The Never Ending Bob Dylan Thread

Zeeba Neighba

Zeeba Neighba

Staff member
Bob Dylan - Greatest Hits (1967)

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Once a staple in college, I have since purchased and delved into Dylan's albums and have not broken out in many years. Highway 61 yesterday made me want a nice comp today - indeed what an album this is!
Plus you get the non-album track "Positively 4th Street" here - one of my faves!
 
Bob Dylan - Desire (1976)

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Just love this album - I've said it before, I'm in the minority that enjoys this one more than Blood On the Tracks (which I also feel is excellent). Combo of Emmylou Harris' backup vocals and the use of Scarlet Rivera's violin just put it over the top for me personally.
 
Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan (1962)

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You're gonna see me post a number of Dylan albums over the next couple of weeks.
Ugh...what half-baked thing is Zeeba up to now. Realized the other day, when contemplating some listening ideas, that despite being a big Dylan fan, I've never done a comprehensive/chronological career listen as I have done with many of my favorites (Springsteen, The Stones, Bowie, The Beatles). Couple reasons for that - first of all, including all his live releases and the now-14 set Bootleg series, Dylan's catalog is massive (compiling the playlist this weekend hit about 1000 songs and 72 hours of music). And while his peak period has an almost unparalleled number of great albums, we all know Bob has made some interesting career direction changes (born-again Christian albums, Sinatra covers) which could be tough to revisit. As much as a Dylan fan that I am (I even have his Christmas album...oh yeah, gotta listen to that again if I do the series :(), I'm not such an obsessive fan to have listened to every album.
But here I go...I may not go the distance, but I've compiled a close-to-chronological playlist. I've decided to keep many of the "Bootleg Series" combinations intact as most of them focus on a specific era, but I have chopped up his first Vol 1-3 Bootleg and the Martin Scorcese No Direction Home (Bootleg Series #7) to put the appropriate songs in the appropriate era. I've put the live sets at the year they were recorded (not released) and I've done the same for the Basement Tapes.
Was thinking of crowning the whole series by reading his book Chronicles Vol 1 which focuses on the eras of three albums (Bob Dylan, New Morning, and Oh Mercy)

Let's see how this thing's gonna work. Started today with the 1959 "When I Got Troubles" recording by a high school friend of Bob's and after a few early tracks, on his debut here. :)
 
Bob Dylan - In Concert Brandeis University 1963

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No, my intention is not to post every Dylan album, but will definitely post some that I haven't spun before (or that will be less familiar)
Aside from assorted tracks, I think this is the earlier Dylan concert album released, recorded 1963 right before his second album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. Like his debut album which is a decent folk album but only shows IMO a glimpse of the greatness that would follow, most reviews feels this is an interesting but "minor", "doesn't quite manage to be memorable" (allmusic), "slight" (Pitchfork).
A bit harsh but certainly if Dylan wasn't Dylan, not sure one would find as much interest in this album. If one is looking for evidence of why Dylan hit the music world like an A-bomb, it's not necessarily here. Still, it is an album that captures Dylan before he achieved major fame, and, interestingly, it does find him loose and even a bit lively and interactive (some aspects that would often be lost in live sets over time).
 
Zeeba Neighba said:
Bob Dylan - In Concert Brandeis University 1963

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No, my intention is not to post every Dylan album, but will definitely post some that I haven't spun before (or that will be less familiar)
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Post them all. I like this journey-by-proxy. I'll probably never go through his oeuvre, and it will be interesting to read your opinions on each album and thoughts on Bob's career path.
 
Bob Dylan - Bootleg Series Vol.9: The Witmark Demos 1962-64

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Something I would never have broken out without this series - while many of the "Bootleg Series" volumes are live sets or unreleased tracks, this set comprises 47 demos Dylan recorded between 62-64. I'm not one that feels the NEED to listen to demos of artists I enjoy, but happy I'm hearing this. First of all, though available as true bootlegs for years, these are crisp and sound great. It's just Dylan with his guitar and harmonica and one can appreciate the musical side of Dylan as a folk guitarist (focus typically is on Dylan as songwriter). It also is a GREAT document of the transition over just 2 years from a folk musician covering old traditional songs and coopting folk melodies for his own songs to a mature songwriter. Many of these songs are from his first four albums which I've spun over the past 2 days, but there's a number of songs covered by other artists or not on these albums at all (15 songs do not appear on studio albums) - the Witmark Demos were cut for the M.Witmark & Sons publishing company for the intention of playing these songs to interest other artists to cover the songs.
 
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Bob Dylan - The Bootleg Series, Vol. 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964, Concert at Philharmonic Hall (rec 1964, released 2004)

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Finishing Dylan's folkie years now 161 tracks later (yes still in 1964) with the longest and best live release from that period, his Halloween concert in New York. Long available on bootleg, the release here is crisp and a wonderful summary of his first two years, but also previews three (big) songs from his next album Bringing It All Back Home ("Mr. Tambourine Man", "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" and "Gates of Eden". Plus four songs with Joan Baez - great stuff. Joan sounds wonderful and, though Bob doesn't always live exude humor and personality, there's a great energy between the two artists and the lyrics screw-up "It's Alright, Ma" is hilarious.

