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Inventory Taking Basically,
you can distinguish two groups of people that can’t do anything with Bob
Dylan. Those who have an awful taste in music and those who just haven’t
heard the right records yet probably due to a very restricted perception
of the artist Bob Dylan that is still ongoing. Sure, everyone “knows”
Bob Dylan. Since the Sixties he is considered as the most important
folk-bard of all time, as THE protest-singer and I don’t know what
everything else, Bob Dylan the Hippie. Still today he is praised as the
voice of a generation that he never was and, above all, never wanted to be
and all that because auf his releases from 1962 to 1964. The second pillar
of Dylans popularity directly hooks up to this first folk-phase and is
anywhere claimed to be his creative height. That phase covers the years
1965 and 1966, comes up with three groundbreaking records and finds a
sudden end after Dylan involuntarily and in full speed gets off his
motorbike and breaks his neck. Knocking on heavens door – act one. Most
contemplations and interpretations as well as pseudo-academic essays are
still focusing on this changeover-phase, filling endless pages,
posting-boards, audio- and video-recordings. In the spotlight of all those
contemplations are mostly the effects of that paradigm shift. The audience
reactions to the new songs, performed with electric boosted instruments
and a backing band and the immense influence Dylan had to other musicians
with that change. Yet, what mostly remains covered is the music that
influenced Dylan during the time of that shift. During his folk years you
can always find statements that Woodie Guthrie was one of his largest
idols but later influences stay unlighted. By listening to “Blonde on
Blonde”, at the latest, it should be clear that Bob Dylans record box
accommodates some old blues records too. “Pledging my time” and
“Leopard-Skin Pill Box Hat” come up especially. But also on its
predecessors can be found some indications proofing Dylans new interests.
On the front cover of “Bringing it all back home” for example some
records are spread on a couch – one of them is Robert Johnsons “King
of the Delta Blues Singers Vol. 1”, which Dylan would name as his most
important influence during that time forty years later in the first part
auf his autobiography “Chronicles Vol. 1”. The previous record
“Another side of Bob Dylan”, slightly in the background, can be found
on that record cover too. Dylan never lacked of self-confidence anytime.
Although recorded completely acoustical a change in style can be spotted
for the first time. The lyrics got more abstract, lost their linearity and
just like many classic blues lyrics time, place and acting persons change
from verse to verse without a cognizable context. Though Dylans lyrics in
the mid-sixties act in much a higher sphere their structure refers
noticeable to those old blues-patterns. After
that notorious motorcycle accident Dylan once more starts to explore new
musical terrain. First, he records two country-records, than “New
Morning”* which often is regarded as his “piano-record” and 1975 his
music somewhat connects to the mid-sixties. Anyway, “Blood on the
Tracks” can probably be regarded as Bob Dylans last consensus-record
among press as well as audience. After some excursions to the gospel area
(which are by far not as bad as they are referred to be) finally there is
a phase in which the former celebrated Messiah, taunted as Judas
simultaneously, seemingly ran out of ideas. Whether one likes all of his
records and phases or not, they always were Bob Dylan true to original
with no exception - the groundbreaking mid-sixties ones as well as all
succeeding records. Now, things have changed. Welcome to the Eighties!
During that decade every musical carpet Dylan placed his lyrics on sounded
like everything else but Dylan himself. First, Springsteen served as the
blueprint and finally Dylan played large stadiums with a huge backing band
including a saxophone player. At this time there weren’t any “Judas”
yells, perhaps nobody wanted to see those shows anyway. I’m going to
refuse to mention the following synthie-pop adventures at all as well as
Dylans attempt to be a Don Johnson look-a-like and get his leading role in
“Miami Vice”. It seems impossible to get any
worse. Wrong! As
a matter of course it always comes worse. As producer for „Oh Mercy“
Bob Dylan engaged Lucifer himself, here in person of Daniel Lanois, long
time producer of U2. I want to point out that all those people who think
that isn’t so bad at all are without any doubt associated with the first
group of people mentioned in the first paragraph of this article. Despite
a notable increasing lyrical quality on that record and climbing sales
figures Bob Dylan is trapped in a musical dead-end street at the beginning
of the Nineties. But instead of running against the wall in front of him
again and again like most of his fellows he sprints away in the
counter-direction. If the present won’t come up with ideas anymore the
past has to deliver inspiration instead.
