Dylan just turned 82, and the dude shows no signs of slowing down. I wrote the following SoTW seven years ago, when he won the Nobel.
It’s my attempt to get to the heart of how I perceive Dylan as an artist.
Bob Dylan
106: Joni Mitchell, ‘Cactus Tree’
Most of the little I understand of the female psyche I’ve learned from Joni Mitchell.
Continue reading...176: Chuck Berry, ‘Too Much Monkey Business’ (Bob Dylan, ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’)
Who da daddy of rap?
Who da grandaddy?
087: Bob Dylan, ‘Black Diamond Bay’
Here’s a less-known Dylan masterpiece, ‘Black Diamond Bay’ from the last of his great albums, ‘Desire’ (1976).
It’s a cinematic tour de force, a dreamed narrative from a movie that you’ve never quite seen, hovering just beyond the horizon of your consciousness. You know every cliché, even the ones you’re aware Dylan is inventing as you watch.
265: Dion DiMucci, ‘Abraham, Martin and John’
Dion, from doo Wop to Dylanizer.
More swagger than Jagger.
262: Bob Dylan, ‘Went to See the Gypsy’ (“Another Self-Portrait”)
In 1970, Dylan was so set on releasing a terrible album that he left out all the good stuff.
Here’s the good stuff.
Welcome to Dylanland.
259: Chris Thile & Brad Mehldau: ‘Marcie’ (Joni Mitchell), ‘Don’t Think Twice’ (Dylan)
You don’t need Thile and Mehldau to justify the standing of Dylan or Mitchell. But their fresh new readings may still amplify and even enhance the originals.
Continue reading...249: Bobby Vee, ‘The Night Has a Thousand Eyes’
Bobby Vee died in 2016 from Alzheimer’s. That’s pretty surprising, considering that he’s still an 18-year old pop star and I’m still a pimply 13-year old with my ear glued to a Top 40 transistor radio.
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