Red Mosquito

Highway 61 Revisited - this is one of the albums I was but more familiar with going into this, and it really is a phenomenal album. Like a Rolling Stone might be one of the most famous rock songs ever, but it never really gets old to me. I also really enjoy Tombstone Blues and From a Buick 6...but my favorites here have to be Ballad of a Thin Man, Highway 61 Revisited, and Desolation Row. These sort of feel the most Bob Dylan to me, but also perfect intersection of music and lyrics working together. After going full band, we now have 2 near perfect albums back to back. I might actually take Bringing It All Back Home by a hair, but i would put both of them in the mix among the very best albums I have heard from anyone.

You didn't even mention the best song on the album.

I was watching No Direction Home on Netflix last night. Those pricks in Newcastle, I tell ya...

cutuphalfdead wrote:You didn't even mention the best song on the album.

Happens sometimes. Which song are you referring to?

Blonde on Blonde - I was able to go back to back today. This album is an absolute triumph. The music is often stunning and while the album is certainly long, it never for a moment seems tiring or even remotely work to listen through. The blues inspired tracks are straight up great here, specifically Pledging My Time, Stuck Inside of Mobile..., Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat, Most Likely You Go Your Way, and Obviously Five Believers. All these are favorites on this listen along with the various classics throughout like Rainy Day Women, I Want You and Visions of Johanna. One of Us Must Know is also great here. This one is maybe my favorite of the three full band albums in this stretch. There’s a ton of range and interesting things going on but the album just flies by.

The question now is whether to move up to the Basement Tapes for recording chronology or wait for its space on its release. Maybe I will not be so tired and I will tackle the complete basement tapes at the end of the run, but night right here since I don’t have 6.5 hours of patience at the moment.

liebzz wrote:The question now is whether to move up to the Basement Tapes for recording chronology or wait for its space on its release. Maybe I will not be so tired and I will tackle the complete basement tapes at the end of the run, but night right here since I don’t have 6.5 hours of patience at the moment.

The Basement Tapes album is half fraudulent (Band studio recordings from the 70s and the real basement songs are overdubbed) and the complete box set is a major slog to sit through.

I highly reccommend either the 2-CD "Bootleg Series" redux of the complete box or the RSD LP of the finished mono promotional reel ("The Original Basement Tape") which is good but is missing a couple essential tracks.

I love the complete box set but it's not a "sit through in one listen"-type release -- more a "cherry pick a handful of tracks here and there as you feel compelled"-type release -- and definitely not suited to an exercise like this. But however you choose to access it, definitely don't skip over this material -- some of Dylan's most famous songs are in this batch.

Wendy Carlos's Twin wrote:

liebzz wrote:The question now is whether to move up to the Basement Tapes for recording chronology or wait for its space on its release. Maybe I will not be so tired and I will tackle the complete basement tapes at the end of the run, but night right here since I don’t have 6.5 hours of patience at the moment.

The Basement Tapes album is half fraudulent (Band studio recordings from the 70s and the real basement songs are overdubbed) and the complete box set is a major slog to sit through.

I highly reccommend either the 2-CD "Bootleg Series" redux of the complete box or the RSD LP of the finished mono promotional reel ("The Original Basement Tape") which is good but is missing a couple essential tracks.

Thank you for the heads up or I would feel like a fool like after listening to The Band’s Live at Watkins Glen.

liebzz wrote:

cutuphalfdead wrote:You didn't even mention the best song on the album.

Happens sometimes. Which song are you referring to?

Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues

liebzz wrote:Blonde on Blonde - I was able to go back to back today. This album is an absolute triumph. The music is often stunning and while the album is certainly long, it never for a moment seems tiring or even remotely work to listen through. The blues inspired tracks are straight up great here, specifically Pledging My Time, Stuck Inside of Mobile..., Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat, Most Likely You Go Your Way, and Obviously Five Believers. All these are favorites on this listen along with the various classics throughout like Rainy Day Women, I Want You and Visions of Johanna. One of Us Must Know is also great here. This one is maybe my favorite of the three full band albums in this stretch. There’s a ton of range and interesting things going on but the album just flies by.

