(Personal reflections
inspired by Bob Dylan songs)
Song: “One More Cup of
Coffee”
Album: Desire
Release Date: January,
1976
Part 1 of 3
Massachusetts:
Other than a year in Ottawa, Canada on a college exchange program and a
summer backpacking across Europe, it’s been home all my life. This is not to say that I’d declare myself a
townie. I’ve lived in a handful of municipalities
in the Bay State; on its South Shore, its North Shore, out west in the
Berkshires, in the ‘Hub’ (Boston), and for the past 14 years in the Merrimack
Valley…. more specifically the ecologically-gifted town of Pepperell on the New
Hampshire border. And with 54 years of geographic
curiosity under my belt, I’m pretty sure I could recall at least one good
memory in more than 70% of the 351 towns that make up “The Commonwealth”. Expanding out beyond the confines of
Massachusetts the memories pile up quite considerably throughout the entire Northeast
region; countless nooks and crannies in each of the other five New England
States, as well as all over New York and Eastern Canada. Alas, there is much to take in across the breadth
of this historic, cultural, and naturally rich region, and I’d like to think I’ve
capitalized on it as much as anyone.
And so
when I first read about the hippest-of-all tours - the 1975 Rolling Thunder
Review bus caravan of musical gypsies, which featured Bob Dylan at his (or
anyone’s for that matter) live-performing best - I was pleasantly surprised to see
that the first (of two) legs was completely centered on my world. I’m going to be delving into this mutual experience
here, but before I do, I need to set the stage for those who may not be aware
of the uniqueness of this tour-de-force.
When it
comes to attendee-accessibility to major rock and roll stars, the Rolling
Thunder Review tour was like no other in terms of intimacy. Bob Dylan came up with a brilliant idea. First, he conceived the notion of performing
in relatively small venues, including auditoriums and gymnasiums, by
significantly curtailing the pre-concert marketing hype. Typically, this was pulled off by having roadies
post pamphlets on nearby college campuses only days prior to a show (one big
reason the Northeast was likely chosen was the abundance of “higher learning”
universities in the region). Next, Dylan
reached out to an iconic and eclectic cross-section of musicians from his past
and then-present, including Joan Baez, Roger McGuinn, Mick Ronson, T-Bone
Burnett, Scarlet Rivera, and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, among many others. Imagine being able to rally any and all connections
in your life, asking them to convene for a few months to celebrate something
with you? This is but one aspect of what
Bob Dylan pulled off here.
As the Rolling Thunder Review commenced, Dylan released Desire. If any of Bob Dylan’s albums portrays an
artistic visual effect in the music and lyrics, this one is it, which allows
the listener to relate the songs to their own life experiences in more concrete
terms. Many cuts from Desire were
performed on the tour. And so, in recognition
of all these converging factors; Desire, Rolling Thunder Review, and my
home turf, I’ve compiled the following journey of sorts consisting of a sprint
through each of the 24 tour locations and dates, including; 1) thought-provoking
insights about the album (Desire) and/or the tour; 2) personal thoughts
on every locale and; 3) a related verse of lyrics from Bob Dylan songs that
were performed by Rolling Thunder Revue on that first leg (most quotes are from
songs off Desire), which hopefully helps to bring it all home, especially
for those like me who were unfortunately not there (although little of it
matters without listening to the music).
I’ll be breaking this up into 3 installments over the next three blog
entries (including this one), where each installment will cover 8 northeast
locations where the gypsy caravan set up shop for a night or two of seminal
musical revelry.
October 27-29, Falmouth, Massachusetts:
Sea Crest Hotel
There was
no official tour event in Falmouth, but I include it here because this is where
the rehearsals kicked into high gear.
Also, as documented by Larry “Ratso” Sloman in the booklet that
accompanies Bob Dylan Live 1975, there was an impromptu show pulled
together for a Mah Jongg convention at the hotel. Regardless, Falmouth is where this newly-formed
band began to gel, to get a feel for what they had in them. And boy, did they ultimately
pull it off. When you listen to any
recording of Rolling Thunder Review, there’s an uncanny sense of interplay and ease
in the performances. Some of this likely
had to do with Bob Dylan’s surreal film, Renaldo and Clara, which was
being produced on the tour. Band members got to act out of character, which may
have relaxed them more so than usual.
