- his lyrics are like modern poetry There is arguably not a better song writer of the 20th century that articulated serious issues of the day (yes, the Beatles were good, especially latter day, but did not have the consistency of Bob) - he changed music forever. From acoustic to electric. Articulating important topics such as racism and police brutality in America. This was revolutionary at his size and scale.
Don’t go a see him live now though. You will only leave with disappointment.
Have a listen to these songs. This is just 20 of the 500 or 600 he’s written and recorded. Should answer your question:
1) hard rain’s a gonna fall FREEWHEELIN’ 2) One too many mornings TIMES, THEY ARE… 3) love minus zero BRINGING IT ALL 4) desolation row HIGHWAY 61 5 visions of Johanna BLONDE ON BLONDE 6) all along the watchtower JOHN WESLEY 7) never say goodbye PLANET WAVES 8) shelter from the storm BLOOD…TRACKS 9) oh sister DESIRE 10) Senor STREET LEGAL 11) every grain of sand SHOT OF LOVE 12) blind Willie mctell BOOTLEG SERIES 1-3 13) man in the long black coat OH MERCY 14) handy dandy UNDER THE RED SKY 15) not dark yet TIME OUT OF MIND 16) Mississippi LOVE AND THEFT 17) Tin Angel TEMPEST 18) soon after midnight TEMPEST 19) black rider ROUGH + ROWDY WAYS 20) key west ROUGH + ROWDY WAYS
He’s a guide to and a guide for life. His lyrics, which have won him the noble prize for literature, combined with his phrasing, which add even extra meaning to the words, make him the Shakespeare of our time.
I appreciate that music is subjective, so can anyone explain the appeal of Dylan?
I liked a couple of his songs when I was first getting into music as a teenager, however I've just never understood the global appeal. To me Bob Dylan is the missionary position of the music world, perfectly OK, but that's about it.
I really enjoyed bobs early albums,with song like Blowin in the wind,dont think twice etc.He has written so many great songs,mostly sung better by other artists.I finally saw him about 15 years ago at the 02,and wish I had never went,his voice was little more than a croak,words spoken not sung,and he never touched his guitar all night.I love the Joan Baez and Peter Paul and Mary versions of many of his songs ,listening to these people makes you understand what a great song writer he is.
Have a listen to these songs. This is just 20 of the 500 or 600 he’s written and recorded. Should answer your question:
1) hard rain’s a gonna fall FREEWHEELIN’ 2) One too many mornings TIMES, THEY ARE… 3) love minus zero BRINGING IT ALL 4) desolation row HIGHWAY 61 5 visions of Johanna BLONDE ON BLONDE 6) all along the watchtower JOHN WESLEY 7) never say goodbye PLANET WAVES 8) shelter from the storm BLOOD…TRACKS 9) oh sister DESIRE 10) Senor STREET LEGAL 11) every grain of sand SHOT OF LOVE 12) blind Willie mctell BOOTLEG SERIES 1-3 13) man in the long black coat OH MERCY 14) handy dandy UNDER THE RED SKY 15) not dark yet TIME OUT OF MIND 16) Mississippi LOVE AND THEFT 17) Tin Angel TEMPEST 18) soon after midnight TEMPEST 19) black rider ROUGH + ROWDY WAYS 20) key west ROUGH + ROWDY WAYS
I appreciate that music is subjective, so can anyone explain the appeal of Dylan?
I liked a couple of his songs when I was first getting into music as a teenager, however I've just never understood the global appeal. To me Bob Dylan is the missionary position of the music world, perfectly OK, but that's about it.
In a way you've kind of answered your own question. As you say, music is subjective. It is visceral and emotive and you either "feel" something or you don't. In that sense trying to "explain the appeal" of Dylan is probably futile. One could try to explain his cultural and historical significance. He emerged at a time when pop music was primarily aimed at young teenage audience and song lyrics were a reflection of juvenile angst - boy meets girl/ girl meets boy, teen love, unrequited love, teen jealousy etc etc. Dylan made his name as a folk singer, his lyrics and poetry exploring much deeper and emotional and political subjects like poverty, deprivation, injustice and prejudice. Impressed and enthused by the Beatles barnstorming explosive impact in America, Dylan " went electric" and effectively brought a hitherto unknown lyrical and poetical literacy and emotional depth to the pop music scene. His impact was such that he was labelled by some as "the spokesperson for a generation", a label he despised and rejected. But there was no doubt that his words and music resonated with a generation and many felt like Dylan gave them a voice. Furthermore he influenced his contemporaries to give more consideration to their lyrics, so for example John Lennon wrote Please, Please Me in 1963, but by 1965 he was writing In My Life. Dylan opened the door for the likes of Ray Davies, Pete Townshend, Paul Simon, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and all those lyricists that wanted to explore more mature and deeper subjects. This is just my concise and rather crude attempt to summarise his impact and I am sure others could put it better, or you could seek out one of the many excellent biographies. At his best I think his songs can carry an astonishing power and emotional impact. Ironically, although I got into music at a very young age, I didn't like Dylan much in the 60's. I was too young I think to appreciate the maturity and depth of his words. I had a lightbulb moment in about 1974 when I was 20, and I heard his Planet Waves album (an underrated gem I think). This was followed by the classic Blood on the Tracks and then Desire. The impact these albums had caused me to revisit his 60's catalogue and I now count Highway 61 Revisited and Bringing it all Back Home amongst my FOAT albums.
