Red Mosquito

tragabigzanda wrote:Yellow Moon > Like A Rolling Stone

Haha be off with you.

tragabigzanda wrote:Yellow Moon > Like A Rolling Stone

Jokerman

The Times They Are A-Changin’- there’s plenty of politics on Freewheelin’ but it doesn’t dominate the album in the same way it does here. It gives this album a much weightier quality, less a poet shooting from the hip and more an angry and determined force of will seeking to upend the political status quo. The lyrics often take a more direct form though there’s plenty to peel away to expose further layers in these songs. For me, some focus does feel lost on the music itself and feels a bit redundant and tired at points. Yes that highs like the title track (an anthem for hope in change if there ever was one) and the Ballad of Hollis Brown are true standouts, as is With God on Our Side, Only a Pawn in Their Game, The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carrol (more in its imagery than music), and Restless Farewell. But for me, this is a bit up and down because musically we’ve been here before. Boots of Spanish Leather sounds like Girl From the North Country as an example. And rather than using a strum to draw up the tension to his next verse, it just seems to hang there on some of these songs. There’s plenty to love here, but this was clearly the toughest full album to get through thus far.

liebzz wrote:The Times They Are A-Changin’- there’s plenty of politics on Freewheelin’ but it doesn’t dominate the album in the same way it does here. It gives this album a much weightier quality, less a poet shooting from the hip and more an angry and determined force of will seeking to upend the political status quo. The lyrics often take a more direct form though there’s plenty to peel away to expose further layers in these songs. For me, some focus does feel lost on the music itself and feels a bit redundant and tired at points. Yes that highs like the title track (an anthem for hope in change if there ever was one) and the Ballad of Hollis Brown are true standouts, as is With God on Our Side, Only a Pawn in Their Game, The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carrol (more in its imagery than music), and Restless Farewell. But for me, this is a bit up and down because musically we’ve been here before. Boots of Spanish Leather sounds like Girl From the North Country as an example. And rather than using a strum to draw up the tension to his next verse, it just seems to hang there on some of these songs. There’s plenty to love here, but this was clearly the toughest full album to get through thus far.

Interestingly, I think The Times is my favorite of his early folk albums, just on song percentage alone. I think it's the first truly cohesive song cycle he put together, and over half of these songs have been in his repertoire his entire career.

I know you're not veering into non-album material, but I would strongly encourage you to listen to the take of "When the Ship Comes In" from the Witmark sessions -- you can find it both on Bootleg Series 1 and Bootleg Series 10 (same take). It's a solo piano take and brings out the buoyancy of the song so much more. It's my favorite song from these sessions, but the album take really sells it short.

Kevin Davis wrote:

liebzz wrote:The Times They Are A-Changin’- there’s plenty of politics on Freewheelin’ but it doesn’t dominate the album in the same way it does here. It gives this album a much weightier quality, less a poet shooting from the hip and more an angry and determined force of will seeking to upend the political status quo. The lyrics often take a more direct form though there’s plenty to peel away to expose further layers in these songs. For me, some focus does feel lost on the music itself and feels a bit redundant and tired at points. Yes that highs like the title track (an anthem for hope in change if there ever was one) and the Ballad of Hollis Brown are true standouts, as is With God on Our Side, Only a Pawn in Their Game, The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carrol (more in its imagery than music), and Restless Farewell. But for me, this is a bit up and down because musically we’ve been here before. Boots of Spanish Leather sounds like Girl From the North Country as an example. And rather than using a strum to draw up the tension to his next verse, it just seems to hang there on some of these songs. There’s plenty to love here, but this was clearly the toughest full album to get through thus far.

Interestingly, I think The Times is my favorite of his early folk albums, just on song percentage alone. I think it's the first truly cohesive song cycle he put together, and over half of these songs have been in his repertoire his entire career.

