Sat December 31, 2016 12:40 am
BootsToAsses wrote:Well, this year has been the year of Dylan for me. I've accumulated his entire catalogue on vinyl over the course of the year and listened to most of them inside out. Not since hearing Pearl Jam for the first time in 2002 have I been so overwhelmed/challenged/enthralled by an artist's output. The volume of stuff this guy has put out there is staggering, it'll keep me busy for years and years.
I picked up Side Tracks on vinyl the other day, and I was floored. I know a lot of the songs are on other compilations but there's just something about the flow of this one that knocks my socks off. The last two sides with Abandoned Love, Series of Dreams, Things Have Changed etc is unbelievable. What a run of songs.
I took the plunge this morning and bought tickets to see him in Liverpool. I don't care what people say about his shows these days, I can't wait.
Sat December 31, 2016 12:44 am
Sat December 31, 2016 1:23 am
Sat December 31, 2016 11:05 am
Kevin Davis wrote:BootsToAsses wrote:Well, this year has been the year of Dylan for me. I've accumulated his entire catalogue on vinyl over the course of the year and listened to most of them inside out. Not since hearing Pearl Jam for the first time in 2002 have I been so overwhelmed/challenged/enthralled by an artist's output. The volume of stuff this guy has put out there is staggering, it'll keep me busy for years and years.
I picked up Side Tracks on vinyl the other day, and I was floored. I know a lot of the songs are on other compilations but there's just something about the flow of this one that knocks my socks off. The last two sides with Abandoned Love, Series of Dreams, Things Have Changed etc is unbelievable. What a run of songs.
I took the plunge this morning and bought tickets to see him in Liverpool. I don't care what people say about his shows these days, I can't wait.
Excellent! "Abandoned Love" is tremendous. Any other sleeper favorites in the catalog?
If you haven't seen it, check out this dude's blog:
http://thousandhighways.blogspot.com/?m=1
Personally (very-well) curated compilations of unreleased Dylan material -- a great place to dive into the Dylan underworld, if the official releases aren't keeping you busy enough
Sat December 31, 2016 4:27 pm
Sun January 01, 2017 2:15 pm
Kevin Davis wrote:Awesome! I agree with many things on your list, particularly the splendor of the "Hard Rain" version of "Shelter From the Storm," "Huck's Tune," and the general aura of mystery surrounding "John Wesley Harding." And "Shot of Love" ain't bad at all -- I'd strongly recommend checking out the outtake version of "Caribbean Wind" from those sessions, in my opinion one of his greatest unreleased recordings, available here: http://thousandhighways.blogspot.com/20 ... d.html?m=1
(Note: this is different from the version which appears on "Biograph" -- and likely on "Side Tracks" -- which is heavily polished and contains far different lyrics)
Also, many Dylan scholars (provided that's what you call these people), including some of his biographers, believe the Christian period to be Dylan's peak as a vocalist (though not as a songwriter). Pretty hard to disagree when you listen to some of the live recordings from that era, especially (in my opinion) the '81 gigs when he started working some of the non-religious material back into the setlist. This period is also going to be the focus of the next Bootleg Series release, which I'm excited about.
Sun January 01, 2017 6:37 pm
Sun January 01, 2017 10:22 pm
Kevin Davis wrote:Awesome! I agree with many things on your list, particularly the splendor of the "Hard Rain" version of "Shelter From the Storm," "Huck's Tune," and the general aura of mystery surrounding "John Wesley Harding." And "Shot of Love" ain't bad at all -- I'd strongly recommend checking out the outtake version of "Caribbean Wind" from those sessions, in my opinion one of his greatest unreleased recordings, available here: http://thousandhighways.blogspot.com/20 ... d.html?m=1
(Note: this is different from the version which appears on "Biograph" -- and likely on "Side Tracks" -- which is heavily polished and contains far different lyrics)
Also, many Dylan scholars (provided that's what you call these people), including some of his biographers, believe the Christian period to be Dylan's peak as a vocalist (though not as a songwriter). Pretty hard to disagree when you listen to some of the live recordings from that era, especially (in my opinion) the '81 gigs when he started working some of the non-religious material back into the setlist. This period is also going to be the focus of the next Bootleg Series release, which I'm excited about.
Sun January 01, 2017 11:07 pm
Kevin Davis wrote:For sure. It's tough with Dylan since he has so many eras and so much of it comes down to personal preference, but factoring that in, here are a few favorites:
1961: "The Ghost of Woody Guthrie"
http://thousandhighways.blogspot.com/20 ... d.html?m=1
I've always thought Dylan's debut album was about the worst possible document of his early days in NYC, and this comp does a nice job culling from the circulating tapes of that "finding his voice" period. I don't think this is knock-your-socks-off stuff necessarily, but it's a great snapshot of its time.
Most of the other major '60's stuff has all been officially released in some form or another, so I'll skip to the '70's:
"Outside the Law: 1973-75"
http://thousandhighways.blogspot.com/20 ... 5.html?m=1
Studio outtakes from the '73-'75 period -- contains the "Blood on the Tracks" NYC sessions (some of which appear in alternate form on the first Bootleg Series) and a snippet called "Rock Me Mama" (from the "Pat Garrett" sessions), which enjoyed some unlikely success when Old Crow Medicine Show co-opted it for their song "Wagon Wheel," among other stuff.