American
Recordings In
the early Nineties this record title was chosen by another big big artist
for his mind-blowing comeback. For “Good as I been to you” it would
have been a perfect fitting title too. It is the first of two albums on
which Bob Dylan starts his journey back to the Mississippi banks, to the
cotton fields, back to the roots of modern American music – but above
all also back to his own musical roots. Back to the music he listened to
everyday from radio, the music that drove him to make music himself. The
most notable fact about those two albums is that they exclusively consist
of cover versions. Nearly unbelievable – Bob Dylan, declared as the best
songwriter of all time by numberless list-makers doesn’t contribute a
single self-written word to “Good as I been to you” and “World gone
wrong”. Ought he do that? Can he do that? Is he permitted to do that?
The most important with these questions is that Dylan doesn’t care. For
the first time in ten years Bob Dylan simple doesn’t give a shit about
what others think about his music and how its audience picks it up and
thus those cover-versions are more Bob Dylan as many of his original
compositions before had been. Actually, a more fitting term would be
“interpretation of songs written by others” since the word
“cover-version” often implies that its performer is completely free of
talent. Thank you MTV. By contrast in former times it was an elemental
process – especially when I think of old blues-records – that
self-written material was complemented with other writers’ songs and old
traditionals and eventually nobody can tell who was responsible for
composing a certain song originally. In the end there is just a huge pool
of songs and tales which are told through the songs. As most of the
musicians have heard those songs and tales just a few times - before
playing the songs themselves - a lot of different versions and variations
have been emerged. One
of the most famous of these stories, a classical murder ballad, has been
recorded by Mississippi John Hurt in 1928 – Stack O’ Lee. Two friends
get drunk in a bar, start to argument and as William Lyons pulls off the
hat from Stack O’ Lee’s head he gets shot while his opponent
afterwards walks away unhurriedly putting his hat back on. This basement
is the only thing that all those Stack O’ Lee stories have in common.
Even the title varies again and again. In Dylans version “Stack A Lee”
the murderer ends up in jail and the further story stays unclear as John
Hurts Stack O’ Lee gets hung immediately. The meanest Stack story I know
is the one from Nick Cave’s “Murder Ballads” (Stagger Lee). Dating
back to the 18th century “Froggie went a-courtin’ is the
oldest piece on “Good as I been to you”. On this record it acts like a
funny last dance and makes the whole record seem slightly brighter than
the succeeding “World gone wrong”. The fantastic bluegrass
interpretation of that animal-party by Bruce Springsteen on “We shall
overcome – The Seeger Sessions” must not be left unmentioned here.
This record also contains of only cover…I mean…interpretations of
other artists’ songs. And as I am already occupied with numbering great
cover songs right now, here are two other big names: Johnny Cash and Blind
Willie McTell. Catchword “Delia”. As Dylan has already rendered homage
to Blind Willie McTell in the homonymous song in 1983 it is no big deal to
see a cover of a McTell song now on “World Gone Wrong”. “And I know no one can sing the blues
like Blind Willie McTell”. Mr. McTell as a source of inspiration for
Mr. Cash on the other hand seems quite a bit more extraordinary. Recapitulating
it can be said that Bob Dylan freed himself from the swamp of lacking
ideas with those two “cover-records” and set up the basement for the
most stunning part of his career. This view, of course, is completely
subjective (as well as anything else that someone ever has written about
music). And as I’m already writing about subjectivity I have to admit
that I think that “Good as I been to you” as well as “World Gone
Wrong” are both better records than the acoustic ones Dylan put out in
the Sixties. And yes, I am completely aware of the significance of that
statement. Time Out Of
Mind I was born
here and I'll die here against my will This
last verse from “Not dark yet” perfectly reflects the omnipresent mood
on Dylans 42th studio record “Time out of Mind”. “Don’t even hear a murmur of a prayer / It’s not dark yet, but it’s
getting there” – a very strong statement. Even a stronger and more
depressing one than usually considering that Dylan for three years mainly
played gospel songs during his shows and also kept preaches onstage. Bob
Dylan sticks deep inside a crisis. However, this time it is no creative
vacuum but a mid-/late-life (don’t know how that is to be called for a
57 year old) crisis which he puts into words with this record containing
his first self-written lyrics for seven years. Loneliness and loss are the
main subjects. Contrary to “Blood on the tracks” where in every single
song the willingness to carry on shines through, on “Time out of Mind”
a finality feeling is omnipresent. Shutdown. And if there is still a
movement it always goes downhill – no bettering in sight. Shortly after
the record release Dylan came down with a life-threatening heart disease.
