New Bob Dylan album "Together Through Life" - anticipation thread

According to P4K:

http://cdn.pitchfork.com/media/dylancovbig.jpg

Great cover. I can't wait.

whoa that is a graet cover

I disagree!

The "Together" songs "have more of a romantic edge" than the music on "Modern Times," Dylan's 2007 album that debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 1. "The songs on "Modern Times" brought my repertoire up to date, and the light was directed in a certain way. You have to have somebody in mind as an audience otherwise there’s no point," Dylan says.

"There didn’t seem to be any general consensus among my listeners. Some people preferred my first period songs. Some, the second. Some, the Christian period. Some, the post Colombian. Some, the Pre-Raphaelite. Some people prefer my songs from the nineties. I see that my audience now doesn’t particular care what period the songs are from. They feel style and substance in a more visceral way and let it go at that. Images don’t hang anybody up. Like if there’s an astrologer with a criminal record in one of my songs it’s not going to make anybody wonder if the human race is doomed. Images are taken at face value and it kind of freed me up."

accordion on every song?

That's a cool quote. But I don't think people have wondered "if the human race is doomed" based on a particular Bob lyric for 30, maybe 40 years.

Do relatives come up to you at cookouts and ask when you’re going to write a song for THEM?

Oh yeah, one of my uncles’ wives used to pester me all the time, “Bobby, when are you gonna write a song about me … put me on the radio?” It would make me uncomfortable.

How would you get out of it?

I’d say, "I already did Auntie. You’re just not listening to the right stations."

accordion on every song?
Ooo-wee, I'm gonna love this album.

"I already did Auntie. You’re just not listening to the right stations."

^^^ love to hear this line in a Dylan song.

haha yeah - can totally hear it

i'm a "sweatshirt period" man myself.

this should be good! i've loved all of Dylan's last few albums, though Modern Times might've been my least favorite. Sounds like he's switching up the sound to some extent on this one, though I'm not expecting any radical departures.

finally a decent cover! though i'm not crazy about how the logo runs off on both sides, should have just had one.

nice picture though.

very very excited.

amazing cover indeed

the goofball loverman nashville skyline dylan is my favorite so woop woop!

That's a cool quote. But I don't think people have wondered "if the human race is doomed" based on a particular Bob lyric for 30, maybe 40 years.

That seems to be his point, though--he's relieved by it.

I bet he encounters a lot of these people though.

Yes. He probably does.

If this record is as good as the last two, he's in serious consideration for best record maker of the 2000s.

Modern times felt a bit like a rehash so im excited to hear him speak of not "milking" it

i found this pretty funny and it's today's news:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-dylan-outhouse17-2009mar17,0,6819355.story

Bob Dylan's neighbors sing outhouse blues

Malibu residents say wind-borne odors from a portable toilet at the singer's compound are making them ill.

By Bob Pool
March 17, 2009

How sweet is life when you live next to a celebrity in Malibu?

Outside Bob Dylan's house, the answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind.

That's what some of the singer-songwriter's neighbors are charging in an increasingly odoriferous dispute over a portable toilet at his sprawling ocean view estate on Point Dume.

Residents contend that the nighttime sea breeze sends a noxious odor from a portable toilet on Dylan's property wafting into their homes. The stench has made members of one family ill and forced them to abandon their bedrooms on warm nights, they say.

For more than six months, Dylan, 67, has ignored their complaints and their pleas to remove the outhouse, the downwind neighbors say.

"It's a scandal -- 'Mr. Civil Rights' is killing our civil rights," said David Emminger, whose home is directly behind the toilet -- which is apparently intended for use by employees of the entertainer best known for his 1960s-era protest songs.

Emminger and his wife have installed five industrial-sized fans in their frontyard in an attempt to blow the odor back at Dylan. They say the fans are no match for the ocean breeze that sweeps across the singer's land, however.

Dylan, who has lived in a compound next to Bluewater Road for more than two decades, did not respond to inquiries about the toilet. Neither did his New York-based attorney.

Malibu officials said they are investigating the complaint. As a result, they are unable to discuss the issue, they said.

But Dylan's neighbors who contend their patience has run out have plenty to say about the odor.

"It started in September. I'd go into the frontyard and get nauseous," said Cindy Emminger, 42. "I couldn't figure out at first where the smell was coming from."

Her 8-year-old son, David Jr., was sickened by the stench. Then she became ill too.

"We both have allergies and are sensitive to chemicals," she said. "I finally noticed that they had moved the porta-potty directly in front of my front door."

By some accounts, the city's response has been sluggish.

In January, one inspector reported that a city code enforcement officer was turned away by Dylan's security staff and told that he was trespassing. "He said they were going to sue the city," the inspector said.

Guards who staff a security shack near the edge of Dylan's compound around the clock are among those who utilize the toilet, neighbors say.

The guardhouse has been the source of controversy in the past. In 1989, when Dylan sought a permit to build it, Los Angeles County building and safety inspectors discovered it was not accessible to the handicapped.

According to county records, the singer bypassed accessibility requirements by promising, in writing, that he "would not hire any handicapped persons" to work in it.

Malibu City Manager Jim Thorsen denied Emminger's charge that officials allow celebrities to "dictate terms" to the city.

"There's no truth in that whatsoever. Everybody, in our opinion, is a high-profile person. We have to treat everybody by what the code says. It's not a matter of clout or of money. We treat everybody exactly the same," Thorsen said.

Although Malibu's municipal laws apparently do not directly address the issue of the permanent use of a portable toilet, one code section states that temporary structures connected to authorized construction projects must be removed upon completion of the project.

Another prohibits objectionable odor "in excess of what is normally found in the neighborhood."

"I drove by one time and couldn't locate the porta-potty or smell anything. I called the rental company on her behalf to find out what chemicals they use and forwarded that information to her," Thorsen said.

"It's worse when it's misty outside at night. We turn on the five fans, but it still gets inside our house. We're not even using the upstairs now. We sleep downstairs," she said.

if the writer was a true Dylan fan it would have been an idiot wind pun rather than the tired Blowin In the Wind reference ...

"It's worse when it's misty outside at night. We turn on the five fans, but it still gets inside our house. We're not even using the upstairs now. We sleep downstairs," she said.

How did this Onion article mistakenly get published in the LA Times?

Why does Dylan have a portable toilet on his estate?

'Mr. Civil Rights' is killing our civil rights

lol dylan as "mr. civil rights"

Bob Dylan, age 67
http://photos.state.gov/libraries/amgov/3234/week_1/010208_AP620911012_200.jpg

also what kind of jumbo size pissing in the wind solution to things is fighting ocean winds with fans in your garden?

the record cover is nice but it would be better if the text didn't have the distressed contempo-design thing going on.

Are you saying that Dylan can't shop at Ikea like the rest of us?

i think a label mixup is going to result in people wondering why dylan is on the cover of the next shawn mullins album

idiot wind pun ...

The stench from folk-rock troubador Bob Dylan's Malibu estate has neighbors screaming "Oh Mercy"

"Dylan refuses to crawl out his window"

"Malibu's Neighborhood Bully"

In response to his neighbors accusations, Mr. Dylan said "most likely you go your way, and I'll go mine."

"According to county records, the singer bypassed accessibility requirements by promising, in writing, that he 'would not hire any handicapped persons' to work in it."

ha, PROBLEM SOLVED

"The legendary rocker's neighbors claim they don't need a weatherman to tell which way the pungent smell from his port-a-potty blows."

"Tangled Up in Poo"

hahahahaha

"I ain't gonna poop on Bobby's farm no more"

http://bobsbooks.files.wordpress.com/2006/05/bob.jpg

"All I really Want to Doo-doo"

/sry

http://i41.tinypic.com/30i80gm.jpg

hmmm http://gawker.com/5171617/bob-dylans-gay-kiss
is that two guys on the cover? doesn't look like it to me, but maybe I'm wrong. I mean, Dylan is Mr. Civil Rights, after all. Maybe he's coming out in support of gay marriage.

he put a glory hole in his portapotty

He was lucky just be emBOYed.

it is. look at the arm around the neck. seems a very positive thing to do (which i know sucks and it would be nice if it could be inconsequential and devoid of context but right now, that picture and together through life is pretty resonant).

plot thickens, kinda
http://www.baltimoremagazine.net/allthepiecesmatter/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/9780679734918.jpg

pitchfork also linked to the original collection, called by bruce davidson the photographer, really cool pix

http://www.edelmangallery.com/davidsonshow1.htm

o man, i want to be in that brooklyn gang 1959 hell yeah

"We both have allergies and are sensitive to chemicals"

I hate Californians.

has no one found this potty on google maps yet wtf is the internet for

can't see it here, damn it
http://images.movieeye.com/images/media_assets/R7094-v4992pcnv_bob_DW_preview.jpg

I hate Californians.

