CD Odyssey Disc 1712: Bob Dylan

Back from the stressful experience of taking the cat to the vet for a check up. Stressful for him and me both but over now, and ready to write a review. The last album in the Bob Dylan collection – at least for now. It is…

Disc 1712 is…The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan

Artist: Bob Dylan

Year of Release: 1963

What’s up with the Cover? Bob and a lady (artist and then-girlfriend Suze Rotolo) walkin’ in the snow. As you can see from the way Bob is hunched over, his jacket is not sufficient for a New York winter. Layers, Bob, layers!

How I Came To Know It: I don’t recall. I’ve always liked Bob Dylan and I would’ve bought this remastered copy of the record on CD back in 2003 when it was released.

How It Stacks Up: I have 19 Bob Dylan albums, which is around half of them. Of those 19, “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan” comes in at #2. Yes, second best in a list of amazing records. This is the last of my Bob Dylan’s awaiting review, so here’s the full accounting:

1. Blood on the Tracks: 5 stars (reviewed at Disc 233)
2. The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan: 5 stars (reviewed right here)
3. Highway 61 Revisited: 5 stars (reviewed at Disc 367)
4. The Times They Are A-Changin’: 5 stars (reviewed at Disc 399)
5. Oh Mercy: 5 stars (reviewed at Disc 843)
6. Blonde on Blonde: 5 stars (reviewed at Disc 306)
7. Another Side of Bob Dylan: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 414)
8. Infidels: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 908)
9. Slow Train Coming: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 1480)
10. Bringing it All Back Home: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 159)
11. Time Out of Mind: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 334)
12. Desire: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 1495)
13. Nashville Skyline: 3 stars (reviewed at Disc 1521)
14. Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid: 3 stars (reviewed at Disc 681)
15. Self-Titled: 3 stars (reviewed at Disc 653)
16. John Wesley Harding: 3 stars (reviewed at Disc 650)
17. Planet Waves: 3 stars (reviewed at Disc 69)
18. Together Through Life: 3 stars (reviewed at Disc 404)
19. Tempest: 2 stars (reviewed at Disc 793)

Wow – six 5-star reviews, but this is Bob Dylan we’re talking about, people. There’s Bob, and there’s everyone else.

Rating: 5 stars

In 1962 Bob Dylan released his first record. It was a lovely collection of old blues and folk favourites. Solid, but hardly revolutionary. One year later the artist that would change music forever with a run of six iconic albums that to this day are some of the greatest collections of songs ever written or recorded. That run starts with “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan”.

There isn’t much to be said about this record that hasn’t been said before. The Wikipedia page alone is practically a book (I did not read it, because I prefer to confront the art directly).

In the case of Bob Dylan it is the art that confronts you, with difficult ideas and hard questions, structured into thoughtful lyrics that will put a quiver in your bones. The record starts with “Blowin’ In the Wind” a song that speaks to a better future simply through a recurring expression of uncertainty. Bob doesn’t always have all the answers, but he often has the right questions to set you on a journey to get there.

“Blowin’ in the Wind” and its sister in protest philosophy, “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall” doesn’t lead you to a single place, but to a constellation of ideas. On both, Dylan treats us to some brilliant imagery. Consider these lines from “Hard Rain”

“I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains
I've walked and I crawled on six crooked highways
I've stepped in the middle of seven sad forests
I've been out in front of a dozen dead oceans
I've been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard”

That’s just plumb perfect.

For all of Dylan’s serious messages, “Freewheelin’” also uses humour to make its points. My favourite on the record is “Talkin World War III Blues” where the protagonist dreams World War Three happens, and he staggers through a post-holocaust world. Turns out, other people are having the same dream, each seeing themselves as the sole survivor. Bob’s humorous, but on-point message at the end is simple, “You can be in my dream, if I can be in yours”. Current world, or post-apocalyptic horror-scape, one thing is certain. We’re all in this together. Dylan turns that reality into an invitation to understanding.

The song will make you laugh, but you’ll also nod and appreciate the message of sharing and mutual love for humanity that cuts a consistent line through Dylan’s music. Even when he’s angry (none more so than on the anti-war song “Masters of War”)  his anger comes from a place of optimism, and the desire to make the world a better place.

Throughout its perfect 50 minutes of music, “Freewheelin’” takes us through personal heartbreak, societal ills, efforts to connect with one another and to a world that can sometimes feel vast and emotionally distant. Dylan consistently connects us through those wild and empty spaces of the heart and mind. Listening to this record will make you pine for a better world, and at the same time show you that you’re already living in it, if you’ll just make it that way.

Best tracks: all tracks 

CD Odyssey Disc 1521: Bob Dylan

This is my third music review in less than a week. This is chiefly because I’ve been on my annual US Thanksgiving mini-holiday with more time on my hands. I don’t celebrate US Thanksgiving, but I do appreciate all the football games they put on, so I like to take the Thursday and following Friday off each year and get in some football and a bit of quiet "me" time before the hectic holiday party schedule kicks off.

Disc 1521 is….  Nashville Skyline

Artist: Bob Dylan

Year of Release: 1969

What’s up with the Cover? Bob tips his hat to the audience. This is the happiest picture of Bob Dylan I can recall, and he looks genuinely excited about playing that guitar he’s hefting and singing us a few tunes.

How I Came To Know It: I have been a Dylan fan for a long time, and had this record most of that time, so I can’t remember all the specifics. I believe this was just me drilling through his catalogue back in the day.

How It Stacks Up: I have 19 Bob Dylan albums. He’s done a lot of great ones, and Nashville Skyline had to work hard to elbow its way up the list. I rank it at #13.

Ratings: 4 stars

If you know anything about Bob Dylan you know that Bob does what Bob wants. In 1969 Bob wanted to explore country music. The result is “Nashville Skyline”, a record that is still very much in Bob’s folk wheelhouse, but that features the sights and sounds of American country music as well, as Bob expertly melds the two traditions together.

The most immediate and striking thing about “Nashville Skyline” isn’t the countrified elements, however, it is the quality of Bob’s voice. It is as though for this one record only he’s taken advice from a vocal coach. The nasal quality we associate with Dylan’s singing is significantly toned down, morphing into a slight warble. He clearly wants to capture the country crooner aesthetic and for the most part, he succeeds.

Part of this is the production work of Bob Johnston as well. Dylan albums can be sharp around the edges - purposefully so, but still sharp. On “Nashville Skyline” the album has a much rounder and fuller sound. It reminded me of later efforts like “Oh Mercy” (produced by Daniel Lanois).

This sound is prevalent throughout the record, but never more beautifully executed than on “I Threw It All Away,” a heartbreaking song of regret and lost love. Bob’s vocals on the tune will make you wonder if that is Bob at all, as he falls fully into the emotion of the song. There are none of the clever rhymes or lyrics you might expect from him, just simple heartfelt storytelling. The guitar work is round and gentle with a Spanish flair. The whole thing will make you want to have a good cry, or sing along, or maybe both.

Bob’s exploration draws him to timeless melodic structures. “Girl from the North Country” had me convinced it was some old country traditional that’s been floating around for hundreds of years. But no, while it is inspired by traditional English ballads, it is a Bob original. The tune is sung as a duet with Johnny Cash, as he and Bob were in the throes of a bromance at this time. Bob holds his own with Cash, which is a formidable feat.

My favourite song on the record was also the biggest hit. “Lay Lady Lay” is a five-star masterpiece of a song, and one of the great, “stay the night” songs ever written. Bob has never crooned better than as he invites his lady to “lay across my big brass bed.”  

