What Are You Listening To? Part IV - TURN THAT CRAP DOWN!

[Goliath]

@ Lazario:

I understand that not everybody likes Dylan. I'm not here to change your mind on him; I have no interest in doing that. If you don't like it, you don't like it. What I am surprised about, is your reasons for not liking him. Lots of people don't care for his voice or outright hate it. I can't argue with that: he has never had a pretty voice, not even when he tried crooning on his country-album Nashville Skyline (1969). Some people don't like his music because it doesn't sound like what they expect pop music to sound like. But what you said about how Dylan didn't make the music "lift off" and how his singing, his lyrics and his music didn't combine in an organic unity simply baffle me. That's exactly why I gave the examples I did, to try to point out the importance of the 'personality' in his voice (for lack of a better description) in shaping the lyrics and working together with the music to come to a result that couldn't be achieved by anybody else --a result that moves the listener exactly because of that one unique combination.

Actually, I was describing my reaction to the majority of the songs I've heard from him. I mean that the listener thinks about what the song could mean rather than trying to enjoy it. [...] I'm saying that between enjoying and understanding, that unless you've spent a lot of time with Bob Dylan- a listener is likely to only walk away with a small percentage of either.

Well, I think a lot of fans of Dylan make the mistake that they want to know what every word he sings means. But they will never get it, because the only one who knows is Dylan, and he ain't telling. A lot of his songs have a clear meaning, like his topical folk songs and a lot of his songs from the 1990's on. The songs of his born-again period even literally spell out the meaning (Jesus, Jesus and Jesus). But on the other hand, a lot of his songs are open to multiple interpretations. And some are so out of this world, that even beginning to try to understand them is a waste of time. Personally, I don't understand why those fans don't just simply sit back and enjoy the music, the singing and the inventiveness of the song-writing. One of his most mysterious songs is 'Changing of the Guards' (1978). Other than a reference to his 16 years in the music business at the beginning and hints at his coming conversion to born-again Christianity at end, I can't make any sense of the lyrics. But I'm not trying to, I simply enjoy how GREAT it SOUNDS.

My mother hates Bob Dylan, but this song she absolutely loves.

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Shockingly I actually heard another one on the radio last weekend that I'd never heard before- but same thing happened there. His singing was... unconventional, the music was hardly something I'd imagine people turned on the radio to hear, the lyrics were ridiculous, and it all came together poorly (rather than comfortably since those qualities usually suit each other). Now, any of those are things not necessarily libel to bother me when listening to a song but honestly, I just wasn't feeling it. I could only imagine you saying, if I could remember the name of the song (I remember he said the word "Serve" a lot- "you gotta serve"), that it wasn't one of his best. So I shouldn't use that to form an initial impression. Which is fair.

You're referring to the song 'Gotta Serve Somebody', the opening track to his 1979 album Slow Train Coming, when he had firmly embraced Christianity after having 'seen the light' (a vision of some sort). It turned a lot of his old fans against him. His fans were bitter that the guy who had always questioned everything was now following a rigid set of religious beliefs, and Dylan was bitter because the people who always called him a prophet were now turning away when he was in fact prophesizing. But to come back to the music: I don't think it's one of his best songs either. But it did earn him a great deal of succes. It won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Male in 1980. It stands as Dylan's last hit single, peaking at #24 on the Billboard Magazine Hot 100 singles chart. John Lennon spoofed it with a song called 'Serve Yourself', criticizing Dylan's subjection to religious dogma (though the rest of the album is not about that at all). Disney Duster loved the song, by the way.


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Of course the difference between him and those songs by Simon is that it seems Paul and the people who worked with him cared about making the sound of the music seem revolutionary, potent, alive. Dylan's more pop / dance music (your 80's example for one, which Bruce Springsteen did better anyway with, you name it: "Tunnel of Love," "Dancing in the Dark," "Glory Days" , but also the song from Wonder Boys) even sounds like a take on something he saw somewhere else. [...]

