Back II Dylan

Yeah, so I've been a bit slack with my Dylan listening and blogging. Since my last post in February, I've only managed to get through another six more albums, three of which I was already pretty familiar with. He also released a new record, Shadows In The Night, which I nabbed a copy of in April. I was going to leave it until I had listened to the entire box set, but I was too impatient. It's a fascinating album of covers, all of which were performed by Frank Sinatra. Unlike anything else he's done, I think it was a remarkably brave move to make. But hey, Dylan will do what Dylan wants. 

Okay, I'll do my best to catch up in one fell blog post right here and now! Although, I might cut in half. I might not. Hey, let's just see where this takes us, yes?

4. ANOTHER SIDE OF BOB DYLAN (1964) - 6/3
Shedding his protest venom in favour of love songs and ballads, the title of this album certainly delivers. Again, we have Dylan exclusively performing solo on guitar and harmonica, except for Black Crow Blues which he hits piano on. Aside from a handful of Dylan classics like All I Really Want To Do, It Ain't Me Babe and Chimes of Freedom, I feel that it's a bit of a filler record. Not to say that it's a bad album, it's just hard to listen to yet another group of solo Dylan tracks, particularly when his first Holy Trinity of albums are just around the corner. While this also includes the excellent My Back Pages, his rendition of it seems somewhat unenthusiastic. 

5. BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME (1965) - 15/5
The first of a trio of quintessential Dylan records, this is overflowing with classic tracks. It's almost like a mini best-of album, boasting such gems as Love Minus Zero/No Limit, Subterranean Homesick Blues, It's Alright Ma, I'm Only Bleeding, Gates of Eden, She Belongs to Me and Mr Tambourine Man. The first side of the record features songs that all have full band arrangements, even the slower numbers. By comparison, the four tracks that make up the second side are predominately Dylan solo; the exception being the brilliant album closer It's All Over Now, Baby Blue which features some bass work from William E. Lee. Although there's one or two tracks which haven't really revealed themselves to me, this is an absolute corker.

6. HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED (1965) - 15/5
Recently coming in at No.2 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time poll, this is one of Dylan's most enduring albums, and some would say it is his best. This also marked the start of his collaborations with producer Bob Johnston. From the opening snare of Like A Rolling Stone to the final harmonica notes on the stunning Desolation Row, this is a killer collection of songs. I've listened to this album a lot of over the years, and I'm still picking up new things to love. I can't get over the fact that it came out just five months after BIABH. The title track's opening line: "God said to Abraham, 'Kill me a son'" is one of my favourite moments and I love its use of the siren whistle in place of Dylan's trademark harmonica. The eerie Ballad Of A Thin Man, with its saloon-like piano (played by Dylan himself), is possibly my favourite track on the album. Other highlights for me include Queen Jane Approximately and Tombstone Blues. On August 30, this record celebrated its 50th anniversary. I couldn't resist blasting it through our lounge room last Sunday morning, much to the chagrin of our kids. He he he...education by force!

7. BLONDE ON BLONDE (1966) - 16/5
Yes, I listened to these three albums in two days. I found it very hard to stop once I'd started. To have three absolute blinders in a row is a rare feat for any artist, but Dylan manages to repeat this success again later in his career. If push came to shove, I'd name BOB as my pick of the three. Being one of the first double albums ever released there's more music on it, for a start. It's positively overflowing with fantastic tracks: Visions of Johanna, One Of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later), 4th Time Around and the raucous opener Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 to name a few. Like any good double album, there are a variety of moods and styles. You can be stomping your feet to infectious groove of Most Likely You'll Go Your Way And I'll Go Mine one moment, and then be soaking up the melancholy shuffle of the exquisite Just Like A Woman the next. Incredibly, the iconic cover featuring a blurry Dylan does not feature his name or the album's title. The Beatles left their name off the cover of Rubber Soul in 1965; I wonder if that influenced that decision at all.

Well, I might wrap this up here. There was quite a big gap between listening to these albums and getting back on the horse again. So, there it is. When I continue, we shall start with John Wesley Harding.