While the record isn’t perfect (I could live without the pandering rollick of “Peggy Day”) for the most part Dylan plays it straight and delivers songs that sound so timeless you are sure they are covers until you remember that, oh yeah, this is Bob Dylan – he writes classics.

If you currently just listen to Dylan’s greatest hits, you’ll already know “Girl from the North Country” and “Lay Lady Lay,” but if you only listen to Dylans hits you are nevertheless an idiot. He is one of music’s greatest gifts, and while Nashville Skyline isn’t the first record people mention when discussing his brilliance, it is brilliant all the same. Do yourself a favour and check it out.

Best tracks: Girl From the North Country, I Threw It All Away, Lay Lady Lay, One More Night

CD Odyssey Disc 1495: Bob Dylan

With the completion of this next review, I’ve only got two Bob Dylan albums in my collection that remain to be rolled. What two are they, you eagerly inquire? Just calm down and take this one album at a time, just like I do.

Disc 1495 is…. Desire

Artist: Bob Dylan

Year of Release: 1976

What’s up with the Cover? Bob out for a stroll in the woods. Bob is rocking his fur collared coat, an improperly applied necktie and the hideously ugly hippy that was his constant companion back in this era. Presumably no one was brave enough to tell Bob that it makes him look like an old western prospector.

How I Came To Know It: I have had this for a long time and goes back to a time many years ago where I was fleshing out my Bob Dylan collection.

How It Stacks Up: I have 19 Bob Dylan albums and unsurprisingly, many are of the excellent variety. This is true of “Desire” but it can still only land at #12, beaten out by the narrowest of margins by “Time Out of Mind”.

Ratings: 4 stars

“Desire” is another great Bob Dylan record, released at the height of his ability, although that’s hardly descriptive, since Dylan was a good 15 years into his brilliant career by this time. Dylan’s storytelling talent is on full display throughout the record, along with a penchant for making those stories very long. If you are a DJ in need of a bathroom break, “Desire” is a good place to find the song for the occasion.

Given that the length of many of these songs were not radio friendly (bathroom breaks notwithstanding) it isn’t surprising that the singles didn’t do as well as many of Dylan’s previous records. However, if there was a ‘hit’ it would the first song, “Hurricane.”

“Hurricane” follows in the tradition of earlier Dylan songs about racial justice, notably 1964’s “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll.” This time Dylan tackles the dubious conviction of black boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter for murder. It isn’t often a song can right the scales of justice, but when Carter was finally released in 1985, I like to think that the attention Dylan had given the case ten years earlier had a positive impact.

More than this, “Hurricane” is an amazing song, with an urgent, angry cadence that packs not just the facts of the case into its eight and half minutes of awesome, but the emotion of the experience as well.

Later on the record, Dylan writes another monster ballad with “Joey” this time about an actual criminal, Joe Gallo, a mafioso who had been shot to death a few years earlier. This time the song is a lot kinder to Gallo’s legacy than his actual biography, but I prefer to take this song as a fictionalized (and fanciful) account of the character, rather than a detailed historic record of the actual man.

Whatever the case, Dylan scorns the paltry 8:34 that it took to tell Rubin Carter’s story, going well over 11 minutes to tell his tale. In place of the frantic pace of “Hurricane” Dylan opts for a mournful dirge, which is just as effective…but longer.

Lyrically, my favourite tune is “Isis” a song about a strange treasure adventure that has Dylan’s wry humour on full display. There are so many great lines in this song, but my favourite verse is:

“The wind it was howlin' and the snow was outrageous
We chopped through the night and we chopped through the dawn
When he died I was hopin' that it wasn't contagious
But I made up my mind that I had to go on”

Emmylou Harris provides background vocals on six of the record’s nine songs and her high, sweet quaver is a well-suited companion to Dylan’s nasal tone. She makes every song she’s on better. This is never more true than on “One More Cup of Coffee” where her loose harmonies provide the extra haunt to a song set in a desolate western scene where bad things have not happened yet, but their arrival is imminent.

Not everything hits this level of quality. “Black Diamond Bay” is another seven-minute plus behemoth, but on this one I just wanted the song over rather than wondering what was going to happen next. And “Romance in Durango” is yet another in the long line of musicians wanting to throw Spanish themes into their music. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, and here it doesn’t. Dylan is a gifted songwriter, but the way he sings here seems affected and pulled me out of whatever romance I was supposed to be feeling.

“Desire” is one of those albums I often pass over when I want to listen to some Dylan, but when I do pick it for a spin, I’m always pleasantly surprised. It was lovely to spend a couple of days with it once again.

Best tracks: Hurricane, Isis, One More Cup of Coffee, Oh Sister, Joey

CD Odyssey Disc 1480: Bob Dylan

After a game of questionable officiating, my beloved Boston Bruins are on the verge of elimination from the Stanley Cup playoffs. However, that is a test for tomorrow night. Tonight, let’s stick with music.

Disc 1480 is…. Slow Train Coming

Artist: Bob Dylan

Year of Release: 1979

What’s up with the Cover? Workers lay down track in front of an oncoming train. The train better be very slow moving indeed, or it is about to derail.

In the foreground there is a guy swinging a pick. That pick looks suspiciously like a cross as well. Wait a minute? This isn’t one of those religious Bob Dylan records, is it? Oh yes, my friends. It most certainly is.

How I Came To Know It: I was just digging through Bob Dylan’s back catalogue and bought this one hoping I’d like it.

How It Stacks Up: I have 19 Bob Dylan albums. That may sound like a lot until you realize he has 39 studio albums alone. After a bit of jostling in the middle of the lineup (albums 7-10 are all great, but pretty equal) I decided to slot “Slow Train Coming” in at #9, just below “Infidels” and just above “Bringing It All Back Home”.

Ratings: 4 stars

I am not a Christian, but you don’t have to be a Christian to stand in the nave of St. Paul’s cathedral and be in awe of the amazing art religion can inspire. Such was my experience with “Slow Train Coming,” the first (and easily best) of Dylan’s three Christian records. I didn’t feel the light of precious angels shining down on me, but I got a pretty solid artistic rendition of what that might feel like.

While I tend to think of Bob Dylan as a folk singer first, he has been through many musical phases in his life, and “Slow Train Coming” is principally a rock record, with a healthy does of blues and RnB. Other than the record’s final track, Dylan eschews soaring hymnal structures, and instead drops some solid groove. Sure he uses an organ, but on these songs, it tends to dig in rather than fly.

Dylan is helped considerably with the aforementioned groove by guest musician Mark Knopfler. Knopfler’s guitar is almost always the star of any show it finds itself in, but Dylan employs him artfully to add a sway and saunter to these songs. Sometimes you barely notice Knopfler is there beyond a general feel of “cool” emanating out of the speakers. On other occasions, (“Precious Angel”, “Slow Train”) his guitar is omnipresent and powerful. It is in the mix just enough that you revel in it when it arrives, but never rely on it showing up.

Topically, the record is very much about Dylan finding God and then telling his audience all about how you should too. However, never has a door-to-door preacher sounded so cool while delivering his message. “Gotta Serve Somebody” starts things off with a rhythm guaranteed to loosen up your lower back in the funkiest way possible. On “Gonna Change My Way of Thinking” Dylan is all blues and brimstone as he lets you know that Jesus is on the way, and the time to repent is nigh.

While the lyrics on “Slow Train Coming” is not as replete with clever phrasing as many other classic Dylan records, he still has his moments. One of my favourites:

“I got a God-fearing woman
One I can easily afford
She can do the Georgia Crawl
She can walk in the Spirit of the Lord”

In case you are wondering, the Georgia Crawl is a dance referenced in an old blues song from the twenties.

