Posted on 08/29/2006 2:03:12 PM PDT by kiriath_jearim
Fans hail return of Dylan
Early critical reception to Bob Dylan's first album for five years suggests the 65-year-old is far from ready for retirement.
The living legend's 44th album, Modern Times, earned five-star reviews in Uncut and Rolling Stone magazines, with the latter calling it a "masterwork".
The BBC News website asked six Dylan fans to explain their enduring fascination with the man and his music.
"He has said enough important things for us to be interested in what he has to say next" Katie Melua, singer-songwriter
"The music, the voice, the lyrics all combined to be something really special for me" Bob Willis, former England cricketer
"Dylan seized me in the 60s as nobody else has seized me" Christopher Ricks, University of Oxford Professor of Poetry
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
I can understand lotsa people not liking his music. Hell, Michael Jackson has sold more albums. But you can't argue his impact.
I'd never paid much attention to him until then...but if I get the idea that PBS is anti-someone...then it's likely I'll like the person!
I hope that makes sense! LOL!
The documentary was done by Martin Scorscse.
Joan Baez was basiclly seething in venom in her comments about Dylan. She still holds a grudge after all these years.
I'll never forget the first time I heard him, (was stationed at Eglin AFB, Florida),. I kept waiting for the punch line, but it never came. Hell there are a bunch of people that love rap. But not me.
"It was kinda of interesting watching Dylan going from town to town in Britain in a beat up car and not the luxury busses that rock stars have today."
I thought it was a rolls or a bentley.
It was Scorcese's film. It was great. I wished it had covered the early seventies too.
I hear you. My daughter's first concert (and outdoors) at the age of 2-3 was the Yellow Jackets, Sun Ra, and then (late) Miles.
It's on Yahoo Music. Listening now.
You're so right. And she's still in love with him...it's pretty obvious in Scorcese's film. I actually felt bad for her, watching it. You could tell she's been carrying that flame for 40 years. She's an awfully pretty lady.
It didn't look like a Rolls or Bentley, but you may be correct. Well those brand of cars also have a different style and price range in their home countries.
Heck the beatup workhorse trucks in Germany carry the same Mercedes "peace sign" headplate, that carries a premium here in the US.
I saw Dylan at Nurnberg Germany in Summer of 1978 touring Street Legal at the massive stadium that Hitler used to march around in. Dylan came out and said "It gives me great pleasure to be in this place." Unforgettable. It was an all day festival with Dylan closing - Clapton played but the night belonged to Dylan.
http://www.bobsboots.com/cds/cd-t55.html
Review:
This is an incredible package, aesthetically. The photos of a 37 year old rocker in heavy mascara are powerful. The cover photo looks even better silk screened onto the CDs. The title comes from a line of Señor. A booklet with more photos and tour information is enclosed. The digitally remastered stereo audience tape is as clear as any of the 1978 tapes. The soundboard tapes were well protected in anticipation of a live album release. Some of the audience tapes that float around are noisy and buried. In this one, the audience is rude, and talking constantly. This is partly the reason for a lower star rating. Suffering the worst is the two quiet, acoustic songs: Laissez-Faire and Hard Rain. However, the vocals are well above the music throughout the recording, and full of power. They are never compromised. Perhaps lost on the audience is the irony of this Jewish war-baby singing in the city of the trials. It's not lost on Bob, however. He introduces Masters Of War with: "It gives me a great pleasure to sing it in this place.", and spits out the final line with a vengeance. Another rare song intro comes at All Along The Watchtower. Bob says "I want to dedicate it to the late, great, Jimi Hendrix." This tour was heavily produced, and changed little from city to city. If you like the new, funky arrangements of Bob Dylan At Budokan (recorded four months earlier), then you'll enjoy hearing how the songs were actually presented to the audience. Just don't expect the untouchable quality of that official release. The songs that work best are the two from the newly recorded Street Legal. As an added bonus, Eric Clapton joins Bob on stage, and plays on the show's final two song encore.
© 2002 Craig Pinkerton Bobsboots.com
You have a link?
IIRC, he was there since he did "Music from Big Pink" with The Band.He is really great live, but just like many bands, you love him or hate him. I've seen him solo(and with his band), with the Grateful Dead, and with Tom Petty, and only a handful of those shows were mediocre. No one playing live today can come close to matching the amount of songs he has in his repertoire bag that he can pull out at a whim.
I saw him the first time after he released Shot of Love, I think (a good album, btw). He sang only his born again stuff, but what a great show in a small theatre. Seen him 4 or 5 times since, all were very good.
For the longest time, I thought it was just me...
The only Dylan song I ever really liked was "Lay Lady Lay." What a great song that is!
It's a subscription service, $5.99 a month. http://music.yahoo.com/
I really like that Dylan song that goes --
"Huhhh muhnummuh hummina muh!
Mah moo mummy mummi-na!"
< wipes tears >
Just beautiful, man.
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