Bob Dylan

[Fox92]

... Any fans on here then?

 

I'm a massive Dylan fan, got into him a few years ago now, but I'm going through a spell at the minute where I can't stop playing his music.

 

I know he get's criticized about his singing (personally don't agree with that), but oh my, his lyrics are pure genius.

And some of my favourite lyrics from different songs...

 

"Darkness at the break of noon
Shadows even the silver spoon
The handmade blade, the child’s balloon
Eclipses both the sun and moon"

 

"Crimson flames tied through my ears
Rollin' high and mighty traps
Pounced with fire on flaming roads
Using ideas as my maps"

 

"You raise up your head
And you ask, "Is this where it is?"
And somebody points to you and says
"It's his"
And you say, "What's mine?"
And somebody else says, "Where what is?"
And you say, "Oh my God, am I here all alone?"

 

"She was standing there in back of my chair
Said to me "Don't I know your name?"
I muttered something underneath my breath
She studied the lines on my face
I must admit I felt a little uneasy
When she bent down to tie the laces of my shoe"

 

"The ghost of Belle Star she hands down her wits
To Jezebel the nun she violently knits
A bald wig for Jack the Ripper who sits
At the head of the chamber of commerce"

 

His lyrics are unbelievable to me, I once heard him in an interview where he said something along the lines of "it was a sort of magic how I used to write songs like that".

 

Has anyone ever seen him live at all?

What's your favourite song(s)?

Favourite album?

 

I've always loved 'Positively 4th Street'...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7datpSycF78

 

I don't think people who aren't really into him realise how much he has wrote. The Byrds released a lot of his songs ('My Back Pages', 'Tambourine Man' etc) as did Manfred Mann ('If You Gotta Go, Go Now', 'Mighty Quinn' etc).

 

My favourite album is 'Bringing It All Back Home' (it contains 'Alright Ma', 'Tambourine Man', 'Subterranean Homesick Blues', '115th dream' etc. Wonderful album).

 

I mean, I love a lot of artists, and I'm a massive Beatles/John Lennon fan as you all know, but I do think Dylan is the greatest songwriter ever.

 

[Webbo]

Funny you should say that.

The French government has presented US singer Bob Dylan with the country's highest award, the Legion of Honour, in a brief ceremony in Paris.

Presenting him with the award, Culture Minister Aurelie Filippetti said he was a hero for young people hungry for justice and independence.

Dylan has famously never liked being used as a spokesman for other people's causes, a BBC correspondent reports.

After the speech, he said simply that he was "proud and grateful" and left.

No cameras were allowed for the ceremony at the culture ministry.

 

 

[purpleronnie]

Yep I'm a fan, purchased The Original Mono Recordings recently.  Fab stuff.

 

I even like some of his 80's stuff.

[David Guiza]

Huge fan, only really got into him a year or two back after so many of my favourite musicians cited him as a huge influence. His quotes are just as brilliant as his lyrics too, absolute genius. Who needs a so called brilliant voice to be an incredible musician anyway?

[The Horse's Mouth]

I've heard a few and really like him, he's on my shortlist of artists to check out.

[Finnegan]

Grew up with Dylan, old man's an enormous fan. I saw him in Birmingham years back around the time he released Masked and Anonymous (woeful film for anyone not a fan but pure goldust if you are) and he was decent. 

 

Blood on the Tracks is one of my favourite albums of all time, really immense. 

[purpleronnie]

Grew up with Dylan, old man's an enormous fan. I saw him in Birmingham years back around the time he released Masked and Anonymous (woeful film for anyone not a fan but pure goldust if you are) and he was decent. 

 

Blood on the Tracks is one of my favourite albums of all time, really immense. 

Definately my fave dylan album.

[Fox92]

Yeah, 'Tangled Up In Blue' from that album is quality.