It is not all good, however. The risible “Man Gave Names to all the Animals” is a bunch of silly rhymes stitched together around a pseudo-reggae beat. It is often mentioned by those who would cast aspersions on the album as a whole, although I’d argue it is very much the outlier, and arguably the only truly bad song.

For the most part, you get an honest (albeit zealous) exploration of a man finding his faith. Great artists are perpetual seekers, and they aren’t afraid to throw themselves into their quest for truth. To wonder if Dylan found truth on “Slow Train Coming” is to miss the point. Instead, I suggest you climb to the top of the cathedral of sound he builds and look out. The view is fantastic.

Best tracks: Gotta Serve Somebody, Precious Angel, Slow Train, Gonna Change My Way of Thinking, When You Gonna Wake Up

CD Odyssey Disc 942: Soundtrack

I meant to write this review last night but after a long and late night at the office I was knackered and opted instead for a couple TV shows and bed. Fortunately, I love this record so an extra day with it was no sacrifice.

Disc 942 is….True Detective Soundtrack

Artist: Various Artists, but a lot of Lera Lynn

Year of Release: 2015

What’s up with the Cover? It looks like the promotional poster for Season Two of True Detective. From left to right we have: a crooked cop, a mobster trying to go legit, an angry cop and a cop with PTSD. It’s not a happy show.

How I Came To Know It: Sheila and I loved the show and the music it featured was always great. By happy accident while looking for someone to see in Nashville, I discovered that Lera Lynn was the mysterious singer in the background of the bar seasons in Season Two. From there it was a simple matter of looking for the soundtrack, which (happily) features music from both seasons.

How It Stacks Up:  I have a lot of soundtracks. I had originally finished reviewing them back at Disc 479, but had forgotten there were a bunch of albums that qualify as soundtracks that I file with the artist that did them. Since I’m now up the 31 soundtracks total, it is probably time to revisit the list. Take a deep breath, because it is long. You’ll note that “True Detective” lands impressively at number four.

1.  The Harder They Come: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 371)
2. Saturday Night Fever: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 392)
3. Hedwig and the Angry Inch: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 225).
4. True Detective: 4 stars (reviewed right here)
5. The Matrix:  4 stars (reviewed at Disc 291)
6. Magnolia:  4 stars (reviewed at Disc 181)
7. Crooklyn:  4 stars (reviewed at Disc 75)
8. Swingers:  4 stars (reviewed at Disc 12)
9. A Kind of Magic: 3 stars (reviewed at Disc 749)
10. Flash Gordon: 3 stars (reviewed at Disc 659)
11. Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid: 3 stars (reviewed at Disc 681)
12. Into the Wild:  3 stars (reviewed at Disc 260)
13. Pulp Fiction:  3 stars (reviewed at Disc 102)
14. Elizabethtown:  3 stars (reviewed at Disc 33)
15. Highway 61:  3 stars (reviewed at Disc 230)
16. O Brother Where Art Thou:  3 stars (reviewed at Disc 386)
17. Buffy The Vampire Slayer:  3 stars (reviewed at Disc 216)
18. Reservoir Dogs:  3 stars (reviewed at Disc 116)
19. Jackie Brown:  3 stars (reviewed at Disc 30)
20. Transamerica:  3 stars (reviewed at Disc 402)
21. Les Miserables:  3 stars (reviewed at Disc 111)
22. Big Night:  2 stars (reviewed at Disc 215)
23. The Warriors:  2 stars (reviewed at Disc 479)
24. James Bond:  2 stars (reviewed at Disc 103)
25. One From the Heart: 2 stars (reviewed at Disc 935)
26. About a Boy:  2 stars (reviewed at Disc 252)
27. Chess:  2 stars (reviewed at Disc 156)
28. Honeymoon in Vegas:  2 stars (reviewed at Disc 17 and then sold)
29. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat:  1 star (reviewed at Disc 284)
30. Moulin Rouge:  1 star (reviewed at Disc 151)
31. Natural Born Killers:  0 stars (reviewed at Disc 302)

Ratings: 4 stars

Sometimes a soundtrack perfectly captures the feel of the film or show it is meant to accompany. Other times, it is just a great collection of songs. The “True Detective” soundtrack manages to do both.

If you don’t know, “True Detective” is a disturbing crime serial, featuring damaged characters (mostly cops) trying to redeem themselves by stopping criminals even worse. While the first season is superior, both are worth your time and will leave you contemplating the baseness of humanity and the darker secrets of the universe; those secrets that reveal themselves only in fragments, lest they threaten your sanity when encountered whole. Yeah, it’s one of those kinds of shows.

A show like that needs music that sets just the right mood, and famed producer T. Bone Burnett delivers. This soundtrack is actually songs from the first two seasons, shuffled together imperfectly like a deck of cards at a poker table. The shuffling could have taken away from the narrative of the show, but instead the song order creates a new musical narrative that is both evocative of the show, and also casts a spell of its own.

The show manages to find two of the most brooding tracks for each season’s opening credits: the Handsome Family’s “Far From Any Road” (Season 1) and Leonard Cohen’s “Nevermind” (Season 2). The first song is some sort of drug-addled country, with a deep, mysterious vocal and echoes of mariachi bands gone wrong. I don’t know anything else by the Handsome Family, and frankly, this song makes me a bit nervous to delve any deeper. I probably will though.

Cohen’s “Nevermind” has a funky groove and Cohen is at his apocalyptic best as he speaks of all the people who get away with it, whether “it” is love or murder, or some terrible combination of the two.

For all the greatness of these two “title” tracks, the glue that holds this album together is alt-country chanteuse Lera Lynn.

“True Detective” is how I discovered Lera Lynn. Her mournful and lounge-tinged voice sounds like the voice of a ghost here, with T. Bone Burnett turning up the stark echo dial to 11 to maximize the effect of her vocal. Each of her five songs sends a shiver down your spine, leaving you cold and alone with fell thoughts of dark deeds done and the secrets that follow.

Lynn is an accomplished songwriter on her own, and here she teams up with T. Bone and Roseanne Cash. The result is a selection of restless mournful songs that wrap you in loss and regret. On “Lately”, when Lynn sings:

“Lately I'm not feeling like myself

When I look into the glass, I see someone else

I hardly recognize this face I wear

When I stare into her eyes, I see no one there

Lately I'm not feeling like myself”

You can feel the edge of madness creeping in – or is it just grief? The line blurs here as it does throughout the record. Later on “It Only Takes One Shot” she sings of a woman spurned, wrapped in imagery of guns and murder and fell conviction.

As if this record didn’t have enough creepy mood music, we are treated to two longstanding masters: Nick Cave (with Warren Ellis) and Bonnie Prince Billy. Cave and Ellis cover the Gatlin Brothers’ “All the Gold in California” and thoroughly twist it from country anthem to some kind of cultist chant. Bonnie Prince Billy’s “Intentional Injury” is a quiet internalization of the same order.

The record is so good that the Bob Dylan track (“Rocks and Gravel”) is good, but more of an afterthought.

In a way having all these artists contributing their best feels a bit like cheating, and that’s at least one reason I couldn’t give this record a perfect score. It came damn close, though.

Best tracks: All the Lera Lynn tracks (The Only Thing Worth Fighting For, Lately, My Least Favorite Life, A Church in Ruins and It Only Takes One Shot), Nevermind by Leonard Cohen, All the Gold in California by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, Far From Any Road by The Handsome Family, Intentional Injury by Bonnie Prince Billy.