Yes, I agree with your thoughts on 'Tight Connection to My Heart', that it sounds (and looks!) like an imitation of someone/something else. Some other people have suggested the satire-theory, too, but I just think Dylan was struggling to become relevant again after his religious albums tarnished his reputation and his sales figures. The 1980's were hard on him (as they were on a lot of artists who had risen to fame in the 1960's and 1970's). Of course I always loved Paul Simon (especially in combination with Art Garfunkel), so I don't understand what you've got against his singing and especially not what you got against his lyrics. But I guess that's just a matter of taste. What I don't get is how you say Dylan didn't pay attention to the way the music sounded, like Simon. One Dylan's defining moments is when he went 'electric', meaning abandoning the folk music of only a guitar and a harmonica and starting to play with an electric band. Highway 61 Revisited (1966) is a testament to his brilliant artistic vision on the sound of his songs. You can't say that was just an after-thought.

I feel like Dylan is completely detached from the music, his vocals and lyrics. [...] But now? I can't get a grip on it, let alone find it as incredible as you do. To me, "approach" is the right word to describe Dylan. He was on his way to music and never quite got there.

It's amazing to me you should say this, especially after hearing a song like 'Standing in the Doorway'. How can you say he's detached from the music when you hear a song like that? The same goes for 'Spirit on the Water' (2006), which unfortunately isn't on YouTube. He is every word, he is every sound. I can hear his heart and soul in every word, so 'detached' is the last word I would think of when describing his music. But I think you should just listen to his album Blood on the Tracks (1975) sometimes. I think that's the most perfect conversion of lyrics-music-vocals he ever reached.

It takes no essay to immediately understand and enjoy a beautiful love song like 'Boots of Spanish Leather' (1964).

But it might take the work of a defibrillator to wake the listener up after it's finished.

Now, now... That's just a matter of taste. Maybe you're not the kind of person to sit and enjoy a quiet piece of music for over 4 minutes. That happens. I can sit there and just let the music take me away..

But again, to offer something of a truce here (because I care about discussing and understanding people's opinions about music): I believe people are meant to appreciate different messages according to the kind of person they are. You say it's about a loved one but he does say "my sweet kiss," so... it's not a goodbye song that applies to any loved one.

Not sure what you mean with that last line, but of course I agree wholeheartedly with the idea that every person interprets and appreciates a song (or a book, a painting, a movie etc.) differently according to the kind of person they are. And it also depends on the state you're in. For example, the last few months, I've found myself listening much more to Dylan's mid-to-late 1970's and 1990's-2000's works than I did previously and I've left the 1960's-early 1970's stuff laying around in a forgotten corner, because lately I've been more in the mood for more personal, more 'emotional' stuff (for lack of a better word) than for the crazy, surreal or topical songs he did early in his career...

However, a new interpretation of his 1960's songs does wonders to spark my interest in them again:

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[Avaitor]

Before: Opeth- "The Leper Affinity"
Now: Jeff Beck- "Brush With the Blues"
Next: The Beatles- "A Day in the Life"

[Goliath]

Next: The Beatles- "A Day in the Life"

I LOVE that song!

Last: Simon & Garfunkel- Scarborough Fair
Now: Bob Dylan- On A Night Like This (Planet Waves, 1974)
Next: Bruce Springsteen- Bobby Jean

[Avaitor]

Yeah, it's probably my favorite song of theirs too.

Before: Demi Lovato- "For the Love of a Daughter"
Now: Eminem- "Superman"
Next: Either "The Boxer" by Simon & Garfunkel or "May This Be Love" by Jimi Hendrix. Not sure.

[Goliath]

Before: Demi Lovato- "For the Love of a Daughter"
Now: Eminem- "Superman"

Wow, talk about broad taste...

Oh, and when in doubt: always S&G.

[Avaitor]

Ha, I love old Eminem. He's one of the few mainstream rappers in recent years that I find to have a meter and meaning to his music, although I haven't been crazy on his stuff post-Eminem Show. His new album's decent, though.

And you know of my love for Demi. I talked about it the last time I was in the chat, but I like her new album quite a bit, particularly that song.

And I went with some good ol' Paul and Art after that.

Right now I'm taking a break from listening to anything, though. I finished up Metallica's Ride the Lightning a couple of minutes ago (I don't care for the band much at all anymore, but this is their best album to me, and I still get the odd usage out of it), and after I watch some TV, I'll spin Deep Purple's Fireball.

