I don't know man, there's a few songs on here that give me that Blood on the Tracks rush. The vocals are strong and clean and the acoustic guitars are sharp and defined. The lyrics are timely. I believe in this stage of his game we couldn't have asked for a more satisfying album. In the same vein as the latest Stones effort A Bigger Bang. Great stuff. |
It seems our definition of masterpiece as it applies to Dylan's catalogs follows no set path. Ben considers Oh Mercy to be "masterpiece" material and Rich sees New Morning as just a "good recording". While I enjoyed Time out of Mind It did not strike me as a user friendly album the way Modern Times does. As for Blood on the Tracks. We all agree it's a classic but not every track is up to the same standards as Tangled up in Blue or Idiot Wind. By the way, I rate New Morning as one of Dylan's best and most personal albums. But thats just me. |
I really don't think it's fair to include any live albums in a list of Masterpieces. Though I do enjoy all of the Bootleg series of live shows plus Buddakan and Hard Rain etc, they do not have the mindset or the thought process that goes into a new studio album. That's not to say a live album can not qualify as a Masterpiece, Live at the Fillmore, Allman Bros and Live at Leeds, the Who come to mind. But we are discussing Dylan here and each new studio album gives us a wealth of unexplored landscape to survey. I think Another Side of Bob Dylan, Blonde on Blonde, John Wesley Harding, New Morning, Blood on the Tracks qualify. |
And on a diffrent level, Desire, Street Legal and Slow Train Coming are all Masterpieces. |
Ben, I totally agree with your statements regarding Bootleg Vol.1-3. I feel New Morning from it's title track on is an utter Masterpiece. The simplicty in the piano playing and arrangments is such a personal statement. Even the cover photo which I believe is a self portrait is fantastic. Go back and revisit this gem, Listen to the lyrics and feel the peace of mind Dylan chose to share with us. |
I feel vindacated. This album has debuted in one of the top 3 positions all over the world. Five stars from Rolling Stone magazine, their highest rating. Calling it one of his three masterpieces. Mark my words, this will win the Grammy for album of the year. The songs are rich in texture and melody and the production, his own by the way, is crisp and clean. Martykl, what a silly obsevation from someone who thinks this is Dylan's best in ages. The music speaks for itself. Word of mouth has driven this record to the number one spot on the charts. A position it rightly deserves. |
Marty, fair enough. I'm sure the Ipod spot didn't hurt the sales any, that's for sure. But the Ipod belongs to a different generation. I don't own one. I'm 50 years old and don't want to jam a million songs into a tiny little box. Never owned a Walkman either. Matt's absolutely correct. This album sound's like Dylan is rehashing his own material. Almost every song sounds like it came from another one of his own past albums. That's what I like about it. The man reinvented rock and roll years ago. Once is enough for any artist. There was a time not long ago when Dylan was nothing more then a parody of his former self. I think with this album, like the Stone's "A Bigger Bang" these aging rocker's have found a place they are comfortable with and so is the buying public. |
People that complain about the sound of Dylan's, Springsteen's, etc voice and pronounce it unlistenable just don't get it. When I want to listen to tonal perfection I put on an opera. When I want to listen to two of this country's most prolific song writers I put on the fore mentioned. I can recommend Mel Tormae, the velvet fog. Now that's a beautiful voice. Just not for me. I guess you guys didn't like Janis Joplin either. A little to gruff for you. I am a fan. That being said, I always look forward to the next offering from the artist I admire. I find the latest from Springsteen not to my liking, not because of the sound of his voice but because it is not his voice. It is his interpretation of other artist's compositions. If he wanted to make an anti-war statement he should have written one himself. The SOUND of Dylan's voice fits the music perfectly. I wouldn't have it any other way. |
I can't help but wonder. Somewhere Leon Redbone is thinking,...."wait a minute, I did that shit 35 years ago". |
I own the record and it sounds great. It's a double album with 2 to 3 songs per side. Great mix with nice center imaging. 180 gram pressing with an old school Columbia label. This album is a masterpiece. |
Wendell, I totally agree with you. The term "hero" is most often overused. Everbodies a hero now days. I listen to Mordern Times on a good Hi-Fi and the album just sounds right to me. Every aspect. Would you be more comfortable if I said the album is a "classic"? Classic means that over time it maintaned it's impact. I think this music will hold up over the years to come. |
The Mp3 CD copy I listened to first sounded flat and lifeless, that's why I bought the album. It rings true, I find that to be the norm. |
Ben, haven't you figuered it out by now??? America doesn't care what the rest of the world thinks. |
Imagine taken the scenic route through the beautiful mountains of Colorado and not being able to focus past the glass in the windsheild.... |
Audiofeil, so what your trying to say is that if I had a better Hi-Fi set up I would agree with all the criticism of the mix quality? That it's my stereo that is at fault. Did you not get my metaphor posted above? As far as my system goes, we won't get into that here. This thread is about music. Please feel free to check it out on Audio Asylum listed as " My analog system" rfigster |