Knocking on heavens door – act two. When you
think that you lost everything Again,
on this record blues-traces are all around, at least Dylan tries to put
those influences into the music. I think today not even Dylan himself
knows why of all things he once more chose Daniel Lanois as producer for
that record. Trying to make an album that should have the sound of a
thirty-years blues record with the help of Daniel Lanios is like letting
Steve Albini produce the new Britney Spears record. Thus, many of the
songs, especially those intended to have a strong blues rhythm, often seem
swampy and lifeless. After the record release Dylan admitted that he still
was in search of the ideal sound and that “Time out of Mind” had just
been a first step into the right direction. Nevertheless, for me this
record ranks among Dylans finest ones at all. But when I listen to recent
live performances of these “Time out of Mind”-songs and compare them
with those on the album, I just again want to push Daniel Lanois in a big
sack and bury it anywhere far far away from any civilisation and any
mixer. And if the hole has already been made Bono could be kicked into it
as well. By
the way, the song “Lovesick” has been used in a Victoria’s Secrets
commercial with Bob Dylan himself playing a part. And no, he is wearing
more than just underclothing. Of course, after that he was confronted with
sellout-accusations. Fun fact: Once in the Sixties he was asked in an
interview if there was anything he would ever do a commercial spot for.
Dylans response: Yes, for lingerie. Love and
Theft Finally,
after four long years and countless performances on the Neverending Tour
(which, according to Dylan himself, has been finished already in 1991),
Bob Dylans 43th studio album was released. And this time he really did
everything the right way. To prevent any possible production mistake he
refuses to engage a professional producer and takes over this job himself
under the pseudonym “Jack Frost”. Moreover, for the first time ever,
he took his then current touring band to the recording studio whose
members harmonized perfectly with their boss which after more than 600
shows together does really not surprise at all. Probably not even Dylan
himself knows why he always preferred studio musicians over his touring
bands especially since he always remarked that he wasn’t really
satisfied with the sound on his records compared to his live sound. But I
think as a perfectionist he has to have such an opinion. “Love
and Theft” consequently continues to follow the track that has been
already picked up in the early Nineties and borrows heavily from the large
pool auf American music history. Ranging from blues over country, jazz and
swing to bluegrass, Dylan connects all these different styles in an
amazingly impressing way and makes it work even better in album context.
