Bob Dylan
Truth is, Bob Dylan (Robert Zimmerman) didn't really have much to do with Rock, except influence just about everybody and profoundly change everything. It didn't start out that way. Dylan was a folkie from the outback of Hibbing, Minnesota, who worshiped Woody Guthrie. Wandering to New York he was "discovered" by famous producer John Hammond. And so, Dylan he became (allegedly after Dylan Thomas). As a Folk singer Dylan was out there. One critic said his songs had more words than melody. And that was the thing with Dylan, he was an incredible lyricists. He wrote "Blowin' In The Wind" which was recorded by a ton of people but Peter, Paul & Mary (a Folk act) had the hit. Then, in the mid-60's the Byrds, Manfred Mann and the Turtles turned Dylan songs into pop hits. What did Dylan think of all this?
Well, Dylan went "electric" at New York's Forest Hill's Folk Festival with backing from future Blood Sweat & Tears founder, organist Al Kooper, bassist Harvey Brooks (future member of Electric Flag) and The Band's guitarist Robbie Robertson and drummer Levon Helm. Playing electric was for Rock, it was not something folkies were supposed to do. A few hard core types booed Dylan which was great press - it opened him up to the Rock audience.
"Highway 61 Revisited" was one ground breaking a record. "Like A Rolling Stone" with Al Kooper again on keyboards, was the song everyone knew. It was probably the only pop hit of the '60s with four verses. That was just the beginning. The title track was the album's best song but it wasn't released as a single. The opening line was enough to scare off AM radio programmers. It had five verses ("Desolation Row" had ten…. how could he memorize them all for a concert?). And each verse was important to the total impact of the song… no filler. Also, the "Ballad Of The Thin Man" introduced Mr. Jones, who was revived by the Counting Crows for their '80's hit.
"Blonde On Blonde" was next and had the classic "Rainy Day Women No. 12 & 35." It's the song with the line "everybody must get stoned." Although the lyrics talk about people being critical, the song was playing at Rolling Stone Keith Richards' house when the law raided and busted him for drugs.
Then there was the infamous motorcycle accident. Dylan holed up, recovering… a recluse... slowly but surely making music with The Band in a house forever known as "The Big Pink."
"John Wesley Harding" and "Nashville Skyline" were extraordinary albums but had a Country feeling to them. "J.W.H." contained the original version of "All Along The Watchtower" which, bluntly, Hendrix did better.
Dylan continued to come up with an occasional classics like "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" or, the then controversial (in the '70s), "Hurricane" (about the "wrongful" jailing of boxer "Hurricane" Carter) but his output was hit or miss. What do you expect? You can't keep writing ten verse songs forever.
Dylan spent the '90s bouncing along, riding his living legend status, and being known (by many post-60s music fans) as the father of Jakob (Wallflowers).
Still, it's never wise to write off Dylan. After grousing about modern (digital) recording techniques (they rip the soul out of recordings) he released "Modern Times," his first album in five years (the last one was '01's "Love & Theft"). Turned out the public didn't mind the digital stuff. "Modern Times" moved more than 192,000 copies in its first week to land at #1 on the Billboard 200. This was the fourth time a Dylan album had topped the chart. But it had been 30 years since his last #1, '76 release "Desire." "Modern Times" was also #1 in seven other countries.
Clearing the decks, Dylan began issuing his official Bootleg Series in '91. Each album covered a specific time period, event (Royal Albert Hall concert- Vol. 4) or tour (Rolling Thunder Review - Vol. 5). "Tell Tale Signs," the eighth volume in the series landed in '08 with outtakes, demos, live performances and rarities from '89 to '06.
In the fabled '60s, Bob Dylan was the premier singer/songwriter. Coming from the Folk side, Dylan was eventually lured to Rock, producing a couple great albums before losing himself in MOR pop, then born- again drivel. Dylan's greatest Rock album is "Highway 61 Revisited." Featuring the multi-versed "Like A Rolling Stone," the song was as much a lyrical icon as it was a Rocker. There's the humorous title track with the classic opening line ("God said to Abraham kill me a son and Abe says man you must be putting me on"). There's also the Country influenced "It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry" and the put down/put out of "Ballad Of The Thin Man" and "Desolation Row."
"Blonde On Blonde" followed and is another excellent record with the hilarious "Rainy Day Woman 12 & 35," the wailing "Memphis Blues Again" and the Folk/Country flavored "I Want You."
"Bring It All Back Home" just preceded "Highway 61 Revisited" and shows Dylan moving closer to Rock with "Subterranean Homesick Blues," "Mr. Tambourine Man," "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" and "It's All Over Now"
Dylan moved away from Rock and toward Country producing two excellent albums, "Nashville Skyline" and "John Wesley Harding." These are not Rock albums but illustrate Dylan's songwriting abilities which are his strongest suit. Dylan's output since has been spotty at best. However, his best '70s album "Blood On The Tracks" is a powerful Folk/Rock effort.
Dylan virtually created the Folk/Rock movement. His earlier albums contain the original versions of songs later covered and popularized by countless others.
"Modern Times" is a low key effort which certainly resonated with friends and fans. Dylan touches Country, Blues and Folk. He sounds like an aged but wizened troubadour. Wait, that's exactly what he is! Dylan's confident and emotional, giving weight to the lyrics and authority to the songs.
"Biograph" and "Greatest Hits Vols. I & II" capture Dylan's key moments.
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