Dylan on Drugs ?


1987: 'Dylan and the Dead' tour made the Dead
sound 'lively'.
1992: Nixed from Hear Music,
2001: TWENTY year anniversary of slumming with Ringo &
P-Jam in the $5 CD sale-rack
2002: New album Love and Theft is a $^&^%## Classic !!

Old Bob sounds like he's been lightin up with Les Paul, Johnny Cash and John Hiatt, (with maybe some Leonard Cohen dropping in between sets). Different and new as it is, it still sounds like a classic BOB DYLAN album ! Way to go Dylan !!!!!

Any other fans out there ? Is 'time out of mind' as good ?
john_l
I have both the vinyl and CD. 99 percent of the time I enjoy vinyl more, which is true in this case. The sound stage is slightly more 3 dementional. Although, they are very similar in sound and timbre, I again give the nod to vinyl.

This is an extremely quiet pressing and a great example of how far vinyl has come.
Pretty good ben. I think I'll try and catch Dylan when he comes around this time - if he makes it to Portland.

Cornfed: (Since you are in Colorado) If you want to hear some 'real' Dylan songs, go a show of the 'Black Rose acoustic society' north of Colorado Springs. Quite a few members from the original Florida based group.

Dylan is an easy person to overlook. That's the trick I think. Don't get one of his songs ? Just wait.

Ehart: Haven't heard the vinyl. The cd has exceptional sound quality.
Hi, regarding Love and Theft, has anyone heard both the CD and the vinyl versions? I am deciding which to buy.

Thank you!

- Eric
RL/Jeff,
With respect RL not being able to grasp the fuss about Dylan is a little strange to me,I can understand you not liking his music but the reason for the fuss shouldn't be beyond you,simply he changed popular music forever,he took the form and completely re-invented it by using standard genres and remoulding them in a modern setting,he changed what a song can be and more than anything else he has challenged everybody's preconceptions about him through 5 decades,,he had so many idea's in his mid-60's classic triology that people are still using them today.
He's not perfect but he's still relevant today some 40 years later and nobody but nobody has even hinted about taking the popular songwriting form further than he has.
I love music and although there are classic artists I don't rate or like I try to find something positive in their music,it is much better to try to be positive about things.
I cannot believe there aren't Dylan songs you love.
Jeff-I can't agree although Dylan's voice went into severe decline in the late 80'searly 90's,he has now got a better grip of things.
Your vision of Dylan as a songwriter only,is only one aspect of his ability,he is a performing artist,constantly changing and challenging himself,it's a big part of what he is,to say he has no musical talent is a bit extreme,he had a fantastic voice in his younger days,not a fantastic technical ability but the type of voice that typifies what is best about rock music-an alien howl echoing through the banality of modern life-could anybody really have presented Like A Rolling Stone any better than Dylan?
I think not.
I am a Dylan fan. However, I find that eveytime he comes out with a new album, post 1990, the critics call it the best since Desire, ect. I listen and usually find a rehash of the same themes and chord structures.

I judge an album by how many times I listen to it. Repeated listening equals good. Wearing it out silly equals great.

I'm sure my taste varies but I barely listen to any of Bob's albums of the 90's and I own them all. As for the 80's, I really liked "Infidels" some songs on "Empire" were great, "Red Sky" was okay and "Oh Mercy" about the same.

As for the his re-doing tired old blues and folk standards, not my cup of tea. And, all these albums were hailed as the best since........ you know when.

"Time out of mind" has some really good takes on it but the mix is so spotty and anoying that I had a difficult time listening to it repeatedly. Also, some seem to find real deep meaning in some simple phrasing, which I attribute to and compare to seeing animals in clouds.

Now, this goes against the grain completely, seeing how this album was highly praised both for composition and sound. To its credit the sound does get better as the album progresses. But, ultimately the chord structure and topics were "overall" too boring for repeated playing. Honestly, how many times did you listen to or when was the last time you listened to this album.

When "Love and Theft" came out I was very skeptical. All the same tired praises were there by the same reviewers, "The best since.........", you know when. But, after it was out for a month I bought it.

Well, sure there are some 12 bar blues, "same old chord progressions" in the typical Dylan fare, ,aybe 3 or so, but in between the ho-hums were some reals gems.

It was like Bob found a new source for inspiration. He reached back to the "Tin pan alley" days added a little "Swing", and some "Dixieland". It was like the spirt of Irvin Berlin had consumed his chord structure and melody making abilities, thus producing immediate classics. These were complete songs. Melody, lyrics and chord changes!!!!!

The sound is very good, too. Bob should produce and engineer more of his recordings. He did a fine job. He is "Jack Frost".

"I was immpressed" And, needless to say it is getting its share of play.

