45. Blonde on Blonde - Bob Dylan.
My apologies, I have not posted in ages. I find myself faced with another Bob Dylan album. A double album at that. 'Blonde on Blonde' is the record, and I have been dreading this post. My feelings about Mr. Dylan remain the same, I like the songs he writes, I just prefer when they are recorded by other artists. However, I am still posting about albums that are fifty years old, and at the rate I am posting, it will be another fifty years until I complete this list, so I have got to put my petty suppositions aside and get down to business. Also, I have confirmed that at least one bona fide breathing human being has read some of this blog, so I now have an obligation to post more often to keep my audience happy. You know who you are.
Given the tracks on side 2, it is likely the needle was returned to the outer edge of the record for a replay the lion's share of the time, but when the adventurous took the time to reach into the sleeve for the other record and put on side 3, they were rewarded with "Most Likely You'll Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)", a sixties sounding upbeat tune. Back to the blues again for "Temporary Like Achilles", and then "Absolutely Sweet Marie". During the latter track, I'm really noticing the drumming. It has been consistently perfect throughout the whole album. There are lots of understated fills that allow Dylan to be the showcase, but gives a feeling of driving forward, as opposed to listlessly wandering around. Sometimes less is more, and this drummer, Kenny Buttrey, is using just enough less to make it more. Right?
"4th Time Around" is apparently an answer to the Beatles' "Norwegian Wood". I saw it on the internet, so it must be true. It is unmistakable once you hear it. I didn't take the time to dwell on the lyrics of the song, so I'm assuming he stops short of the inference of arson, I'll leave it to you to make your own mind up on that one. "Obviously 5 Believers" returns to a blues driven tune with some nice harp fills. WHAT? I know, I know, I'm being inconsistent. But wait... I checked the musicians on the track and the harp player was Charley McCoy, not Dylan, so I can continue to dislike Dylan's harmonica playing. And I will.
The final side of the album is one track called "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands". This is a nice ballad, apparently written for his wife, that is pleasant enough to listen to. I've been just trying to get through this, so as stated earlier I am really only giving this a gloss over, not getting into the words and the symbolism, which I suppose is largely Dylan's forte. A few minutes in, there has been no screeching harmonica, so it is already one of my favourite tracks by this artist.
So, we have finished this one, it is behind us now. I may never listen to it again, but I have to say that there were parts of this album that I truly enjoyed. The music is the perfect backdrop, and I sense the genesis of what became classic album rock in these songs. There is a vibe of "I'm going to do whatever I want", on the album. Even the out of focus picture on the cover thumbs its nose at established norms and breaks new ground, which taken in the context of the mid to late sixties, fits in nicely with the times. He was able to borrow the best things that other groups were doing at the time, and mold them into his own sound, and his contemporaries were obviously influenced by his material. Maybe I am starting to get a clue about this guy. I have found that letting the album play while I am wrapping this up, it sounds pretty good. Maybe he is growing on me, maybe I will take the time to actually listen to the lyrics and consider the nuances he has painstakingly crafted, that are universally acclaimed, but to date I have dismissed. Doubtless there is more Dylan coming up in the future, so I think I'll wait until then.
Rolling Stone ranked this album at number 9 on the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Scanning the track listing, I see some well known songs, some that I even recall enjoying. As I begin listening, I believe this is going to be a long hour and twelve minutes, but I'm hoping for a moment of clarity; an understanding of what is really going on with this artist. I can definitely state that Bob Dylan will never be in heavy rotation on my playlists, but maybe I will be able to tie into what has made him into the icon that he is. It begins with "Rainy Day Women #12 and 35". I can recall being at parties and singing this one out loud with many friends. While the song evokes good memories, and has a nice New Orleans feel to it, it is basically rhymes that an elementary school student could write, with an irreverent chorus that "everybody must get stoned". Well, he might be onto something, it seemed to help the Beatles and Beach Boys expand their horizons.
"Pledging My Time" is a good straight ahead blues tune. The standout moment for me was a harmonica note that was held for what seemed an eternity, and then changes pitch just as my eye was starting to twitch. I feel like I am spending a lot of time whining about his harmonica, but it really rubs me the wrong way. The rest of the music is good, and a notable change in the the roster of musicians had Robbie Robertson taking over the guitar duties from Mike Bloomfield, who stayed on with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band.
"Visions of Johanna" is supposed to be a masterpiece of Dylan's, so I have given it an extra close listen. I really like Robertson's tasty little guitar licks. On the surface, the lyrics are very well written and paint a vivid picture; I'm sure there is a lot of substance there that I am missing, if one were to really roll up the sleeves and get into deeper meanings, allegory and all that business. I can see why this is considered one of his better songs. It is followed by "One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)" which I originally skipped over, thinking it did not need to be discussed, but on another listen have decided it deserves mention as an early rock song that ebbs and flows nicely. That is the end of side 1.
