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Bob Dylan says modern music is worthless
Entertainment Weekly ^ | 8/22/06 | Reuters

Posted on 08/22/2006 10:20:10 AM PDT by NormsRevenge

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Bob Dylan says modern recordings sound "atrocious," and even the songs on his new album sounded much better in the studio than on disc.

"I don't know anybody who's made a record that sounds decent in the past twenty years, really," the 65-year-old rocker said in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine.

Dylan, who released eight studio albums in that time, returns with his first recording in five years, "Modern Times," next Tuesday.

Noting the music industry's complaints that illegal downloading means people are getting their music for free, he said, "Well, why not? It ain't worth nothing anyway."

"You listen to these modern records, they're atrocious, they have sound all over them," he added. "There's no definition of nothing, no vocal, no nothing, just like ... static."

Dylan said he does his best to fight technology, but it's a losing battle.

"Even these songs probably sounded ten times better in the studio when we recorded 'em. CDs are small. There's no stature to it."


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Music/Entertainment; Society
KEYWORDS: blowininthewind; bobdylan; dylan; modern; music; rollingstone; worthless
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To: SerpentDove
"The Dark" has a set of my favorite lyrics from a Texas songwriter.

How dark is it?
It's too dark for goblins.
How dark is it?
It's so dark you can smell the moon.
How dark is it?
It's so dark the wind gets lost.
How dark is it?
It's so dark the sky's on fire.
How dark is it?
It's so dark you can see Fort Worth from here.

101 posted on 08/22/2006 12:10:31 PM PDT by ladtx ("It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it." -- -- General Douglas MacArthur)
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To: Constitution Day

No dope smoking no beer sold after 12 o'clock
Rosedale Mississippi Magic City Juke Joint
Mr Johnson sings over in a corner by the bar
Sold his soul to the devil so he can play guitar


102 posted on 08/22/2006 12:13:24 PM PDT by 2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten
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To: Mr. Mojo

Yeah, Blonde on Blonde would definitely be in my top 3, and probably #1. (I didn't mention it because it's far from being underrated). His three-album string in '65 - '66 (right before his motorcycle accident) was his creative peak. ....although he's neared that peak (however briefly) several times in the subsequent decades.

Agreed - Dylan like Keith Richards is a survivor. If he had followed the trajectory of Joplin, Hendrix and many, many others the motorcycle accident would have been the end of him. Fortunately (for him and for us) it wasn't. John Wesley Harding (the album immediately after the wreck if I'm not mistaken) might be my second favorite - that's an impressive piece of work.


103 posted on 08/22/2006 12:16:51 PM PDT by 2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten
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To: NormsRevenge
By far the worst f-ing singing voice I ever heard.

He sucks big time.
104 posted on 08/22/2006 12:18:14 PM PDT by HEY4QDEMS (Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.)
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To: HEY4QDEMS

Thanks for checking in. I'm sure I speak for many when I say this thread was incomplete before you so eloquently expressed your opinion.


105 posted on 08/22/2006 12:19:58 PM PDT by 2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten
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To: NormsRevenge
Noting the music industry's complaints that illegal downloading means people are getting their music for free, he said, "Well, why not? It ain't worth nothing anyway."

LOL! Leave it to Dylan. I have to agree with him about a lot of it. Rap and Hip Hop are terrible, IMO.

106 posted on 08/22/2006 12:20:28 PM PDT by NRA2BFree (PEOPLE WHO FOLLOW ISLAM ARE KORANIMALS!)
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To: rahbert
alt.country

That's it exactly- also known as "insurgent country", "rural contemporary", or some such appellation. I'd also include Americana, American roots music, or the Texas Hill Country sound as very fertile grounds for the musical imagination.

107 posted on 08/22/2006 12:20:50 PM PDT by andy58-in-nh
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To: 2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten

Hey NP, DMI


108 posted on 08/22/2006 12:22:46 PM PDT by HEY4QDEMS (Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.)
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To: Constitution Day
:-)


109 posted on 08/22/2006 12:22:56 PM PDT by TheBigB (And ON the 8th day, HE spaketh and said, "Letteth there BE more cowbell!" And it was good.)
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To: Constitution Day

Leann is still young (and ditzy) but she does have a very pretty voice and it shines seperate from the music.