"The Valley Below: 1975-76"
http://thousandhighways.blogspot.com/20 ... 6.html?m=1
I strongly recommend any and all material from this period, but this collection of live odds and ends, despite some dodgy sound on a few tracks, is the most unique. Particularly knowing your fondness for "Abandoned Love," I think the live version here (the only known performance) will especially tickle your fancy.
"Still the Same Man, Vol. 2: 1981"
http://thousandhighways.blogspot.com/20 ... d.html?m=1
Great roundup of tracks from the '81 tour, somewhat mimicking the sequence of the standard set list from the full concerts. Many of these shows are well worth seeking out in full (11/10/81 is my favorite), but this is a fantastic appetizer platter.
"Series of Dreams: 1989-1993"
Vol 1: http://thousandhighways.blogspot.com/20 ... s.html?m=1
Vol 2: http://thousandhighways.blogspot.com/20 ... 3.html?m=1
One of my very favorites -- a combination of studio outtakes from "Oh Mercy," "Under the Red Sky," and an aborted 1992 album with David Bromberg, as well as some live traditional material from early in the Never-Ending Tour (check out "Female Rambling Sailor," one of his best-ever covers).
"Keep Humming: 1999-2002"
http://thousandhighways.blogspot.com/20 ... s.html?m=1
A compilation of gospel/folk/bluegrass covers, which were recurring components of the setlist around this time. Marvelous singing from Bob, at a time when his voice was crystal clear and silky smooth, with spot-on harmonies from his backing band -- just all in all some of the best music of the Never-Ending Tour, all in pristine audio quality.
Hope that gives you something to go on. Bob's official discography is enough of a rabbit hole, throw in the bootlegs and it's basically an endless ether of material. But if his music resonates with you, there's almost always more treasure to be found by digging further.
Thu February 09, 2017 3:55 pm
Thu February 09, 2017 8:20 pm
guestT wrote:i liked shadows and fallen angels fine, but 5 discs of this stuff is a bit much, isn't it? i will still purchase triplicate because i'm a completist.
Thu February 09, 2017 8:39 pm
rick malone wrote:guestT wrote:i liked shadows and fallen angels fine, but 5 discs of this stuff is a bit much, isn't it? i will still purchase triplicate because i'm a completist.
Could be he just enjoys releasing things. And seeing the reaction. This is from the Expecting Rain forum:
This is Adult music. These are not cheap or commercial or sentimental fly-by-night pop songs. These are among the loneliest, darkest, bleakest invocations of the American soul ever written or recorded. And Bob is performing them in an utterly powerful way which is timeless and devastating. There is nothing sentimental about it.
Most Thursday nights after a steak dinner I take my shower, put on the silk monogrammed bathrobe my wife gave me for my birthday, and retire to my Den, where I light a Chesterfield and settle in to listen to one or all of these amazing disks. I find them devastating. I'm left slumped in my BarcaLounger with the ice cubes still rattling in my glass. The arrangements are like shadows, almost colorless and motionless, so that all you hear is the ache in the Bob's voice. Song after song is so exquisitely moving that at the end of three minutes you feel like you've just heard a lifetime of loneliness. My only regret - and it's a big one - is that these flawless collections of masterpieces don't include Over the Rainbow and When You Wish Upon A Star which would truly belong. But I live in hope. And their absence only adds to the pang of loss I feel listening to the others.
Bob, at 75, already has a demanding touring schedule that would fatigue a young performer. So where he finds the time to perfect these classics I do not know. It is a miracle and these songs are perfection. Now there is a new collection. Triplicate. I had my secretary order me two copies - one for the home and one for the office - immediately my broker Frank rang from Chicago to confirm the rumors of its release. Great news for Bob fans. Drink It Up!
Thu February 09, 2017 9:40 pm
Fri February 10, 2017 1:40 am
LetMeSleep wrote:Almost.
Fri February 10, 2017 2:32 am
Fri February 10, 2017 9:56 am
Fri February 10, 2017 2:14 pm
Fri February 10, 2017 4:53 pm
Sun February 12, 2017 10:32 am
Kevin Davis wrote:Minus the vaguely erotic undercurrents running through his (quite possibly facetious) post, that guy comes close to describing my experience with "Shadows in the Night," which bar "Time Out of Mind" and "Love and Theft" is probably more singularly satisfying to me than any of Dylan's albums of original material going back to the '70's (had to qualify so as not to inadvertently lump the incredible "World Gone Wrong" in there). "Fallen Angels" is more in the B+ range, but still very enjoyable. If "Triplicate" follows suit, I say bring it on; hell, I'll take three more after that. Dylan's catalog is so massive and covers so much ground that new albums feel pretty much like lagniappe at this point, especially as the archival stuff is coming faster and in more generous quantities than ever before.
Sun February 12, 2017 2:54 pm