Was this the ulterior motive for doing a film?
As for Falmouth,
Cape Cod it was my 2nd home growing up:
Where much of my Dad’s side of the family lived way back when (many
still), including his parents and three of his sisters along with their
families. Beaches, dunes, tide pools, eel
fishing in the culverts with my cousins.
The Falmouth Road Race. The hotel
itself, home to one of my earliest USGS presentations at a GIS conference back
in 1994; my parents babysitting our newborn Charlotte down the hall in the hotel
bedroom as my wife Nancy and I attended the banquet. And now, these past 10 years, my parents with
a beautiful home of their own on Cape Cod… a lifelong dream of theirs.
“I can
still see them playin’ with their pails in the sand,
They run to the water their buckets
to fill
I can still see the shells fallin’
out of their hands
As they follow each other back up the
hill” --- “Sara”
October 30-31, Plymouth,
Massachusetts: War Memorial Auditorium
The tour
then moved on up the road, over the Cape Cod Canal, to Plymouth, Massachusetts.
I’m sure the band was starting to feel each other out by this time. One member
who stands out to me is Mick Ronson. Bob
Dylan had the unique privilege to recruit the best of the best lead guitarists
for his many bands, both live and in studio, including Mick Taylor, Mark
Knopfler, Robbie Robertson, Jerry Garcia, Mike Campbell, George Harrison, and
G.E. Smith. But I’ll choose Mick Ronson
over all of them. Just listen to the live version of “Shelter from the Storm”
(off Hard Rain) or his subtle exquisiteness during the instrumental
bridges of “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll” (off Bob Dylan Live 1975)
to get a sense of what I am talking about.
As for
Plymouth, it’s worth a visit for anyone exploring the region: There’s Plymouth
Rock, and Plymouth Plantation, and a replica of the Mayflower. It’s a large town area-wise….somehow still
retaining a significant amount of open space, despite its proximity to Boston
and Cape Cod, which is at least partly due to the abundance of kettle-hole
ponds (can’t develop those). Here is the
home of Camp Wind-in-the-Pines and thoughts of my coming-of-age days: Canoes tipping in the lakes, dock jumping,
teen stories around the campfire. There
are more recent memories too, of touring the downtown area several summers
back, and dining at a classic Mexican restaurant (San Diego’s) with my
Europe-travelling best buddy, Bob and his family.
“Hot
chili peppers in the blistering sun
Dust on my face and on my cape,
Me and Magdalena on the run
I think this time we shall escape” ---
“Romance in Durango”
November 1, Dartmouth,
Massachusetts: UMass Dartmouth
From Plymouth
the Rolling Thunder Revue tour headed not-far due west, likely along several scenic
State routes, to Buzzards Bay and the town of Dartmouth, where they played at
the State College there. One observation
I make right off with the Rolling Thunder Revue recordings is just how powerful
Bob Dylan’s singing is, and how tuned in he must have been. To memorize the massive abundance of lyrics
for each set list is simply mind boggling (“Hard Rain” alone is enough for any
average singer). And to do this while
messing with the melodies and the key signatures. Wow.
Dartmouth;
a pristine coastal community, wonderfully serene, where my daughter did her
summer internship, studying the ground-nesting habits of bobolinks in rotation-mowed
fields of grass near the coast. I was fortunate to spend a day with Charlotte in
those fields, getting up and out bright and early, and was also fortunate to get a
few photos of these fascinating birds. And
then heading back to watch her summary presentation to the local land and
trust. A very proud moment for a Dad.