The question now is whether to move up to the Basement Tapes for recording chronology or wait for its space on its release. Maybe I will not be so tired and I will tackle the complete basement tapes at the end of the run, but night right here since I don’t have 6.5 hours of patience at the moment.

Absolute Triumph. You said it right. I didn't even spin this record until I had been listening to Dylan regularly for about 6 years. I couldn't believe what I had been missing. Stuck Inside.....wow!

I'd think to hit a little Basement Tapes now, so you hear/feel what Dylan was doing before heading into John Wesley Harding. Really interested to hear what your feeling is of JWH.

Hatfield wrote:

liebzz wrote:

cutuphalfdead wrote:You didn't even mention the best song on the album.

Happens sometimes. Which song are you referring to?

Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues

this guy gets it

Wendy Carlos's Twin wrote:

liebzz wrote:The question now is whether to move up to the Basement Tapes for recording chronology or wait for its space on its release. Maybe I will not be so tired and I will tackle the complete basement tapes at the end of the run, but night right here since I don’t have 6.5 hours of patience at the moment.

The Basement Tapes album is half fraudulent (Band studio recordings from the 70s and the real basement songs are overdubbed) and the complete box set is a major slog to sit through.

I highly reccommend either the 2-CD "Bootleg Series" redux of the complete box or the RSD LP of the finished mono promotional reel ("The Original Basement Tape") which is good but is missing a couple essential tracks.

Went with the Original Basement Tape on your recommendation, and will revisit the fraudulent tapes when we get there - a compromise!

The Original Basement Tapes - my initial reaction was to think about how much I missed the Band, mostly because I haven’t listened to them in a while after I had powered through their albums last year. The pairing meshes perfectly even though these were rough recordings that I went through (again, HUGE thanks to WendyCarlos’s Twin). The songs go by quickly but I really enjoyed the looseness of what they were all doing here. Lo and Behold, the Dylan version of I Shall Be Released, Please Mrs. Henry, Tiny Montgomery, You Ain’t Going Nowhere, Quinn the Eskimo, and Open the Door... were the standouts at first listen, though everything seems to have its charm. I wouldn’t take this particular collection of almost demos over the proper albums but it’s a nice change of pace.

liebzz wrote: The Original Basement Tapes - my initial reaction was to think about how much I missed the Band, mostly because I haven’t listened to them in a while after I had powered through their albums last year. The pairing meshes perfectly even though these were rough recordings that I went through (again, HUGE thanks to WendyCarlos’s Twin). The songs go by quickly but I really enjoyed the looseness of what they were all doing here. Lo and Behold, the Dylan version of I Shall Be Released, Please Mrs. Henry, Tiny Montgomery, You Ain’t Going Nowhere, Quinn the Eskimo, and Open the Door... were the standouts at first listen, though everything seems to have its charm. I wouldn’t take this particular collection of almost demos over the proper albums but it’s a nice change of pace.

I wouldn't necessarily call them "rough". They are basically live recordings, made with the same semi-pro sound equipment used to record the 1966 tour, so for 60's home recordings they are suprisingly clear and lively. Being almost spontaneous with no overdubs, they really aren't much of a far cry from his studio recordings, especially in mono.

liebzz wrote:

Wendy Carlos's Twin wrote:

liebzz wrote:The question now is whether to move up to the Basement Tapes for recording chronology or wait for its space on its release. Maybe I will not be so tired and I will tackle the complete basement tapes at the end of the run, but night right here since I don’t have 6.5 hours of patience at the moment.

The Basement Tapes album is half fraudulent (Band studio recordings from the 70s and the real basement songs are overdubbed) and the complete box set is a major slog to sit through.

