Bob Dylan: A Class Act

[karlhenning]

The best Dylan parody:

Yes, great fun!

[Josquin des Prez]

The best Dylan parody:

http://www.youtube.com/watch/v/Nej4xJe4Tdg

I generally don't like wierd al but that was quite good.

[Ataraxia]

New BOB in September. Title: TEMPEST

[Karl Henning]

I thought that was Shakespeare . . . .

[Ataraxia]

I thought that was Shakespeare . . . .

You thought right.

[Elgarian]

I'll break my guitar,
Bury it certain fathoms in the earth,
And deeper than did ever plummet sound
I'll drown my harmonica.
And the answer, Miranda, bloweth in the wind,
The answer bloweth in the wind.

[Mirror Image]

I never have liked Bob Dylan at all. His voice is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. I never figured out what the attraction was until I heard someone else perform one of his songs. Bill Frisell performed a great rendition of Just Like A Woman on his album Have A Little Faith. Really fantastic.

[Elgarian]

I never have liked Bob Dylan at all. His voice is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me.

I used to think that too, but then something clicked for me, and I never looked back after that. He is, I would argue, one of the most creative and inventive singers on the planet. He once claimed he could sing as well as Caruso, and could hold his breath twice as long. I wouldn't argue with that.

[Mirror Image]

I used to think that too, but then something clicked for me, and I never looked back after that. He is, I would argue, one of the most creative and inventive singers on the planet. He once claimed he could sing as well as Caruso, and could hold his breath twice as long. I wouldn't argue with that.

The thing is I don't think he could sing at all. Horrible voice IMHO. The songs, on the other hand, were quite good.

[Karl Henning]

It's a timbre all its own. Don't think of it singing, think of it as a sort of performance.

[Sammy]

Highway 61 Revisited, the best rock album I ever heard:


[asin]B00026WU82[/asin]

[Elgarian]

The thing is I don't think he could sing at all. Horrible voice IMHO. The songs, on the other hand, were quite good.

Of course this discussion has been running now for about 50 years, and polarising opinion just as sharply throughout that time (which includes several reinventions of the way he sings/performs). Even among Dylan fans there's sharp division about which are the 'good' reinventions. And then there have always been those who says 'no one sings Dylan like Dylan', contrasting with those who think his songs are better sung by others (as you do).

I'm reminded of my grandson's response when he came into the room while I was listening to the miraculous singing of Mirella Freni: 'What's that horrible noise?' he wailed. I'm also reminded of Greil Marcus's perceptive comment that Dylan presented himself in a kind of perceptual box; and the task of the listener was to find a way of climbing into the box with him. As for Dylan himself, I think he'd have no truck with any of this. He stands on stage and presents his songs, and he'd think what happens after that isn't his business. If I were to tell him that he's provided me with some of the supreme musical experiences of my life (which he has), I think he'd just shrug his shoulders.

[Ataraxia]

Yes, to quote myself from earlier in this thread:

"Bob is a force of nature. You're either along for the ride, or not. He don't care."

[Elgarian]

And it's just as true now as it was 3 years ago, Dave.

[Karl Henning]

What are three years, in The Shed?

[Leo K.]

Of course this discussion has been running now for about 50 years, and polarising opinion just as sharply throughout that time (which includes several reinventions of the way he sings/performs). Even among Dylan fans there's sharp division about which are the 'good' reinventions. And then there have always been those who says 'no one sings Dylan like Dylan', contrasting with those who think his songs are better sung by others (as you do).

I'm reminded of my grandson's response when he came into the room while I was listening to the miraculous singing of Mirella Freni: 'What's that horrible noise?' he wailed. I'm also reminded of Greil Marcus's perceptive comment that Dylan presented himself in a kind of perceptual box; and the task of the listener was to find a way of climbing into the box with him. As for Dylan himself, I think he'd have no truck with any of this. He stands on stage and presents his songs, and he'd think what happens after that isn't his business. If I were to tell him that he's provided me with some of the supreme musical experiences of my life (which he has), I think he'd just shrug his shoulders.

Very eloquent and as a supreme BOB fan, I agree.

[Ataraxia]

What are three years, in The Shed?

A drop in the ocean.

[Karl Henning]

Which, from Minnesota, is a drop which must seem especially insignificant!

[Ataraxia]

Which, from Minnesota, is a drop which must seem especially insignificant!

[Elgarian]

What are three years, in The Shed?

Three years in the Shed, five years, twenty years ... whatever: the times, they are a changin'.