― thirdalternative

well we "hate" you too!

did you really have to say that?

h8 u cali

Just jokin', Bee Ok. You know how a certain kind of new agey person who is always going on about toxins, etc.? The kind of people who go see (white) Chinese Herbalists over a real doctor, and think homeopathic medicine actually works. Stereotypically Californian.

Bee OK, you guys have really good rappers, kudos.

i was born in cali. one love.

(also bob dylan hasn't made a bad album in 20 years, by my count, so yes i'm anticipating happily.)

all is good, i dislike those jokers as well.

xpost

(ok 19 years. since under the red sky.)

Is this for REAL? The LP I mean.

It'd be kind of cool if this one was bad. Part of the Dylan myth is that he loses the plot once in a while. This is the longest stretch of his career where pretty much everyone seems to like all the albums.

i thought modern times was rather dull

modern times is my favorite of the last three, or at least it's the one i've gone back to the most. but i also like that there are divided feelings even on the recent stuff -- like, my dad really likes time out of mind and modern times but is sort of ehh on love and theft, but i know other people who love love and theft more than anything since the '70s, etc. wouldn't be dylan if there was actually consensus.

(i spent a few days a while back just listening to "ain't talkin'" over and over.)

ain't talkin' the best of that record for sure. all these sweet dean martin band notes: kind of think it's one of the best things he's done for forever.

i hope the new one's just syrup: hearing about the chess records style rockin' doesn't do much for me, but if it's more steel pedal laden standing in the doorway stuff i'd be really pleased

I think I like the movie singles ("Things Have Changed" and "Huck's Tune") more than the last few albums.

I'd rank them:

"Love and Theft"
Modern Times
Time Out of Mind (this one has dated the worst; it sounded tentative even in '97)

"Huck's Tune" feels more like Oh Mercy and Time Out of Mind than the 12-bar blues on the albums. A great song about gambling, and my favorite song of his since "Dignity".

I loved all the unreleased tracks on Telltale Signs.

If I was producing Dylan, I'd forbid him from touching the guitar: the loosey-goosey piano on which he's concentrated the last eight years have really loosened him up as a singer and songwriter.

Though I enjoyed the hell out of it, I thought Modern Times was slightly overrated (aside from maybe "Ain't Talkin'" and "Spirit on the Water"). Love and Theft is an almost perfect record, from start to finish, just about as good as anything he's done. Time Out of Mind could've been a couple songs shorter, but it's an often breathtaking piece of work. At least half of it is masterful. For a while, I wasn't sure if Lanois' production was too murky, but in light of the last couple records, I think it's a nice alternate sound for Dylan.

yeah my faves on the last two are the breezy swing tunes (eg Summer Days) - MT had a few too many 12-bar "rockers"

Love and Theft is an almost perfect record, from start to finish, just about as good as anything he's done.

Yes. This gets my vote for best album of the 2000s. Modern Times is also a staggeringly great record, but it's not as much fun as Love and Theft. For me, Time Out Of Mind is all a setup for Highlands, one of his greatest achievements.

the movie songs are a nice little cluster. there's a bootleg floating around with all these different workouts of tell ol' bill, one-of-which (but not the best-of-which) popped up on tell tale signs (take seven!) - it's amazing.

yeah, the tell ol bill bootleg has him starting the song all minor key and dark before switching to the breezier released version. total dylan-nerd stuff, but i guess that's what I am. interesting in the same way the dreamy Telltale Signs version of "Someday Baby" is in contrast to the Modern Times version. I guess what's really inspiring and exciting to me about his work this decade is that it truly is pretty different (lyrically, mainly) from anything he's done before.

The version of "most of the time" on telltale signs is so great

and "Born in Time."

yeah, for sure; it's almost persona-ish that he's writing from such a vantage point; of being an old guy, of slouching around listening to neil young etc. someone i know's crazy about dylan and talks of writing about the contrast between the viewpoints, then and now - like, 'you can always lose a little more' versus the bravado of like a rolling stone etc.

i actually haven't listened to the tell ol' bill boot front to back, but i gather it's interesting because you can actually hear him messing around and talking in the studio, blowing the self-cultivated-image/mystique etc. great to hear how flexible the song is anyway.

lol at that barnyard picture.

seriously sometimes i think love & theft and modern times were the result of bob coming up with his new country gent way of dressing and then deciding he needed to write music to match.

ha ha exactly

"Tell Tale Signs" was easily my most listened to album of '08. It was really put together well. Almost every song on the thing has been a favorite at one time or another. It's "Marchin' To the City" at the moment.

i adored Love and Theft and mostly liked Modern Times. I'm not sure about the cover of this album, it seems awfully.... Guess ad. Why not just put Bob's grizzled ugly face on it again?

more important things to ponder whilst we wait for this important album :
No woman really loves Bob Dylan. His music is something that women pretend to enjoy to please men, like camping or golf. - The NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/17/arts/television/17stan.html
yay or nay ... fwiw, I can't think of a woman I know who is REALLY into Bob Dylan. Though there are plenty who aren't pretending to enjoy it, I'm pretty sure.

haha -- I know a few women who ADORE him, even to owning the bootleg series.

i know women who love dylan.

well there ya go ... yeah, pretty dumb statement, really. Certainly there are scores of female musicians -- Lucinda Williams, Patti Smith -- who love the guy.

always knew Cat Power was faking it.

yeah, judging from that "Song to Bobby" mash note, Chan loves Bob to a seemingly unhealthy degree ...

whoah that cover is awesome

i know several women who either like or love dylan. when i met my wife, i was happy to see biograph on her cd shelves.

Keepin things interesting, Dylan celebrated the upcoming release of his new album ... by playing "Billy" live for the first time ever in Stockholm over the weekend. Dylan nerds weep.

dammit that would have been a huge score for my dylan fantasy league ;_;

i picked girl from the greenbriar shore as my longshot, which of course he will not do now.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/siseoo

Listening now !

yeah this is nice

And then he played "One More Cup Of Coffee" the night after in Stockholm. Dylan nerds can weep even more.

:'|

What will the next rarity be? OMG. Maybe ummmm, "Oh, Sister"? "TV Talkin' Song"? "Caribbean Wind"? The mind boggles.

every time this thread gets bumped i get excited cuz i think the first song will have been put up on the internet

nothing yet! until then, the interview over at bobdylan.com is hilarious.
The instrumental sections on your albums have a different quality than the usual rock instrumental sections. For instance, on an Aerosmith record, at least part of it is about Joe Perry's solo. While there's wonderful playing on BEYOND HERE LIES NOTHING, we don't hear the usual guitar soloing technique. Is there a special way you approach the instrumental sections on a record?
What can I say, if I had Joe Perry with me everything would obviously be different. As it is though, he wasn't there.

lol -- he wouldn't know Joe Perry from Commodore Perry.

loooooooooool

this might be fixed shortly, but uhhh, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0020JJDKW?ie=UTF8&tag=expectingrain-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B0020JJDKW
chipmunk Bob? har.

must have been fixed -- sounds quite normal. It does say the song is "from the album 'Beyond Here Lies Nothin''", mind.

like one poster said up above, I'm slightly worried this album will obey the Dylan law of averages and be a total clanger. But I'll be buying it immediately.

The 3-disc deluxe edition looks interesting. As well as the album, you get this:
Disc: 2
1. Howdy Neighbor (J. Morris) - Porter Wagoner & The Wagonmasters
2. Don't Take Everybody To Be Your Friend (M.Gabler/R. Tharpe) - Sister Rosetta Tharpe
3. Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend (L. Robin/J. Styne) - T Bone Burnett
4. La Valse De Amitie (O. Guidry) - Doc Guidry
5. Make Friends (E. Mcgraw) - Moon Mulligan
6. My Next Door Neighbor (J. McCain) - Jerry McCain
7. Let's Invite Them Over (O. Wheeler) - George Jones & Melba Montgomery
8. My Friends (C. Burnett/S. Ling) - Howlin' Wolf
9. Last Night (W. Jones) - Little Walter
10. You've Got a Friend (C. King) - Carole King
11. Bad Neighborhood (Caronna/M. Rebennack) - Ronnie & The Delinquents
12. Neighbours (M. Jagger/K. Richards) - The Rolling Stones
13. Too Many Parties and Too Many Pals (B. Rose/M. Dixon/R. Henderson) - Hank Williams as Luke the Drifter
14. Why Can't We Be Friends (S. Allen/H. Brown/M. Dickerson/J. Goldstein/L. Jordan /C. Miller/H. Scott/L. Oskar) - War

Disc: 3
1. Roy Silver - The Lost Interview (DVD)

Anyone know the idea behind this?

is that... a mix?

assuming disc 2 is stuff from Theme Time Radio Hour -- hopefully with Dylan's intros? ... not sure what the DVD is.

suppose. you'd wonder what the link to the album is, though.

eh, probably no link, just plugging the radio show ...