“Maybe
it’s the color of the sun cut flat
An’ coverin’ the crossroads I’m
standing at
Or maybe it’s the weather or
something like that
But mama, you are just on my mind” ---
“Mama, You Been on My Mind”
November 2, Lowell, Massachusetts:
UMass Lowell
Next for
the Dylan caravan, it was a two-plus-hour bus drive from south to north, to the
historic industrial city of Lowell, only 20 minutes from my current home in
Pepperell. While there, Bob Dylan paid a
visit to Jack Kerouac’s graveside with fellow poet Allan Ginsberg (who was part
of the tour). Much like the city of
Brockton further to the south (which the bus tour likely passed by on its way
north that day) Lowell has a rich boxing history. The award-winning movie The
Fighter was based on the story of a Lowell featherweight, Micky Ward. As for Brockton, two middleweight champs
reside from the city: Rocky Marciano and Marvin Hagler. Another middleweight, Rubin Carter, who “could-a
been the champion of the world” was heavy on the minds and in the lyrics of
the Rolling Thunder Review ensemble on this tour. Yes, Dylan was on board with the “Black Lives
Matter” cause long before the term was coined.
Lowell has
had a major face lift these past 30 years, thanks to people like the late Senator
Paul Tsongas. It’s a great city now to visit, with an old canal system still
intact, and a significant presence by the National Park Service (in relation to
the old mill structures). My son, Peter
just wrapped up his freshman year in the College of Engineering at UMass
Lowell, which was as great of an experience for him as we could have hoped. UMass Lowell is also where my sister Jen graduated
from as a physical therapist. One of my favorite memories in Lowell was of an
outdoor show, watching Ritchie Havens weave his magic onstage.
“Meanwhile far away in
another part of town
Rubin Carter and a couple of
friends are drivin’ around
Number one contender for the
middle weight crown
Had no idea what kinda shit was
about to go down” --- “Hurricane”
November 4, Providence, Rhode
Island: Providence Civic Center
Leaving
the State of Massachusetts for the first time (within arm’s length, though, as
with other ventures on that first leg), the tour then headed to Providence, Rhode
Island, and the first large venue on the tour, the Providence Civic Center,
which was only 3 years old at the time. The
band also made a pit stop in Newport. I’m
curious if Bob Dylan reflected at all on his early career, seeing as Newport is
the home of the Newport Folk Festival, which is where Dylan gained much of his
early fame… and early notoriety too.
I went to
my first big concert at the Providence Civic Center, back in 1979 to see Rush
perform on their Permanent Waves tour. And I’ve had the opportunity to see many other
great shows there over the years, including Eric Clapton, Tom Petty and Elton
John. I’ve also attended a number of
more intimate events in Providence, including several John Entwistle shows, and
Gram Parker & the Rumor. Of course,
there was always Lupo’s (the scene of the cult classic “Complex World”) to
catch local bands. More recently there’s
been the Providence WaterFire summer events, and meeting daughter Charlotte,
and her roommates in the city, they making the trek up from their University of
Rhode Island home. Along with the roommates’
parents, the group of us would take in all the goings on along the ablazed Providence
River, music playing around every corner.
“Hey,
Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I’m not sleepy and there is no place
I’m going to
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song
for me
In the jingle jangle morning I’ll
come following you” --- “Mr. Tambourine Man”
November 6, Springfield,
Massachusetts: Springfield Civic Center
From
Providence the tour bus headed for the hills, returning to Massachusetts, this
time Springfield, on the edge of the Berkshires. Dylan and crowd hooked up with Arlo Guthrie,
a fellow Bay Stater who has resided in Stockbridge most of his life; a lovely
hamlet on the southwest corner; just a stone’s throw from Connecticut and New
York (and the geographic inspiration for “Alice’s Restaurant”, which I listen
to religiously every Thanksgiving). Ramblin’ Jack Elliot – a contemporary of
Arlo’s Dad, Woody - helped tie the past to the present. Many concerts on the tour closed with Woody
Guthrie’s most famous anthem “This Land is Your Land”, Arlo joining them at the
Springfield event.