[Lazario]

Ha, I love old Eminem.

I love "Purple Pills."

(Just felt like saying that. ) (I do like the song, though.)

Lots of people don't care for his voice or outright hate it. I can't argue with that: he has never had a pretty voice

I'm surprised at myself too for that, but I tried to be true to how I feel. I'm usually not bothered by an artist's voice unless their attitude in the music pisses me off. I have no problem with what Dylan is trying to communicate. It's his thing, I think (unlike other artists I don't care for) he should do it. Which at least really makes Dylan stand out- I don't know another artist for this is true for. It's got to be a matter of genre.

Some people don't like his music because it doesn't sound like what they expect pop music to sound like. But what you said about how Dylan didn't make the music "lift off" and how his singing, his lyrics and his music didn't combine in an organic unity simply baffle me.

I'm sure that's true for listeners proned to find his genres of music more sonically fulfilling. I'm more convinced than ever that what he's doing is perfectly suited to that genre he belongs to that I have no concept of. But, yeah, in describing how his music makes me feel? The music and the singing stays at a certain level which never rises. It's probably because he's a truth-seeker. To find that truth, he doesn't want to shake up what he's doing while he's doing it. That's the only way I can put it. I feel like he's a singer on the road and the road doesn't move- but the listener drives by him; they're the car and he's standing by the roadside. I give him credit for at least owning the road. And for being unique enough to make most drivers turn their heads to notice he was ever there.

Personally, I don't understand why those fans don't just simply sit back and enjoy the music, the singing and the inventiveness of the song-writing.

I've never been under pressure to find it... but, yeah, I never found his music very interesting. Which is why I offered an "I wouldn't understand the significance of being-there in the 60's / where he came from anyway." You'd probably say "neither was I but look how much I've learned to appreciate him" but I also said in another thread about music (and this goes back to genre) that some listeners just "get it." Naturally, for this to work, there have to be others who don't. I would have to work - one way or another - to find this music fascinating or enjoyable. Who has time? Maybe I was resting my argument on a hastily acquired impression but it's still the same one I've had with him nearly everytime. The exception being a rare song like the one or two I mentioned in my last reply. Which means: I think he played in other genres.

One of his most mysterious songs is 'Changing of the Guards' (1978). Other than a reference to his 16 years in the music business at the beginning and hints at his coming conversion to born-again Christianity at end, I can't make any sense of the lyrics. But I'm not trying to, I simply enjoy how GREAT it SOUNDS.

Man this sounds like another song. It could be Springsteen or Mellencamp. (I'm just hoping it isn't Fogerty.) Anyway, it really sounds like it's going somewhere at first but it falls back in the BD rut for me. Proving that, for me to notice how this song stands out compared to his other work, I would have to know him better. I'm a saxophone whore, though, so- I love that.

You're referring to the song 'Gotta Serve Somebody', the opening track to his 1979 album Slow Train Coming

I don't think it's one of his best songs either. But it did earn him a great deal of success.

And you just had to include a link to it... now, I think it's a great song! Don't ask, I started flashing on Linda Ronstadt's "You're No Good" (there's a slight similiarity) and because I always check my references before I make a post like this- her song is not very good and compared to hers, his is. Of course, it also really reminds me of Stevie Nicks' "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" and that's got Tom Petty on it and... in case I forgot to mention: I LOVE Tom Petty.

The winner there is no question, since I also quite like Nicks.
As a matter of fact... *

I think you should just listen to his album Blood on the Tracks (1975) sometimes. I think that's the most perfect conversion of lyrics-music-vocals he ever reached.

Here are the discs my roomies have:

But again, to offer something of a truce here (because I care about discussing and understanding people's opinions about music): I believe people are meant to appreciate different messages according to the kind of person they are. You say it's about a loved one but he does say "my sweet kiss," so... it's not a goodbye song that applies to any loved one.

Not sure what you mean with that last line

I truly hope by "my sweet kiss," he wasn't referring to a sister, brother, father, mother, grandparent, child, niece / nephew, pet, etc. What I meant is that the experience of having to say goodbye to a lover / boyfriend/girlfriend is a little less universal than a person being / feeling abandoned by any person they can love, including friends or/and family. I'm sure the margin is slimmer than I made it out to be but, it meant something at the time.