[inckley fox]

I was more of an 'Idiot Wind' / 'If You See Her Say Hello' man, with 'Blood on the Tracks'. I'd also recommend 'Changing the Guard', I think it is, from 'Street Legal' (don't think much of the album, mind) from the same mid-70s era, 'One More Cup of Coffee' from 'Desire' and I get classes to write a story to the plot of 'Black Diamond Bay'. I could go on. The early stuff is my favourite, 'Boots of Spanish Leather' and 'God on our Side' and 'Masters of War'. Of the new stuff, there's one I can't remember the name of... from 'Time out of Mind' I think, which really hit me.

 

I have to confess I can't always figure out what he's on about though, and neither could he at times, according to Joan Baez. And, while I'm having a go, some of the lyrics to 'Hurricane' (great song) are a little bit throwaway: 'threw him into a jailhouse where they turned a man into a mouse' and 'it's my work he'd say and I do it for pay... up to some paradise, where trout streams flow and the air is nice, and ride a horse...' My Year 7 students write poetry like that.

 

Mostly amazing though. When he got it right, he got it RIGHT!

[Finnegan]

Hurricane is an immense song, it's telling a direct story instead of his usual obscure allegory. It's never going to have the same lyrical flair as, say, Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts.

[inckley fox]

Hurricane is an immense song, it's telling a direct story instead of his usual obscure allegory. It's never going to have the same lyrical flair as, say, Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts.

 

Oh I agree. And I loved the man's voice as it was back then. Sometimes - 'Hurricane' / 'Idiot Wind' / 'Rolling Stone' - there's no voice that sounds more like it means anywhere in the world. But the 'trout streams flow' bit still lets the side down!

[MrsJohnMurphy]

Nashville Skyline is a brilliant album, love the Johnny Cash duet.

[Rocket-Ron]

Looks to much like Cate Blanchett to me!

[ousefox]

I never get people who think is voice is shit. It's class and goes with the music perfectly. 

 

Blowin' in the Wind is probably my favourite song of his. So simple, but brilliant.

 

I actually really liked his most recent album. Some great stuff on it.

[Fox92]

I never get people who think is voice is shit. It's class and goes with the music perfectly. 

 

Blowin' in the Wind is probably my favourite song of his. So simple, but brilliant.

 

I actually really liked his most recent album. Some great stuff on it.

 

I agree. His tribute to John Lennon in 'Roll On John' is immense. The lyrics are so poignant.

[Finnegan]

Got to be honest, the most recent Dylan song I've listened to extensively was Things Have Changed for the Wonderboys soundtrack, both the song and the film are terrific.

[21st Century Fox]

I've always been rather keen on The Basement Tapes with The Band. Also the Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid soundtrack is ****ing brilliant.

 

New Morning is a really underrated album that often falls between the cracks. 

[Fox92]

Ah man just listened to 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' - loud too - for the first time in a while.

 

Lyrics are so true (as always with Dylan).

 

Johny's in the basement

Mixing up the medicine
I'm on the pavement
Thinking about the government
The man in a trench coat
Badge out, laid off
Says he's got a bad cough
Wants to get it paid off
Look out kid
It's somethin' you did
God knows when
But you're doin' it again
You better duck down the alley way
Lookin' for a new friend
A man in a coon-skin cap
In a pig pen
Wants eleven dollar bills
You only got ten.

Maggie comes fleet foot
Face full of black soot
Talkin' that the heat put
Plants in the bed but
The phone's tapped anyway
Maggie says that many say
They must bust in early May
Orders from the DA
Look out kid
Don't matter what you did
Walk on your tip toes
Don't tie no bows
Better stay away from those
That carry around a fire hose
Keep a clean nose
Wash the plain clothes
You don't need a weather man
To know which way the wind blows.

Get sick, get well
Hang around an ink well
Ring bell, hard to tell
If anything's gonna sell
Try hard, get barred
Get back, write Braille
Get jailed, jump bail Join the army, if you fail
Look out kid
You're gonna get hit
But losers, cheaters
Six-time users
Hang around the theaters
Girl by the whirlpool is
Lookin' for a new fool
Don't follow leaders
Watch the parkin' meters.