I went to
school in the Berkshires. Got very
familiar with the Mohawk Trail, “Hairpin Turn” and Mount Greylock. The region has many similarities to the Catskills,
so when I first gravitated to Bob Dylan’s music, the ‘Big Pink’ Woodstock
period felt so accessible to me.
“They say everything can be replaced
Yet ev’ry distant is not near.
So I remember ev’ry face
Of ev’ry
man who put me here” --- “I Shall Be Released”
November 8, Burlington, Vermont: Patrick
Gym
Next it
was a straight shot north, up routes 91 and 89 to Burlington, Vermont through
the Green Mountains. I’m sure Bob Dylan’s
gypsy caravan enjoyed the ride. Joan
Baez played the gypsy better than anyone.
Her presence on the tour added a touch of class and a nice angle on Bob Dylan’s
history. No one had to adapt to Dylan’s on-the-fly
musical whims more than Baez. Her
professionalism shined though.
Looming
over the tranquil beauty that is Lake Champlain, Burlington was such a great
place to visit when my great friend Mac went to school at nearby St. Michaels
College. Vermont holds so many more
amazing memories for me, most recently in the aptly-named “Northeast Kingdom”, a
region where a close work colleague, Don, calls home. My work travels to Sherbrooke, Quebec, has had
me driving through “the Kingdom” several times a year over the past decade, and
Don’s doors are always open on the return trip.
It’s irresistible to pass through without taking him up on it, his West
Glover lodge with a 360 degree view of the surrounding rolling countryside, and
the coolest pub in Vermont, the Parker Pie, at the foot of his half mile long
common driveway. The live music,
character, and great food at “The Pie” can’t be beat. Leaving the Northeast Kingdom for home those
early morning after’s always leaves me with a melancholy feel inside, each mile
travelled farther and farther away from tranquil isolation:
“One more cup of coffee for the road
One more cup of coffee before I go
To the valley below” --- “One
More Cup of Coffee”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBSfuqPhIec&feature=share
November 9, Durham, New Hampshire:
University of New Hampshire (UNH)
Tucked in
the southeast corner of the New Hampshire, near the coastal city of Portsmouth,
Durham is home to UNH, the largest university in the State. The Rolling Thunder Revue played in the
campus gymnasium. I wonder what it was
like to be there to witness Scarlet Rivera’s violin sounds resonating off those
gym walls. Rivera is right up there with
Al Kooper and Daniel Lanois when it comes to identifying a period in Bob Dylan’s
career with a distinguishing sound. In Rivera’s
case, of course it’s her haunting violin, which permeates throughout most of Desire
as well as on this tour.
Next door
to Durham is the small town of Lee, where many a summer days in my early
college years were spent at a family campground there. The campfire was the center of so many great
conversations, which were hilarious at times: My cousin’s ability to recite
entire episodes of Lost in Space.
Same with my brother-in-law Dale when it came to Monty Python. Forays into Durham were frequent. The diners and pubs always a welcome touch of
civilization after several days and nights in the forest.
“Sleepin’ in the woods by a fire in the night
Drinkin’ white run in a Portuguese
bar,
Them playin’ leapfrog and hearin’
about Snow White
You in the marketplace in
Savanna-la-Mar.” ---- “Sara”
Next up:
Part 2 of 3
- Pete
Sunday, May 13, 2018
Sunday, May 6, 2018
Master Blueprints # 17: “I’d Just Be Curious to Know If You Can See Yourself as Clear, As Someone Who Has Had You on His Mind”
(Personal reflections
inspired by Bob Dylan songs)
Song: “Mama, You Been On My Mind”
Album: The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961-1991
Release Date: March, 1991 (recorded 1964 for the Another Side of Bob Dylan sessions)
Several week’s back I received a few thought-provoking critical replies to Master Blueprint # 15, which discussed “Like a Rolling Stone” and the 1965 album it first appeared on, Highway 61 Revisited. In that entry I praised the record - and its successor Blonde on Blonde - for reigning in the era of concept albums, without recognizing them as a singular concepts in their own right, thereby admitting to my own lack of insight in this regard with these aficionados (although they did generally like my assessment that virtually every song on these albums comes across as its own fully fleshed out concept). The feedback was fairly similar in argumentative points; the gist message being that ‘you had to be there’, seeing as in each case it appeared the responder was truly there.