* (What I'm playing now:)
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Last: Dylan - "Changing of the Guards" & "Gotta Serve Somebody"
Next: Destiny's Child - "Bootylicious," D12 - "Purple Pills," Goldfrapp - "Yes Sir (I Can Boogie)"

[Goliath]

[...] I have no problem with what Dylan is trying to communicate. It's his thing, I think (unlike other artists I don't care for) he should do it. Which at least really makes Dylan stand out- I don't know another artist for this is true for. It's got to be a matter of genre.

I'm not sure you could even call what Dylan does a 'genre'. He worked in so many different 'genres' and musical styles that I would lose count if I listed them all. Folk, rock, folk-rock (often he's credited with having 'invented' that genre), blues, country, gospel, jazz, bluegrass, 'Americana', even rap if you want to count 'Subterrenean Homesick Blues' (1965).

[...] But, yeah, in describing how his music makes me feel? The music and the singing stays at a certain level which never rises. It's probably because he's a truth-seeker. To find that truth, he doesn't want to shake up what he's doing while he's doing it. That's the only way I can put it. I feel like he's a singer on the road and the road doesn't move- but the listener drives by him; they're the car and he's standing by the roadside.

I don't know if I agree with that analogy. I think he is a truth-seeker, but to find that truth, he's constantly changing himself and his music and that's exactly why he does shake things up all the time. That's why his fans kept walking away from him, coming back... and going again. Being a 'protest singer', going into rock 'n roll, turning to country at the high point of the counter-culture, coming back with a typical singer-songwriter album, collaborating with a playwright to write outlandish long drawn-out stories/songs, getting back-up singers and introducing a horn-section, making religious albums, doing 80's synthesizer pop, making an acoustic cover album of traditionals at the high point of grunge, and launching a second career at 57 with blues-inspired songs. And all the while keeping true to himself. I don't know two Dylan albums which sound alike. I also don't know any other artist of which that is true.

[...] You'd probably say "neither was I but look how much I've learned to appreciate him" but I also said in another thread about music (and this goes back to genre) that some listeners just "get it." Naturally, for this to work, there have to be others who don't.

I think this is true. Not that I mean that by "getting it" I'm smarter than those who don't --just that I do get it. While I don't "get", for example, Lady Gaga, which you do get.

[Changing of the Guards] Man this sounds like another song. It could be Springsteen or Mellencamp. (I'm just hoping it isn't Fogerty.) Anyway, it really sounds like it's going somewhere at first but it falls back in the BD rut for me. Proving that, for me to notice how this song stands out compared to his other work, I would have to know him better. I'm a saxophone whore, though, so- I love that.

I'd like to know what it is, in this song, that defines 'the BD rut' for you. Street-Legal (1978), of which this is the opening track, is an unusual album, even in the Dylan catalogue, in that it's much more pop-/mainstream-oriented --where it comes to the music. (The lyrics still are all over the map.) I've heard the Springsteen-comparison a lot, probably because of the saxophone. People associate it with Bruce.

And you just had to include a link to it... now, I think it's a great song!

I'm glad I could make you at least like one Dylan song.

Maybe you're interested in the rest of the album, too? Slow Train Coming (1979) is up in its entirety on YouTube. For someone who hates religion, I like this bunch of religious-infused songs an awful lot.

I think you should just listen to his album Blood on the Tracks (1975) sometimes. I think that's the most perfect conversion of lyrics-music-vocals he ever reached.

Here are the discs my roomies have:

And then you never list any. Some of the tracks are up on YouTube, like the opening track:

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I truly hope by "my sweet kiss," he wasn't referring to a sister, brother, father, mother, grandparent, child, niece / nephew, pet, etc. What I meant is that the experience of having to say goodbye to a lover / boyfriend/girlfriend is a little less universal than a person being / feeling abandoned by any person they can love, including friends or/and family.

Oh, now I see what you mean. Yeah, it's referring to a love interest.

