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and every one of them words rang true like it was written on my soul

posted by [personal profile] the_dala at 07:45pm on 01/06/2011
So Rolling Stone did a tribute issue to Bob Dylan for his 70th birthday, naming his 70 greatest songs. I'm sitting here reading it, scrolling through my iPod (on #24 and I'm only missing one so far), humming and muttering to myself like a total weirdo.

I just...Dylan, man. How does Bob Dylan even exist? How are all the things that Bob Dylan is contained in one willow-thin frame? On some level I understand not being a fan of Dylan - I'm sure quite a few of you aren't, for one reason or another (is it his voice? That's all I ever hear people say. But like, no one would say Carole King is a better singer than Aretha Franklin or James Taylor, but I still love listening to Tapestry, you know? Also "All Along the Watchtower" and "Blowin' in the Wind" and "Mr. Tambourine Man" are all more famous as covers than as Dylan songs unless you're a Dylan fan. Though one of my earliest reasons to fall in love with "American Dreams" was a scene way back in S1 when Luke gives Meg the original "Blowin' in the Wind" and she listens to half of it, then makes a face and puts on some typical Bandstand girl group stuff instead. And there was that one time he sang pretty on "Lay Lady Lay"! Which was apparently the first Dylan song Lenny Kravitz ever heard and he thought that was Dylan's normal singing voice. Did you know he's been cast as Cinna in the Hunger Games movie? At first I was like "Huh?" but then I was like "...yeah, okay, cool."

...this parenthetical aside has taken a turn. Let's end it, shall we?).

Anyway. Bob Dylan. I truly feel like I would be a different person if I had never heard Dylan.
Mood:: 'mellow' mellow
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There are 10 comments on this entry. (Reply.)
 

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posted by [identity profile] soldierly.livejournal.com at 12:49am on 02/06/2011
I love him SO MUCH. So, so much. Knockin' on Heaven's Door is still one of my favorite songs of all time.
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posted by [identity profile] the-dala.livejournal.com at 12:00pm on 02/06/2011
That one's on there. SO MUCH LOVE.
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posted by [identity profile] hannahrorlove.livejournal.com at 02:03am on 02/06/2011
How can they name all his greatest songs? He might well write another one before he's gone.
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posted by [identity profile] the-dala.livejournal.com at 12:01pm on 02/06/2011
This is very true - I'm sure there are a few from his last two albums, as critics loved them (as did my dad, while I found them harder to relate to at this point in my life).
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posted by [identity profile] delurker.livejournal.com at 08:51am on 02/06/2011
I find his voice a bit too non-sing-y for my tastes, but I do like his songs.
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posted by [identity profile] the-dala.livejournal.com at 12:02pm on 02/06/2011
Yeah, I totally understand an aversion to his voice - I just want to cry when people dismiss his mastery of songwriting because of it.
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posted by [identity profile] checkerboxed.livejournal.com at 05:48am on 05/06/2011
okay, so, one thing: don't see him in concert unless you can get super cheap tickets. because he's amazing, and all, but his voice is so completely absolutely shot by now that it's like listening to a vacuum cleaner.

but yeah. bob dylan, man. 'it ain't me, babe' is by far the most played song on my ipod.
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posted by [identity profile] the-dala.livejournal.com at 01:55pm on 21/06/2011
Oh yeah, I saw him at a college campus venue once so the tickets were pretty cheap. He also has a habit of refusing to perform any song the way it was originally recorded; it took me a verse and a half to recognize "Like a Rolling Stone," for god's sake. Still...it was Bob.
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posted by [identity profile] blcwriter.livejournal.com at 06:02pm on 12/06/2011
I am insanely excited about Kravitz as Cinna.

And trying to make myself listen to more Dylan, despite, yeah, the voice thing, because-- man. The lyrics. Yeah, I know. They are poetry. Really, they are.

Which one or two albums would you suggest I start with? (Even a compilation, though some think they're lame?)
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posted by [identity profile] the-dala.livejournal.com at 02:08pm on 21/06/2011
Actually, The Essential Bob Dylan's pretty good - it goes through all the periods of his career in chronological order minus the last couple of albums, so then you could see what you like and check out the albums from that time. Biograph is a little more extensive (and expensive), but I don't think it's as accessible to a new fan.

As for actual albums, Blonde on Blonde and Blood on the Tracks are usually regarded as the pinnacles of his '60s and mid-'70s periods, respectively, and they are terrific. If you like the very early, pre-electric stuff, I'd recommend The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan - it's my second favorite Dylan album after Blonde on Blonde. The late '70s and '80s albums are definitely harder to get into, and his most recent albums still have great songwriting but his voice really is shot to hell - I'm not hardcore enough to listen to them very often, heh.

For a change of voice, Joan Baez recorded a lovely album of just Dylan covers, and I think the Grateful Dead may have as well.

(Sorry this is super late, my brain took awhile to decide to come back from vacation)
Edited Date: 2011-06-21 02:09 pm (UTC)
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