Ok, well despite not being there, I’m hoping to clear those mental hurdles one day if indeed there are hurdles to clear. It has happened to me on a number of occasions, most notably when I was writing the Stepping Stones series six years ago (inspired by the music of the Rolling Stones) and became enlightened with the Stones greatest album, Exile on Main Street (see the entry “Tapping Into My Inner Grasshopper”: http://pete-gemsandbeyond.blogspot.com/2012/04/17th-in-series-of-stepping-stones.html ). At times the effects that come from listening, reflecting and then writing these blog series can be oh-so satisfactory.
Anyhow, the comments from those insightful Dylan contemporaries spurred other thoughts in me as well. Whether of that 60’s era or not, most of us Bob Dylan enthusiasts are pretty certain that he’s earned himself one helluva long-term legacy; that his music will thrive the test of time. But just what is it that will become long lasting vs. something that may begin to sound a bit dated over time? I mean, if ‘you had to be there’ than maybe Highway 61 Revisited as an album won’t thrive that test because it spoke to a very unique (albeit fascinating) period in American history, versus something like Oh Mercy, or Love and Theft, which at least for now have the feel of transcending any given timeframe.
Many have argued that Bob Dylan was at his most voluminously gifted in the 60s. If this be the case than I am representative of the first wave of age groups (I was born in 1962) that did not experience Dylan’s genius firsthand while he was at his supposed peak. With that said, a fan like me may very likely be a good case study – a barometer if you will - as to what it is that will propel his legacy forward. In other words, us latter-day Bob Dylan fans should be taken seriously, because each successive wave of us will have less and less direct identity with the times he was a part of.
I’ve been reflecting this week on what it was that initially stimulated my interest in Bob Dylan’s music and more importantly how that initial spark spread like wildfire. What follows is a quick synopsis of a 5 year period (~ 1986 -91) where I went from simply admiring Dylan’s music to really feeling it. I think it speaks to the fact that you can come at Bob Dylan from any number of angles and then build on that foundation in many ways.
‘The spark’ itself was covered in Master Blueprints # 1; a car parking moment in the mid-80s, when I heard the live Rolling Thunder Review version of “Shelter From the Storm” on the radio (from the “Hard Rain” album). After that it was an avalanche of connections that ultimately cemented the deal. There were my early back-catalog purchases: Blood on the Tracks, Freewheelin’, The Basement Tapes, and Slow Train Coming, all of which came upon recommendation from those more in the know than I, particularly Jeff Strause. Soon after, there was the Travelling WIlbury’s first album in 1988 (I think it was George Harrison who stated at the time that his own writing contributions were self-curtailed because this super band included the best songwriter of them all, so why bother). Then, the release of Oh Mercy in 1989, which was a quantum leap into my immersion: The first great Dylan album I could celebrate at the time of its public germination.
Around that time I watched “Pat Garrett and Bill the Kid”; Dylan playing the bit-role as the quirky character “Alias”, and of course setting the mood with the soundtrack (the scene with the Slim Pickens character dying from a gunshot wound, his woman by his side, while “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” plays in the background still sends shivers). Then came the Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary (with Atlantic Records) Celebration, which I watched live simulcast (see Master Blueprints # 7 and # 8). There was the Joan Baez Any Day Now album of Dylan covers, a gift from a good friend (again, Jeff), which I would eventually wear out (note to self….get a new copy). There were several Rolling Stone Magazine interviews, always inspiring. There was the Roy Orbison tribute show in Los Angeles (1990), which included a surprise reunion of the Byrds with Bob Dylan joining them on stage (my wife and I with 2nd row seats and backstage passes…this also covered in Blueprint # 1). There were 3 other concerts as well.