What's great for me is the focus on lyrics and songwriting. Though music lovers can appreciate both lyrics and music when it comes to a song, I truly believe most listeners tend to lean towards one of those two aspects. I'm definitely drawn in by the music (do I care what they're saying in "Louie, Louie" or "Wooly Booly", no) - in fact many songs I've loved for 30 years, I might not even know the full lyrics (despite having the ability to easily look them up now). Perhaps that's why it took me years to appreciate Dylan, and perhaps that's why as I've aged I've appreciated him more now - I've listened definitely to Dylan more over the past 10 years than, say, age 18-28.

Any way, concerts like this with just Bob and his guitar, one is able to appreciate his lyrics all the more. My dad went back to college after the army and often told the story about how a professor assigned the class an analysis of Dylan's lyrics (he good "Mr. Tambourine Man"...woof, tough draw). The picture of my dad, 10 years older than students around him in the late 60s analyzing Dylan is hilarious. Still listening to the lyrics of "I'm Alright Ma" or "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll" one can see why Dylan's songwriting was a big deal. "You who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears". Who the hell writes lyrics like that! In the early 60s especially! (he should get extra points for using the name William Zanzinger in a song successfully).

I'd gladly recommend this concert but suspect most who would WANT to hear this one have already heard it several times. Still great way to end Dylan's true acoustic folk period

And then things all would change...
 
Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home (1965)

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Bob plugs in alienating his following, broadening his audience, continuing to advance in imagery-laden lyrical content. Some of his best: "Maggie's Farm", "Mr. Tambourine Man", "Subterranean Homesick Blues". The last two songs, "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" and "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" far from unknown, still should be played MORE on the radio - two of my favorites and more youngins should know them
 
Bob Dylan - The Bootleg Series Vol. 4: Live 1966 The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert

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Probably Dylan's most famous concert (certainly his most infamous) which (as many know or can be guessed by the quotes) was not at the Royal Albert Hall but rather at the Manchester Free Trade Hall (an early bootleg was mislabeled). Dylan who was just about to release Blonde on Blonde splits the set between acoustic and electric sets as he brings out The Hawks (The Band) for the second half.

Of course, all know about the disdain of the folk community to Dylan "plugging in", but it should be noted that this was far from an American criticism. With this concert and the whole British tour, Dylan and The Band was greeted repeatedly to catcalls, boos, and grumbling with their electric set. Although many listeners give a warm response with the electric songs here, there is, between every song, murmurs, heckling, and slow claps. Dylan at one point mumbles incoherently/nonsensically before a number until people quiet down to hear what he is saying. Then there's the famous shout-out of "Judas" from a crowd member which gets some applause from the crowd and triggers Dylan responding "I don't believe you" then "You're a liar". Still, the band clearly feeds off the crowd's reactions and plays furiously. Dylan even tells the Hawks before the finale "Like A Rolling Stone" to "play it fucking loud".

Here's a nice article by Rolling Stone about this concert.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/remembering-bob-dylans-infamous-judas-show-203760/

Love the Robbie Robertson quote indicating the reason that they actually taped these concerts
The only reason tapes of those shows exist today is because we wanted to know, ‘Are we crazy?'” he recalled. “We’d go back to the hotel room, listen to a tape of a show and think, ‘Shit, that’s not that bad. Why is everybody so upset?
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Bob Dylan - The Real Royal Albert Hall 1966 Concert

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A more recent release (2016) - here's the ACTUAL Royal Albert Hall concert from that tour. The set list is the same and the Manchester Free Hall concert is better, but this is still interesting especially with Dylan's interaction with the audience - example the odd dedication of "Like A Rolling Stone" to the Taj Mahal (?)

Now onward to one of the candidates for greatest Dylan album - Blonde on Blonde
 
Zeeba Neighba said:
Bob Dylan - The Bootleg Series Vol. 4: Live 1966 The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert

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Probably Dylan's most famous concert (certainly his most infamous) which (as many know or can be guessed by the quotes) was not at the Royal Albert Hall but rather at the Manchester Free Trade Hall (an early bootleg was mislabeled). Dylan who was just about to release Blonde on Blonde splits the set between acoustic and electric sets as he brings out The Hawks (The Band) for the second half.

Of course, all know about the disdain of the folk community to Dylan "plugging in", but it should be noted that this was far from an American criticism. With this concert and the whole British tour, Dylan and The Band was greeted repeatedly to catcalls, boos, and grumbling with their electric set. Although many listeners give a warm response with the electric songs here, there is, between every song, murmurs, heckling, and slow claps. Dylan at one point mumbles incoherently/nonsensically before a number until people quiet down to hear what he is saying. Then there's the famous shout-out of "Judas" from a crowd member which gets some applause from the crowd and triggers Dylan responding "I don't believe you" then "You're a liar". Still, the band clearly feeds off the crowd's reactions and plays furiously. Dylan even tells the Hawks before the finale "Like A Rolling Stone" to "play it fucking loud".