CD Odyssey Disc 908: Bob Dylan

After a couple of late nights out with friends I woke up today to my body reminding me that I’m no longer 20, and that I can’t pretend I am without some consequence.

I regret nothing. There’s plenty of time to sleep in the grave.

Disc 908 is….Infidels

Artist: Bob Dylan

Year of Release: 1983

What’s up with the Cover? Another Giant Head cover. Bob looks remarkably youthful here, more than twenty years after his first record was released.

How I Came To Know It: In recent years I’ve been trying to flesh out my Bob Dylan collection, and my friend Brennan recommended this one. He sent me a clip of “Sweetheart Like You” and I was convinced.

How It Stacks Up:  I have 19 Bob Dylan albums. “Infidels” is pretty awesome, but Bob Dylan has made a lot of awesome albums in his time. I’m going to slot “Infidels” in at #9, just behind “Another Side of Bob Dylan” (reviewed back at Disc 414) and just in front of “Bringing It All Back Home” (reviewed way back at Disc 159) – two classics.

Ratings: 4 stars

After three straight albums exploring his faith, “Infidels” brought Bob back to more secular interests. Not that I mind those faith albums, but it is good to have you back, Bob.

It is a glorious return, showcasing a softer more, more rounded sound in the production. Bob manages to avoid a lot of the synthesizer and drum machine mistakes that so many established artists were starting to try on for size around this time. Instead Dylan sticks to traditional arrangements and it pays off.

The album is significantly buoyed by the genius of Mark Knopfler’s guitar. His signature sound (and production assistance) are big parts of what makes “Infidels” a beautiful record. Knopfler’s guitar is instantly recognizable and his soft, full sound is a perfect counterpoint to Bob’s raspy delivery. Knopfler doesn’t dominate the songs, but his little flourishes here and there add colour and texture in just the right proportion.

Most of those great songs are on what us old rockers (and now young hipsters) refer to as “Side One.” The song that got me hooked on the album, “Sweetheart Like You” is an absolutely beautiful piece of work. On the surface it is a series of pick-up lines but just underneath it is a very intricate and subtle character study of a pretty woman who is outclassing the bar she’s in, but is obviously there for a reason. Bob lets the question as to why stay unanswered, and this unresolved quality is what keeps you coming back for more.

The other standout on Side One is “Neighbourhood Bully” which features an infectious mid-tempo guitar riff that gets down into your spine. The song is an unapologetic defence of Israel and an indictment of those who would deny its right to exist. Dylan does a good job of capturing the mindset of a nation with its back to the sea, surrounded by enemies. Whatever you think of the quagmire that is Middle East politics, this is a song worth hearing.

Dylan then takes it down again, with “License to Kill” which explores both the individual tragedy of a man who has been stripped of his empathy, and more generally our propensity as a species to destroy. The song’s melodic structure has a falling quality which casts a pall of sadness and hopelessness over the topic. Hey – music isn’t always sweetness and light, people!

Side Two doesn’t have the same quality song structure or thoughtful lyrics, but it is still pretty good. “Union Sundown” has Bob singing about our desire for cheap consumer goods, and how this impacts workers both at home and abroad. “I and I” has a bluesy groove which is beautiful, but I find the refrain of “I and I” to be an awkward phrase, that makes it hard for me to enjoy the song like I should.

The album ends with “Don’t Fall Apart on Me Tonight” which has strong influences from Knopfler. For this reason alone I should love it, but there is something about it that feels a little schmaltzy. It is probably Bob’s vocal delivery. It sounds like he is trying to channel seventies crooners like Curtis Mayfield or Marvin Gaye, and it just doesn’t work. Other than that, the song is brilliant and I would like to hear it redone by an actual crooner. I don’t usually get down on Bob’s voice, but here it is noticeable.

Musically “Infidels” is a strong start to what would become yet another phase of Bob Dylan’s ever changing style. This would eventually culminate in the brilliant “Oh Mercy” (reviewed at Disc 843). While it doesn’t achieve that level of excellence, “Infidels” gets that journey off to a strong start.

Best tracks:  Jokerman, Sweetheart Like You, Neighbourhood Bully, License to Kill

CD Odyssey Disc 843: Bob Dylan

With all my late work hours lately, the only thing I feel like I’ve had time for is writing my book, so today I got up early and went to the gym before the day could distract me any further. I am a bit out of shape, so I’m exhausted. However, unlike the flu of last week it is a good kind of exhausted.

Now on to one of the great albums of all time – and the first 5 star album in over 30 reviews here on the CD Odyssey.

Disc 843 is….Oh Mercy

Artist: Bob Dylan

Year of Release: 1989

What’s up with the Cover? It’s a photo of some street art by a guy named Trotsky. I doubt it was the original Russian revolutionary Trotsky, but you never know – in the early days of Soviet Russia they were OK with art that didn’t extoll the virtues of the revolution. Of course, that didn’t last. Outside of Prince’s backup band, revolutions are rarely a good time.

This particular piece of art is what I would rate “better than the bare brick wall.” Not a rousing endorsement for Mr. Trotsky but better than a kick in the ass with a frozen mukluk, as my stepfather used to say.

How I Came To Know It: I went through a phase of buying a lot of Dylan’s back catalogue, and this was one that caught my eye. I think it was because it had “Man in the Long Black Coat” and I’d recently got interested in the song through the 1995 Joan Osbourne album “Relish” (reviewed back at Disc 613).

How It Stacks Up:  I have 19 Bob Dylan albums which is barely more than half of his total discography. Out of those 19, “Oh Mercy” is easily one of the best. I’ll rank it 5^th.

Ratings: 5 stars

“Oh Mercy” is markedly different than the classic Bob Dylan albums of the mid-sixties, but don’t let that deter you; it is every bit their equal.

So many established artists let the eighties sound drag their talent through the mud, but on “Oh Mercy” Dylan rises above those challenges and delivers an exceptional album musically, in its production and in its lyrics.

Musically, this record has incredible range, and to my mind the most range Bob has shown in his career. On other albums he tends to explore a single musical idea. Early on this was playing with traditional folk songs, infused with a Beatnik poet sensibility. Then in the late sixties and early seventies he played around with country and western music. More recently he’s focused his talents around traditional blues arrangements.

“Oh Mercy” has elements of many different styles, ranging from blues numbers (“What Was It You Wanted”) rockabilly (“Everything is Broken”) somber folk songs (“Man in the Long Black Coat”) inspirational devotionals (“Ring Them Bells”) and heartfelt confessions (“What Good Am I?”). Despite all the different musical approaches, the album never feels disjointed or awkward. Every song dovetails to the next with the skill of a master furniture builder fitting a joint.

A big part of this is the production work of Daniel Lanois, who matches his signature ambient sound to Dylan’s genius without ever trodding on it. This is my second review in three albums featuring Lanois (he also produced Robbie Robertson’s solo album at Disc 841) but here he has so much more to work with. Sometimes it is just the crickets chirping in the background of “Man In the Long Black Coat” and sometimes it is Lanois’ guitar playing, full of reverb and emotional import but he always seems to know just what touches to add, and when to just let the song breathe.

An added bonus of Lanois rounding out Dylan’s usual jangle is that it generates what I think is Bob’s finest vocal performance ever. His nasal tone is muted and his singing is full of emotional impact. He hasn’t sounded this good since “John Wesley Harding.”

It helps that these songs have a lot to say. They get deep into your heart and make you examine the lives of the characters they study or (more often than not) challenge your own views on life, the universe and everything.