On top of all this were all the accolades. For example, I attended many other concerts during this period, from big venues to small clubs, and invariably the given act would cover a Bob Dylan song; several of whom would also speak glowingly of him in the process. It seemed as if praise was coming from every angle in Dylan’s direction. Recognition of such came to a crescendo for me on Bob Dylan’s 50th birthday, May 24, 1991, when I headed into ‘Boston Town’ for an evening of live music with my good friend Mac.
Before I proceed, I have to say this qualifier upfront: I’m a big fan of many musicians, but not to the degree that I celebrate (or even know) their birth dates. Iconic musicians like those I’ve been musing on these past six years are a big part of my life, yes, but in no way do they define my life. Professional lives are one thing, personal lives are another. If the personal adds something to the songwriter’s song story, then I’m interested. Otherwise, I’m content to leave well enough alone. The key to loving the music of any given act is to relate to it and grow your own life from what you hear and feel.
For the most part, this qualifier includes Bob Dylan (heck, I even had to look up his birthday just now, though a sixth sense was telling me it was getting close). But here’s the thing; something has transpired with Dylan’s birthday over the years that is quite unique and astonishing. It is celebrated by musicians like no other I’ve seen. I’m not sure when it started, but for me it was that 50th birthday of his, when Mac and I bellied up at the bar of a small club and watched as at least 10 local musicians came and went; each setting up, playing a small suite of Dylan songs, breaking down, and moving on to other clubs. I’d bounced from bar to bar to catch multiple acts in tight-knit downtown music hubs like Music Row in Nashville, Sixth Street in Austin, and Bourbon Street in New Orleans. But in this case it was the musicians doing the bouncing around. It was a communal, organic and eclectic experience on many levels and the celebratory mood of it all caught me quite by surprise.
I’ve not experienced it in quite the same fashion since, but as Bob Dylan’s most significant decadal birthdays have inevitably played out in subsequent years (to date, his 60th and 70th) I’ve kept my ears open for events here in the Boston region, and I’ve never been disappointed. More recently it’s turned into a half decade thing (75th). In each case, the celebration was of multiple musicians playing at one event (in these cases though, the musicians stuck around to watch each other rather than move on). What you get to hear and feel is just how many wonderful ways Bob Dylan’s music can be interpreted and honored. This is the core to why Dylan will have a long term legacy.
One thing that very much helped that first Bob Dylan birthday-bash experience for me back in ’91 was an interview I taped just prior. Dylan sat with Rock DJ Tony Pigg on New York City radio station WPLJ (simulcast to other stations including Boston’s WBCN) to discuss and play highlights from the first 3 volumes of his phenomenal Bootleg Series. Dylan’s 50th birthday was brought up at several points in the interview. Whether it was the landmark birth date or Pigg’s very effective and reverential tone (reverential to the music, not the man), or both, I am not sure, but the interview found Dylan in an unusually open and reflective mood. One of the cuts that was played was last week’s Blueprint “She’s Your Lover Now”. Others included; a magnificent homemade version of “Every Grain of Sand”, family dog barking at times in the background; a hypothetical canvas scene playing out masterfully in the song that is “Wallflower”; and the head-shaking beauty that is “Angelina” (after it’s played in the radio interview, Dylan is asked by the clearly blown-away Pigg why he never released this or so many other songs on the albums they were intended for, and Dylan replies something to the effect of “well, you can’t release them all, can you?” Yeah, as if we all have that problem!). It was all so profound because again, many of these were deep cuts that would be scratched from albums of yesteryear. I know of no other musician who has such a gift. How was this all helpful with that Boston 50th experience? Several songs from the Bootleg Series were played that evening, which gave me a sense that others related to the notion that this treasure chest of Bob Dylan’s was much deeper than any of us imagined.