Ah get born, keep warm
Short pants, romance, learn to dance
Get dressed, get blessed
Try to be a success
Please her, please him, buy gifts
Don't steal, don't lift
Twenty years of schoolin'
And they put you on the day shift
Look out kid
They keep it all hid
Better jump down a manhole
Light yourself a candle
Don't wear sandals
Try to avoid the scandals
Don't wanna be a bum
You better chew gum
The pump don't work
'Cause the vandals took the handles.

 

Absolutely brilliant.

[Max Wall]

Seen him live 5 times. As always with Dylan, his gigs are extremely hit and miss depending on his mood at the time. The first 3 times I saw him, he was hugely disappointing, maybe I was expecting too much but, on each occasion, he rambled through the sets pretty quickly looking like he didn't want to be there. The 4th time I saw him he was much better but the 5th time, at the Aberdeen Exhibition Centre, he was truly magnificent. As good as anyone I have seen live and I've seen quite a few including a lot of big names.

Best album for me is Blood on the Tracks though Desire, Highway 61 and freewheelin' are also great. There are just so many.

Tough to pick a favourite song but positively 4th st is right up there,  so is it's alright ma, as is Slow Train Coming (which interestingly, for a 70's song has Mark Knopfler on guitar). Not sure if it was just as Dire Straits first album came out or just after but the two albums are from around the same time.

[Max Wall]

Bob Dylan Lyrics

"Slow Train"
 

Sometimes I feel so low-down and disgusted
Can't help but wonder what's happening to my companions
Are they lost or are they found, have they counted the cost it'll take to bring down
All their earthly principles they're gonna have to abandon ?
There's slow, slow train coming up around the bend.

I had a woman down in Alabama
She was a backwoods girl, but she sure was realistic
She said, Boy, without a doubt, have to quit your mess and straighten out
You could die down here, be just another accident statistic
There's slow, slow train coming up around the bend.

All that foreign oil controlling American soil
Look around you, it's just bound to make you embarrassed
Sheiks walking around like kings, wearing fancy jewels and nose rings
Deciding America's future from Amsterdam and to Paris
And there's slow, slow train coming up around the bend.

Man's ego is inflated, his laws are outdated, they don't apply no more
You can't rely no more to be standing around waiting
In the home of the brave, Jefferson turning over in his grave
Fools glorifying themselves, trying to manipulate Satan
And there's slow, slow train coming up around the bend.

Big-time negotiators, false healers and woman haters
Masters of the bluff and masters of the proposition
But the enemy I see wears a cloak of decency
All non-believers and men stealers talking in the name of religion
And there's slow, there's slow train coming up around the bend.

People starving and thirsting, grain elevators are bursting
Oh, you know it costs more to store the food than it do to give it
They say loose your inhibitions, follow your own ambitions
They talk about a life of brotherly love, show me someone who knows how to live it
There's slow, slow train coming up around the bend.

Well, my baby went to Illinois with some bad-talking boy she could destroy
A real suicide case, but there was nothing I could do to stop it
I don't care about economy, I don't care about astronomy
But it's sure do bother me to see my loved ones turning into puppets
There's slow, slow train coming up around the bend.

 

 

 

Utter genius, as relevant today as it was in 1979 when he wrote it.

'but the enemy I see wears a cloak of decency' is one of my favourite lines in a song, period.

[Fox92]

5 hours ago, Max Wall said:

Seen him live 5 times. As always with Dylan, his gigs are extremely hit and miss depending on his mood at the time. The first 3 times I saw him, he was hugely disappointing, maybe I was expecting too much but, on each occasion, he rambled through the sets pretty quickly looking like he didn't want to be there. The 4th time I saw him he was much better but the 5th time, at the Aberdeen Exhibition Centre, he was truly magnificent. As good as anyone I have seen live and I've seen quite a few including a lot of big names.