It's friends and neighbors related stuff on disc two. I suppose there's a thematic link to the idea of "Together Through Life". but a bit lame, I think.

so don't buy it.

Fair enough. Just questioning the decision to add this stuff to the release. I might well buy it, though -- cos of the Roy Silver DVD thing

Who is Roy Silver?

dudes NEW SONG ON BOBDYLAN.COM

http://www.bobdylan.com/

dl it for free for 24 hours git er done

first listen: very cool.

wow

can't believe the guy worked with so many dodgy producers when you hear him pull out such an amazing SOUND.

Yes. Where was Jack Frost in the 80s?

so much like the last, exceptionally boring record, he's working pretty much exclusively within 12-bar blues

ugh

there was something ethereal and magical about, say, 'blonde on blonde' etc, which he's completely and utterly lost

yeah, dylan didn't really work very much with 12-bar blues on Blonde on Blonde did he?

louis, i have come to find you to be a loveable art rock forest faun, but seriously this better be your last post on this thread.

lol

there was something so ethereal and magical about the sixties.

Bob did some of his best work in the sixties. Classics like All The Tired Horses and Wigwam.

can't believe the guy worked with so many dodgy producers when you hear him pull out such an amazing SOUND.

Yeah, this (a couple of those eighties records are self-produced, though). I love the sound of his voice now than I ever did. I get so much pleasure from it that, like listening to Aretha or Bryan Ferry, I have to be careful and not let it blind me to so-so material.

the drumming on this is definitely a different vibe from the last couple, way jazzier and showier, i like it.

aw yeah, this sounds great. and yeah, pretty different sound from the last two albums, with the accordion and prominently mixed organ there. gotta admit, it started and I thought: "Tom Waits?"

or latin playboys i thought

Yes!

Latin Playboys done RIGHT, without the Tchad Blake/Mitchell Froom carouselambra keyboards.

yeah, yeah, that's probably closer. but yeah, this bodes well for the new album! EXCITED.

yeah so far the song itself feels a bit stale but the loose drum sound, the organ, the riffing of the accordeon make it pretty special. I miss not having a backyard where I could play the shit out of this next summer

The accordion is wonderful; I hope the rumors are true that it's heavily featured on the album.

The drums are mixed at a nice level, enough to slink the song along without bashing your head in; but they've also got a lot going on.

now i just need to decide whether to be a sucker and order the "deluxe" version. PS - Did y'allz know that there are remasters of Basement Tapes, New Morning and Before the Flood coming out tomorrow. Mainly interested in the New Morning disc -- my CD of that has kinda muffled sound.

good track, nice production, maybe a harder edge than modern times? "beyond here lies nothin'/nothin' but the moon and the stars." i dig him in his fatalistic, aphoristic, wizened ironist phase.

re: the production here, you know what I wish? That "Under The Red Sky" had been produced in the Jack Frost/Love&Theft/Modern Times style. Seriously! I think that album would be held in much higher esteem if that were the case. Lose the guest stars, the big-ass drum sound, get some decent performances out of Bob, and you'd have a great record.

I've always found that one underrated too, but Don Was got a gutbucket sound from those expensive guests.

isn't cats in the well on that? that song seems to have become a somewhat common part of his set

the back cover photo to under a red sky always cracks me up. poor bob.

yeah, it's like the most expensive garage band ever. George Harrison! Elton John! Slash! Kenny Aronoff! David Crosby! i kinda like it overall, but there's something mystifyingly wrong about it overall. Maybe Dylan's vocals are just off? Songwriting wise I actually don't think it's all that different from what he's doing now, but it just doesn't quite make it.

i kinda like it overall, but there's something mystifyingly wrong about it overall.
:P

i always think it's sorta hilarious when Slash is faded out mid-solo. "Eh, that's good enough, Slash, thanks."

I guess that's the closest Dylan ever got to having Joe Perry on his records ...

i think red sky and oh mercy both prefigure the more recent records, but it's like he was only halfway there -- in what sound he wanted, what he had to say, how to sing and write the way he wanted to. the more recent records sound to me like he figured some things out, personally, philosophically, artistically, musically, etc.

lol -- he wouldn't know Joe Perry from Commodore Perry.

― The Screaming Lobster of Challops (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, March 24, 2009 8:31 PM (6 days ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

also if he can namecheck Ice-T and public enemy in chronicle i'd kinda guess he knows aerosmith

Not to totally derail the thread, but this is a sort of fascinating account of Under the Red Sky from Don Was: http://www.uncut.co.uk/music/bob_dylan/special_features/12271
Especially this, haha.
I remember, just before we recorded “Handy Dandy”, Bob remarked about how, years earlier, he'd been to a Miles Davis session. The band improvised for an hour and then Teo Macero, the producer, took a razorblade to tape and cut it into a coherent five-minute piece. It allowed the musicians to stretch out without worrying about whether they were adhering to a set arrangement. We decided to try something similar with "Handy Dandy". It was originally 34 minutes long and had some amazing solos by Jimmy and Stevie. We picked the most appropriate four minutes and cut that together. Columbia Records could release a bootleg series box set of just the unexpurgated "Handy Dandy" and "Cat's In The Well" just like they did with "In A Silent Way".

My Bob Dylan has strange musical lacunae, thanks.

(xpost)

Also this, omg: David and I were supposed to write a song for Paula Abdul's next album and we asked Bob if he'd be willing to join us in the enterprise. We turned the TV off and wrote a little song called "Shirley Temple Doesn't Live Here Anymore". It struck me as a companion piece to The Last Picture Show, conjuring up images of a dying town and a disappearing way of life. We made a wistful sounding demo that, in all probability, was better suited to a singer like Richard Manuel than poor little Paula. She subsequently passed on the song.

and finally, to bring it back home a little: Under The Red Sky didn’t get the greatest reviews, but it's one of the very few records I’ve been involved with that I also listen to for personal enjoyment. That's all I can go by. You should bear in mind that I also listen to Archie Shepp, the Stooges and Andre Williams for enjoyment but that doesn't alter the fact that Under The Red Sky is a very cool album - much better than anyone thought at the time. Actually, I find it very similar - the precursor - to Modern Times. I can't believe that nobody's noticed the connection.

That's a Don Was quote, right? I was disappointed that Dylan didn't say it.

yeah those are all Don Was. This is also great, something from Chris Shaw, the guy who -- aside from Jack Frost of course -- is most responsible for the last couple records' sound. Funny stuff: http://www.uncut.co.uk/music/bob_dylan/special_features/12361

tyler: Roy Silver is a film producer. Appeared on No Direction Home. No idea what this interview disc is all about, mind

hmm! whatever he has to say must be really ... important?

Columbia must reckon so. Or maybe Roy interviews Bob?

new song streaming over here: http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/popvox/
sounds really nice! liking the accordion a lot so far.

third part of that long interview

What a guy

yeah that is definitely another classic Dylan interview, haha.

a friend made the comparison of that newsweek.com song to a "south of the border new morning", which i think is pretty OTM...it's got that same sorta easygoing charm

Matt's friend definitely OTM

yeah, that hadn't occurred to me, but it sounds right now that i think of it.

woah...robert hunter co-wrote all the lyrics!!!

http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/04/15/bob-dylan-rep-confirms-robert-hunter-co-wrote-together-through-life-lyrics/

haha, weird! "Silvio" and "The Ugliest Girl In The World" = not exactly Dylan's finest hours. "Silvio"'s OK, but mainly for the fun live versions. Lyrics are sorta bad.

Part 4 of the interview here. Bob names his favorite songwriters and talks a lot about sideshow performers...

good stuff! you can preorder the "deluxe" version of the album for $15.99 over at amazon, by the way. Seems like the best deal I've seen on it.

this interview has got to be one of the most quietly moving and revealing thing I've read about Dylan.

The bit about Randy Newman in the last part is astonishingly gorgeous.

Dylan continues to bring the lols:
BF: Could you write a song about anybody?

BD: Well I bet you could, yeah.

BF: How would you get Stevie Wonder into a song?

BD: When Stevie Wonder recorded "Blowin' in the Wind"/ I was playin' cards/ I was drinkin' gin/

BF: Could you write a song like Stevie wonder?

BD: I could write one like "Superstition" but I couldn't write one like "Sir Duke."

BF: Could you write a song about George Bush?

BD: Well sure. George's name would be easy to rhyme.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/19/bob-dylan-interview-revea_n_188782.html

BD: I could write one like "Superstition" but I couldn't write one like "Sir Duke."

bd otm

BF: Every girl named Roxanne feels a connection to Sting. Every Alison thinks Elvis Costello was singing about her. You expecting to meet a lot of Jolenes?

BD: Oh gosh, I hope not.

BF: Any chance your Jolene is the same woman who got Dolly Parton so worked up?

BD: You mean that woman with the flaming locks of auburn hair?

BF: Yeah! Who's smile is like a breath of Spring.

BD: Oh yeah, I remember her.

BF: Is it the same one?

BD: It's a different lady.

hahaha

these two should be a comedy team

So Dylan listens to music recorded after 1970 after all!

he talks about listening to Ice-T while working on Oh Mercy in Chronicles

yeah, and in that interview with his engineer linked above, the guy says that Dylan's interest was piqued when he found out the engineer had worked with Public Enemy ...

dude seems like he's on top of things

yeah, i mean, he doesn't download the latest underground mixtapes, but it seems like he has an interest in current music. and there was a tour a few years back where Dylan was covering Zevon, "The End of the Innocence", some later-period Van Morrison ... not exactly current, but still ...

I love how his various reference make it seem that he's pretty aware of the major players in hip hop whereas indie Dylan groupies never get a mention

he did mention Wilco in Chronicles ... probably the greatest moment of Jeff Tweedy's life right there.

Oh my goodness. This is so great. I am floored by its majesty. Holy mackerel, people. Bob has done it again.

It's the least blues-influenced of his last 4. And it's sort of an "up" record like Love and Theft, compared with the "down" Time Out Of Mind and Modern Times. You can even hear Bob laughing a couple times. So many great lines, too.

The only downside, it doesn't say much for the state of contemporary music that the best record maker of the 2000s is pushing 70.

nice. can't wait! any songs in his new 'crooning' mode a la "Moonlight", "Spirit On the Water" etc?

Just one, but it's a great one. Life Is Hard. If it had a more traditional vocal it could be a standard.

BF: But you've sold over a hundred million records.

BD: Yeah I know. It's a mystery to me too.

... i can't help it if i'm lucky

excited! he hasn't debuted any new songs yet, but his current euro tour is killing it setlist-wise

April 22, 2009

1. The Wicked Messenger (Bob on keyboard, Donnie on electric mandolin)
2. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (Bob on keyboard and harp)
3. Man In The Long Black Coat (Bob center stage on guitar)
4. Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
(Bob on keyboard)
5. Blind Willie McTell (Bob on keyboard, Donnie on banjo)
6. Desolation Row (Bob on keyboard and harp, Donnie on electric mandolin)
7. Honest With Me (Bob on keyboard)
8. Sugar Baby (Bob on keyboard)
9. Highway 61 Revisited (Bob on keyboard)
10. Ballad Of A Thin Man (Bob on keyboard and harp)
11. I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
(Bob on keyboard and harp)
12. Ain't Talkin' (Bob on keyboard, Donnie on viola)
13. Thunder On The Mountain (Bob on keyboard)
14. Like A Rolling Stone (Bob on keyboard)

(encore)
15. All Along The Watchtower (Bob on keyboard)
16. Spirit On The Water (Bob on keyboard)
17. Blowin' In The Wind (Bob on keyboard and harp, Donnie on violin)

first six songs there are kind of an incredible run -- obviously Dylan's perfomances are variable, but if he was really on that night ...

I've never seen him live and I haven't heard any of his live shows post 75...how long ago did he switch to playing keyboard on all of the songs?

ummm a couple years back? Maybe since 2005 or 2006. He occasionally straps on the guitar, but rumor has it his back gives him trouble. I think his sound is sort of a weird organ sound these days. For a while it was straight piano ...

Piano's one thing, but I hate seeing him with a little electric keyboard in front of him. Just looks wrong.

it's a funny look, yeah
http://spex.de/gfx/image/Magazin/Artikel/2009.03/BobDylan.jpg
maybe he'll start playing accordion since this new one has so much of it.

here's another view
http://mog.com/images/users/64/1156788316.jpeg

kidding, that's Jandek

I saw him in Summer 2005 (after not seeing him since like 1989!) and he was playing that little keyboard then. A Dylanphile I was talking to in the beer line said he'd been doing it for a few years at that point

yeah I think he introduced the keys a little while after Love & Theft came out, but it wasn't quite his primary instrument onstage at that point. Seems to be that way now. When I saw him, the keys were pretty low in the mix. Always seems a little weird to me that Dylan hasn't had a full time keyboard player in his touring band since what Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers?

When I saw him in 2005, he killed on the keyboard: he got that gutbucket sound I love. "Señor" was particularly impressive.

That keyboard photo looks like it would cause more back trouble than a guitar would. Is he seated there, or standing bent at the waist?

Well, if you look more closely, you'll see strings coming out of his shoulders.

yeah i dunno -- maybe he has arthritis that makes playing guitar difficult? Or maybe he's just sick of the guitar -- I don't think he's ever given an official explanation.

he stands at the keyboard, or hunches ...

he should go back to this style ...

he stands at the keyboard, or hunches ...

sounds like the beginning of Dylan slash fiction.

The last few times I've seen him his piano playing was about as remarkable as Brian Wilson's lately, which is to say, not. He did, however, play guitar for about five songs the last time I saw him, but the show was so bad I said it'd be, indeed, the last, final time I'd see him. I even fell asleep. Love the new records, but live it's there's little merit beyond admiring the hired hands in the band, which kind of misses the point.

aw, i don't think Dylan is quite the marionette Brian Wilson is onstage these days. But he does definitely have off nights, no doubt about that. And some people can't get past the shape of his voice ... but I suppose it's been that way since day one.

but live it's there's little merit beyond admiring the hired hands in the band, which kind of misses the point.

i dunno i find the weird ways they arranged and change real familiar songs sort of fascinating, even if it doesn't always "work" per se, but sometimes it does and it's sweet..still it's kinda crazy when last time i saw him it took me one whole verse to realize he was doing "simple twist of fate"

yeah, i still think it's kind of amazing the liberties Dylan takes with with his songs. Even someone like Neil Young keeps his tunes in pretty similar format for years on end. But Dylan has never, ever been interested in playing the song like it sounds on the record. Maybe the live versions of the last two records have been the closest, but that's prob. because they were recorded with his touring band (a rarity for him). Even still, he's really fucked around with L&T songs. Ever hear the "new wave-y" version of "Moonlight"?

thirded, the best part of seeing him live these days is hearing the old songs as played by the new band. which, by the way, most of these guys have been with him for years now (Garnier's been by his side for over a decade), so it's hardly "hired hands" .. this is essentially "his band", even if they don't have some formal sobriquet like "the xpensive winos" or whatever.

also, the setlist anticipation ("what's he gonna play tonight?") is half the fun of going to see him now. so I would pretty firmly disagree with the notion of watching all these guys play together, trawling through the massive songbook, is "missing the point"

And some people can't get past the shape of his voice.

It's not the shape, it's the shapelessness. His delivery and phrasing used to be so on-point, now he just recites lines in some random syntax.

Last time i saw him it took me one whole verse to realize he was doing "simple twist of fate"

See above. I would never begrudge the dude shaking things up. The problem (to my ears) is not that he made it different. He just made it unrecognizable, which is a dubious achievement. If anything, it further underscores how important Dylan's voice and vocal melodies are/were to the songs, and how much is missed thanks to his current sprechgesang. (see also, to some extent, Lou Reed). Again, I'm satisfied with his efforts to get it sympathetic on record, but live I'm not hearing much from him that makes each radical revision worthwhile. The band, yes. From Dylan? Nah.

And the idea that he trawls from his massive songbook is as off as claiming that Macca does the same. Neither goes terrible deep, considering. The last five? Six? times I've seen Dylan, he's closed with "Watchtower," which is about as by the books as it gets.

all valid points, and I admit to being a Bob megafan, so I'm not really an impartial source, but I dunno -- check that setlist from this week up above, that's hardly playing it by the books. there are some greatest hits, no doubt (mainly in the encore), but it's a super well-selected bunch of songs. Not saying he did them justice -- haven't heard the show -- but I feel like it's more interesting than Macca or the Stones' sets in this day and age. And seriously, if you need convincing of Dylan's capability to be amazing live in the last decade, check the live stuff from the No Direction Home bootleg series ...

I'll credit Dylan this: his live sets are never as simply proficient as the Stones or McCartney. At the same time, Dylan's had so few actual hits, and his fans are so, well, fanatic, you'd think he could get away with totally shaking things up, and not to the detriment of the set. I mean, if one were to accept that radically rearranging his A material is a good thing, then certainly radically reworking stuff from his vast C-list would be good, too, if not even better. Heck, it's been almost 15 years since he played something like "Dark Eyes," and that's one I consider a keeper. He's either capable or not, and if not, that sort of puts the lie to the idea that there's a creative impulse behind his unrecognizable renditions, rather than simply a unavoidably practical one. If he never toured again, but kept releasing albums as good as the last three or four, I don't think we'd be missing much. But that's neither here nor there, since nothing short of death or serious illness will keep Dylan off the road.

yeah, i mean, in a lot of ways Dylan exists in a weird realm -- he's sort of like the ultimate "cult" figure, in that he's got these insane fanatics (who even make me uncomfortable). but on the other hand he's got the pop culture status of being "Bob Dylan." Last time I saw him, I'd guess that at *least* 2/3 of the crowd was there because of the latter -- the sort of "i better see this guy before he dies" crowd. while i'd love it if he randomly would decide to play, i don't know, side two of "New Morning" in its entirety, I think he feels like he needs to balance that impulse. Or maybe he doesn't care at all.

So...

This is floating around now. Any thoughts?

as someone in a dylan fantasy list believe me the fucker's setlists are hard to predict outside of a core of songs that show up on a regular basis.

haven't heard any leaks yet -- will probably just wait til the release date. as for setlists, yeah, i mean did anybody predict "Tough Mama" for this tour? Or "Billy"? Or "Return to Me"?

basically he has a core you're going to hear - not every show - but a lot of shows...stuff like rainy day women, thunder on the mountain, summer days, watchtower, etc - but outside of that it's pretty fair game for lots of stuff

he's covering the second half of Bowie's Low, with particular emphasis on "Art Decade."

I heard someone who knew someone in the band (either Sexton or Denny Freeman) that said something to the effect that just to join the touring band, you have learn a songbook of 130-150 songs BD wants to play.

yeah that sounds about right! granted, these aren't the *most* complicated songs in the world, but learning arrangements, et al for them must be a challenge for even the most seasoned musician. it is interesting the stuff he never plays though, or plays rarely. Like why does he stay away from Blood On The Tracks so much. Other than the 60s stuff, that's gotta be his most popular (or at least most well-loved) album. But aside from "Tangled" he doesn't play those songs on a very regular basis. First time I saw him play when I was a kid he did "Idiot Wind" but he hasn't done it since!

for a while I thought he was playing "Lily, Rosemary..." quite a bit. When's the last he pulled out "Shelter from the Storm"? I can see that being weird, "Up to Me" too.

not to dylan-nerd you out here, but he's only been rumored to play "Lily" once, in 1976 .... He'll do "Shelter" and "Twist of Fate" occasionally and "Tangled" more often but otherwise, those songs get the short shrift.

if you want to know what he's NOT playing on the current tour, i direct you to my horrible dylan pool picks:

* Mississippi (5)
* Every Grain of Sand (9)
* Someday Baby (9)
* Love Sick (5)
* Not Dark Yet (6)
* Just Like a Woman (3)
* Maggie's Farm (4)
* I Want You (10)
* All Along the Watchtower (1)
* Standing in the Doorway (10)
* Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again (2)
* Nettie Moore (2)
* The Times They Are A-Changin' (4)
* Workingman's Blues #2 (3)
* Moonlight (3)
* Cry A While (8)
* Cat's in the Well (1)
* High Water (For Charley Patton) (4)
* Gotta Serve Somebody (3)
* If Not for You (7)
* Dreamin of you (5)
* Long Black Veil (10)
* THE GIRL FROM THE GREEN BRIAR SHORE (20)

lol I am totally out-Dylan-nerd-able, I am just a Dylan-dilettante relative to the hardcore. It's a pity, "Lily" would be great live with this band!

does he play anything off Saved, like "Solid Rock", these days?

seems like a good list, nothing ridiculously unlikely, cept for maybe the last two -- would be cool if he decided to introduce something from No Direction Home like "Dreamin of You," that song is so great. and i've heard Dylan doing "Long Black Veil" sometime back in the 90s, it is super slow and lovely.
xpost

here's the last date (wicked messenger + blind willie mctell!!!)

The Wicked Messenger 6
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue 4
Man in the Long Black Coat 7
Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again 2
Blind Willie McTell 6
Desolation Row 4
Honest With Me 2
Sugar Baby 8
Highway 61 Revisited 1
Ballad of a Thin Man 3
I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met) 4
Ain't Talkin' 2
Thunder On the Mountain 1
Like a Rolling Stone 1
All Along the Watchtower 1
Spirit on the Water 2
Blowin' in the Wind

i think he was doing "Solid Rock" a few years back. Religious period songs he does these days are that, "Serve Somebody", "Grain of Sand" and "I Believe In You"... the hits!

seems like a good list, nothing ridiculously unlikely, cept for maybe the last two -- would be cool if he decided to introduce something from No Direction Home like "Dreamin of You," that song is so great. and i've heard Dylan doing "Long Black Veil" sometime back in the 90s, it is super slow and lovely.
xpost

― tylerw, Thursday, April 23, 2009 8:11 PM (33 seconds ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

yeah it's more a strategy problem...he's playing some of my songs, but just the real low-point-value ones...basically you need a few easy ones to hit almost every night...then hell maybe you get lucky on the 20 point prayer (that's a division with every song he's ever done live)....like for example he played senor recent which i think is 20...but the real thing you have to hit on is one of the more 7-12 point ones, like a not-super-common song that he takes a shine to for the tour...that's where dylan fantasy victories are made.

i'm like 856 out of a thousandsome players...i fricking WON this thing last year and now i'm terrible.

around 2000 or so I acquired a bootleg called like the NET Archive, of mostly covers played during the NET, it was pretty ridic how much ground they covered, like 10 cds.

yeah there's one of all the covers he did 1988-2000 or something. Some amazing stuff and some real dreck.

Chin up, M@tt -- Dylan is going to turn this thing around for you. THE GIRL FROM THE GREEN BRIAR SHORE, for the rest of the Euro tour!

according to the voting thing on the 20 point songs, he once did "London Calling" by the Clash, which surprised me

he did it i think after Joe Strummer died. And only the first verse. It sounded pretty good -- too bad he didn't go all the way with it.

i actually saw him the week that garcia died, and he did a great version of "alabama getaway" and dedicated it to jerry

Yeah that Never-Ending Tour covers box is crazy .. Tom Petty covers n' shit ... on Scorpio, same folks that did the Genuine Bootleg Series, the Live '66 Box ...

so, according to boblinks.com, these are the last two setlists I got:

Schaumburg, IL Alexian Field (w/ Willie Nelson)

July 10, 2005

1. Drifter's Escape
2. Señor (Tales Of Yankee Power)
3. God Knows
4. The Times They Are A-Changin'
5. Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)
6. Million Miles
7. Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
8. I Shall Be Released
9. Highway 61 Revisited
10. Tryin' To Get To Heaven
11. Ballad Of A Thin Man
12. Summer Days

(encore)
13. Like A Rolling Stone

Chicago, IL The Chicago Theatre (w/ Elvis Costello)

October 27, 2007

1. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
2. It Ain't Me, Babe
3. Watching The River Flow
4. The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll
5. Rollin' And Tumblin'
6. Positively 4th Street
7. Things Have Changed
8. Workingman's Blues #2
9. High Water (For Charlie Patton)
10. Spirit On The Water
11. Highway 61 Revisited
12. Ain't Talkin'
13. Summer Days
14. Masters Of War

(encore)
15. Thunder On The Mountain
16. All Along The Watchtower

"Watching The River Flow" seemed kinda crazy to get, i dunno, maybe he plays it a lot?

yeah, see those are two pretty different setlists! he does play "Watchin" kind of frequently it seems, which is odd -- i saw him do it the last time I saw him. not exactly a hit, but not like a song that rabid fans are gonna go nuts over either.

looks like Bob is doing a summer US "ballpark" tour with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp ... They'll be playing such spots as Corpus Christi's Whataburger Field and Fresno's Chukchansi Park.

nice ... that's where I saw him at that 2005 show above .. "Alexian Field" .. home of your Schaumberg Flyers (not affiliated with any MLB club) (and so named because there is a tiny airport immediately adjacent to the park .. couple of single-engines flew by overhead whilst Bob was playing)

4th of July @ the Cove in South Bend. Man, if I were still there...

looks like I will be seeing him in South Bend on the 4th. nice.

After a fourth listen, I'm not sure I like this as much as Modern Times, and definitely not LAT. The tempos aren't slow, they drag, and the singing is too phlegmy in spots.

his singing's great though; i don't even mean the general tone, which is obviously way throaty, but he didn't reach the occasional vigor of it on any of the recent records - like when he's howling on jolene etc.

record is nice anyhow. second song?, the kinda bing crosby swoony one is real good.

First listen this is leaps and bounds better than Modern Times (which I loathed, inexplicably), but not near Love and Theft. Love the voice, but the album does feel draggy.

That Roy Silver interview on the dvd is pretty weird.

That Roy Silver interview on the dvd is pretty weird.
― baaderonixx, Sunday, 26 April 2009 12:33 (15 minutes ago) Bookmark

Would you elaborate? I haven't got this yet (am considering heading out to buy it right now, actually) and was wondering whether it's worth getting the deluxe edition. I can be a sucker for these things.

The DVD is not worth it. It's a 15 min interview with this guy Roy Silver who apparently "managed" Bob before Grossman. He's introduced as a self-aggrandizing hustler so not really clear who exactly this guy was. BUT the deluxe edition also has an extra CD with a Dylan radio theme hour compilation.

Thanks for the info. I can probably do without the deluxe edition, then.

in honor of this week's album release (and since I listened to it after making the arguments above in favor of Dylan's live show), i posted one of my fave latter-day Bob boots, from 2000 featuring the Love & Theft band: http://doomandgloomfromthetomb.tumblr.com

That was a good band. The lamest recent band of his was when he had the two fiddle players, which was pretty cornpone.

yeah i love the guitar work of that band with larry campbell and charlie sexton ... don't think i heard the two fiddle band! sounds a little weird.

'life is hard' is so, so good

got this in the mail today! sounds really good! love the sound of the band here. More ramshackle than the last two, but in a good way.

"I Feel a Change Comin' On" and "It's All Good" sound like the keepers.

Beyond Here, and Hell as well, but otherwise, it merely sounds nice.

Douglas Wolk gives it a 5.4 on p4k

After the first listen I'm liking this more than I did Modern Times on that record's first spin. I feel like there's a great start, a bit of a sag in the middle but then finishes really strong, especially the last two tracks.

I, too, think it is much better than Modern Times. Seems like less of a construct and more of a band.

yeah i think i'm liking this a bit better than Modern Times, too -- funkier? Rhythmically more interesting, anyway. (no slight on Modern Times, which is a great record). We'll see what kind of staying power this one has.

Yeah, it will be interesting to see how this feels in another couple of months. I feel like I took to my favorite songs on this one right away, unlike Modern Times, which I felt like I kinda had to work at to really enjoy.

i feel like this one is more like Love and Theft and Time Out of Mind, both of which i still listen to, versus Modern Times, which I don't listen to much at all anymore

Wolk's review is fair, though the whole "this is 'minor' Dylan" sort of rankles. Most of Dylan is "minor" Dylan -- ie, not works of boundary-breaking genius. At this point, I like the so-called minor records as much as the masterpieces.

That feels like it ties in with some of the discussion on the Sonic Youth thread, like its immediately a disappointment if a "legend" doesn't crank out masterpiece after masterpiece on par with their career peaks.

Yeah - I agree with the review but in a way the 'Nashville Skyline' comparison is spot on - and that is one of my (and a lot of people's) faorite Dylan albums.

yeah, maybe this is just a hobby horse I'm riding here. i guess with bands/artists who have such a deep catalog, it's like "the ongoing saga" is the fun part of it, not necessarily whether each new album stacks up to the great works of the past. not that they're beyond criticism by any means, but ...

i dunno if i'd go that far as to say it's better than modern times...MT had some pretty crewsh jams IMO....like workingman's blues, thunder on the mountain, nettie moore, etc

Im just loving Mariachi Dylan. This dream of you is great.

I'm still waiting for my copy to arrive by post but yeah, it's a weird critical "requirement" to assess the "majorness" of a work---it could be "minor", whatever that means, and still be great.

i feel like this one is more like Love and Theft and Time Out of Mind, both of which i still listen to, versus Modern Times, which I don't listen to much at all anymore

^^^ OTM

Gobsmacked that people don't like Modern Times, an album that contains "Nettie Moore," "Workingman's Blues," "Ain't Talkin," the lovely "When the Deal Goes Down." I can understand not caring for the generic 1-4-5 blues numbers, the the ballads are beautiful. "Nettie Moore"'s got some of the best music he's written in years.

I think the new one's ok, the same way New Morning and Planet Waves are ok. Bob on cruise control. But if it's anything like his other "minor" albums, it will reveal itself over years of listening to be quite wonderful. So far I'm diggin' "Life is Hard," "Poisoned Heart," and "A Change is Gonna Come."

Yeah haterz be damned, Modern Times is def my favorite of the last 4.

i don't hate modern times, i just like the other ones i mentioned more.

relative haterz

Wolk's review is fair, though the whole "this is 'minor' Dylan" sort of rankles. Most of Dylan is "minor" Dylan -- ie, not works of boundary-breaking genius. At this point, I like the so-called minor records as much as the masterpieces

I'm not sure why it would "rankle" since you admit that "minor" in Dylan's case means "good un-major albums." I listen to Empire Burlesque and New Morning more than the sixties records, and more than Nashville Skyline (which is to me the overrated head-scratcher, especially the off-key Cash duet), but no way do they rank with those sixties records. I'm quite comfortable awarding them each three to three and a half stars, and vigorously defending them. TTL looks like it's entering that category. LAT is clearly the major work of the last 10 years (TOOM is good to middling).

Just to clarify what I said earlier, I don't hate of even dislike Modern Times at all! It just wasn't very immediate for me, took more listening to really sink in and hit me. Which makes it the oddball out for his last four albums, the other three all (at least portions of them) hit me on first listen as something I'd really like.

Time Out of Mind is still the runt in the litter for me. No wonder he started producing himself.

i really feel like "minor" Dylan should be reserved for stuff like Oh Mercy or Under the Red Sky, that sort of thing.

Time Out of Mind is pretty great!

I Feel a Poll coming on...

^^^title of poll

i really feel like "minor" Dylan should be reserved for stuff like Oh Mercy or Under the Red Sky, that sort of thing.

See? None of us agree on what's "minor." Hooray!

The magic of Dylan

Time Out of Mind is like the nineties Knocked Out Loaded in its production/artist mismatch. Or maybe it isn't a mismatch: three quarters of the songs are tentative, unmelodic things by a singer who's coaxing them to life.

Along w/ this last two tracks, I'm really liking "Shake Shake Mama." It's got some of those great, casually tossed off blues lines that he's been so good at recently.

i guess it seemed like Wolk was using "minor" as a diss. "It's just very minor, especially by his standards," he writes. So like, more minor than even the minor records.

yeah that's how i was reading it

Wolk had me going with that PFork review until this part:

"As far as I know, no one else out there plays like this. Today, yesterday, and probably tomorrow." This suggests that he has never heard a moderately decent blues band in a bar.

Now Dylan's grandiloquence did set him up nicely for Wolk's sarcasm, but a "moderately decent blues band in a bar" is very unfair and suggests maybe Wolk just doesn't appreciate this type of music.

First listen, My Wife's Home Town just sold me on this whole thing...

yeah that "no one plays like this" quote, I thought Dylan was probably referring to the more tin pan alley/ballad-y stuff rather than the straight-up blues playing.

I just got this. It's going to take some listens to fully get this; my first impression was that the second half dragged too much. But I will give it many more listens.

I just went out and got this too. I'm enjoying the accordion. I wonder if maybe Bob was inspired by the excellent, mariachi-fied Los Lobos cover of "Billy" from the I'm Not There soundtrack.

ok, after listening on headphones this morning, I'm going to retract my "better than Modern Times" statement above. Nowhere near as good -- or as funny -- lyrically. But I do like this one's overall sound, Campbell's guitar, Hidalgo's accordion, the Howlin' Wolf meets mariachi thing. what it seems like to me is Bob just enjoying jamming with a band, not really putting a great deal of care into the words. Loooooove "Change Comin' On" -- that is probably my fave right now.

For me, I couldn't get past the sound of Modern Times to enjoy the lyrics; I found it overly soporific. This I found immediately engaging.

It's getting better and better with each listen. I think I'm on my 15th time thru...

You feel a change comin' on?

i just did.

really enjoy the new record after a few listens. no favorites yet, but he's clearly growing more in love with the sound of his voice as he ages. The control he has over it is pretty impressive.

"if you ever go to houston" is love at first listen for me

this new album is more fun to dance around to than some of the recent albums , but lyrically i don't like it nearly as much as Modern Times and it has no song like "Spirit On The Water" which i listen to over and over and over again.

and lots of x-posts but Oh Mercy is awesome.

best thing he's done since Nashville Skyline maybe?; learned a thing or two from Willie (and Merle?), it would seem to me: here's unca Bob keepin' it simple and direct. rock on, old-timer!

Better than Blood on the Tracks? Desire, even? Please.

is good.

Dylan tops the UK album chart for the first time since New Morning!

looks like he premiered "If You Ever Go To Houston" in Dublin tonight ...

Not much point premiering it in Houston, amirite?

Finally heard this. It's perfectly adequate. I also think a) it's saved by the accordion and b) would have been awesome backed by Los Lobos as a whole and sung entirely in raspy, questionable Spanish.

Pretty beautiful record.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/8046278.stm

Dylan unnoticed on Beatles tour

Dylan and Lennon are both 1960s musical icons
Folk legend Bob Dylan mingled unnoticed with Beatles tourists during a minibus tour to John Lennon's childhood home.

The 67-year-old troubadour paid £16 for the public trip to the 1940s semi in Woolton, Liverpool, last week as his European tour called at the city.

He was one of 14 tourists to examine photos and documents in the National Trust-owned home, where Lennon grew up with his aunt Mimi and uncle George.

A National Trust spokeswoman said Dylan "appeared to enjoy himself".

The trust said its tours of the Beatle's childhood home form "an insight into his humble beginnings".

Visitors are free to wander around the property while asking questions of the curator.

He could have booked a private tour but he was happy to go on the bus with everyone else

National Trust spokeswoman
But as tourists prepared to drive out to the house to get an insight into one musical icon, they did not recognise another one sitting next to them.

"He took one of our general minibus tours. People on the minibus did not recognise him apparently," the spokeswoman said.

"He could have booked a private tour but he was happy to go on the bus with everyone else," she added.

The house, called Mendips, has been restored to its original 1940s style by the trust and contains early Lennon memorabilia.

Lennon is said to have developed his passion for music in the suburban house and wrote some of the earliest Beatles songs in his bedroom.

The spokeswoman said a number of singing stars had been on the tour in the past, including James Taylor and Corinne Bailey Rae.

But she refused to be drawn on whether Dylan was the biggest star they had shown around.

The singer's European tour stopped in Liverpool for a concert at the Echo Arena on 2 May

It does seem like maybe he's not trying as hard as on "Modern Times" or "Love and Theft", but that's not necessarily a bad thing. On the best songs it works just fine - the lighter touch suits the material, and the band sounds like they're having fun. The lyrics go down easy - not so many of the enigmatic Dylan "koans" that require a lot of head-scratching. And the album and many of the songs are on the shorter side (usually a good thing). There are some weak patches (like "Jolene", IMO), but even "Highway 61 Revisited" had a "Queen Jane Approximately". "If You Ever Go To Houston" could almost be a 40-year delayed answer-song to "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" - an old dude thinking back to when he was a young dude and some people he once knew in Juarez.

Makes sense, except that "Queen Jane" is a H61 highlight! Is that understood to be one of the weaker songs?

To me, it's definitely a weaker one.

not liking this as much as the last three but it's perfectly fine, I really like the accordion.

i am seriously enjoying 1/2 of this album. the other half is passable.

but what i really want to say is i downloaded some stuff from the "new morning" sessions and i've gotta say it's a revelation. i long ago absorbed the complete basement tapes and the new york blood on the tapes sessions and the myriad outtakes from blonde on blonde... and frankly every other bootleg i've heard since then has been sort of just OK, even including the dylan/cash sessions. but this "new morning" stuff is amazing! although i say that as a big fan of the album, which i know is not a consensus favorite.

"If You Ever Go to Houston" seems like the clear winner from the new one. That stands with anything from his last 20 years. but repeated plays of the album don't seem to be 'revealing charms' the way the last three had, in fact perhaps the opposite, but it's still great Bob and still better than all of his non-Mercy 80s lps.

this is sort of dissapointing compared to Modern Times. I Feel A Change Coming On is the only track I seem to like. the accordeon gets boring in no time.

where are those New Morning tracks?

you mean this? http://doomandgloomfromthetomb.tumblr.com/post/100814102/winterlude-the-early-word-on-the-new-dylan-album anyway, listened to TTL a bunch over the past few months, definitely a fun record. I think the only song that I don't really enjoy is "Forgetful Heart" ... Cool to see he's slowly introducing these songs into his live show, curious to see what they sound like sans accordion ...

Maybe I should have listened more, but I'm with Ludo in finding TTL dissapointing. Fun? Usually agree with you Tyler but not so sure this time.

not gonna lie, I've probably listened to this more than Together Through Life in the past couple months
http://www.collectorsmusicreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/dylan_stolenmoments.jpg

It's definitely not on the level of Love and Theft and Modern Times, but not many records are.

just got back from seeing him twice this weekend ... road-tripped to Ohio to catch the Dayton (Friday) and Cleveland (Saturday) shows.

Dayton was nuts, a dream set for people who love the last 4 albums as much as I do. The only old song beyond the big three that he always plays (rolling stone, watchtower, highway 61) was "Lay, Lady, Lady". The rest was all that great band of his tearing into some heavy grooves. Man I could watch Tony Garnier and George Recile play every night and never get tired of it. Started out with "Beyond Here Lies Nothing", Dylan playing lead guitar, which I believe was its live debut. My first ever Dylan "first"! yay!

The rest of set was just full-bore rock highlighted by "Lonesome Day Blues" and "Love Sick" -- both favorites and both I'd never seen him do -- a smoking "Honest With Me" and a super fun "Summer Days". All told he did 3 tracks from TTL, including my fave "If You Ever Go to Houston" which sounds GREAT live, has that great loping groove and you don't miss the accordion (he played it both nights, the 2nd and 3rd performances since apparently he debuted it a couple days before in Louisville.)

Far and away the best show out of the 7 times I've seen Dylan live.

cool! yeah, the setlists have looked good so far on this tour -- pretty amazing that a lot of them are more than 50% 90s/00s material ... can't think of many performers of his stature/age who would even dream of attempting that. Last time I saw him (2007) it wasn't the most amazing show, but that had more to do with the venue/my seats than the performance. Wish he was playing a ballpark in my neck of the woods this summer ...

cool! yeah, the setlists have looked good so far on this tour -

ug don't get me started I am EATING it on my dylan fantasy league for this tour.....how the mighty have fallen : (

whaddaya got on yr list this time around?

this is what i got --

Dayton:

Beyond Here Lies Nothing
Lay, Lady, Lay
Lonesome Day Blues
Love Sick
Levee's Gonna Break
Beyond The Horizon
Honest With Me
Make You Feel My Love
Highway 61
If You Ever Go To Houston
Summer Days
Like A Rolling Stone
---------
Jolene
All Along The Watchtower

Cleveland:

Cats In The Well
Senor
Rollin' And Tumblin'
Blind Willie McTell
Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum
If You Ever Go To Houston
Things Have Changed
Workingman's Blues
Highway 61
Ain't Talkin'
Thunder On The Mountain
---------
Like A Rolling Stone
Jolene
All Along The Watchtower

"Cats in the Well"!

my only regret was not just saying eff it, taking today and tomorrow off from work to continue on for tonight's Pittsburgh show. oh well.

It just occurred to me: "Tight Connection to Your Heart" would sound splendid with an accordion.

here's my pool for this tour:
* Moonlight (8)
* Beyond Here Lies Nothin' (3)
* I Want You (9)
* Forever Young (6)
* High Water (For Charley Patton) (4)
* Po' Boy (5)
* All Along the Watchtower (1)
* It's All Good (6)
* If Not for You (9)
* Summer Days (3)
* Shake Shake Mama (4)
* Like a Rolling Stone (1)
* Ballad of a Thin Man (3)
* Mr. Tambourine Man (7)
* Rollin' and Tumblin' (1)
* My Back Pages (6)
* When the Deal Goes Down (5)
* Mississippi (6)
* Things Have Changed (3)
* Floater (Too Much To Ask) (7)
* House of the Rising Sun (20)

^^point values after each pick...the House of the Rising Sun thing is something we do as a team together...there's a 20 point tier that has EVERY song he's ever done live even once...like weird stuff like London Calling comes up on it....so anyway it's such a long shot that we usually all take the same one and figure if you're gonna get lucky on a blind pick you might as well maximize for the whole team**

**only oddity was one tour when "Cats in the Well" popped up in the 20 point tier

none of those choices seem totally unlikely ... I still find it kind of amazing that he's refused to play "Mississippi" more than a handful of times over the years. Kinda thought after all the alt versions on the last bootleg series that he'd make it a mainstay for some reason. I mean, it's probably one of my favorite Dylan songs ever! He's done every other song from that record more, I think.

I guess I'm lucky - the only time I've seen Dylan this century he played "Mississippi." It was such a great show that I've been loathe to see him again - it just isn't going to live up (plus, I don't like the bands he's had since the "Love & Theft" tour):

Portland Maine
Cumberland County Civic Center
November 23, 2001

1. Hallelujah, I'm Ready To Go
2. One Too Many Mornings
3. Desolation Row
4. This World Can't Stand Long
5. Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum
6. Not Dark Yet
7. Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
8. Lonesome Day Blues
9. Mama, You Been On My Mind
10. The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll
11. Tangled Up In Blue
12. Summer Days
13. Mississippi
14. Drifter's Escape
15. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35

(1st encore)
16. Things Have Changed
17. Like A Rolling Stone
18. If Dogs Run Free
19. Honest With Me
20. Blowin' In The Wind
21. All Along The Watchtower

(2nd encore)
22. Knockin' On Heaven's Door

yeah that Love & Theft band was crazy good -- have you ever heard a bootleg-y comp called Pathway to the Stars from (I think) that fall US 2001 tour? It is fantastic, pretty much great performances all the way through ...

oops, my bad, that comp is actually from fall 2000 ... still! great stuff.

No, I haven't heard that? Any chance it might show up on Doom & Gloom?

That first ? should be an !

it might?!

interesting post i came across, looks like nick southall bait:

http://floweringtoilet.blogspot.com/2009/04/bob-dylan-together-through-life.html

Don't understand how those diagrams work - you have to set a recording level for the LP in, no? And you can set that at whatever you want. You could blow it into the red or make it barely audible. Without knowing how the LP was recorded, these images don't mean anything, do they?

First of three consecutive shows tonight in Chicago.

Has anybody seen him on this leg of the tour, following a month-long break after the summer "ballpark" tour with Willie and Mellencamp? Is there really NO opener at all? trying to figure out when to arrive...

and apparently Charlie Sexton is back in the band! can't wait to see him, as I never saw him in the Dylan band the first time.

Missed him in Denver last week (9-week-old baby wouldn't allow it), but yeah, Sexton is back in the band, which is interesting. Haven't heard any recordings from the current tour, but the setlists have looked good. He's been opening some shows with "Change My Way of Thinking" of all things.

no opener. saw him in Berkeley a few weeks ago. Zimmy was performing as if he was in an exceptional mood, and i don't doubt it has anything to do w/the fact that CS is back playing with the band. the only thing i did not like that night was the mix - the bass drum took over and it sorta sounded kinda crappy overall. but Bob sounded tremendous.

nice, thanks for the feedback guys. psyched. (and congrats, tyler!)

what does yr baby have against dylan???

she thinks he's overrated ...

what's her view on the Christmas album? Congratulations!

She says the Christmas album is his best since Blood on the Tracks. Oh yeah, her name is "Challops".

it's funny, feel like this one has already slipped through the cracks like a forgotten 70s or 80s album....

listening now, i think i underrated this at the time!

I had always judged this album as a disappointment after L&T and MT, but in the past few weeks I've done a complete 180 on this one.

oh c'mon it's Dylan -- he must record ONE disappointment

very underrated

I liked this more than the previous two, but liked the more recent two even more than this one. I’m currently working my way back, will be interested to see how these older ones strike me now.

(I’m speaking of his albums of original material, not the Sinatra ones.)

These songs don't announce themselves as important songs like the many epic tracks on the previous two, it ends with a hilariously cranky "get off my lawn" old-man grumble, and his voice sounds a bit more crackly perhaps, but at 45 minutes this thing is very listenable, the first half in particular is very solid, the second half amiable and loose, and I love the accordion, particularly on the wonderful "If You Ever Go to Houston".

yeah the Los Lobos vibes were cool

You like Together Through Life better than Love & Theft?

Me? No

I do, enjoy it more, yes. I’m not that big on Love and Theft... the songs are too old-timey for me, or something. (Even its best song, “Mississippi,” turned out to be the least good version, of the four versions.)

That seems crazy to me. Love & Theft is sometimes in my top 5 Dylan and is my favorite of his post-Christian albums. Songs seem so much more distinctive than Together Through Life, which I can only vaguely recall one song (something about hell being where his wife is from).

I was right about the cover art 11 years ago. A real fucking turd

The last cut and "I Feel a Change Comin' On" are the songs I burned on a CD-R long ago.

I like the cover art!

Yeah, me too. His album covers for the past 20+ years have mostly sucked but this one is good.

O. Nate: doesn't it end with 'it's all good'? I thought that was a high point, not a grumble but more a cynical critique a la 'things have changed'.

I'd like to admire this LP a bit more than I do. But I'm always up for bringing minor and underrated Dylan back.

Yeah, "It's All Good". I just pictured Dylan hanging out in Malibu and hearing surfer/Big Lebowski types saying "It's all good" too many times and getting good and steamed and then writing this song. It's a funny song, and the gallows humor fits these times. I wouldn't say this album is necessarily better than L&T, though to be honest I haven't played L&T in probably a couple of years whereas I've played this at least 3 or 4 times in the past few weeks.

People in the country, people on the land
Some of them so sick they can hardly stand
Everybody would move away if they could
It's hard to believe but it's all good

I do remember it as the best thing on the LP!

The songs on TTL tend to be underwritten from a lyrical perspective, less lyrically dense than on most of his post-millennial albums. They tend to be metrically tight and with crisp rhymes. They can either sound a bit whispy or suggestive, depending on how receptive you are to them. I don't know important the Robert Hunter co-writing credit should be credited for this. It reminds me of another oddball Dylan album (John Wesley Harding) which also has a lot of shorter songs.

Finally had a chance to revisit this (on a long drive to pick up lunch). It has a few great songs, a few skippable songs, and (on the whole) a loose, groovy, almost jammy quality that I guess just appeals to me. The album would sound great playing loud in a dark, near-empty Santa Monica bar at midday, as you drink and shoot pool (or something).

Re: "It's All Good" –

It's a funny song, and the gallows humor fits these times.

– totally, I couldn't help but think "how appropriate" as I listened to it.

a loose, groovy, almost jammy quality

Totally agree with this. Band sounds like it's having fun. So does Dylan.

a few skippable songs

Can't agree with this. The album's only 45 minutes long! There's nothing I'm tempted to skip. Songs that seemed inessential at first listen have grown to be some of my faves (e.g. "Shake Shake Mama")

Yeah, the basic blues jams do turn out to be essential. I think the ones I found myself skipping after a minute or so were "Life Is Hard" and "This Dream of You."

Aw, those are both pretty songs with kinda dark lyrics. I like em.

I just wasn't in a shufflin' mood, maybe!

That quote Josh posted elsewhere still cracks me up. If it was 2008 and someone told me "Dylan's taking his band into the studio, but he's actually replaced his guitarists with Mike Campbell and David Hidalgo," I would have had pretty high expectations. To their bewilderment, they spend most of the time listening to old blues records and more or less recording covers with the words swapped out. (If that wasn't enough, Dylan called them back and had them do more of the same...except this time with Christmas songs, with lyrics intact.)

It's probably the weakest album of "originals" he's put out in the last 30 years, but I listened to it today, and to my surprise I've grown to like it. It's no masterpiece, but it's not ambitious either, and not in a bad way. It just sounds like Dylan wants to have fun, and I think he succeeds in doing that. There's one big caveat - you have to ignore "Life Is Hard" altogether. Ironically, it's the one song that made this album possible, but it just flat out sucks. Coming right after a strong opener, it KILLS the momentum and I think it takes a long time for the album to recover. Without it, the whole thing keeps moving, and it even seems to build to an awesome climax when Dylan sings:

I'm listening to Billy Joe Shaver
And I'm reading James Joyce
Some people they tell me
I've got the blood of the land in my voice

It really is addition from subtraction, and what's left isn't too short either - you still get 40+ minutes of music over nine songs.

That should probably be "It sounds like Dylan's only interested in cutting a simple, fun album, no more and no less, and I think he succeeds in doing that."

it's funny those lyrics could have come from Murder Most Foul