I highly reccommend either the 2-CD "Bootleg Series" redux of the complete box or the RSD LP of the finished mono promotional reel ("The Original Basement Tape") which is good but is missing a couple essential tracks.

Went with the Original Basement Tape on your recommendation, and will revisit the fraudulent tapes when we get there - a compromise!

The Original Basement Tapes - my initial reaction was to think about how much I missed the Band, mostly because I haven’t listened to them in a while after I had powered through their albums last year. The pairing meshes perfectly even though these were rough recordings that I went through (again, HUGE thanks to WendyCarlos’s Twin). The songs go by quickly but I really enjoyed the looseness of what they were all doing here. Lo and Behold, the Dylan version of I Shall Be Released, Please Mrs. Henry, Tiny Montgomery, You Ain’t Going Nowhere, Quinn the Eskimo, and Open the Door... were the standouts at first listen, though everything seems to have its charm. I wouldn’t take this particular collection of almost demos over the proper albums but it’s a nice change of pace.

Reading about this time in Robbie Robertson's memoir was really cool. This time was obviously great for both the Band and Dylan. Dylan was on a strict, family man, schedule....according to Robbie.

I should note that my reviews are mostly first impressions but usually not last impressions. When it came to Neil Young and Tom Petty and a few others where I sort of discovered albums I should have discovered years before, I often end up spending much more time with them after the journey. Same will go for here for sure. I am actually enjoying this journey FAR more than I expected to.

John Wesley Harding - I have to say I am really glad I went with the Original Basement Tapes before jumping into this one, mostly because there’s a natural progression from Blonde on Blonde to the Original Basement Tapes to John Wesley Harding that would have not felt as natural without that middle recording, at least in terms of this journey. There’s a lot in common with those recordings with the Band.

As far as a singular album, this was another phenomenal listen. One thing this journey is really demonstrating to me is how natural Dylan sounds doing all this different stuff. The first four folk albums are sort of what you think of immediately when you think Dylan, but there’s this natural of course feeling on the three rock albums, and now this, which sort of strips down that rock sound and almost splits the difference, Bob sounds like Bob. This album in particular feels like a singular document more than merely a collection of songs and there’s not much in the way of low points at all. I certainly enjoyed the first three songs, but from Watchtower all the way through the end was pure magic. This is yet another A+ Dylan album. As for picking favorite tracks, it’s a tough call from front to back, but I am going with Wicked Messenger, Down Along the Cove, the Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest, Drifter’s Escape, and I Pity the Poor Immigrant (told you it was hard). This is just fantastic.

Nashville Skyline - another back to back. The shift toward country seems to come full circle here. Dylan widely seems to keep it pretty poppy though, and the songs that stick out commit to country but don’t cross into cloying territory that can often happen with country music, at least for me. The country croon is a bit jarring, like Dylan is almost taking on as an entirely new artist, but once you get used to it, it’s not something that ever really presents as an issue. The instrumental Nashville Skyline Rag is really quite nice. My favorites, which probably follow the above description the tightest, were Peggy Day, Lay Lady Lay, Country Pie and Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You. Overall, I’d say this is sort of like a good side project where it’s refreshing to hear him continue to follow his restless muse, but it doesn’t quite measure up to the rest of his albums and it wouldn’t be a place I’d hope he’d stick with for too long.

It certainly doesn't hit as hard up front as the 1962-1967 stretch, but in a lot of ways the 1968-1971 is the Dylan I find myself revisiting most. Artistically, it's a bit of a retreat -- not as musically or linguistically as ambitious, but I just can't get enough of the voice. I will be curious to hear what you think of Self Portrait and New Morning, two of my personal favorites that seem to get varied response elsewhere.

Looking forward to that hopefully tomorrow. In case it wasn’t expressed clearly enough, the last two were both fabulous and I thought I would turn on the music with the shift in style but it seems to still work with him. I wish I had taken this plunge years ago though I can’t say I would have been as ready for it.

Excellent, looking forward to your thoughts!