Bob Dylan says modern music is worthless

Entertainment Weekly ^ | 8/22/06 | Reuters

[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."

[MikefromOhio]

There are some good things out there, it just depends on what you want to listen too.

That said, Bob Dylan things modern music is worthless? Has he listened to anything he's ever put out?

[Michael.SF.]

please do.

I thought it of interest that he is opening for the Stones, but am not going to bother with that one or that kind of venue.

[Northern Yankee]

Dylan is the greatest songwriter America has ever produced.

Irving Berlin and Stephen Foster weren't so bad either. ; )

[nuconvert]

Well, he's got the same outfit on. lol.
Thanks

[af_vet_rr]

Johnny Cash's last albums were produced by Rick Rubin who is responsible in my mind for most of the best sounding music coming out. He has produced the last 3 RHCP albums (a band that is actually getting better with age) plus Blood Sugar Sex Magick. He doesn't add a whole lot to the process what the band can do live is what they can do on CD.

The first time I heard Cash's "The Man Comes Around", it was shocking. Everybody was talking about some of the other songs on there, but that song, sounded like you were right there while he was recording it.

[Hawthorn]

> As a songwriter,the stuff he did for his first five or so albums have had a greater influence on rock and folk music than any other single songwriter. <


Correct! And Dylan's influence a major reason that American popular music has become such a pile of worthless nothing.

[ansel12]

"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. 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. Maybe what we are experiencing now is just returning back to baseline. Music now is just a background for a film, a plane trip, an ecard or whatever. It will probably take something major (and maybe something we can't even yet imagine) to change all of this."



Good post.

[One-Four-Five]

Perhaps you could explain why you feel that one could not be a great singer if, as you say, they do not possess a great singing voice. I've seen the same absurd charge leveled against Billie Holiday, for the same reason. Louis Armstrong, as well.

There's more to singing than voice quality.

[jwh_Denver]

"its the lack of talent that we have been seeing for the last 15-20 years...."

These days I'd be happy with anything just shy of mediocre.

[Echo Talon]

I agree, I was just talking to my brother about this... it seem like the new bands or the ones in the past 15 years don't are about the little details, like they rush the album and don't take their time and also over produce the music with tech. we were watching a doo wop special on PBS and were amazed how good it sounded and wondered where talent like that is today... i think time playing together and patience working on a song before recording it would work wonders for newer artists..

[A message]

And We liked it.

LOL !!!!That was a good skit.

Yep that was in my day.

[Michael.SF.]

I differentiate between a singer and an entertainer, you don't.

This thread is about Dylan, people are ripping him because he does not have a good voice, that detracts from the fact that he is one of the best songwriters ever.

I Have named numerous people who do not have great voices, but all are great entertainers.

[One-Four-Five]

Excuse me? First Sinatra is not a great singer, now he's merely an entertainer? You imply the same of Holiday & Armstrong?

Nice troll.

There are these factors you seem to not care about, such as pitch, phrasing, breath control, emotion, interpretation, understanding of melody...to some of us, they're more important than voice quality when it comes to evaluating singers. Sinatra merely an entertainer...sheesh.

That this thread is about Dylan is irrelevant to the nonsense you're spewing here. It's based on one of the most misleading headlines I've seen in a very long time, and that's saying something. Post 66 has the best take on it in the entire thread.

[t_skoz]

Townes Van Zandt isn't my pick for #1 greatest, but it was a funny quote considering the part about Bob Dylan.

Here's one we can hopefully all agree on: Bob Dylan - America's WORST harmonica player!

:-)

[t_skoz]

someone tell Keith Richards it's time for his blood transfusion.

[La Enchiladita]

Bobby's gettin' old, LOL.

I agree though that over-production ruins the work of some perfectly good artists ... you can't really hear the vocalist.

[La Enchiladita]

Jimmie Dale Gilmore ... seems like he'd be Bobby's cuppa tea.
Butch Hancock, too.

[La Enchiladita]

Very FUNNY. Thanks.

[bobby.223]

I agree. also the "chicago transit authority" nothing better.

[La Enchiladita]

Omigosh, you're a Dylan fan too!! LOL. I love these Dylan threads, man.

Seriously though, Dylan found some funky roots he liked and built on them in his own unique way ... kind of a torqued folk troubador.

He liked blues and hardcore hillbilly.. a la "stuck inside of Mobile with those Memphis blues again."

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/b/bob+dylan/stuck+inside+of+mobile+with+the+memphis+blues+again_20021256.html

These latest comments show he still pays attention to other musicians.