There is no arguing that these songs are masterfully crafted and I have also decided that I like the music a lot more on this album. The band is very tight, they allow Dylan to have the spotlight, but it seems that the music itself has grown. It seems that Dylan is also evolving at this point, even while he is simultaneously influencing all of his contemporaries with his previous work. That being said, it seems that he is also being influenced by some of his contemporaries. "I Want You" is a track that made me immediately think of the Beatles with some light guitar fills and a pop feel to it. He also has his own voice as evidenced by "Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again", and can still do the classic blues routine, a la "Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat". Happily, Robertson's guitar has taken the place of the harmonica that irritated me so much, making the song far more palatable than previous blues offerings. Side 2 ends with the iconic "Just Like a Woman".
As an aside, Edie Sedgewick was allegedly an inspiration for these last two songs. I don't know much about her, but her name conjures up images of the New York of that time. Considering Andy Warhol's Factory, Greenwich Village, Max's Kansas City, and the countless artistic denizens of the Chelsea Hotel, it must have been an incredible scene with all these people who went on to gain enough fame for some guy in Canada to be thinking of some of them fifty years later... Hmmm. I digress.
There is no arguing that these songs are masterfully crafted and I have also decided that I like the music a lot more on this album. The band is very tight, they allow Dylan to have the spotlight, but it seems that the music itself has grown. It seems that Dylan is also evolving at this point, even while he is simultaneously influencing all of his contemporaries with his previous work. That being said, it seems that he is also being influenced by some of his contemporaries. "I Want You" is a track that made me immediately think of the Beatles with some light guitar fills and a pop feel to it. He also has his own voice as evidenced by "Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again", and can still do the classic blues routine, a la "Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat". Happily, Robertson's guitar has taken the place of the harmonica that irritated me so much, making the song far more palatable than previous blues offerings. Side 2 ends with the iconic "Just Like a Woman".
As an aside, Edie Sedgewick was allegedly an inspiration for these last two songs. I don't know much about her, but her name conjures up images of the New York of that time. Considering Andy Warhol's Factory, Greenwich Village, Max's Kansas City, and the countless artistic denizens of the Chelsea Hotel, it must have been an incredible scene with all these people who went on to gain enough fame for some guy in Canada to be thinking of some of them fifty years later... Hmmm. I digress.
Given the tracks on side 2, it is likely the needle was returned to the outer edge of the record for a replay the lion's share of the time, but when the adventurous took the time to reach into the sleeve for the other record and put on side 3, they were rewarded with "Most Likely You'll Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)", a sixties sounding upbeat tune. Back to the blues again for "Temporary Like Achilles", and then "Absolutely Sweet Marie". During the latter track, I'm really noticing the drumming. It has been consistently perfect throughout the whole album. There are lots of understated fills that allow Dylan to be the showcase, but gives a feeling of driving forward, as opposed to listlessly wandering around. Sometimes less is more, and this drummer, Kenny Buttrey, is using just enough less to make it more. Right?
"4th Time Around" is apparently an answer to the Beatles' "Norwegian Wood". I saw it on the internet, so it must be true. It is unmistakable once you hear it. I didn't take the time to dwell on the lyrics of the song, so I'm assuming he stops short of the inference of arson, I'll leave it to you to make your own mind up on that one. "Obviously 5 Believers" returns to a blues driven tune with some nice harp fills. WHAT? I know, I know, I'm being inconsistent. But wait... I checked the musicians on the track and the harp player was Charley McCoy, not Dylan, so I can continue to dislike Dylan's harmonica playing. And I will.
The final side of the album is one track called "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands". This is a nice ballad, apparently written for his wife, that is pleasant enough to listen to. I've been just trying to get through this, so as stated earlier I am really only giving this a gloss over, not getting into the words and the symbolism, which I suppose is largely Dylan's forte. A few minutes in, there has been no screeching harmonica, so it is already one of my favourite tracks by this artist.
So, we have finished this one, it is behind us now. I may never listen to it again, but I have to say that there were parts of this album that I truly enjoyed. The music is the perfect backdrop, and I sense the genesis of what became classic album rock in these songs. There is a vibe of "I'm going to do whatever I want", on the album. Even the out of focus picture on the cover thumbs its nose at established norms and breaks new ground, which taken in the context of the mid to late sixties, fits in nicely with the times. He was able to borrow the best things that other groups were doing at the time, and mold them into his own sound, and his contemporaries were obviously influenced by his material. Maybe I am starting to get a clue about this guy. I have found that letting the album play while I am wrapping this up, it sounds pretty good. Maybe he is growing on me, maybe I will take the time to actually listen to the lyrics and consider the nuances he has painstakingly crafted, that are universally acclaimed, but to date I have dismissed. Doubtless there is more Dylan coming up in the future, so I think I'll wait until then.
Rolling Stone ranked this album at number 9 on the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Buy it here.
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