“Political World” and “Everything is Broken” showcase Dylan’s concern with a decaying society. It is a theme he has explored many times in the past, but these songs are just as strong as his earlier work, and are aided by very interesting musical choices that keep your ear as engaged as your mind.

“Ring Them Bells” and “What Good Am I?” are two of my favourite Dylan songs of all time. Both fill my heart with life’s tough questions, while at the same time empowering me to make a difference. “Ring Them Bells” has a lot of religious connotation and while I’m not religious you can’t help but feel inspired by the song’s optimistic conclusion:

“Ring them bells Saint Catherine from the top of the room

Ring them from the fortress for the lilies that bloom

Oh the lines are long and the fighting is strong

And they're breaking down the distance between right and wrong.”

These lines remind me of my favourite quote from the poet Rumi: “Out beyond ideas of right-doing and wrong-doing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.”

On the other side of the ledger, “Most of the Time” is such a perfect song of lost love it will remind you all over again of the last time your heart got broken. If that last time that happened wasn’t too bad, then it’ll remind you of the last really bad one. It ends with:

“Most of the time she ain't even in my mind

I wouldn't know her if I saw her

She's that far behind

Most of the time I can even be sure

If she was ever with me

Or if I was ever with her

Most of the time I'm halfway content

Most of the time I know exactly where it went

I don't cheat on myself I don't run and hide

Hide from the feelings that are buried inside

I don't compromise and I don't pretend

I don't even care if I ever see her again

Most of the time.”

Whew. Somehow the breakup song works so well with an unreliable narrator. An honest version of this song would be “Some of the Time” since if you’re writing songs about her, she ain’t out of your system. Of course Bob knows this, but watching the character he presents struggle through that truth makes the hurt that much more real.

I could write an essay about every song on this record, but I’ve already ranted overlong. Go buy this record.

Best tracks:  All tracks

CD Odyssey Disc 793: Bob Dylan

My new job is a much longer walk than my old one. It is a good job, but it isn’t as nice a walk, going through an industrial rundown part of town rather than pleasant residential side streets. It does have a couple advantages though; first it is more exercise for me, and second I get a lot more music listening time in.

Disc 793 is….Tempest

Artist: Bob Dylan

Year of Release: 2012

What’s up with the Cover? Some kind of a red filtered photo of some statue of a lady. It looks like it was done on Bob’s home computer by Bob himself. Lo and behold, when I checked the photo credits I found the picture of statue lady was taken from Shutterstock. Way to mail it in, Bob.

How I Came To Know It: This was just me buying Bob’s latest album on faith. Consider that faith shattered and no, I did not buy his 2015 release “Shadows in the Night.”

How It Stacks Up: I have 19 Bob Dylan albums. I put “Tempest” at the bottom of the pile at #19.

Ratings: 2 stars

I avoid Bob Dylan concerts because I know he just does whatever the hell he wants and audience enjoyment is secondary. I don’t begrudge him that, I just don’t seek it out. After the lukewarm “Together Through Life” (reviewed back at Disc 404) I should’ve heeded the same warning with album purchases as well.

“Together Through Life” was a bluesy record, and on “Tempest” Bob returns to folk storytelling with a bit of Americana swing in there for good measure. As a lover of these styles this should have been a home run for me, but this album feel flat.

There are some good things for sure. “Duquesne Whistle” has a timeless quality that sounds like it has been played by hobos riding the rails since the thirties. “Roll on John” has a rolling structure that feels like you’re falling asleep in a hammock while the ship takes you slowly to Tahiti. The song’s feel is cleverly at odds with the rough and ready life of the mariner it is about. “Pay in Blood” has a strong melody, even if it is Bob doing a pale imitation of the rants of his youth.

Unfortunately, that is three songs out of ten, and the rest range from forgettable to annoying. The album is 70 minutes long, meaning these ten songs average seven minutes to make their point, which for most of them is just too damn long.

Worst of all these songs are often Bob trying to be a rambling storyteller. This has always been one of his strengths, and so it is really noticeable when he only manages average to boring. Mostly I noted that the songs just wouldn’t resolve themselves quickly enough and had a lot of writing you would expect from a novice songwriter, not one of the all-time greatest.

The worst example is the title track, which is a 14 minute abomination that tells the tale of the Titanic sinking. I am just not interested in the sinking of the Titanic – I’d rather hear the tragic tale of iron ore shippers on the Edmund Fitzgerald any day. These chestnuts from “Tempest” did not change my mind:

“The host was pouring brandy/He was going down slow

He stayed right to the end/He was the last to go

“There were many, many others/Nameless here forever more

They never sailed the ocean/Or left their homes before”

“There were many, many others” feels about as lazy a phrase as is humanly possible, but then I remembered this was from the 10 minute mark of a 14 minute song and Bob was probably flagging a bit.

The whole song feels like a loose connection of rhymes strung together by a kid doing a history project for his social studies 9 class or maybe one of those old codgers that show up at open mic night to share their love of history through their self-published poetry.

On top of this, the song has little going on musically. It isn’t long before you’ve heard the same A and B sections in the same order so many tiresome times that if you were on the Titanic and it was the song the band was playing as it sank you’d jump over the rail so the sea could claim you before the musicians bored you to death.

There are flashes of brilliance on this album, and the production is very good. It is too bad it is all mired amid a lot of forgettable stuff. I will keep the record for the three strong tracks on it, but I won’t be playing the whole thing again for a long time and when I do I’ll be skipping the title track just for the sake of my own sanity.

Best tracks:  Duquesne Whistle, Pay in Blood, Roll on John

CD Odyssey Disc 773: Various Artists

I’ve discovered two new artists this week – Lera Lynn and Band of Heathens.

Lera Lynn is the woman who is singing mournful tunes in that dingy bar featured in True Detective’s second season. Band of Heathens is a bunch of indie/southern rock/blues/folk guys that write their own stuff and sing it well. Youtube them both and see if – like me – you plan to add them to your collection soon.

But now an artist that has been in everyone’s collect – one way or another – for decades.

Disc 773 is….The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams

Artist: Various artists

Year of Release: 2011

What’s up with the Cover? An old wooden wall with Hank’s image on it, although you can barely see it through all the text. Around the edge you can see all the contributing artists, which is a nice touch.

How I Came To Know It: I saw this advertised in a music magazine I got as a Christmas gift from Sheila. She obviously saw it as well because when my birthday rolled around she bought me the album.

How It Stacks Up: This is a compilation album, so it doesn’t have anything to stack up against. The question is moot!

Ratings: 3 stars but almost 4

As my wife Sheila perceptively pointed out, “The Lost Notebooks” is “Mermaid Avenue” for Hank Williams, a living breathing treasure that is both the glory of the original artist and also the inspiration he generated in each contributor to the record.

The music comes from a satchel Williams would carry around full of all his old songs that was still with him when he died. Sixty years later, it is like uncovering a vault of forgotten treasure.

Like “Mermaid Avenue” and its recovered Woodie Guthrie songs, “The Lost Notebook” is a selection of Hank Williams songs he had written at the time of his death, but had not recorded nor set to music. Unlike “Mermaid Avenue” the honour doesn’t go to one or two artists to finish the work. Instead twelve different artists take a turn.

This might make the songs disjointed but instead they feel tightly connected, and not just through the lyrics which are classic Hank topics of heartbreak and loneliness. All the artists that contribute a finished song have captured the essence of Hank.

This gave me an even deeper appreciation for just how influential Hank has been on modern music. Every artist sounds like themselves, but in so doing they also show how their music is founded in the musical discoveries Hank made back in the forties and fifties.