I know you're not veering into non-album material, but I would strongly encourage you to listen to the take of "When the Ship Comes In" from the Witmark sessions -- you can find it both on Bootleg Series 1 and Bootleg Series 10 (same take). It's a solo piano take and brings out the buoyancy of the song so much more. It's my favorite song from these sessions, but the album take really sells it short.

I will have to check that out. Might take until I am through all of this. This album is more thematically consistent but I think it gets too weighed down through the course of the album. I don’t think it’s a bad album by any stretch. It is still really good, but I admit I preferred the first two.

Times is a tight, airless, claustrophobic album. You feel restrained whilst listening. You feel tense. The performance is just essentials, no excess. It's the body of caged animal, a chain gang worker poised for a moment of escape or another beating.

It's a tough listen in one sitting and one I rarely reach for. But when I do listen to it it's absolutely thrilling.

LetMeSleep wrote:Times is a tight, airless, claustrophobic album. You feel restrained whilst listening. You feel tense. The performance is just essentials, no excess. It's the body of caged animal, a chain gang worker poised for a moment of escape or another beating.

It's a tough listen in one sitting and one I rarely reach for. But when I do listen to it it's absolutely thrilling.

I agree except I think it is because the focus is on the lyrical message and not as much on the music, which at some points is a background to what he wants to tell you. It’s also very deliberate compared to Freewheelin’.

liebzz wrote:

LetMeSleep wrote:Times is a tight, airless, claustrophobic album. You feel restrained whilst listening. You feel tense. The performance is just essentials, no excess. It's the body of caged animal, a chain gang worker poised for a moment of escape or another beating.

It's a tough listen in one sitting and one I rarely reach for. But when I do listen to it it's absolutely thrilling.

I agree except I think it is because the focus is on the lyrical message and not as much on the music, which at some points is a background to what he wants to tell you. It’s also very deliberate compared to Freewheelin’.

Absolutely. Everything here supports his words.

It lacks the humor of both Freewheelin' and Another Side for sure, but I'm not convinced it's an all-words-no-music album.

"When the Ship Comes In" is arguably the most melodically sophisticated song of his early years.

Kevin Davis wrote:It lacks the humor of both Freewheelin' and Another Side for sure, but I'm not convinced it's an all-words-no-music album.

"When the Ship Comes In" is arguably the most melodically sophisticated song of his early years.

I mean, I also think the Ballad of Hollis Brown is a great example of musicality on the album but those to me are the exceptions to the album rather than the rule. The title track really plays to the heart of the album, and that going in is among the list of songs I would my favorites from him going into this.

I don't know, I think "The Times, They Are A-Changin'" is a really musically developed song -- great melody, cool structure. "Restless Farewell" is another one with a rich and gooey melodic center, based on the traditional Celtic song "The Parting Glass."

I'm not trying to completely discredit what you say about the album -- it does have a certain starkness to it that kind of draws your ears away from those things -- but I think there's more happening musically on it than just a bed of acoustic guitar to support the words.

Maybe saying everything supports the words isn't quite right. Maybe his words are so powerful and captivating that everything else takes second place. The melodies are strong and the playing is perfect. But there's nothing added that doesn't need to be there. There's nothing added that can detract from the voice.

LetMeSleep wrote:Maybe saying everything supports the words isn't quite right. Maybe his words are so powerful and captivating that everything else takes second place. The melodies are strong and the playing is perfect. But there's nothing added that doesn't need to be there. There's nothing added that can detract from the voice.

And for me Freewheelin' is a powerful lyrically, but a much more enjoyable listen. I don't skip anything on Freewheelin'.

I find myself focusing on Dylan's voice this go 'round.

Another Side of Bob Dylan - if The Times They Are A-Changin’ is a tense and urgent inhale, Another Side... feels like an exhale. The songs are looser, and fun! There’s a little less structure and a whole lot more humor. All I Really Want To Do sets the table for what’s coming well. I Shall Be Free No. 10 and Motorpsycho Nightmare almost feel comparably like a case of the Dylan giggles. I think the lighter tone and focus works for him well, and it works right off the last album to avoid another extra intense album. They both have their qualities and I’m not selling one over the other - but the contrast helps to find new appreciation for both albums.

At the same time, without having read biographies or seen documentaries related to this tumultuous time for Dylan, if this album isn’t the first in a series of sticking a thumb in the eye of both any critics or obsessive admirers...an album that’s a breeze for those deifying him after two transcendent albums. Do we even see or get a glimpse of what’s to come? Is It Ain’t Me Babe the signal that he’s no pure folk hero and that his journey is about to take on all new dimensions in his artistic restlessness?

Another Side is great. Recorded all in one night apparently:

The first (and only) recording session was held on June 9 at Columbia's Studio A in New York. According to Heylin, "while polishing off a couple of bottles of Beaujolais," Dylan recorded fourteen original compositions that night, eleven of which were chosen for the final album. The three that were ultimately rejected were "Denise Denise," "Mr. Tambourine Man," and "Mama, You Been on My Mind."[8]

Bringing It All Back Home - I always hear about Highway 61 Revisited as being this Judas moment, but the electric guitars and full band are here and present on this one. Experiencing this in chronological order I wasn’t sure what my reaction to this would be after four acoustic folk albums, but it’s definitely this: THIS is the Bob Dylan I am more capable of enjoying and understanding. Freewheelin’ was my favorite of the early folk era and I would say I liked this one at least as much - that includes both the full band work and the more acoustic touches over the last 1/3 of the album. Subterranean Homesick Blues has always been one of my all time favorites from him and so no complaints there. Maggie’s Farm is another I always enjoyed. Outlaw Blues is a perfect song for Dylan to dress up with the full band and this with On the Road Again and Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream is just a particularly great run of songs for me. Spotless album once again and possibly my favorite so far.

liebzz wrote:Bringing It All Back Home - I always hear about Highway 61 Revisited as being this Judas moment, but the electric guitars and full band are here and present on this one. Experiencing this in chronological order I wasn’t sure what my reaction to this would be after four acoustic folk albums, but it’s definitely this: THIS is the Bob Dylan I am more capable of enjoying and understanding. Freewheelin’ was my favorite of the early folk era and I would say I liked this one at least as much - that includes both the full band work and the more acoustic touches over the last 1/3 of the album. Subterranean Homesick Blues has always been one of my all time favorites from him and so no complaints there. Maggie’s Farm is another I always enjoyed. Outlaw Blues is a perfect song for Dylan to dress up with the full band and this with On the Road Again and Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream is just a particularly great run of songs for me. Spotless album once again and possibly my favorite so far.

The drums on Outlaw Blues knocked me out the first time I really paid attention to them. Savage.

Yeah, I mean I really enjoyed the first two albums a lot and maybe it’s the powering in order or whatever, or that I took the weekend off, but this album was the perfect clicking with the music and all for me that I wouldn’t say was missing but maybe didn’t feel this obvious.

liebzz wrote:Bringing It All Back Home - I always hear about Highway 61 Revisited as being this Judas moment, but the electric guitars and full band are here and present on this one. Experiencing this in chronological order I wasn’t sure what my reaction to this would be after four acoustic folk albums, but it’s definitely this: THIS is the Bob Dylan I am more capable of enjoying and understanding. Freewheelin’ was my favorite of the early folk era and I would say I liked this one at least as much - that includes both the full band work and the more acoustic touches over the last 1/3 of the album. Subterranean Homesick Blues has always been one of my all time favorites from him and so no complaints there. Maggie’s Farm is another I always enjoyed. Outlaw Blues is a perfect song for Dylan to dress up with the full band and this with On the Road Again and Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream is just a particularly great run of songs for me. Spotless album once again and possibly my favorite so far.

He went electric at Newport Folk Fest about a month before releasing Highway 61. I'm so glad you are digging this record! When I first found it, I played it constantly for months. I couldn't get over his lyrics, word play, vocal delivery and musical choices. On the Road Again..."I go to pet your monkey and get a face full of claws!"