Dylan himself sees the record as “a greatest hits album without the
hits”. In fact “Love and Theft” is much more than that. It is the
stories about failed relationships and ambitions, strokes of fate and
missed chances, but also the sereneness and acceptance resonating under
the surface, sometimes there’s even a roaring laugh. I think that’s
called gallows humour. Stories that in this way can only be told by
someone as old as Dylan and with his exceptional extensive life experience
but also his amazing ability to put those thoughts and experiences into
words. Well my
ship's been split to splinters and it's sinking fast And
this time he doesn’t only use his own words to tell these stories, he
also takes the words of the storytellers that have accompanied him his
whole life long. I can clearly remember the page long articles and essays
that were showing up after the records’ release wanting to prove that
Dylan had copied text parts of Yunichi Saga’s mafia-tale “Confessions
of a yakuza” one to one and using it for “Love and Theft”. Countless
“music-journalists” that patted themselves on their shoulders because
they allegedly proved that the big Bob Dylan was burnt out, had no ideas
anymore and that “Blood on the tracks” anyway was his last important
record. But that of course could be already foreseen by the release of
those two records containing only cover-versions of old songs. Actually,
the whole record is full of lyrics copied one to one from other sources or
allusions to these writings which - in connection with the record title -
has to be seen as a homage rather than uninspired duplicating. Bob Dylan
“steals” writings from books, movies and songs, mixes them up with his
own lyrics and thereby makes “Love and Theft” one of the most
interesting and rewarding concept albums of all time. Old
acquaintances already straying through Dylans lyrics forty years ago are
back again too. This time Romeo and Juliet from Desolation row, meanwhile
an old, dissentious couple give a visit. Romeo, he
said to Juliet, "You got a poor complexion. And
quoting F. Scott Fitzgerald - who also appeared in the Desolation Row
forty years ago – delivers Dylan the appropriate statement: She says, "You can't repeat the
past." I say, "You can't? What do you mean, you can't? Of course
you can." Likewise
omnipresent are references to old blues-songs and musicians varying from obvious tracks like “High
Water” which is dedicated to Charlie Patton to allusions like that one
to Robert Johnson in the same song. „I'm getting' up in the morning - I
believe I'll dust my broom”. Just at this moment it strikes me that
Blind Willie McTell also did a song called “Lonesome Day Blues”. And
that makes this record so very special. By reading a book or listening to
music there always come up texts or text-fragments that are already known
from “Love and Theft” or vice versa. According to the connections with
the original sources there open up new perceptions and interpretation
possibilities to Dylans lyrics all the time. They got Charles Darwin
trapped out there on Highway Five With
these lines „Love and Theft“ again delivers something like a political
statement on a Bob Dylan record for a long time referring to religious
hardliners wanting to implement the theory of creationism as well as a
scientific view as Darwins natural selection and to also teach this
approach at public schools. Like
on many other Dylan records, the final track on “Love and Theft”
perfectly sums up the mood of the foregoing songs. “Sugar Baby” (this
term can be found on various blues songs too) sounds like a message of the
storyteller left on an answering machine. Dylan again shares his
experience of life that contains some set-backs and losses too. Every moment
of existence seems like some dirty trick The
last verse closes with the words “Look up, look up - seek your Maker - 'fore Gabriel blows his horn”.
A reference to a higher power? Or alternatively Gene Austens “The
Lonesome Road” that we all have to walk along someday? And while the
dylanologists are still busy thinking about it, Dylan has already
disappeared behind the horizon.
Modern Times In
his linar notes to “World Gone Wrong” Dylan writes about the
Mississippi Sheiks: A little
known de facto group whom in their former glory must've been something to
behold. rebellion against routine seems to be their strong theme. All
their songs are raw to the bone & are faultlessly made for these
modern times (the New Dark Ages) nothing effete about the Mississippi
Sheiks. Since
the early Nineties for anyone who is slightly interested in Bob Dylan it
should be clear that he doesn’t really appreciate the modern world. The
title of his 44th studio album, to be released in late August,
therefore should be seen as a cynical side blow to modern times and
society. The already publicised cover underlines this point of view with a
blurred photo of a car in front of a city backdrop. The diffuse image
could be intended to symbolise modern times speed many people (Bob Dylan?)
feel overextended with. The “Modern Times”-writing, designed in a
strikingly primitive word-art form can – if this amateurish style was
intended – be seen as a denial-statement too. Thereby the homonymous
Charlie Chaplin film comes to mind, in which the hero has to find his way
in a much too fast, modern world and is hardly able to keep pace. But in
the end, however, he always can escape from seemingly hopeless situations
and keeps on moving. Bob
Dylan apparently wants to adopt the well tried once more. He again went to
recording studio with his current touring band and also took over the
producer job for the ten new tracks himself just like before on “Love
and Theft”. Even five years after he still seems to be content with that
release. Let’s hope that “Modern Times” will be able to hook up in
quality with its predecessor. According to Dylans great current form
during his shows and the song “Tell Ol Bill” from 2005 chances are
excellent. Modern Times is to be released on 28 August 2006.
by Michael Masen, July 2006
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