Time will tell if I will consider it "the best since......" But, for now it is very good.


RL, the fuss about Dylan: he is one of the greatest songwriters ever, but really shouldn't attempt to play/sing his compositions. Like Leonard Cohen, Bob has no musical talent and should restrict his musical performances to the shower. I saw Dylan in concert several years ago, and although I had a good time I couldn't help thinking Bob should stick to writing music and perhaps playing the harmonica.
I have NEVER been able to figure what all the fuss was about Dylan. His voice is just about the worst ever recorded and the guy mumbles and shuffles thru his songs like a zombie on Prozac. Bogus. He does, however, know how to surround himself with great musicians. Too bad they have to share the stage with brain-dead Bob. Color me thoroughly under-whelmed...
Brulee, words of magic and praise for someone that you obviously feel linked to. Kudos for putting your own twist on things. Sean
>

PS... Saw Dylan ONE time quite a while back. That was enough for me forever.
Dylan has been taking a trip on that magic swirling ship for 40 years. He's been to sugar town and shook the sugar down. He's dined with kings and been offered wings and he's never been too impressed. He's forever young and always changing the times on his terms. I may be biased, but I find some genius in every one of his albums. Dylan may have new material, but I would never call him contemporary. Part of the magic of Dylan's lyrics is they can mean many different things depending on how you may interpret them. He can sing one of his songs differently than the time before and bring new meaning to a song you may have heard a 1000 times. Dylan is condemed to drift or else be kept from drifting. I hope he stays on that magic swirling ship for another 40 years. May he stay forever young.
John,
Ah you can't kid a kidder but yes apparently the late 80's and early 90's saw Dylan on a bad alcohol trip.
I've actually seen Bob 8 times, all in Scotland-'89,'91x2,'95x3,'97 and 2000(I think these years are right but..)-as CFB points out his new band is excellent and 2000 was certainly the best show I've seen him give,the 91 first date was hilariously bad at times,he'd just put together a new band and well under rehearsed doesn't begin to describe it......Blowin'In The Wind I believe is a song about numerology (each verse has an actual real answer to Bob's questions i.e 7,13,2 etc.)if you add them all up it comes to 1941 the year Bob was born,so it could mean that actually Bob himself is the answer...Lay Lady Lay is probably about his pet chicken Lady and his desire for eggs,since the song is one of yearning we can never be really sure if it worked...of course you may have your own interpretations but they are unlikely to be as accurate are they?
Ben, na.
It was a reverse implication. Implication by inversion (not to be pretentious nor intentious) suggesting that Dylan has regained his lost creative powers because he has cleaned up. Remember back in the 80's and early 90's when Bob was giving Keith Richards a run for Fate of the Earth survivor ?

Ever seen Dylan live ? I did - Dylan and the Dead & later with Tracy Chapman (she was more lively than him too). Or the 30th anniversary show - Nyquil IV ?

Let me know if I can explain 'blowin in the wind' or 'lay lady lay' for you.
I liked both albums a lot. Time out of mind was far more serious in tone without being to preachy.. Like My Hearts in the Highlands, what a hypnotic, rolling, free associating look back on a life. What I liked about Love and Theft is the tunes are in a way so unDylan. Some, I think, completely tongue in cheek. I laughed straight through it the first time I heard it. Life is good when your in love with your second cousin, eh?

Keep it up Bob.

Sincerely, I remain
erratum to my 1st post: the 30th anniversary concert was done on 10/16/92. -cfb
John,
I am a Dylan nut even though I buy a whole load of contemporary stuff ,for me Love And Theft was easily album of the year.
I'm also no Dylan apologist he's had his fair share of low points over the years and I do think his voice could be a problem for the faint hearted...
Time Out Of Mind is a great album,it has 4 or 5 excellent/classic songs but imho it was possibly overrated slightly by the press although you will find others who prefer it to Love and Theft....certainly they represent his best back to back album releases for a very long time.
Dylan to me is without equal in popular music only recent disappointment is that his Spring UK tour is not taking in Scotland which explains why I have tickets for Paris and London.......
Oh and bye the way I think any reference to Dylan and drugs is lazy and shows an extreme lack of imagination regarding his work,that pretentious enough for ya?
Enjoy the music.
john_l: there's been a recent thread on "love and theft," but what the hell. if you think the cd's good, you should catch bob live performing this stuff and some of his classics of the past FORTY years done to a whole new beat with a whole new feelin'. (hard for me to beleive but the 30th anniversary concert was in 1991!) no, IMO, "time out of mind" ain't as good but there are few dylan records not worth a listen or six. BTW, "love and theft," per bob's wishes, is available on vinyl, too. -cfb