And no, I don't expect you to know my autobuys either....though I will say that I make compliation CD's that I give students and all of them ask "Who is cut _____" so the addiction is passed on.

And yes, our music has become fake and artificial/electronic. There is something about listening to music with live musicians, drummers etc and just plain beautiful voices singing totally from the heart that will spoil you.


110 posted on 08/22/2006 12:28:53 PM PDT by najida (The internet is for kids grown up-- Where else could you have 10,000 imaginary friends?)
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To: All

and this too..


Tony Bennett: 'America is culturally void' ^

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1688176/posts


111 posted on 08/22/2006 12:29:38 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ......Help the "Pendleton 8' and families -- http://www.freerepublic.com/~normsrevenge/)
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To: NormsRevenge
Dylan is great. His commentary is always interesting. He purposely leaves out certain phrases you might expect to hear. It's kinda like a Miles Davis solo...pausing to let the silence be part of the music. He may be talking about the difference between digital and analog in this piece.


112 posted on 08/22/2006 12:32:20 PM PDT by Liberty Valance (Keep a simple manner for a happy life)
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To: NormsRevenge

Did he ever listen to any of his own music?


113 posted on 08/22/2006 12:32:21 PM PDT by PistolPaknMama (Al-Queda can recruit on college campuses but the US military can't! --FReeper airborne)
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To: NormsRevenge; 537cant be wrong; Aeronaut; bassmaner; Bella_Bru; Brian Allen; cgk; ChadGore; ...
"Rock and Roll PING

"Even these songs probably sounded ten times better in the studio when we recorded 'em. CDs are small. There's no stature to it."

Uh, Bob, if it is like your last album, Love & Theft, it'll be out on vinyl as well.

Why propagate the lie that records aren't being made anymore?

And there are good and bad pressings of records too. Vinyl and mastering are always factors.

114 posted on 08/22/2006 12:34:27 PM PDT by weegee (Remember "Remember the Maine"? Well in the current war "Remember the Baby Milk Factory")
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To: ladtx

I will definitely check it out.

Thanks!


115 posted on 08/22/2006 12:35:20 PM PDT by SerpentDove (I heard they're implanting chips in the tinfoil now.)
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To: Gay State Conservative
The folkies HATED his rock and roll. "Juvenile junk!"

Then again, there were many Communists in the folk movement and they were opposed to rock and roll until they found an opportunity to use it to subvert the establishment.

116 posted on 08/22/2006 12:36:29 PM PDT by weegee (Remember "Remember the Maine"? Well in the current war "Remember the Baby Milk Factory")
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To: TheBigB
Add that to the Playboy thing and I must say:

You suck2.

117 posted on 08/22/2006 12:45:27 PM PDT by Constitution Day (Down With Half-Assery!)
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To: NormsRevenge

Bob, get new batteries for your hearing aid, willya?.........


118 posted on 08/22/2006 12:46:08 PM PDT by Red Badger (Is Castro dead yet?........)
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To: NormsRevenge
"There's no definition of nothing, no vocal, no nothing, just like ... static."

Can't believe I'm the first to post this:

It's Bush's Fault!

119 posted on 08/22/2006 12:51:00 PM PDT by Loud Mime (An undefeated enemy is still an enemy.......war has a purpose.)
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To: 2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten
I happen to think that he's right. It could be that music is just reverting to the norm. Back in the 60's and maybe early 70's the importance of music as a societal phenomenon was elevated, probably compared to the historical baseline.

Good point.

It could be that over much of human history musicians were mostly there for pleasant background noise. Sure you've got Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and the rest, but I would think typically the court minstrel was maybe just one notch above the status scale to the court jester. It could be there was a "golden age" of the Beatles, Presley, Hendrix, (and yes, Dylan) where music and musicians took on an importance that was out of line with historical precedent.

There was a great change in the culture. Beethoven and Mozart had an influence on the high culture. However popular their music was, it wasn't a mass phenomenon.

Sixties popular music was such a mass phenomenon, and some people thought it had a higher cultural significance. Whether or not it really did, a lot of people were taken in by it. Nobody could claim that today's popular music is very significant historically.

But really, could any popular music satisfy the expectations people vested in Dylan and the Beatles?

120 posted on 08/22/2006 1:03:43 PM PDT by x
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