[Christopher_TCUIH]

@<b>Goliath</b>: you might already know this but I got this E! News text today and it said Bob Dylan so I just thought it would be an interesting tidbit:
"<i>E! News
Miley Cyrus on board to sing Bob Dylan classic on all star tribute album to the artist</i>"

[Disney's Divinity]

With all the Bob Dylan discussion, I was actually listening to his song "With God On Our Side" yesterday. I included it in a Greek Mythology unit plan I created where the theme was obedience (with focus on the responsibilities of authority figures, consequences of blind obedience, civil disobedience, war protesters, etc.).

Anyway, at the moment, I'm enjoying Kelly Clarkson's new album Stronger. Highlights:

1. "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)"
2. "You Can't Win"
3. "Dark Side"

[Goliath]

@<b>Goliath</b>: you might already know this but I got this E! News text today and it said Bob Dylan so I just thought it would be an interesting tidbit:
"<i>E! News
Miley Cyrus on board to sing Bob Dylan classic on all star tribute album to the artist</i>"

Poor Bob.

No, really, is Justin Bieber on board, too? I mean, when I think "all star", Miley Cyrus is not exactly the first name that pops into my mind. On the other hand, maybe it'll spark some interest in Dylan's music among her generation of fans.

Thanks for sharing, btw!

With all the Bob Dylan discussion, I was actually listening to his song "With God On Our Side" yesterday. I included it in a Greek Mythology unit plan I created where the theme was obedience (with focus on the responsibilities of authority figures, consequences of blind obedience, civil disobedience, war protesters, etc.).

Cool! I don't know what a Greek Mythology unit plan is, but it sounds good.

And it's a fitting song for the themes you mentioned.

Right now, I'm listening to Joan Baez's version of 'With God On Our Side':

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[JohnnyWeir]

@<b>Goliath</b>: you might already know this but I got this E! News text today and it said Bob Dylan so I just thought it would be an interesting tidbit:
"<i>E! News
Miley Cyrus on board to sing Bob Dylan classic on all star tribute album to the artist</i>"

What song is she covering? Which ever one it is, it is sure to be completely butchered if her cover of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is any indication.

[Avaitor]

Before: Absu- "...Of Celtic Fire, We Are born/Terminus (In the Eyes of Idolanach"
Now: John Mellcencamp- "Jack and Diane"
Next: Funkadelic- "Music for My Mother"

[Goliath]

What song is she covering? Which ever one it is, it is sure to be completely butchered if her cover of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is any indication.

Well, on the other hand, Bob is butchering his own songs on a daily basis whenever he's performing on-stage nowadays.

[dvdjunkie]

On shuffle right now:

Who's Next - The Who - one of my all-time favorite bands. Back in 60's I actually took a leave of absence from work to catch them 23 separate night over 28 days. I even got my picture taken with John Entwistle and Roger Daltrey.

[Avaitor]

No, really, is Justin Bieber on board, too?

I don't think Bieber knows who Dylan is. I mean, he doesn't even know what German is!

But seriously, I don't know what to think about Miley covering a Dylan song. I think she has some range and power in her vocals, but has no idea what to do with it, and her tone is not built for Bob Dylan's music. It sounds like a hasty idea for a cover, especially considering what kind of backing music she'll probably have.

Before: Tom Petty- "Breakdown"
Now: Demi Lovato- "Together"
Next: Iron Maiden- "Remember Tomorrow"

Probably the 3 artists I've been abusing the most in my play count for a while or so.

[Christopher_TCUIH]

I'm not quite sure about any other information. That's all the text message said minus the "Reply s for stop" for something like that.

I think it's a bit odd for a Bob Dylan tribute though. Granted I'm not too familiar with Bob Dylan's music but I think Miley Cirus seems like an odd choice in general. Especially when she doesn't even know what type of music she is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyIShS9aI-g&sns=em

[Goliath]

I don't think Bieber knows who Dylan is. I mean, he doesn't even know what German is!

So Selena is dating an airhead? The world is not fair.

