Listen guys, I know there are people who will argue the point but I can't see with what basis, Bob Dylan is WAY, WAY overrated and honestly has zero talent.

I have never owned a single record of his, as a kid or now. Not until Friday that is. My brother-in-law bought me a book with VH1's 100 greatest albums of time. I have became a "student" of the music and have really enjoyed it. I am buying some albums that I would have never owned if not for this book and it has really opened my eyes. Well Friday on the way home from work I picked up Aretha Franklins "Lady Soul" and Bob Dylans "Highway 61 Revisited". I have never bought much other than rock, both vintage and heavy, blues and country. Both these cds were out of my usual listening quite far. Lady Soul is an absolute joy, what a genius she is vocally and as an entertainer.

Dylan, holy moly, that cd is CRAP, I mean CA-RAP. What in the living hell do people see in this guy? Like I said, I am looking at this stuff as a student. No preconceived opinion, just show me what you have and I will enjoy with new eyes. I just can't believe this no talent bum has gotten the respect he has. First, he was on acid when he wrote it, he was on acid when he recorded it, and you need to be on acid to "see" something in the rambling nonsense he mumbles throughout the song. I really believe he adlibed the entire album! The guys on "Whos line is it anyway" do a better job than this clown!

Now, I am no educated intellect, but I am a thinker. I can listen to just about any complex concept and get it after a while. This dribble is just trash. I don't think it is that I don't have the intellect to understand it. I think it is that I have the honestly to admit it is CRAP.

I think what happened was some "guru" of the day like Andy Warhol or Wavy Gravy was on an acid trip heard Dylan and in his hallucinogenic state "heard" something meaninful in the gobbily gook that was falling out of Dylans mouth. Then he told everyone how wonderful Dylan was and you would feel stupid if you disagreed. That is the only way I can figure that this guy got to be known as the "great poet".

If you can enlighten me, please do. Pick a song, any song in this album and just translate it to normal english, that would be a good starter.

Brian

With Dylans music you need to here the words he sings and not so much the tune or lack there of and also the period of his music.

Dylan is more of a lyrical genius than a musical genius...which is kinda neat. These days seems like if you have a good 3-chord powerchord progression with a decent beat all you need is throw in any words that rhyme and you got yourself a hit Dylan sang what a lot of people didnt sing about...he was a rebel of some sort. He spoke what was on his mind, no matter how harsh or taboo. Some of his early stuff was controversial at the time and he was the pioneer of free speech folk music so to speak. He's an adquired taste. Eventually you'll used to his raw raspy voice and his offbeat guitar strumming. I'm by no means a folk guy, but Dylan in my book rules. Just my opinion, heck when I first heard him I wanted to punch the person in the face that made me listen to "lay lady lay". Listen to the cd various times, maybe you'll fall in love with him. And the answer to your question cant be found here on hr.com...cause the answer my friend is blowing in the wind




Mike

By the way, the last song on your cd I believe is Desolation Row, a great example of his fine poetry in my opinion.



Mike

Nice post nightfire. I like your last line.LOL. cause the answer my friend is blowing in the wind.
You should try Niel young too.

One of the first tapes I bought for my Toshiba 8 track was Bob Dylans Nashville Skyline. Someone stole the tape but I still have the tape deck.

Certainly Bob won't rank with the great vocalists, but his premier position as a songwriter is hard to argue, and trying to define him by one album leaves a lot of work out. A little google work on Dylan covers comes up with lists like:

Current listings contains 5870 covers of 350 different Dylan songs by 2791 artists!
Top ten songs covered:

1. Blowin' In The Wind - 375 versions

2. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right - 217

3. I Shall Be Released - 181

4. Mr. Tambourine Man - 176

5. Like A Rolling Stone - 172

6. Knockin' On Heaven's Door - 150

7. All Along The Watchtower - 144

8. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue - 133

9. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight - 121

10. Quinn The Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn) - 118

http://www.bjorner.com/Covers.htm

Best Dylan song ever in my opinion... Spanish Boots of Spanish Leather. His voice is well-matched to the folk music of the time, but his talents were truly in the writing.

Think of it this way. If you want a painting in your living room, you describe what you want to a painter who paints it for you. In the end it may or may not embody the image you wanted. You took a picture from your mind, planted it in someone else's mind, and then asked them to mechanically represent it for you on canvas. Dylan was a lot like that. He is a musical GENIUS. He can write poetry and music, but his voice lacked universal appeal, so his talents are greeted with varied appeal. Instead, most of his music was farmed out to other voice talents. I think its a crying shame. The music he writes is an image in HIS head. Since he never liked singing, he sold most of his music, but no one can properly express it like he initially envisioned it in his own head.

An analogy or three.... Its like Carrol Shelby designing one of the worlds greatest autos only to have 15 companies copy it in a "kit". Its like imagining sex with Kate Beckinsdale while screwing a blowup doll. Its like playing a battle video game while pretending to have a real gun in your hand.

Inside Dylan's head is musical genius. As a true musician myself, I recognize that what comes out of his head through his mouth is pure genius regardless of how it sounds. And if I may make a bold statement... true musicians and true poets can recognize his genius. They don't all enjoy it, but they at least respect it.

Moving this to "Off Topic"..........BTW, I agree about his singing.......he is a songwriter, should have stayed out of the studio, but thats where the young girls hang out.

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you just had to be there to understand and appreciate his music. it's about a time and place in life. hell if you can remember the 60's........you were'nt there

Ok Mike, I took you up on your "challenge" and went to read the lyrics (posted below). I have to admit, it makes WAY more sense seeing what he is actually saying. That monotone nasal voice of his sucks up all desire to listen intently.

I understand it was the time that made a lot of it, that is my acid point, acid was the time, that would make anything that took thinking seem wonderous. After the early Beatles and Beachboys that require no thought what so ever I can see how with some acid and Dylan, one song could keep one busy for weeks.

I'll listen again, but I guess in these days, it just seems so out of place. And personally,I like the music, I think if they were instrumentals I would play them around the house.

Brian



Full text: http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/desolation.html

I tend to agree with your first post. I have never been a big fan. There are other songwriters with just as strong a message that don't come across as whiney.

I agree as a singer Dylan is an acquired taste, but as a "poet" or lyricist, I tend to find many of his songs pretty intriguing.

My favorite of all time is Positively 4th Street



Full text: http://bobdylan.com/songs/positively.html

The last two paragraphs in particular convey in such an eloquent format what we often feel like telling people and have to be one of the more subtle ways to insult someone. Too often people resort to telling someone to go procreate themselves, but how much more subtle is it to recite to them those last two paragraphs and leave them with a blank look on their face.

My best friend in high school was a Dylan fan. I didn't mind Dylan, but not enough to go out and buy his records. But I have to say my favorite album of his (of the ones I know) is Desire.

For myself, Desire stands out in my life's soundtrack. When I hear that album, I remember some great times from when I was seventeen-eighteen years old.

One of those times was back in 1988 while camping at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, there was a big bonfire at one of the campsites at night. The site was enclosed with patridge family style hippie busses, one with half a VW van added to the roof as a second floor. It was night and there was a large crowd of people. Three guys with guitars were playing One More Cup of Coffee, a guy on violin was accompanying and a girl with long hair harmonizing, whose dark silhouette I watched from a short distance as she stood in front of the fire and sang Emmylou Harris' part from that song. Magic.

Hippies use the side door------------------->