Guest ariceffron Posted March 9, 2005 Report Posted March 9, 2005 pmed u mike-- that is so crazy they only had a week rehersals Quote
GregK Posted March 9, 2005 Report Posted March 9, 2005 Love and Theft and Time Out of Mind are two of his very best albums, easily rivaling anything he did in the 70s or 60s. It's really hard not to feel the end is near when listening to Time Out of Mind-the sound of an old man who still has a lot to say. And the band he has on Love and Theft is one of his very best, hard rocking and in a groove the entire album. I used to think Dylan stopped doing anything worthwhile in the mid 70s, but man these latest two tower above everything he did in the late 70s and 80s combined Quote
AfricaBrass Posted March 10, 2005 Report Posted March 10, 2005 Love and Theft and Time Out of Mind are two of his very best albums, easily rivaling anything he did in the 70s or 60s. It's really hard not to feel the end is near when listening to Time Out of Mind-the sound of an old man who still has a lot to say. And the band he has on Love and Theft is one of his very best, hard rocking and in a groove the entire album. I used to think Dylan stopped doing anything worthwhile in the mid 70s, but man these latest two tower above everything he did in the late 70s and 80s combined I used to feel the same way. I LOVE the track, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb off of Love and Theft. I wish all his stuff was in that style. Quote
GregK Posted March 10, 2005 Report Posted March 10, 2005 GregK-- i might have asked you this before but do you have either a) TOOM rough mixes before the i think jive Lanois-ification b) some of the compilations of live TOOM going around? naw on a here, yay on b but i'd love to hear that studio band straight, Jim Dickinson, Cindy Cashdollar, etc. Nope on both, but I'd love to hear them. I'm not the biggest Lanois fan, but I do like what he did with Time out of Mind and Willie Nelson's Teatro (I dislike U2 so no comment on him there, and although I like Oh Mercy, it's not because of the production. I think Dylan had a good band on that one, but not his best songs). The Time out of Mind songs are so good, well written, that they probably sound good in whatever arrangement and production attempted. Having Brian Blade play on some of them helps too! Quote
RDK Posted March 10, 2005 Report Posted March 10, 2005 I'm actually not that big a fan of L&T, despite the praise heaped upon it by others. I like TOOM a bit better, but my favorite "recent" Dylan album is Oh Mercy, and it going back fifteen years make me feel old. I much prefer many of the live boots I have from this period, and such things as the MTV Unplugged show (especially the "complete" version). His recent shows have been a gas, though his voice is finally starting to get to me - and I usually love his voice. Somewhere I have a boot of a memorably bad show that he did and it's fun to listen to in a perverse kind of way. But it's an exception. Some of the stuff he's doing live - now - ranks among the best of his career. I don't mean to be glib in dismissing anyone who doesn't "get" Dylan, but I've spent years defending him against friends who can't stand anything about him. He's probably the single most important figure in my musical life, but I've accepted that he can be alienating (often, it seems, on purpose) and that some just don't dig him. Quote
RDK Posted March 10, 2005 Report Posted March 10, 2005 Clem - let me check on those pre-Lanois TOOM mixes. I might have them, possibly as mp3s. I gotta say, though, I'm a big Lanois fan... Quote
Sundog Posted March 10, 2005 Report Posted March 10, 2005 Or, are we to believe that you ARE a fan of Christian Dylan, circa '79-'80-- that being his last good idea? The live shows of that period are often goddamn ASTOUNDING. Damn Clem, I don't often understand much of what you say, but I sure enjoy reading your posts. That being said you are 100% right about his live shows of this period if my own personal experience is any indication. I was fortunate enjoy to see him during his Shot Of Love tour and he was one firebreathing, testifying, mofo. Quote
AllenLowe Posted March 10, 2005 Report Posted March 10, 2005 you're right Clem - I should make that 35 years (John Wesley Harding was the last decent album) - I've heard 'em all, out of ideas, voice shot, riding on his reputation - that's Dylan - Quote