Last: Dire Straits- Romeo & Juliet
Now: Partner- Kayuta Hill
Next: Michael J. Fox's rendition of 'Johnny B. Goode' from Back to the Future

[Lazario]

I'm not sure you could even call what Dylan does a 'genre'. He worked in so many different 'genres' and musical styles that I would lose count if I listed them all. Folk, rock, folk-rock (often he's credited with having 'invented' that genre), blues, country, gospel, jazz, bluegrass, 'Americana', even rap if you want to count 'Subterrenean Homesick Blues' (1965).

No genre can contain him? I can believe that.

Either way, it's only important for one of us to have a handle on what he does. I look at myself as a lost cause.

[...] But, yeah, in describing how his music makes me feel? The music and the singing stays at a certain level which never rises. It's probably because he's a truth-seeker. To find that truth, he doesn't want to shake up what he's doing while he's doing it. That's the only way I can put it. I feel like he's a singer on the road and the road doesn't move- but the listener drives by him; they're the car and he's standing by the roadside.

I don't know if I agree with that analogy. I think he is a truth-seeker, but to find that truth, he's constantly changing himself and his music and that's exactly why he does shake things up all the time. That's why his fans kept walking away from him, coming back... and going again.

I've tried to admit where it's applicable but I very seldomly follow a singer's / musician's private life / what lead to them making the music I'm listening to. I know I've said contrary in the past but it's merely easier with today's musicians because more about them is revealed "as it happens" thanks to the internet, etc.

Actually, I do very little following of / subscribing to artists... period. It never seemed like they need my support. Changes they made to their style, sound, etc(.) happened without me and I would just wait and see if I grew to like it later. I'm sure it enriches the listening experience for some, adds to the power of the music. To always want to know what songs are about. But, also thanks to the internet, everything music in my life is just a press of a button and flick of a button sitting right next to that one and it all just goes by. At least, that's how it starts. The way I usually work- I can only enjoy music for a short period of time. Even if I had the time, I would begin feeling bunched up and I'd have to get up and GO somewhere. Do something. I'm very sensitive to noise. I have to concentrate hard to be able to accomplish almost anything. The quiet inspires me more than the music ever does.

I'm less about the artist, more about the song.

Being a 'protest singer', going into rock 'n roll, turning to country at the high point of the counter-culture, coming back with a typical singer-songwriter album, collaborating with a playwright to write outlandish long drawn-out stories/songs, getting back-up singers and introducing a horn-section, making religious albums, doing 80's synthesizer pop, making an acoustic cover album of traditionals at the high point of grunge, and launching a second career at 57 with blues-inspired songs. And all the while keeping true to himself. I don't know two Dylan albums which sound alike.

I could name 2 BD songs which I don't think sound alike. But, so far, again without the benefit of listening to an album's worth of his material, I feel the vast majority of songs I've heard from him - and through at least 30 years of his career - have had the basic things in common which I've mentioned turn me off from appreciating him.

[...] You'd probably say "neither was I but look how much I've learned to appreciate him" but I also said in another thread about music (and this goes back to genre) that some listeners just "get it." Naturally, for this to work, there have to be others who don't.

I think this is true. Not that I mean that by "getting it" I'm smarter than those who don't --just that I do get it. While I don't "get", for example, Lady Gaga, which you do get.

It's not she needs anymore help from me, though. There are too many scholars ready to defend her, people way smarter than me. People who actually see the college-educated terms for the nuances in her music and videos. Oscar Moralde is a particularly intimidating critic / journalist who wrote such a thought-provoking article on her video for "Born This Way," taking the time to dip into her music as well so that it was a perfectly rounded critique. One even I have trouble debating and I downright hate the video. Point being that he just really said things about her music that anyone would have trouble arguing. Things I feel are valid. And it's possible for someone to look ridiculous (which is the skin-deep criticism she usually gets her at UD) but actually be saying something.

http://www.slantmagazine.com/house/2011 ... -this-way/

Oh, you also said once she was my favorite artist. That honor belongs to Björk. My Bob Dylan (if you can imagine someone I love more, after going on about / out of my way to defend them, than Madonna, Goldfrapp, Lady Gaga, Weird Al, Roisin Murphy, Ke$ha, etc). Even then, I admit there are several songs by her that I don't love. They mostly coincide with her descent into more and more experimental music (with each album starting in 2000 with Selmasongs- that is..., if "107 Steps" actually counts as a song since it's just her counting up to 107 - and skipping several numbers - with the score blasting, otherwise then it's Vespertine and "Harm of Will"). If you have any comments on her, I'd love to hear them. I mean, when you were talking about the 90's and how almost none of the music from that time was any good- I'd like to think that you remembered her and would put her in the category of groundbreaking music from the 90's (along with the likes of Nirvana, Beck, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, and Madonna). And, hey, if Lady Gaga is too weird without what looks like any substance to it, you would probably find Björk to be the real deal.