The album opens with Alan Jackson singing “You’ve Been Lonesome Too” and both in arrangement and style, this song is a carbon copy of Hank Williams. Jackson sings so like Hank it feels like he’s been reborn. Usually I would complain that the ‘remake’ doesn’t do enough with the original song, but this song is original to me. Besides, it is so perfectly done I don’t mind the copycat job.

Other artists take greater liberties, but they never stray far from the lilting tone and tear-stained guitar that makes a Hank Williams song authentic. For some artists, like Jackson, Rodney Crowell or Patty Loveless, the influence was obvious from their own work. For others, like Jack White and Sheryl Crow, hearing them breathe life into Hank’s ghost made me appreciate just how much he was already living inside them.

The old guys featured on the record were some of my least favourites. Bob Dylan and Levon Helm sound old and tired, and Merle Haggard’s song sounds a bit too…Haggard. Surprisingly, Bob’s son Jakob’s offering is better than both of them, and it isn’t even one of my favourites. By the way don’t expect to ever hear that Jakob Dylan outdid his dad on a project again. This is definitely the only time that will ever happen.

Jack White wins for getting the song with the best lyrics with “You Know That I Know.” This is a song about a man who knows the dirty and low-down secrets of a girl and is warning her not to put on airs now that they’ve moved to town:

“Now you know that I know that you ain't no good

And you wouldn't tell the truth even if you could

Lying is a habit you practice where ever you go

Well you may fool the rest of this world

But you know that I know”

And my favourite part of down-home snark comes later with:

“To some folks you may be Mrs. So-and-So

But don't turn your nose up at me,

You know that I know”

Another favourite is Norah Jones singing “How Many Times Have You Broken My Heart?” which is an amazing combination of a Hank Williams’ inspired melody and the smooth tone of Jones’ voice. It is touched around the edges with just the right amount of Mexican guitar to balance Jones’ smokey tones.

Like Alan Jackson, Vince Gill and Rodney Crowell perfectly capture another side of Hank as his storytelling ‘Luke the Drifter’ character. I don’t really like Hank as Luke the Drifter so this particular song didn’t work for me as well as Jackson’s.

This album is worth your time if you are a Hank completionist or even if you just want another reminder of how deep and wide his influence has been on music. Not every song is great, but most are at least worth your time and all of them will have you hearing Hank’s ghost in every song for days after.

Best tracks: You’ve Been Lonesome Too – Alan Jackson, How Many Times Have You Broken My Heart – Norah Jones, “You Know That I Know” – Jack White, I’m So Happy I Found You – Lucinda Williams, “You’re Through Fooling Me” – Patty Loveless,

CD Odyssey Disc 681: Bob Dylan

I’ve just finished watching a tight game between the Dolphins and the Broncos go the wrong way, with the Dolphins losing by 3 points. Thankfully this next album has lots of restful, gentle guitar plucking to salve my wounded soul.

Disc 681 is…. Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid

Artist: Bob Dylan

Year of Release: 1973

What’s up with the Cover? Words and, regrettably, an ampersand.

How I Came To Know It: This was just me drilling through Bob Dylan albums. Also, I knew this was a good one because I’d seen the movie and remembered liking the music.

How It Stacks Up:  I have 19 Bob Dylan albums, and there are a lot of good ones. Despite really enjoying “Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, it can’t do better than 13 out of 19. Out of my 28 soundtracks, it fares much better, coming in at 9^th best, just below “Flash Gordon.”

Rating: 3 stars but almost 4

I’ve always loved Dylan’s song lyrics, so when I rolled this album, I wasn’t sure how much I was going to enjoy an album where more than half the tracks are instrumentals. I had nothing to worry about, however, because Dylan is just as great speaking with notes as he is with words.

The album is the soundtrack to the movie of the same name, which starred James Coburn as Pat Garrett and Kris Kristofferson as Billy the Kid and is directed by Sam Peckinpah. I’ve seen the movie and always enjoy it. It takes the story of Billy the Kid and makes it a metaphor for freedom. The relationship between Garrett and Billy is complex and difficult, and Coburn does a good job of demonstrating a deep reluctance at killing his old friend. It is kind of a western “Point Break” in a way.

Dylan’s soundtrack suffuses the film with a thoughtful melancholia, and this effect carries through when you’re just listening to the album on its own. The songs are mostly simple guitar strums that meander slowly around traditional western constructions. Sometimes Dylan is on the guitar and sometimes it is Roger McGuinn, and both are great.

The album’s first song is the movie’s main title theme. It is a six minute long instrumental that put me in a restful, but alert mental state as my mind wandered around inside the idle melody that Dylan puts down. There is no strain, and although the song is exquisitely composed, it feels like Dylan is idly making it up on the fly.

The other instrumental pieces are almost as good, particularly the final theme, which successfully brings in all the other musical themes the record has previously introduced, musical style. However, “Bunkhouse Theme” and “Turkey Chase” are both songs that don’t work quite as well without the movie. “Turkey Chase” in particular comes off very hokey. The scene in the film is hokey, but devoid of watching people chase turkeys, I just wanted it over.

The standout piece on the record is “Knocking on Heaven’s Door,” which is one of the most simple and beautiful pieces of folk music I’ve ever heard. While there have been plenty of solid covers of this song over the years, nothing matches Dylan’s original. Also, unlike “Turkey Chase,” the song is better out of the movie than in it. (In the film you are watching Slim Pickens character die, so it doesn’t even relate directly to Garrett or The Kid). I would have preferred the song not fade out, but this is a minor quibble on what is essentially a five star song.

The other great song is Billy the Kid’s theme song “Billy.” The album as three versions of this, unimaginatively titled “Billy 1,” “Billy 4,” and “Billy 7.” It makes me wonder what Billy 2, 3, 5 and 6 are like.

Each “Billy” has the same tune but slightly different lyrics, while still telling the story of Billy the Kid, on the run from the law but still making time for his sweet senorita. “Billy 1” has the prettiest arrangement and feel to it. “Billy 4” has more verses, as well as variations to the verses in “Billy 1” (Dylan loves to change his lyrics around. Even his own website doesn’t have the correct lyrics to many of his songs). “Billy 7” is the ugly step-brother of the other two, with the weakest sound and lyrics. While I really like this tune, the album only has 10 songs, and “Billy” is three of them. That seems a bit much.

If you like Americana music that comes at you free and easy, this is a Bob Dylan album you will enjoy. He is unplugged and feeling introspective and it is music that calms the mind. This is a soundtrack that makes the movie better, but is also enjoyable on its own.

Best tracks (with artists): Main Title Theme, Billy 1, Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door, Billy 4

CD Odyssey Disc 653: Bob Dylan

A hard day in the family today, as Sheila’s Mom had to put down her cat, Harlequin. Seventeen years is a good run, but that doesn’t make it any easier to say goodbye. For my part, I’ll miss Harlequin too, and wish Helen all the best. Cats are part of our families too.

Disc 653 is…. Bob Dylan (Self-Titled)

Artist: Bob Dylan

Year of Release: 1962

What’s up with the Cover? A very young Bob Dylan – twenty-one to be precise – poses with his guitar. It is still an acoustic as this is before Bob learned to grow a beard and piss people off full-time. 

How I Came To Know It:  This was just me being a Bob Dylan fan and drilling through his collection. It took me a while to buy this one because it didn’t have any songs I recognized. Eventually I figured every other early Dylan album was great, so it was likely this would be a good one as well.

How It Stacks Up:  I have 19 Bob Dylan albums. I came in expecting his self-titled debut to disappoint but it surprised me. I wouldn’t say it is top half, but it is respectable. I’ll go 13 out of 19.