I appreciate that music is subjective, so can anyone explain the appeal of Dylan?
I liked a couple of his songs when I was first getting into music as a teenager, however I've just never understood the global appeal. To me Bob Dylan is the missionary position of the music world, perfectly OK, but that's about it.
All subjective, of course.
The greatest poet of the 20th century, probably the most talked about and written about musical artist of the 20th century, he released the greatest album of all time in 'Blood on the Tracks', (other stupendous Dylan albums are available) he was the voice of a generation that still resonates today, he was a rebel, a musical storyteller without equal. Put simply he was, is, and always will be the GOAT.
Great. Very great. However there are a few who would dispute the notion that he was(is?) the greatest poet of the 20th century. Maybe his contribution is to make brilliant poetry accessible to people who think they don’t like poetry.
Great. Very great. However there are a few who would dispute the notion that he was(is?) the greatest poet of the 20th century. Maybe his contribution is to make brilliant poetry accessible to people who think they don’t like poetry.
As I said, subjective. But you are right, Seth - Dylan, and to a slightly less degree Cohen, made poetry accessible.
The problem was his voice deteriorated at a young age. And I think this changed the image of Dylan. As has already been said, he was iconic for his era. A poet. Nothing more to be said on this. I found this interesting little article…
Most singing voices deteriorate as we age. Classical singers and Opera singers know all about this and they train their voices and sing from the diaphragm, which preserves their voices. If you sing from the throat, which is almost a requisite for popular music, then you will damage the vocal cords over time.
Just try shouting as gruffly as you can for a few minutes and you'll probably struggle to hit your high notes for the next few days. They're damaged but will heel with rest
Bob Dylan sang from the throat and he put on a rasp, or tapped into the gruffer roarer sounds for many of his songs. This took away his higher register over time and even the character of the voice changed.. He had to learn to sing in a different way. And has less styles and “characters” at his disposal.
He was also in a vehicle accident which affected his voice for a time and this may have added to the overall deterioration.
Bob Dylan was a real vocal experimenter and he pushed his vocal cords beyond their limits. That was one of his amazing contributions to music; the nasal, character driven singing, something many emulated, such as John Lennon.
He now sings many of his songs in different keys to compensate the loss of register.
"He was also in a vehicle accident which affected his voice for a time and this may have added to the overall deterioration." He fell off his motorbike in 1966 - the seriousness of the accident was much exaggerated at the time. And his subsequent albums, such as Nashville Skyline, included his sweetest vocals of his career.
But generally, the thing about Dylan's voice is that what he does, even when his voice is shot and gravely and phlegmy as it frequently has been in the last thirty years, is infuse the lyrics with meaning. No one phrases the way he does and, for those of us who love his style, no one can make sounds that are just right for what he is trying to say. Hundreds of singers have 'better' voices but most of them don't 'do' what his voice 'does' to me. I love lots of singers whose voice carries something that I can't explain but which speaks to me - voices like Buddy Holly, Phil and Don Everly, Elvis Presley, Leonard Cohen, Ricky Ross, Om Khalsoum, Edith Piaf, Jacques Brel - but Dylan's voice moves me and hits me more intensely than anyone else.
Years ago, I gave up trying to convince other people of this, but the acid test for me was to play them the live version of the song Idiot Wind from the Hard Rain album. It is for me a stunning example of what his voice can do to convey the emotion of the words. If people got it, hooray, if not - obviously their electrical make-up or whatever it is just doesn't resonate to the same sounds and they were looking for something else in a singer.
"He was also in a vehicle accident which affected his voice for a time and this may have added to the overall deterioration." He fell off his motorbike in 1966 - the seriousness of the accident was much exaggerated at the time. And his subsequent albums, such as Nashville Skyline, included his sweetest vocals of his career.
