Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I find Desire particularly interesting. It's never been a favorite among true Dylan fans and critics, but people I know who don't subscribe to that sort of thing just love the album. It was actually the first I listened to and I still love it to this day - just so different than anything he did before or after.

If you really look at it as an album on it's own, it's quite impressive, both lyrically and musically. The words, often presented as stories and travelogues, are quite complex, even if they are sometimes clearly autobiographical.

I also think that this is the only Dylan album where I can describe the songs as "beautiful" - thanks to the mournful violin and vocals of Scarlet Rivera and Emmylou Harris, respectively.

I'll give you that he wrote some great ones post accident (not sure about the single off of BOTT, through. It just didn't do it for me no matter how much they played it.)

I'll take New Morning over BOTT any day of the week (Charley Daniels on bass. How great is that?)

Far's post accident tunes go, did they do ANY of them at the MSG anniversary show in the early 90s?

The off-the-cuff writing, well the guy was just so focused pre- accident. The Band? If they'd have been with him in the studio for the H51 Sessions, it would be TWICE as good, if you can imagine that.

Chris, I will have to revisit Planet Waves.

BOTT and Highway 61 are my faves! And most quoted.

61 was the first Dylan album I bought, and it just floored me.

What was the single Glenn, "Tangled Up In Blue?"

Indeed, John.

Mark, your example of Macca mania is probably the best one can use to illustrate the point I tried to make.

However, his new single strikes me as pretty good. But more often than not his post fabs catalog leaves me not particularly interested to delve into his new coffee shop release. IMO Run Devil Run's the most inspired thing he's done since 1970.

Now, see, I thought that was pretty good, too...

But it tanked. Yes, check out Planet Waves. And may you stay forever young.

I have to pipe up for Desire too. It is one of my all time favourite albums where, I think Dylan reached his peak in the storytelling sense (the whole album is like a mature Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts or some of his really early narrative sagas). The overall feel of the album is great with Emmylou's harmonies, the violin, and the sloppy drums throughout. We named our daughter inspired by the song "Sara." I too like Blood on the Tracks a lot. This period (mid 1970s), to me, signalled the end of Dylan's full album masterpiece kind of work though every album after continued to feature solid, stunning gems (i.e. Jokerman, Dark Eyes, Every Grain of Sand). He seems to be coming back into album-wide consistent form of late.

But Dylan has always been a guy who can lay out songs that might not strike you as that great but when heard by some other artist, some of his seemingly commonplace tunes can take a whole new life of their own and just make you take a deep sigh and say, "man that was beautiful." I have a buddy who does a bunch of Dylan covers from the 80s- obscure songs obviously - but some of them are hauntingly beautiful. He does a version, for instance, of "I Remember You" that makes you shiver and I have since re-evaluated this tune. It makes you appreciate what a gorgeous song it could be though it seems not much was put into the album production side of it. Another rendition like that is Petty's version to "Licence to Kill" which he did, I think, at Bob's anniversary concert. Killer. I agree too that it's not fair to compare something from, say Empire Burlesque, or even Blood on the Tracks with Freewheeling Bob Dylan or Blonde on Blonde.

Far's storytelling, I'm not sure he ever beat the Clothesline Incident. Speaking of the band, Bob and them on the Basement Tapes may be my all time fav. Bob.

Getting back to the original point of the thread, i've now listened to this "original" BOTT and it's really great. Any other big fans of this album should really download this using Mark's link.

IMO: Bob should have went with the original (NY) versions of "You're a Big Girl Now" and "If You See Her Say Hello". "Lily, Rosemary..." is also quite good on here, tough to say it's better than the finalized version.

"Idiot Wind" and "Tangled Up In Blue" were both improved by the Minnesota sessions, but are quite good on here as well.

I'v had three or four different LP copies of Highway 61 Revisited, it is one of my all time favorite albums. Incidentally I have an original LP (not sure of the year) and a new 180 gram copy and the original sounds better. Has more bottom and a warmer sound, the new one sounds thin for some reason and it isn't because it's clearer or has more treble or anything like that, the old one just plain sounds better.

The Basement Tapes!

Songwriting at its best! Fun, comical, maybe even insane, but focused on capturing the heart of the American Song, and a good time to boot. If you don't know about the Basement Tapes, listen to them.

Yea, Heavy, and a bottle of Bread.