Rating:  3 stars but almost 4

With the exception of two songs, Bob Dylan’s first album is a bunch of traditional songs and blues covers. Even so, his appreciation for musical construction shins through, and it is no surprise he would go on to become one of the biggest influences on modern music.

Whenever I put this record on I check the track listing and I expect some by the numbers covers record. Instead, while the songs may be blues and folk standards, Dylan combines the two styles in a way that is fresh and original. His singing and playing style is solidly Americana folk music, but the grit and hurt he infuses into the songs speaks of dirty dustbowl blues.

Traditional songs like “In My Time of Dying” and “Fixin’ to Die” are as gritty and dirty as any version you’ll hear, and Dylan makes them his own. The guitar work on the surface is raw but it hides a complexity of light and heavy tones that give the songs dig down inside you. As for Dylan’s famously raspy voice, what he lacks in range he more than makes up for with enthusiasm and commitment. Even “Freight Train Blues” where he really pushes his voice past any semblance of reasonable, is still fun. Later in his career he’d learn to let the harmonica fill in the long windy notes. Good career move, Bob.

There is a revolutionary spirit to this music as well, which leaves you thinking equally of a dusty rural road cutting through a corn field, and a paved walkway through the shady groves of an Ivy League campus. Dylan even notes that he got one of his songs – “Baby, Let Me Follow You Down” from blues guitarist Rick Von Schmidt on the “green pastures of Harvard University.”

It is a testament to Dylan’s brilliance that on an album with eleven timeless folk and blues classics, his two original songs – “Talkin’ New York” and “Song to Woody” are two of the record’s best.

“Talkin’ New York” is the beginning of Dylan’s rambling rap style. Dylan delivers his social commentary with a sardonic smile as he makes you laugh and wince at the same time with lyrics like:

“Now, a very great man once said

That some people rob you with a fountain pen

It don't take too long to find out

Just what he was talking about

A lot of people don't have much food on their table

But they got a lot of forks and knives

And they gotta cut something.”

“Song to Woody” is the other side of Dylan’s brilliance, where he foregoes the sly wink and just lets you have a double-barreled dose of somber contemplation. The song’s construction has a gentle roll, much like the character singing, lost on the road-life of the folk singing troubadour.

“Song to Woody” signals Dylan’s arrival as the next folk icon, but even more it shows that he has a keen sense that he is just walking a few more steps down a road built by generations of troubadours before him:

“Hey Woody Guthrie but I know that you know

All the things that I'm saying and a many times more

I'm singing you the song but I can't you sing enough

'Cause there's not many men that've done the things that you've done.

“Here's to Cisco and Sonny and Leadbelly too

And to all the good people that travelled with you

Here's to the hearts and the hands of the men

That come with the dust and are gone with the wind.”

It’ll be some time before Bob himself is ever gone with the wind.

Finally, a note on Dylan’s cover of “House of the Rising Sun.” I’ve never liked the Animals version of this song (which came two years later) but couldn’t put my finger on why until recently when I read a Cracked.com article about it. The article explains that the Animals had switched the gender of the narrator from a woman to a man, somehow changing the song to a cautionary tale about gambling.

Dylan’s version is the original, singing as a woman who falls down on her luck and ends up in prostitution and despair. His frail, quavering thin voice is the perfect match to the despair of the lyrics; it is like listening to the Angel of Death himself recounting the poor woman’s tale of misery.

The only bad thing I can say about this album is that all the covers takes away from hearing even more of Dylan’s own compositions. Plenty of time for that over the last fifty years though, I suppose.

Best tracks:  Talkin’ New York, Pretty Peggy-O, Baby Let Me Follow You Down, House of the Rising Sun, Song to Woody

CD Odyssey Disc 650: Bob Dylan

I’m just back from the gym and I feel great. I generally feel great today – the residual effects of a movie I watched last night called “About Time.” The movie reminded me that life needs to be savoured, not just lived. I love the way art in all its forms can inspire the human spirit to something greater, even if that something greater is just seeing glory in the ordinary.

Disc 650 is….John Wesley Harding

Artist: Bob Dylan

Year of Release: 1967

What’s up with the Cover? It’s one of them there old timey photos. Actually, it is an effort to look like one of those old timey photos. Someone should’ve told Bob that people didn’t smile in old photos – it was considered inappropriate. Actually, telling him that would’ve just made him smile more broadly.

How I Came To Know It: I was just buying more Bob Dylan from the late sixties, knowing this is generally a ‘can’t miss’ era for him.

How It Stacks Up:  I now have 19 Bob Dylan albums (I recently added 1983’s “Infidels” and his new release “Tempest”). “John Wesley Harding” isn’t as good as “Infidels” but it is better than “Tempest” – taken against the whole 19 I have, it fares poorly amid strong competition. I’ll rank it 14^th overall.

Rating:  3 stars but almost 4

Sandwiched right between the sardonic folk-rock stylings of “Blonde on Blonde” and the country-inspired Americana of “Nashville Skyline,” “John Wesley Harding” is a bridge that doesn’t fully find its footing in either camp. This might explain why I’m usually picking one of those other two records to play when I delve into my late sixties Dylan.

It is a shame, too, because there is plenty to recommend “John Wesley Harding.” It has a nice relaxed pace. The song lyrics still have the social edginess that is the quintessence of early Dylan, but there is a kind of quietness in the delivery.

Part of this is Dylan’s voice, which is starting to transition from shrill doom-sayer into his brief foray into sixties country crooner. “Nashville Skyline” is so smooth many of the songs don’t even sound like Dylan, and “John Wesley Harding” is starting to pick up this vibe.

Even the harmonica pieces are more relaxed and restrained. I appreciated this, because often Dylan’s harmonica is less an addition to a song than an endurance test. He uses it to put you on edge, and it sure does. The more restrained soloing on “John Wesley Harding” gives a different take on Dylan’s song constructions.

The songs have an Americana feel that is a bit more traditional than many of Dylan’s previous albums. In places it reminded me strongly of his eponymous debut, the majority of which are covers of folk standards.

On “The Wicked Messenger,” “I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine” and others, there is also more than a hint of the biblical overtones that would dominate Dylan’s music a decade later. Although I’m not religious, I’ve always found Dylan’s exploration of his faith insightful, even at its most confusing and uncertain.  Explorations of faith should be like that – it’s how you know you’re doing it right.

None on “John Wesley Harding” are more confusing to me than “The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest.” Judas Priest here is not the metal band that would be of some importance in my formative years, but rather just a reference to some sort of angel of temptation, who is apparently willing to give (lend?) gambler Frankie Lee a roll of tens. More precisely so that Frankie can ‘take his pick’ from the roll of tens, making me wonder if some of them are counterfeit.

Anyway, things don’t end well for Frankie Lee, who ends up later visiting Judas Priest in his house and eventually dying of thirst. Despite the fact that this song spells out its moral at the end as follows:

“Well, the moral of the story

The moral of the song

Is simply that one should never be

Where ones does not belong

So when you see your neighbor carryin' somethin'

Help him with his load

And don't go mistaking Paradise

For that home across the road.”

Good advice overall, but I’m not sure it is supported by the song’s narrative. Maybe he should’ve warned against borrowing tenners from Satan, or reminded us to bring water to a house party?

The album is full of songs that aren’t terribly famous and according to Wikipedia (which is never wrong) the two singles “The Drifter’s Escape” and “All Along the Watchtower” didn’t even chart. Of course, “Watchtower” did alright for Jimi Hendrix. I prefer the Hendrix version, but I also really like Dylan’s original. Because it is stripped down I appreciated the skeleton of the song’s construction more, and the lyrics also came out a lot stronger.

