song.
6. “Forever Young” - I’ve heard this song, but never especially listened to it. For me it’s one of those anthems that seems to have a huge emotional impact on some listeners, but it doesn’t really move me.
7. “Forever Young (continued)” - The reworking of the song shows the ease & fluidity of the instrumental setting (and that harmonica solo is no slouch) but the absence of the scarf-waving refrain probably ensured that it would be become regarded as the lesser version.
8. “Dirge” - I like this song a lot: the simplicity of the piano and spanish guitar really works well with Dylan’s vocal, which carries an appealing conviction.
9. “You Angel You” - Not really my sort of song.
10. “Never Say Goodbye” - This song doesn’t seem complete: more a sketch than a fully realised track. It manages to be quite dull given its fragmentary length … which is some sort of achievement.
11. “Wedding Song” - This the is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to announce that I tend to prefer Dylan in folksinger mode, so this one suits me nicely.

Overall - It may have leapt out at you (I only read this later) that the two songs that I liked on first acquaintance were “Dirge” and “Wedding Song”: the two songs that Dylan recorded last for the album and the ones that least benefit from the full forces of The Band. I guess that means that I’m not really appreciating the album’s overall style. It certainly feels for the most part like a dull album, despite the fact that those two songs and “Going Going Gone” graduate to my Dylan playlist.

 

Hmm ok. Tough albums to begin with. Its always good to see someone give an honest attempt to listen and give an artist a chance. I get the sense though, youre not going to be much of a Dylan fan when this wraps up. Nothing wrong with that. Have fun!

 

I was mindful to save some of the more widely-revered albums for later to keep my enthusiasm up.

 

Ok, fair enough! lol..Bobcat fanboy out..

Im half kidding. At least its a fresh approach. Youre just stomping on some of my precious Dylan jewels with your binoculars is all. You got a lotta nerve

 

An "appealing conviction"? The man is essentially calling the woman he loved (his wife?) a whore, and the source of his ruin.

"I hate myself for loving you, and the weakness that it showed, You were just a painted face, on a trip down Suicide Road."

Even "Wedding Song", for it's apparently positive look at his marriage, has a dark underside, both lyrically and in vocal delivery.

"You gave me babies one, two, three, what is more, you saved my life
Eye for eye and tooth for tooth, your love cuts like a knife
My thoughts of you don’t ever rest, they’d kill me if I lie
I’d sacrifice the world for you and watch my senses die."

Just my own opinion, but with Dylan in the end it's the lyrics that really matter the most. Everything else plays second fiddle.

 

Good topic and Im gonna follow this from now on.

 

I'm enjoying this thread and I'm hoping you don't do this too much as the thread progresses. Not because I like the song but because your comment is an uninformative dismissal. Even saying a little about what you don't like would be better. You owe it to yourself, seeing as you're making this daunting effort to go through the entire set.

 

I meant that it's appealing to the listener that the vocals are emotionally engaged. Without wanting to prejudge my eventual feelings about Dylan's range as a singer, emotional commitment isn't the thing that I most associate with him (so far). I think that the vocals can be emotional, but his narrow technical range probably means that one has to "get one's ear in" a bit more with Dylan than most other vocalists.

As for the lyrics, I'm doing my listening with a copy of Lyrics 1962-2001 on hand beside me, so I'm certainly not ignoring them!

I'm a couple of albums on from where we are in the thread. (I didn't want to be the guy who announced that he was going to listen to all the Dylan albums and then gave up after one album!) If you don't want me treading on your jewels (cough) maybe skip over the next one that's up.

 

Good point, and I'll try not to do it. Sometimes the reason that I don't click with a song is something objective, where I can easily explain it (and "blame" the song) but sometimes I just can't do the song justice because it doesn't sit will with the music that I generally listen to and appreciate. I dislike a lot about the arrangement of "You Angel You": the organ line, the modulation effect on the guitar, the rather shouty vocals. It may be a good song within its genre ("country rock", maybe?), but I wouldn't really know.

 

I agree with you Ray, the lyrics have to be taken on board to embrace Dylan. But it is assuredly not his wife he is talking about in Dirge .

 

Well that begs the question - Who IS he singing about then? With his marriage on the rocks (and lots more marriage-on-the rocks songs to come, at least one, "Idiot Wind", as bitter as "Dirge"), is he choosing to revisit a different relationship?

 

Some interesting speculation here. Personally, I like the idea that it's written to a man. I find the line about the only thing that s/he ever did for him was pat him on the back seems odd to write of a woman ... even more so of the mother of his children.

 

Well we know he , allegedly, shot a man named Grey, and took his wife to Italy. Maybe it is Mr Grey's wife?? I think we need to deal with these lines symbolically. What did Dylan pursue that was a false road ??

 

Sordel, I am struggling a bit with this thread. Your very first song review , of Changing of the Guards, seems to fundamentally miss the point of one of Dylan's greatest songs. It is gonna be hard to stick with you for 47 albums after that difference of opinion. I wish you well.

 

You could illuminate me of course, or try to. One reason for trying this here is to get informed responses that wouldn't be available in another environment. Still, if you don't want to follow the thread, it's okay, it's not compulsory!

 

I wouldn't claim that every line in every "autobiographical" Dylan composition has a "real life" source or precise allegorical counterpart. However, the sentiments expressed in a great many songs in '73-'78 period point to his experiences regarding his failing marriage. The "man named Gray" portion of "Idiot Wind" is about Dylan being misrepresented in the press (the press is telling preposterous stories about him - he expands on that literal thought). Could "Dirge" being a fictional story and the narrator a Dylan creation? I guess. Heylin reports that the song is listed as "Dirge For Martha" on the studio log and/or tape box. He hypothesizes that a "Martha" had heard an early performance of "Forever Young" and suggested that Dylan had "gone mushy", and Dylan wrote the nastiest song he could come up with to demonstrate the contrary. Even if that story is true, I would think that there is some real life inspiration behind a song that is so emotionally charged. Seems Dylan could write about all sorts of Sara-inspired emotions during this period - from worshiping her to apparently wishing for her demise.

The narrator is "Dirge" regrets ever having fallen in love with this wretched woman, that he clearly has no respect for ("painted face" certainly points to a lady of ill repute). He is apparently STILL in love with her despite his ruined life ... hence the trip down Suicide Road.