Deconstructing the Legend of Bob Dylan

[Pink Freud]

Not demolishing...just deconstructing. I've always wondered just how Dylan became a god in American music and culture. Perhaps it's because I never listened to him because of .....that voice. When he left Greenwich Village as America's Hot New Thing, I was too young to understand protest songs. Thus, I never understood all the furor over his "going electric".

I'd kind of like to see the movie "A Complete Unknown" just to get a grasp on how Dylan became Dylan. But, doing so would subject my ears to two hours of that voice, capably reproduced by Timothee Shalamet. Nonetheless, for those too young to have been there when he became The Voice of Angry Young America just as boomers became the largest chunk of the population, here's a pretty good explanation: It's a shared article I'm gifting here.

Just in case I don't get around to seeing "A Complete Unknown", I'll be satisfied with seeing the Coen Bros. brilliant "Inside Llewyn Davis" a fifth time.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/29/maga ... =url-share

[12xu]

Not demolishing...just deconstructing. I've always wondered just how Dylan became a god in American music and culture. Perhaps it's because I never listened to him because of .....that voice. When he left Greenwich Village as America's Hot New Thing, I was too young to understand protest songs. Thus, I never understood all the furor over his "going electric".

I'd kind of like to see the movie "A Complete Unknown" just to get a grasp on how Dylan became Dylan. But, doing so would subject my ears to two hours of that voice, capably reproduced by Timothee Shalamet. Nonetheless, for those too young to have been there when he became The Voice of Angry Young America just as boomers became the largest chunk of the population, here's a pretty good explanation: It's a shared article I'm gifting here.

Just in case I don't get around to seeing "A Complete Unknown", I'll be satisfied with seeing the Coen Bros. brilliant "Inside Llewyn Davis" a fifth time.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/29/maga ... =url-share

How could you possibly understand his "legend" if you never even listened to him??? IF you can't stand his voice, could you not recognize his brilliant songwriting when so many other artists covered his songs?

[MikoTython]

For those that aren't terribly familiar w/ Dylan's work ...

Imo, PF just flat doesn't get it, but appears to believe he's discerned defects which eluded just about every peer or later artist since he came around. He has a listening/appreciation template that Dylan doesn't satisfy. Ok - but you know, that's a rather idiosyncratic 'take', given pretty much the consensus of every generation of musical artist for the past 60 years.

Anyone actually interested in exploring Bob Dylan, here is a listening list - I'm light on the post 2000 albums, unfortunately. Many others, but these are the ones that grab me & include all considered his greatest albums, they're in time-based order :

Don't listen to anyone, listen to Bob Dylan yourself, and make up your own mind It's not just the song-writing, either. Its the music, including his unique vocal style -which changes much through the years.

Here's an early out-take - maybe start here :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6scwWSgFvo

First Tier

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Highway 61 Revisited
Blonde On Blonde
Bringing It All Back Home
Blood On The Tracks
Time Out Of Mind

Second Tier

Another Side Of Bob Dylan
New Morning
Desire
Love & Theft

[edwin drood]

My favorite later stage Dylan song, used in the Michael Douglas film "Wonder Boys". I think the thing about Dylan is when did/do you hear him. To many people, his songs speak directly to them. This one spoke to me. "I used to care but things have changed."

https://youtu.be/L9EKqQWPjyo?si=1twtqWq5J1BHrgXM

[MikoTython]

Po' Boy - One of my favorite latter-day songs :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1Nx7ojiZv0

[12xu]

For those that aren't terribly familiar w/ Dylan's work ...

Imo, PF just flat doesn't get it, but appears to believe he's discerned defects which eluded just about every peer or later artist since he came around. He has a listening/appreciation template that Dylan doesn't satisfy. Ok - but you know, that's a rather idiosyncratic 'take', given pretty much the consensus of every generation of musical artist for the past 60 years.

Anyone actually interested in exploring Bob Dylan, here is a listening list - I'm light on the post 2000 albums, unfortunately. Many others, but these are the ones that grab me & include all considered his greatest albums, they're in time-based order :

Don't listen to anyone, listen to Bob Dylan yourself, and make up your own mind It's not just the song-writing, either. Its the music, including his unique vocal style -which changes much through the years.

Here's an early out-take - maybe start here :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6scwWSgFvo

First Tier

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Highway 61 Revisited
Blonde On Blonde
Bringing It All Back Home
Blood On The Tracks
Time Out Of Mind

Second Tier

Another Side Of Bob Dylan
New Morning
Desire
Love & Theft

This is very similar to my favorite Dylan albums, only I would include John Wesley Harding in the 1st tier.

I have so many favorite Dylan songs, yet this is the one which musically amazes me the most, and one in which his vocal is just perfect:

https://youtu.be/Bq-bNR-z7Nk?si=9IoKtMZZpQ0K6Zn1

[marlu]

"I used to care but things have changed."

https://youtu.be/L9EKqQWPjyo?si=1twtqWq5J1BHrgXM

for myself

• I like many of his songs

• can take his singing on record on most of them

• can't take his live performances. I think he detests his audience and makes his songs almost unrecognisable excepting the few phrases you can decode from his mumbling anti-melodic delivery. It's like being a contestant on a game show - Which Bob Song is This?