A stray observation - the songs have very long titles, many of which are full sentences. You know, Bob, you could just take a few words – like instead of “I Am a Lonesome Hobo” how about “Lonesome Hobo”? How about just “St. Augustine”?

Song titles aside, I’ll admit this is not one of my favourite Bob Dylan albums. That said, it is still very good, and worth more listens than I’ve currently given it. It’s just hard to crack the starting lineup on the Bob Dylan CD carousel.

Best tracks:   John Wesley Harding, I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine, All Along the Watchtower, Dear Landlord, The Wicked Messenger, I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight

CD Odyssey Disc 583 and 584: The Traveling Wilburys

It has been a while since I’ve reviewed an album that was actually two albums in one package.  The last two times I remember are way back in the early days with Townes Van Zandt (at Disc 43) and Kris Kristofferson (at Disc 54).  Both times I reviewed the albums separately, but I called them by a single disc, and I wish looking back I’d given them each their own number.

So when I rolled this album that’s exactly what I did.

Disc 583 and 584 is….The Traveling Wilburys Volume 1 and 3

Artist: The Traveling Wilburys

Year of Release: 1988 (Volume 1) and 1990 (Volume 3)

What’s up with the Cover? The original covers featured weathered old photos of the band, and Volume 1 also had the logo for the band.  This is a reissue of both albums together, and they went with just the band’s logo and a silver background. I don’t love it, but given that because of his death Roy Orbison was pictured in the band for Volume 1, but absent for Volume 3, putting any kind of a photo would have been awkward.

How I Came To Know It: I don’t honestly remember.  I originally had Volume 1 on tape, but I don’t remember when I got it.  Given the year it came out, it could have been my last foray into the “Columbia House” mail order system.  Anyway, for years I had it on tape and for years you couldn’t find it on CD until 2007 when they put out this re-issue and I snapped it up.  The re-issue was my first experience with Volume 3.

How It Stacks Up:  The Wilburys only have two albums and this is them.  Of the two, I’d put Volume 1first.

Supergroups are all the rage, but all supergroups take a backseat to the Traveling Wilburys.  When your band is composed of Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, George Harrison and Roy Orbison it is hard to go wrong.

Traveling Wilburys Volume 1

Rating:  4 stars

The Wilburys came together first in 1988 for Volume 1, and looking at my CD collection now, it was an inevitability that I would love what I heard.

Totaled we have 41 other CDs with these guys doing their own work; 16 Dylan albums, three ELO albums (Jeff Lynne’s band), 15 Tom Petty albums, including his one record as Mudcrutch and seven Beatles albums (that’s where George Harrison comes from, fyi).  The only Wilbury I don’t have something else by is Roy Orbison.

Recorded in a style that is deliberately ‘old timey,’ Volume 1 features lots of tight strumming in a very American folk, jangly style. The songs themselves, however, are ‘Wilbury’ originals that still sound current today.

Part of this is the production, which is handled by Jeff Lynne and George Harrison.  I’ve always been an admirer of Jeff Lynne’s ability to get a crisp, rich sound.  Even his little ELO-like synth flourishes in the background of “Congratulations” are restrained and serve to add a nice depth to the music.

The boys harmonize beautifully throughout the record and it is clear by the way the songs are arranged (often with different Wilburys taking a verse each) that the rock star egos were parked at the door.  They have similar voices overall, and where they differ it is in a good way.  Dylan adds grit, Lynne and Harrison’s voices are a bit more breezy and airy and Petty delivers his lines with his famous high nasal voice that is always oddly soothing.

Above it all there is Roy Orbison, his quavering near falsetto delivering power exactly where it is needed.  When he cuts in with “I’m so tired of being lonely/I still have some love to give” on “Handle With Care” the whole song descends another giant step deeper into heartbreak.

Each voice gets its turn in the sun, however.  Orbison soars in “Not Alone Any More” and Dylan sings a a dusty and grimy tale of robbery and ill-considered desire in “Tweeter and the Monkey Man.”  Mostly though, the guys take their turns on lead within each song, without ever having the songs come out sounding busy or disjointed.

The album fittingly ends with “End of the Line” which is a song filled with the wisdom of five guys who have done a lot of living, and have concluded that things are never so bad if you just take life as it comes.

As this is a reissue there are two bonus tracks on Volume 1, “Maxine” and “Like a Ship” not on the original release. “Maxine” is intended to sound like an old Irish folk song but it doesn’t really work, and is marred by some oddly placed hand clapping.  That’s weird, because hand-clapping almost always works, but not here.

“Like a Ship” is similar in style to “Maxine” but works far better.  Maybe I just have a soft spot for a sea shanty (which it is) but I really like this song and wish it had been on the original album.  Either way, it is here now.

For a good while getting this album was very hard indeed.  I sold my cassette copy for $20 around 2004 (pretty good if you think about the market for tapes at the time) and the CD was worth more like $80.  Now that it is widely available again I encourage you to get out there and get it.  The songs will be just as good as you remember them.

Best tracks:   Handle With Care, Last Night, Not Alone Any More, Congratulations, Tweeter and the Monkey Man, End of the Line

Traveling Wilburys Volume 3

Rating:  3 stars

As I mentioned earlier, I have no Orbison albums, but there is no question his absence on Volume 3 is significant.  Despite the valiant efforts of the other Wilburys to overcome this and deliver another classic what they manage is merely good, not great. 

Orbison sadly died before Volume 3 could be recorded.  Apparently Del Shannon was considered to replace him, but he committed suicide before that could happen.

OK – enough with the sadness and on with the music.  The tight guitar strumming is still present as are the strong harmonies, and Lynne and Harrison again deliver good production value.  What is missing is Orbison’s high vocal, and in its absence the songs feel like they have a ceiling on their sound.

The band also seems more self-conscious about making an old-time traditional roots album.  As a result the songs sometimes come off as a bit derivative rather than the timeless quality they have on Volume 1.

That said, there are still bright spots.  “If You Belonged To Me” has a very pretty harmony and because it is hearkening back to an earlier musical style I can even forgive its archaic way of expressing love as ownership.

“Cool Dry Place” was also a guilty pleasure.  The lyrics are a bit kitschy, but I love the idea of aging rockers singing about their struggles to find a place to house all of their instruments where they won’t get damaged by water or other perils. I can imagine all these guys have collected a ton of “favourite” guitars in their decades of playing, and this would be a real – although hardly tragic – problem for them.  The song is fronted by Tom Petty’s and the style is totally reminiscent of his “Full Moon Fever” feel.  It sounds a lot like that album’s “Zombie Zoo” but instead of making fun of some young clubber, Petty turns his sights on himself.

As with “Volume 1”, “Volume 3’s” reissue has two bonus tracks.  In this case they are both remakes.  The first is an old classic, “Nobody’s Child” first recorded by Hank Snow in 1949 (if Wikipedia is to be believed – and I’m pretty sure it’s never wrong).  The second is the Del Shannon classic, “Runaway.”

I liked both of these, with “Nobody’s Child” delivered with heart and honesty, and “Runaway” is brilliantly performed and all the more tragic because of the circumstances of Del Shannon’s death.

While “Volume 3” compares poorly to “Volume 1” when you listen to them both side by side, it is still a good album and worth a listen from time to time if you want to, you know, have even more opportunity to hear four music legends performing together.

Best tracks:   If You Belonged To Me, Poor House, Cool Dry Place, Runaway