Best album for me is Blood on the Tracks though Desire, Highway 61 and freewheelin' are also great. There are just so many.

Tough to pick a favourite song but positively 4th st is right up there,  so is it's alright ma, as is Slow Train Coming (which interestingly, for a 70's song has Mark Knopfler on guitar). Not sure if it was just as Dire Straits first album came out or just after but the two albums are from around the same time.

Positively 4th Street is my favourite. The lyrics are just so relatable... I love anything from Highway 61, Blonde on Blonde and Bringing It All Back Home.

 

There's so many that he gave away / didn't record that are superb. Some of the bootleg stuff I absolutely love ... Mighty Quinn, If You Gotta Go, Abandoned Love...

[Max Wall]

11 hours ago, Fox92 said:

Positively 4th Street is my favourite. The lyrics are just so relatable... I love anything from Highway 61, Blonde on Blonde and Bringing It All Back Home.

 

There's so many that he gave away / didn't record that are superb. Some of the bootleg stuff I absolutely love ... Mighty Quinn, If You Gotta Go, Abandoned Love...

I must admit, there are albums of his I've bought, listened to a couple of times and almost dismissed for a lengthy period only to find on a much later relisten that they contain gems. I could slobber over Dylan all day though. My older brother once said to me 'Whatever situation you find yourself in life, there's always a Dylan line that will sum it all up or provide a perfect riposte'. The older I get, the more that statement sticks in my head, you just need to know enough of his lyrics 

To return to Positively 4th Street, the sneering tone of his delivery coupled with the lyrics definitely make it one of his best. It's rare big Dylan fans agree on anything such is his output so we've done well!

[RobHawk]

On 11/14/2013 at 23:17, Watson said:

I never get people who think is voice is shit. It's class and goes with the music perfectly. 

 

Blowin' in the Wind is probably my favourite song of his. So simple, but brilliant.

 

I actually really liked his most recent album. Some great stuff on it.

The thing is with his voice, is that it's not a classic voice that any person can listen to and say, hes got a good voice. Its gruff and raw, but like you say he makes it work and you wouldn't want it any other way. 

 

I remember reading in Neil Youngs biography "shakey" about how he had to really find and make peace with his voice, because it was so different to anyone else. The same goes for Kurt Cobain when Nirvana were starting out. 

Its being different that makes them so good and even this global megastars started from a point of insecurity and doubt! But by overcoming it - it made them great!! 

Back to Dylan - Saw him a live a month or so back. It was a good gig but i'm not a fan of all the crooner type stuff he's into at the moment (not that he gives a shit!). Without a doubt though, the guys a genius and even with his "off shows" you can still appreciate the man for his greatness! 

[purpleronnie]

I guess it depends on what you think is a great voice.  Some will like pitch perfect tone, others like unique sounding voices, I'm with the latter. 

 

People said Liam Gallagher had a terrible voice same with Kurt cobain, others (Like me) will say they had/have brilliant voices.

 

I can't stand todays auto tuned bland voices you hear all the time, they all sound the same, even lauded singers like Adele do nothing for me....not a patch on Mariah or Whitney.

[Smudge]

On 19/06/2017 at 06:11, purpleronnie said:

I guess it depends on what you think is a great voice.  Some will like pitch perfect tone, others like unique sounding voices, I'm with the latter. 

 

People said Liam Gallagher had a terrible voice same with Kurt cobain, others (Like me) will say they had/have brilliant voices.

 

I can't stand todays auto tuned bland voices you hear all the time, they all sound the same, even lauded singers like Adele do nothing for me....not a patch on Mariah or Whitney.

I think Dylan is always pitch perfect for his voice it's the timbre of the voice that is unappealing to some. I have most of his albums including the bootlegs.

Some favorites of mine are 'Disease of Conceit', 'Dignity and 'Ring them Bells'