wolff Posted March 10, 2005 Report Posted March 10, 2005 (edited) My 16 year old son and I were driving home a few hours ago. He is really into music. The radio was playing Dylan(Hollis Brown) and my kid said, "This guy is great, they've been playing him all night." I could tell he was in complete awe and really digging him. I was a bit surprised at his response, as he's been listening to me play Dylan for years. I believe Dylan has a new fan. Edited March 10, 2005 by wolff Quote
Peter Johnson Posted March 10, 2005 Report Posted March 10, 2005 Well done, Wolff...doing your part to bring someone else to "the other side." See "worst record collection ever" thread. You're doing something right! [following is not an ageist comment, but...] Now I know what was going on when my dad caught me diggin' on 'Trane and Brubeck... Quote
jpmosu Posted March 10, 2005 Report Posted March 10, 2005 you're right Clem - I should make that 35 years (John Wesley Harding was the last decent album) - I've heard 'em all, out of ideas, voice shot, riding on his reputation - that's Dylan - I would almost have agreed with this a few years ago. I gave up on Dylan after a couple of shows in 1989-90, when he was the most indifferent performer I'd ever seen in my life. At one point, in the Syria Mosque in Pittsburgh, an entire row of committed Dylan fans had absolutely no idea what songs he was performing. I couldn't believe his seeming disregard for his own art. So, when *Time Out of Mind* came out to the usual "Dylan is back" fanfare, I wrote it off as hype. I refused to listen to the disc until last year, when I started planning a "Dylan as Literature" course, prompted by Chrostopher Ricks' book *Dylan's Vision of Sin* (which, btw, is alternately fascinating and infuriating in the ways it juxtaposes Dylan with Keats, Milton, etc.). However, when I actually listened to *Time,* it was better than I could have imagined. Not as consistent as *Blood on the Tracks,* but filled with some really moving songs ("Not Dark Yet"). So now I'm back on the bandwagon, I guess, but I have to find a way to help 19-year olds to get past the "I can't stand his voice" objection and listen regardless. God, I'd love to have some of the boots of those 1979-80 shows... john Quote
sal Posted March 10, 2005 Report Posted March 10, 2005 No love here for "Slow Train Coming", "Infidels", or "Oh Mercy" (besides RDK)? Some fine 1980's work by Dylan. And I agree with the positive opinions of "Time Out of Mind" and "Love & Theft". Both albums find him hitting a new creative peak....the wise old man. Quote
AfricaBrass Posted March 10, 2005 Report Posted March 10, 2005 No love here for "Slow Train Coming", "Infidels", or "Oh Mercy" (besides RDK)? Some fine 1980's work by Dylan. And I agree with the positive opinions of "Time Out of Mind" and "Love & Theft". Both albums find him hitting a new creative peak....the wise old man. I've only begun listening to his later albums recently. I had stopped after Blood On the Tracks. Some of the production (80's styles) doesn't knock me over, but I have found gems on almost every album I've heard of his. No mention of his Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid soundtrack? This has long been a favorite Sunday morning album for me. Quote
montg Posted March 10, 2005 Report Posted March 10, 2005 Some people are never going to get past Dyaln's vocals--the tone(timbre) and the limited range. As noted, his tone was more accessible in the late 60s-mid 70s-New Morning is my favorite from this period...some good sounding vocals there. Dylan's range? what are you going to do--if you want range, check out Celine Dion or whatever. All those compilations of other people singing Dylan are for those who can't get past the vocals, I guess. Shot of Love was the first Dylan I bought and it remains my favorite. I wore out two cassettes of that in high school when I bought it, listening to it every day. Quote
RDK Posted March 10, 2005 Report Posted March 10, 2005 No love here for "Slow Train Coming", "Infidels", or "Oh Mercy" (besides RDK)? Some fine 1980's work by Dylan. And I agree with the positive opinions of "Time Out of Mind" and "Love & Theft". Both albums find him hitting a new creative peak....the wise old man. "Slow Train Coming" is wonderous; the only reason I didn't bring it up is because I thought everyone already thunk that. But that's also a point where a lot of people (yet again) thought that Dylan went off the deep end. "Infidels" is okay, but once agan it didn't live up to the hype (for me) of Dylan's (yet again) "return to form." In some ways I actually prefer "Shot of Love." If nothing else, SOL contains "Every Grain of Sand," which I think is one of the half dozen best Dylan songs of the last 30 years. Quote