But generally, the thing about Dylan's voice is that what he does, even when his voice is shot and gravely and phlegmy as it frequently has been in the last thirty years, is infuse the lyrics with meaning. No one phrases the way he does and, for those of us who love his style, no one can make sounds that are just right for what he is trying to say. Hundreds of singers have 'better' voices but most of them don't 'do' what his voice 'does' to me. I love lots of singers whose voice carries something that I can't explain but which speaks to me - voices like Buddy Holly, Phil and Don Everly, Elvis Presley, Leonard Cohen, Ricky Ross, Om Khalsoum, Edith Piaf, Jacques Brel - but Dylan's voice moves me and hits me more intensely than anyone else.
Years ago, I gave up trying to convince other people of this, but the acid test for me was to play them the live version of the song Idiot Wind from the Hard Rain album. It is for me a stunning example of what his voice can do to convey the emotion of the words. If people got it, hooray, if not - obviously their electrical make-up or whatever it is just doesn't resonate to the same sounds and they were looking for something else in a singer.
Another shout out for the masterful Hard Rain version of Idiot Wind which - to my ears - is even better than the Blood on the Tracks version. Still waiting for a Bootleg Series CD and DVD version of the show that was filmed for broadcast - possibly Dylan’s finest hour in front of the TV cameras but, until the internet age, only available on bootleg videos. Idiot Wind is the masterpiece here, but the versions of Hard Rain, Shelter from the Storm, Mozambique and One too Many Mornings are right up there with Dylan at the peak of his powers. Remarkable to read what was actually happening at the time here where Dylan had agreed to record a tv special but after one failed attempt was running out of time on the tour. The show these songs were taken from was one of the last opportunities to get something good in the can, it was in the middle of a rain storm, and the musicians were getting electric shocks off their equipment. It was the day before Dylan’s birthday and someone thought it would be a good idea for his estranged wife to turn up for the show. This is often cited as the reason for the turned up to 11 rancour of that version of Idiot Wind.
Have a listen to these songs. This is just 20 of the 500 or 600 he’s written and recorded. Should answer your question:
1) hard rain’s a gonna fall FREEWHEELIN’ 2) One too many mornings TIMES, THEY ARE… 3) love minus zero BRINGING IT ALL 4) desolation row HIGHWAY 61 5 visions of Johanna BLONDE ON BLONDE 6) all along the watchtower JOHN WESLEY 7) never say goodbye PLANET WAVES 8) shelter from the storm BLOOD…TRACKS 9) oh sister DESIRE 10) Senor STREET LEGAL 11) every grain of sand SHOT OF LOVE 12) blind Willie mctell BOOTLEG SERIES 1-3 13) man in the long black coat OH MERCY 14) handy dandy UNDER THE RED SKY 15) not dark yet TIME OUT OF MIND 16) Mississippi LOVE AND THEFT 17) Tin Angel TEMPEST 18) soon after midnight TEMPEST 19) black rider ROUGH + ROWDY WAYS 20) key west ROUGH + ROWDY WAYS
Probably one of the top 10 songwriters,if not top 5 of the 20th century. Not the best performer by any means. His back catalogue is immense and songs covered by many top artists..maybe not appreciated by the "current generation "
Let’s face it, he’s never had a great singing voice. However it doesn’t matter that much because the song writing is wonderful and the total package highly successful and evocative of the times. He is/was quite simply unique.
Comments
- he changed music forever. From acoustic to electric. Articulating important topics such as racism and police brutality in America. This was revolutionary at his size and scale.
1) hard rain’s a gonna fall FREEWHEELIN’
2) One too many mornings TIMES, THEY ARE…
3) love minus zero BRINGING IT ALL
4) desolation row HIGHWAY 61
5 visions of Johanna BLONDE ON BLONDE
6) all along the watchtower JOHN WESLEY
7) never say goodbye PLANET WAVES
8) shelter from the storm BLOOD…TRACKS
9) oh sister DESIRE
10) Senor STREET LEGAL
11) every grain of sand SHOT OF LOVE
12) blind Willie mctell BOOTLEG SERIES 1-3
13) man in the long black coat OH MERCY
14) handy dandy UNDER THE RED SKY
15) not dark yet TIME OUT OF MIND
16) Mississippi LOVE AND THEFT
17) Tin Angel TEMPEST
18) soon after midnight TEMPEST
19) black rider ROUGH + ROWDY WAYS
20) key west ROUGH + ROWDY WAYS
#Who’s got a big red cherry nose?’#
As you say, music is subjective. It is visceral and emotive and you either "feel" something or you don't.
In that sense trying to "explain the appeal" of Dylan is probably futile.
One could try to explain his cultural and historical significance.