Anyway, enough of this. Back to whatever I can cobble together that looks like it might be relevant to BD:

[Changing of the Guards] Man this sounds like another song. It could be Springsteen or Mellencamp. (I'm just hoping it isn't Fogerty.) Anyway, it really sounds like it's going somewhere at first but it falls back in the BD rut for me. Proving that, for me to notice how this song stands out compared to his other work, I would have to know him better. I'm a saxophone whore, though, so- I love that.

I'd like to know what it is, in this song, that defines 'the BD rut' for you.

It's the progression in the opening 10 seconds. It builds steam like the car is revving up and then turns off the engine at 0:06-0:07. From that point, it feels like one of those songs where the guitar players are strumming with their heads turned away. With only that sax to liven it up afterward. Starting there, I'm a lot like my mother listening to rap; all I can do is kinda snap my fingers and slosh my head from side to side. Like I'm really getting into it. Looking like the biggest phony you've ever seen.

And you just had to include a link to it... now, I think it's a great song!

I'm glad I could make you at least like one Dylan song.

I didn't mean to say I liked it. Just that I'm a slave to Compare and Contrast. I still found a song I thought was similar yet superior, after finding one that was inferior.

Maybe you're interested in the rest of the album, too? Slow Train Coming (1979) is up in its entirety on YouTube. For someone who hates religion, I like this bunch of religious-infused songs an awful lot.

We'll see what November brings.

Here are the discs my roomies have:

And then you never list any.

I wasn't able to make it out to check what they were. Someone was moving in and his speakers ARE HUGE. They were blocking the CD rack.

Doesn't matter, anyway. I'll have access to most of his albums thanks to Napster. So, there are few limits if any.

Just checked Napster. They say they have a count of 1,265 total Bob Dylan songs and 77 "albums."

Some of the tracks are up on YouTube, like the opening track:

"Tangled Up in Blue" - Bob Dylan

Same thing happened. I felt it was too much like his other songs. Only, this time, I got the distinct impression that he was singing in a bar. He went here and did this. Did it change his life? Perhaps. I wasn't there. He might have been but I wasn't.



Next: nothing (though, upon starting to read back this reply, my brain is eyeballing some Dolly Parton)

Now: Björk - "An Echo, a Stain"

Last:
Björk - "Harm of Will"
Björk - "107 Steps"
Hole - "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue"
Bob Dylan - "Changing of the Guards" & "Tangled Up in Blue"
Barenaked Ladies - "One Week"
Nicki Minaj - "Super Bass"
Dr. Dre & Snoop (Doggy) Dogg - "Nothin' but a G Thang"
Whitney Houston - "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"
OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) - "If You Leave"

some of the songs were playing on the radio, leaking into my headphones.

[Goliath]

@Lazario: It's not that I keep up with Dylan's personal live to be able to take that into account when I listen to his music. That's not what I meant at all. I meant that Dylan changed his stage persona and his musical identity as an artist so many times, that it's hard to contain him and place him in one box. It does help to know a bit about his divorce when listening to Blood on the Tracks, though, to appreciate how deeply personal the stories he's singing about are --to know they're not just made up, but are about and, sometimes, directly aimed at, real existing people. The hate and vitriol he spews in a song like 'Idiot Wind' is impressive enough in its own right, but to think that he's actually completely crushing his (ex-)wife takes the song to a whole other level --at least, to me. But like I said, the songs stand on their own. I'm not really into artists' private lives.

Last:3 Doors Down- Kryptonite
Now: Nirvana- Smells Like Teen Spirit
Next: Guns 'N Roses- Paradise City