Parkertown Posted March 10, 2005 Report Posted March 10, 2005 For me, getting into Dylan took just one thing: "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan." The voice, the intimacy (he's right in yer ear...), the imagery ( "lit a cigarette on a parking meter..."), the fingers pointed, the logic offered, the ill-logic offered, the yearning expressed, the humor, the cool-as-shit stereo mix, the cool-as-shit mono mix... Okay, I'm just gushing now... Start here and you'll be hooked for life. I sure-as-hell know I am. Quote
Quincy Posted March 10, 2005 Report Posted March 10, 2005 No love here for "Slow Train Coming", "Infidels", or "Oh Mercy" (besides RDK)? Some fine 1980's work by Dylan. And I agree with the positive opinions of "Time Out of Mind" and "Love & Theft". Both albums find him hitting a new creative peak....the wise old man. Lotsa love here for the Slow Train material, especially live. I remember at the time being told that I shouldn't like it, but my gawd it was great! Aside from the groove, some of lines delivered by Bob were so delightfully nasty. Infidels was the greatest album since Blood On The Tracks. Then Oh Mercy was the greatest album since Blood On The Tracks. Then... Infidels was exciting when it came out due to Knoffler & Mick Taylor's association with it, along with the songwriting and execution (plus some of the outtakes.) I like Lanois's production on Oh Mercy (and yes, I have the outtakes.) I can understand why some don't care for it, and I wouldn't want every album to sound that way, but then I also love Robbie Robertson's first solo album too that Daniel co-produced. My vinyl of Blood On The Tracks is in terrific shape as I rarely play it, preferring the tiled bathroom sound of the outtakes that I've had on tape, later some of them on official releases and later still on CDR. I really should listen to the official album again sometime just to remember why I play the outtakes. I think that about covers some of the topics above. Quote
AfricaBrass Posted March 10, 2005 Report Posted March 10, 2005 For me, getting into Dylan took just one thing: "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan." The voice, the intimacy (he's right in yer ear...), the imagery ( "lit a cigarette on a parking meter..."), the fingers pointed, the logic offered, the ill-logic offered, the yearning expressed, the humor, the cool-as-shit stereo mix, the cool-as-shit mono mix... Okay, I'm just gushing now... Start here and you'll be hooked for life. I sure-as-hell know I am. I completely understand where you're coming from. Quote
GregK Posted March 10, 2005 Report Posted March 10, 2005 Can someone please tell me what I'm missing then? I find Slow Train unlistenable! It's terrible. I've never ever been able to sit all the way through it. I gave it another chance when the SACD came out, hoping the better sound would reach me, but still, I find it boring, dull, and too late 70s-ish sounding. Street Legal is much better. Even Infidels is better. I'd even listen to parts of Knocked out Loaded before I could attempt Slow Train again. Quote
Sundog Posted March 10, 2005 Report Posted March 10, 2005 Can someone please tell me what I'm missing then? I find Slow Train unlistenable! It's terrible. I've never ever been able to sit all the way through it. I gave it another chance when the SACD came out, hoping the better sound would reach me, but still, I find it boring, dull, and too late 70s-ish sounding. Street Legal is much better. Even Infidels is better. I'd even listen to parts of Knocked out Loaded before I could attempt Slow Train again. I've liked Slow Train since the day it came out. As a matter of fact I was hooked the first time I heard Gotta Serve Somebody on the radio. For me the presence of Mark Knofler and the Muscle Shoals Horn section sweetens the pot a bit. I understand that some people may be turned of by the lyrical content, but for me it works. His voice is actually in pretty fine form too, at least for Dylan. Quote
GregK Posted March 10, 2005 Report Posted March 10, 2005 I can't even get to the lyrics. It's the music that puts me off. Just never been able to find what everyone else loves about this album. I have a couple friends who are nuts about this one, placing it up there with all the classics. I've never found Knopfler all that exciting a player anyway, though Quote
RDK Posted March 10, 2005 Report Posted March 10, 2005 Street Legal. Yeah, now there's a great, underappreciated album! Quote
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