Here's a nice article by Rolling Stone about this concert.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/remembering-bob-dylans-infamous-judas-show-203760/

Love the Robbie Robertson quote indicating the reason that they actually taped these concerts
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The article by Colin Fleming in Rolling Stone must be read. It's a masterful treatise.

One line in particular caught me:
He’s soaring now, the hoodoo poet at the front of the stage, Buddy Holly meets Sun Ra meets talismanic overseer.
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Zeeba Neighba said:
Bob Dylan - The Real Royal Albert Hall 1966 Concert

0004626156.jpg


A more recent release (2016) - here's the ACTUAL Royal Albert Hall concert from that tour. The set list is the same and the Manchester Free Hall concert is better, but this is still interesting especially with Dylan's interaction with the audience - example the odd dedication of "Like A Rolling Stone" to the Taj Mahal (?)

Now onward to one of the candidates for greatest Dylan album - Blonde on Blonde
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Or to Taj Mahal the blues artist?
 
Unsomnambulist said:
Or to Taj Mahal the blues artist?
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I doubt it. Taj Mahal put out his first album in 1968.

He might've been playing clubs before that, but Henry Saint Clair Fredericks and Robert Zimmerman are roughly only about a year apart in age. We know Bobby hit the circuit at an early age.

From Wiki:
In 1964 he moved to Santa Monica, California, and formed Rising Sons with fellow blues rock musician Ry Cooder and Jessie Lee Kincaid, landing a record deal with Columbia Records soon after. The group was one of the first interracial bands of the period, which likely made them commercially unviable.[10] An album was never released (though a single was) and the band soon broke up, though Legacy Records did release The Rising Sons Featuring Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder in 1992 with material from that period. During this time Mahal was working with others, musicians like Howlin' Wolf, Buddy Guy, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Muddy Waters.
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Dylan would have more likely name-checked one of the other four bluesmen mentioned in the last sentence in the article. Lastly, the definite article "the" would not have been used for the musician but rather the architectural wonder.
 
Bob Dylan & The Band - The Basement Tapes

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After a slow couple of days listening to music (had a day off for Mardi Gras with my family), back on the Dylan train. Hey, The Basement Tapes were released 1975 - really making progress! No, not really because I've decided to put them at 1967 when they were recorded. So slow progress through my Dylan project because of a lot of extra/bonus tracks from the Highway 61/Blonde on Blonde era. Good stuff though!
I don't break out the Basement Tracks too often - not a huge Band fan as I've stated before, but I do enjoy this collection.

We'll see if I enjoy this compilations which I've never played before:

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No I'm not gonna tackle the 6 volume COMPLETE Basement Tapes, but this interesting Bootleg Series comp deserves a listen
From allmusic:
A double-disc distillation of the six-disc box The Basement Tapes Complete, The Basement Tapes: Raw can't quite be seen as an expansion of the 1975 double-LP The Basement Tapes but rather a necessary revision. Shepherded by the Band's Robbie Robertson, that 1975 double-vinyl inserted Bandrecordings where they didn't belong, suggesting the group were equal partners when it was really Dylan's show. The Basement Tapes: Raw rights this wrong, stripping away the excess overdubs and excising the ten Band songs
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Bob Dylan - Nashville Skyline (1969)

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This period of Dylan is so interesting - it must have been quite frustrating as a Dylan fan during the 60s to follow him down one path only to switch gears to another one (I've dealt with this to a lesser extent with Bruce Springsteen). Fans must have been like "where the hell did he get THIS voice" - combination of quitting smoking for a bit and adopting a country croon.

I must say I enjoy Bob's country-rock period that followed his isolation at Woodstock following his motorcycle accident. Putting the Basement Tapes up front definitely gives albums like John Wesley Harding and this one more perspective

Definitely need to break out the Basement Tapes more often (and really enjoyed the Bootleg Series - "Raw" Basement Tapes comp. Incredible how many of those songs would be covered in the late 60s/early 70s (from Peter Paul & Mary to Fairport Convention) by artists who heard these songs on bootlegs.
John Wesley Harding gets better with every listening and may even deserve to be in Dylan's Top 5 - well, maybe I'm going to far, but it's really great (and again led to covers by Rod Stewart, Faces, and of course Jimi)
And this one - it has a quiet simple beauty about it - of course it contains Bob's remake of IMO his most beautiful song - "Girl From North County" here with Johnny Cash as well as "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You" and of course "Lay Lady Lay". Read a quote from Kris Kristopherson how Bob Dylan influenced country by opening up a new audience to the genre which helped lead to outlaw country. Never thought of it that way

Addendum: Charlie Daniels places bass guitar and guitar on this album (interesting not fiddle - maybe he hadn't faced off against the Devil yet ;))
 
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