He emerged at a time when pop music was primarily aimed at young teenage audience and song lyrics were a reflection of juvenile angst - boy meets girl/ girl meets boy, teen love, unrequited love, teen jealousy etc etc.
Dylan made his name as a folk singer, his lyrics and poetry exploring much deeper and emotional and political subjects like poverty, deprivation, injustice and prejudice.
Impressed and enthused by the Beatles barnstorming explosive impact in America, Dylan " went electric" and effectively brought a hitherto unknown lyrical and poetical literacy and emotional depth to the pop music scene.
His impact was such that he was labelled by some as "the spokesperson for a generation", a label he despised and rejected.
But there was no doubt that his words and music resonated with a generation and many felt like Dylan gave them a voice.
Furthermore he influenced his contemporaries to give more consideration to their lyrics, so for example John Lennon wrote Please, Please Me in 1963, but by 1965 he was writing In My Life.
Dylan opened the door for the likes of Ray Davies, Pete Townshend, Paul Simon, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and all those lyricists that wanted to explore more mature and deeper subjects.
This is just my concise and rather crude attempt to summarise his impact and I am sure others could put it better, or you could seek out one of the many excellent biographies.
At his best I think his songs can carry an astonishing power and emotional impact.
Ironically, although I got into music at a very young age, I didn't like Dylan much in the 60's.
I was too young I think to appreciate the maturity and depth of his words.
I had a lightbulb moment in about 1974 when I was 20, and I heard his Planet Waves album (an underrated gem I think).
This was followed by the classic Blood on the Tracks and then Desire.
The impact these albums had caused me to revisit his 60's catalogue and I now count Highway 61 Revisited and Bringing it all Back Home amongst my FOAT albums.
However there are a few who would dispute the notion that he was(is?) the greatest poet of the 20th century.
Maybe his contribution is to make brilliant poetry accessible to people who think they don’t like poetry.
My Favourite Dylan Song
Bob Dylan - Hurricane (Official Audio) (youtube.com)
As I said, subjective. But you are right, Seth - Dylan, and to a slightly less degree Cohen, made poetry accessible.
The problem was his voice deteriorated at a young age. And I think this changed the image of Dylan. As has already been said, he was iconic for his era. A poet. Nothing more to be said on this. I found this interesting little article…
Most singing voices deteriorate as we age. Classical singers and Opera singers know all about this and they train their voices and sing from the diaphragm, which preserves their voices. If you sing from the throat, which is almost a requisite for popular music, then you will damage the vocal cords over time.
Just try shouting as gruffly as you can for a few minutes and you'll probably struggle to hit your high notes for the next few days. They're damaged but will heel with rest
Bob Dylan sang from the throat and he put on a rasp, or tapped into the gruffer roarer sounds for many of his songs. This took away his higher register over time and even the character of the voice changed.. He had to learn to sing in a different way. And has less styles and “characters” at his disposal.
He was also in a vehicle accident which affected his voice for a time and this may have added to the overall deterioration.
Bob Dylan was a real vocal experimenter and he pushed his vocal cords beyond their limits. That was one of his amazing contributions to music; the nasal, character driven singing, something many emulated, such as John Lennon.
He now sings many of his songs in different keys to compensate the loss of register.
But generally, the thing about Dylan's voice is that what he does, even when his voice is shot and gravely and phlegmy as it frequently has been in the last thirty years, is infuse the lyrics with meaning. No one phrases the way he does and, for those of us who love his style, no one can make sounds that are just right for what he is trying to say. Hundreds of singers have 'better' voices but most of them don't 'do' what his voice 'does' to me. I love lots of singers whose voice carries something that I can't explain but which speaks to me - voices like Buddy Holly, Phil and Don Everly, Elvis Presley, Leonard Cohen, Ricky Ross, Om Khalsoum, Edith Piaf, Jacques Brel - but Dylan's voice moves me and hits me more intensely than anyone else.
Years ago, I gave up trying to convince other people of this, but the acid test for me was to play them the live version of the song Idiot Wind from the Hard Rain album. It is for me a stunning example of what his voice can do to convey the emotion of the words. If people got it, hooray, if not - obviously their electrical make-up or whatever it is just doesn't resonate to the same sounds and they were looking for something else in a singer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5E4ytUW8g_0
However it doesn’t matter that much because the song writing is wonderful and the total package highly successful and evocative of the times.
He is/was quite simply unique.
1. Meet Me in The Morning
2. Queen Jane Approximately
3. Tangled Up in Blue
4. It's alright Ma, I'm only bleeding.
5. Subterranean Homesick Blues
For me his voice suits his songs but others disagree.