Cover versions of his songs are generally good to great. For example, I'm not a Dylan fan so the first version of this song I heard was this cover. But I recognised it as a Dylan song after the first 20 seconds or so.

For my money this is a better version of the song Ed posted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6X5ADy_yog

[12xu]

"I used to care but things have changed."

https://youtu.be/L9EKqQWPjyo?si=1twtqWq5J1BHrgXM

for myself

• I like many of his songs

• can take his singing on record on most of them

• can't take his live performances. I think he detests his audience and makes his songs almost unrecognisable excepting the few phrases you can decode from his mumbling anti-melodic delivery. It's like being a contestant on a game show - Which Bob Song is This?

Cover versions of his songs are generally good to great. For example, I'm not a Dylan fan so the first version of this song I heard was this cover. But I recognised it as a Dylan song after the first 20 seconds or so.

For my money this is a better version of the song Ed posted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6X5ADy_yog

I have not seen him live since '74 at the Arena with the Band. He was singing just fine back then, but not as strong as in the 60's. I have resisted going to see him live in this century, since his voice has deteriorated so much.

I don't think he detests his audience, I just don't think he realizes how bad his live performances are these days. He is soon to be 84 years old, so I forgive him.

I sure wish he could sing like this again:
https://youtu.be/zcWaHBOFkUw?si=1KbdvZiFZn83OuY2

[edwin drood]

I'm pretty sure I've posted this video before, but it fits the discussion. Mandolin Orange (now Watchhouse) are a couple from North Carolina, now married to each other and parents. Here they're doing a cover of Dylan's "Boots of Spanish Leather". What makes this special is the song is s conversation between Dylan and his then girlfriend who, following the arrival Dylan's fame, got tired of being "Dylan's girlfriend" and took off to study art in Europe.

https://youtu.be/iOHkyZ62jjQ?si=Z9RLhoWVfR1JGHy-

[marlu]

I have not seen him live since '74 at the Arena with the Band. He was singing just fine back then, but not as strong as in the 60's. I have resisted going to see him live in this century, since his voice has deteriorated so much.

I don't think he detests his audience, I just don't think he realizes how bad his live performances are these days. He is soon to be 84 years old, so I forgive him.

Well - the first time I saw him was at Sandstone in KC in 1986 outdoors hot day in July.

He had Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers as his backup band. The first 20 songs were delivered in an unrecognizable mumble and no recognisable melody. There was a break in the middle, where TP & co. played 6 songs. I remember wishing Bob would have heatstroke and TP would finish the show. But no..... Bob came back and the second 10 performed just like the first.

Then after his second set while people were leaving he performed great, straight versions of

Like a Rolling Stone
In the Garden
Blowin' in the Wind
Shake a Hand
Knockin' on Heaven's Door

at that moment I could only surmise that he just didn't give a sh*t for the first 90+ minutes or so.

Here's the setlist. https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/bob-dyla ... 758a1.html

It all could have been as good as the last 5 but mr bob (who was what 45 then?) chose otherwise.

Second time was in Grenoble around 2008. Mr Bob came out and played the electric piano, strangely facing to the left in the middle of the stage so that 1/2 of the audience only saw his backside for the whole show. His band was made up of what had to be great musicians but after a while it sounded like they were only playing 2 different backing progressions - a fast one and a slow one. My wife even fell asleep after a while. I let her sleep and played the 'What in the hell is that song?' game. I woke her up for the encore, asked her if she recognised the song he was playing. NO -- I said I think that's Blowing in the Wind. A few seconds later Mr Bob obliged and forgot to mumble the key phrase well enough to disguise it.

[MikoTython]

Dylan, live, is hit or miss. I saw him during the ballpark tour and it sucked - really bad. He was playing keys. Years later I saw him in Lincoln, Ne., and it was sublime. He was very much into the show, in good voice, the band was great, interesting lighting, much attention to detail.

But the essence of Dylan for me was always his studio product. That was usually where the gears were clicking, the magic, for me, existed.

Regarding covers, for whatever reason, I wasn't a huge fan of the early (pre-Parsons) version of the Byrds, found their arrangements kind of sappy, rhythmically inert. Was at the age where Dylan no longer was charting or getting much airplay. It wasn't until probably 70 or so I finally heard Dylan's version of Tamborine Man and immediately thought "wow, THIS is how that song was meant to be played'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oecX_1pqxk0

live at neport 64 :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeP4FFr88SQ

[marlu]

4 more great covers:

Arlo Guthrie - Gates of Eden

Fairport Convention - Open the Door Richard

Francis Cabrel - She Belongs to Me (in French)

the Band - When I Paint My Masterpiece

[MikoTython]

The originals :

She belongs to me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRgk6v2o9RY

Gates Of Eden
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9MXMHzlGIM

[Ahnlaashock]

One, you must use headphones on many of his albums. The instruments talking back and forth will blow you away, if you have never done so.
Two, as has been said, his live performances are hit or miss, and even when he is on, it is unlikely any of the modern setups used in today's concert venues could make him sound right. From the mixer to the speakers used, the equipment is wrong.
I have lots of favorites, but "Desolation Row" is almost always the first of his songs to come to mind if someone mentions him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUvcWXTIjcU