ok fine lily rosemary and the DYLAN EPICS POLL

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7 min cutoff with a 5-second allowance for "hard rain" and 2 seconds for "isis." no live, no alternate takes, nothing unreleased, etc.

Poll Results

OptionVotes
visions of johanna 14
desolation row 8
stuck inside of mobile with the memphis blues again 8
idiot wind 6
sad eyed lady of the lowlands 6
highlands 4
hurricane 3
it's alright ma (i'm only bleeding) 3
brownsville girl 2
joey 1
cold irons bound 1
a hard rain's a-gonna fall 1
lily, rosemary and the jack of hearts 1
ballad in plain d 1
with god on our side 1
spirit on the water 0
percy's song 0
standing in the doorway 0
chimes of freedom 0
when the night comes falling from the sky 0
no time to think 0
black diamond bay 0
isis 0
ain't talkin'0


tipsy mothra, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 05:39 (eighteen years ago)

most of his best albums have at least one epic (although several good ones don't -- and desire is overrepresented). i like that both the modern times epics are actually great. i've been listening a lot to "aint talkin" lately.

tipsy mothra, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 05:41 (eighteen years ago)

that said i inevitably come down to johanna vs. mobile, and take johanna. i think. maybe.

tipsy mothra, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 05:42 (eighteen years ago)

man, both Modern Times epics ARE great ... god we've got it so good right now

Johanna vs. Desolation Row for me. real tough

Stormy Davis, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 06:17 (eighteen years ago)

Yeah, me too. I picked "Desolation Row"--probably his most epic "epic".

BTW, how long is "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream"?

JN$OT, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 11:22 (eighteen years ago)

I love 'Ain't Talking'. I'll go with Mobile I think

baaderonixx, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 11:27 (eighteen years ago)

joooooooooeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyyyy

jhøshea, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 13:14 (eighteen years ago)

My initial thought was "Desolation" vs "Mobile", but then I remember how obsessed I was with "Hurricane" after hearing it in Dazed and Confused when I was 16. It was the first Dylan song I ever loved.

jon /via/ chi 2.0, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 13:21 (eighteen years ago)

ghosts of electricity

The Wayward Johnny B, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 13:23 (eighteen years ago)

Either "Desolation Row" or "Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands". Went for the latter, but still in doubt.

Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 13:37 (eighteen years ago)

Yeah, me too. I picked "Desolation Row"--probably his most epic "epic".

That would be "Brownsville Girl", wouldn't it? 14 minutes, heavy Phil Spector-like arrangement, and all....

Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 13:38 (eighteen years ago)

I went with "Visions of Johanna".

Euler, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 13:48 (eighteen years ago)

tho I would have gone for Chimes of Freedom if I was st0ned.

The Wayward Johnny B, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 13:58 (eighteen years ago)

brownsville girl

negotiable, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 14:25 (eighteen years ago)

desolation

Mark Clemente, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 14:45 (eighteen years ago)

Highlands. Something like 16 minutes, but it could go on forever.

kornrulez6969, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 14:47 (eighteen years ago)

Does "Dignity" count?

Eazy, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 14:56 (eighteen years ago)

if Dylan had used the E Street Band-recorded version of "When The Night Comes Fallin'...," I'd consider it. I was between "Ain't Talkin'" and "Brownsville Girl," but the latter has funnier lines.

Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 14:59 (eighteen years ago)

This comes down to TS: "Desolation Row" vs. "Visions of Johanna"... I'm-a haveta take a couple listens before I answer that though.

rogermexico., Wednesday, 28 November 2007 15:09 (eighteen years ago)

It's between "Desolation Row", "Stuck Inside of Mobile", and "Idiot Wind" for me.

o. nate, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 15:57 (eighteen years ago)

Oh come on! "It's Alright Ma" gets my vote.

Reatards Unite, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 16:49 (eighteen years ago)

sad-eyed lady for me

69, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 19:21 (eighteen years ago)

joooooooooeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyyyy

-- jhøshea, Wednesday, November 28, 2007 1:14 PM (6 hours ago) Bookmark Link

you are insane. my least favorite dylan song, for real!

69, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 19:22 (eighteen years ago)

you and lester bangs!

Mr. Que, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 19:23 (eighteen years ago)

yeah, I can't do Joey. Isis is pretty great though. Went with Johanna.

will, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 19:36 (eighteen years ago)

desolation row

Mr. Que, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 19:38 (eighteen years ago)

Isis is pretty great though

Totally. It's dear to my heart, but feels less substantial than e.g. Visions of Johanna or Desolation Row. Probably b/c it delivers a complete narrative arc that resolves at the end of the third act.

rogermexico., Wednesday, 28 November 2007 20:21 (eighteen years ago)

though jeez the way he spits the payoff rhyme on "I was thinkin' about Isis/How she thought I was so [quarter-beat] reckless" is fookin' gold, i'n'it?

Dude may not have a golden throat, but F anyone who says he can't sing.

rogermexico., Wednesday, 28 November 2007 20:26 (eighteen years ago)

someone should post a Best Dylan Piano Playing poll.

Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 20:30 (eighteen years ago)

no.

Mr. Que, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 20:38 (eighteen years ago)

i love isis, but i love even more the live version on biograph.

tipsy mothra, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 20:40 (eighteen years ago)

i love isis, but i love even more the live version on biograph.

I'm almost certain I've said exactly this on a different Dylan thread! Sweet-ass wailing guitar ftw.

rogermexico., Wednesday, 28 November 2007 20:52 (eighteen years ago)

agreed -- that Biograph "Isis" is monumental. Probably one of his best live performances -- and he's got some good ones. And yet ... I voted for "Visions" -- the song that keeps on giving, and a perfectly realized recording as well, which is kind of a rarity for Bob.

Speaking of which, did anyone else read that Oxford American article on the making of Blonde on Blonde? The author was given access to all kinds of session tapes that (as far as I know) have never been bootlegged. Sounds like fascinating stuff. Makes me wonder if there's like a Complete Blonde on Blonde Sessions box set in the works, a la the Miles Davis box sets. Hey, I can dream, can't I?

tylerw, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 21:32 (eighteen years ago)

someone should post a Best Dylan Piano Playing poll.

Better yet—start a Best Dylan Harmonica Solo Poll. Now that would be truly painful. (And I dig his harmonica playing.)

JN$OT, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 21:47 (eighteen years ago)

this is a very difficult poll! i voted sad eyed lady because swoon, but i think the serious person's answer is desolation row.

horseshoe, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 21:51 (eighteen years ago)

no love for lily rosemary and the jack of hearts? that one kills me

J0hn D., Wednesday, 28 November 2007 21:54 (eighteen years ago)

i love it too. it's a tight little narrative with all of this allusive stuff in it, plus some funny lines. i spent a while trying to memorize all 16 verses, maybe i'll try again. i did eventually manage the 10 verses of desolation row.

tipsy mothra, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 22:01 (eighteen years ago)

A lot of these options, with the exceptions of the non-"Isis" Desire entries, are among my favorite Dylan songs.

Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 22:04 (eighteen years ago)

every time i listen to lily rosemary etc. i lose the narrative thread. i like it, too, though.

i was tempted to vote idiot wind but i was afraid that might say dark things about my character.

horseshoe, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 22:04 (eighteen years ago)

Hard Rain. It's all dramatic portent of Biblical proportions described by a guy who's seen everything through apocalyptic eyes but seems basically untouched by it until the last verse when he makes the act of bearing witness to the world feel like a heroic act. An epic character with visions out of an epic movie.

dad a, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 22:12 (eighteen years ago)

It's hard to listen to Dylan's "A Hard Rain" after Bryan Ferry sunk his white gloves into it.

Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 22:13 (eighteen years ago)

i was tempted to vote idiot wind but i was afraid that might say dark things about my character.

Well, I did vote "Idiot Wind" - I don't think it's any darker really than "Desolation Row" - just a lot more personal.

o. nate, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 22:15 (eighteen years ago)

Anyone if I'm Not There uses one of the bootleg versions of "Idiot Wind"? It's very different from BOTT's.

Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 22:17 (eighteen years ago)

so what's the WORST song here -- "Ballad In Plain D"? "No Time To Think"? Those two aren't very good -- and I'm a Street Legal booster. Actually, I've never been a huge "Chimes of Freedom" fan ...

tylerw, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 22:18 (eighteen years ago)

xpost -- haven't seen the movie yet, but there are a couple "Idiot Winds" floating around other than the album version. There's one on The Bootleg Series that's just acoustic guitar and bass I think an an unreleased take with scary, ghostly keyboards.

tylerw, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 22:19 (eighteen years ago)

Worst? "Joey"--then, now and forever!

JN$OT, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 22:20 (eighteen years ago)

i like the byrds' abbreviated "chimes of freedom" better, i think. "ballad of plain d" is pretty weak. "no time to think" has the production problem that whole album has for me, makes it hard to judge the song.

tipsy mothra, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 22:21 (eighteen years ago)

ballad in plain d, that is

tipsy mothra, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 22:21 (eighteen years ago)

haha, yeah, "Joey" is pretty bad, but I kind of like the chorus. "Joooooooooooeyyyyyyy!" Typically, that's the only song from Desire Dylan ever plays live anymore.

tylerw, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 22:22 (eighteen years ago)

also "he could see 'em comin' through the door as he lifted up his fork" is great

J0hn D., Wednesday, 28 November 2007 22:31 (eighteen years ago)

i like the biograph version of Johanna better, so Sad Eyed Lady gets one more vote

outdoor_miner, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 22:33 (eighteen years ago)

also good about joey:
When they asked him why it had to be that way "Well" he answered "just because"
Fuck it, I take it back that song is GREAT.

tylerw, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 22:35 (eighteen years ago)

I can't recall what the "Isis" on Biograph sounds like it ... Is the Biograph "Isis" similar to (or the same as) the version on the Rolling Thunder volume of the Bootleg Series? Because that version totally rips!

Stormy Davis, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 22:57 (eighteen years ago)

The Biograph "Isis" is the same general arrangement as the Rolling Thunder Bootleg Series, but better.

tylerw, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 23:03 (eighteen years ago)

different recording from a different show, but more or less the same version. i like the biograph one better (could just be because i heard it first)

(xpost)

tipsy mothra, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 23:10 (eighteen years ago)

i love ballad in plain d

M@tt He1ges0n, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 23:11 (eighteen years ago)

ha sorry o. nate! all I meant was, idiot wind is a mean song. I love mean dylan.

horseshoe, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 23:42 (eighteen years ago)

tough call, but went with Stuck Inside of Mobile.

ian, Wednesday, 28 November 2007 23:44 (eighteen years ago)

ha sorry o. nate! all I meant was, idiot wind is a mean song. I love mean dylan.

Yes, it definitely is mean. Kind of pathetic too. Like at the end of the song when he switches the refrain "You're an idiot, babe" to "We're idiots, babe" - it's such a hopeless attempt at solidarity or evenhandedness - as if after railing against this person's idiocy for 7 minutes this last gesture of fairness might still elicit some sympathy - you just know that he still has lots of getting over her to do.

o. nate, Thursday, 29 November 2007 01:01 (eighteen years ago)

I had to go with god on my side

ablaeser, Thursday, 29 November 2007 06:15 (eighteen years ago)

Voted "Sad Eyed Lady...", for the sake of beauty alone, but there are many contenders. "Visions..." in particular runs it close.

Lostandfound, Thursday, 29 November 2007 06:24 (eighteen years ago)

it's gonna have to be visions of johanna.

not that i wouldn't be happy to pick about half a dozen other tracks on that list

Charlie Howard, Thursday, 29 November 2007 15:00 (eighteen years ago)

okay, I done me big listen-off, and not only is it Johanna in a walk, but I think I'm now preferring the album version of Isis. WTF, right? but the vocal performance is so much stronger. The fiddle's not nearly as good though.

rogermexico., Friday, 30 November 2007 08:10 (eighteen years ago)

Also, honroable mention to "Angelina," which just missed the cut at 6:57...

rogermexico., Friday, 30 November 2007 08:15 (eighteen years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

ILX System, Tuesday, 4 December 2007 00:01 (eighteen years ago)

ten months pass...

"Standing in the Doorway" has been killing me this week. Such a gorgeous vocal.

bear, bear, bear, Sunday, 12 October 2008 16:20 (seventeen years ago)

Wow, missed this poll. "Isis" and "Black Diamond Bay" totally robbed - seems like the former was a few people's second choice though. Tidiness of the narratives acknowledged, these are great little stories with some fantastic turns of phrase worked in.

Doctor Casino, Sunday, 12 October 2008 16:26 (seventeen years ago)


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