Another cut from the Pigg interview is this week’s Master Blueprint, “Mama, You Been on My Mind” ( https://vimeo.com/161261103 ). This one is a bit of a makeup for last week’s borderline caustic entry “She’s Your Lover Now” (although I must say, I defend it as a Blueprint focus because it is so well performed). “Mama, You Been on My Mind” is the flip side of that emotion. It’s one of Bob Dylan’s finest love songs, and one he sat on, unreleased for 27 years. It’s reflecting on lost love, and since I’m not going there, I’m going to broaden the meaning here. I believe that loosely interpreted, “Mama You Been on My Mind” can be about anyone close to you who you’ve seen at one time or another in a state of grace (think Lieutenant Dan, in the near-end wedding scene of Forrest Gump, or maybe even Dylan singing this song). It’s those moments that you always want to remember when you are at odds with that person, or your relationship is strained. You’ve seen that person at their God-given best. Thankfully, these types of memories are indelible, always there for you to capture in time of need.
- Pete
Song: “Mama, You Been On My Mind”
Album: The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961-1991
Release Date: March, 1991 (recorded 1964 for the Another Side of Bob Dylan sessions)
Several week’s back I received a few thought-provoking critical replies to Master Blueprint # 15, which discussed “Like a Rolling Stone” and the 1965 album it first appeared on, Highway 61 Revisited. In that entry I praised the record - and its successor Blonde on Blonde - for reigning in the era of concept albums, without recognizing them as a singular concepts in their own right, thereby admitting to my own lack of insight in this regard with these aficionados (although they did generally like my assessment that virtually every song on these albums comes across as its own fully fleshed out concept). The feedback was fairly similar in argumentative points; the gist message being that ‘you had to be there’, seeing as in each case it appeared the responder was truly there.
Ok, well despite not being there, I’m hoping to clear those mental hurdles one day if indeed there are hurdles to clear. It has happened to me on a number of occasions, most notably when I was writing the Stepping Stones series six years ago (inspired by the music of the Rolling Stones) and became enlightened with the Stones greatest album, Exile on Main Street (see the entry “Tapping Into My Inner Grasshopper”: http://pete-gemsandbeyond.blogspot.com/2012/04/17th-in-series-of-stepping-stones.html ). At times the effects that come from listening, reflecting and then writing these blog series can be oh-so satisfactory.
Anyhow, the comments from those insightful Dylan contemporaries spurred other thoughts in me as well. Whether of that 60’s era or not, most of us Bob Dylan enthusiasts are pretty certain that he’s earned himself one helluva long-term legacy; that his music will thrive the test of time. But just what is it that will become long lasting vs. something that may begin to sound a bit dated over time? I mean, if ‘you had to be there’ than maybe Highway 61 Revisited as an album won’t thrive that test because it spoke to a very unique (albeit fascinating) period in American history, versus something like Oh Mercy, or Love and Theft, which at least for now have the feel of transcending any given timeframe.
Many have argued that Bob Dylan was at his most voluminously gifted in the 60s. If this be the case than I am representative of the first wave of age groups (I was born in 1962) that did not experience Dylan’s genius firsthand while he was at his supposed peak. With that said, a fan like me may very likely be a good case study – a barometer if you will - as to what it is that will propel his legacy forward. In other words, us latter-day Bob Dylan fans should be taken seriously, because each successive wave of us will have less and less direct identity with the times he was a part of.
I’ve been reflecting this week on what it was that initially stimulated my interest in Bob Dylan’s music and more importantly how that initial spark spread like wildfire. What follows is a quick synopsis of a 5 year period (~ 1986 -91) where I went from simply admiring Dylan’s music to really feeling it. I think it speaks to the fact that you can come at Bob Dylan from any number of angles and then build on that foundation in many ways.
‘The spark’ itself was covered in Master Blueprints # 1; a car parking moment in the mid-80s, when I heard the live Rolling Thunder Review version of “Shelter From the Storm” on the radio (from the “Hard Rain” album). After that it was an avalanche of connections that ultimately cemented the deal. There were my early back-catalog purchases: Blood on the Tracks, Freewheelin’, The Basement Tapes, and Slow Train Coming, all of which came upon recommendation from those more in the know than I, particularly Jeff Strause. Soon after, there was the Travelling WIlbury’s first album in 1988 (I think it was George Harrison who stated at the time that his own writing contributions were self-curtailed because this super band included the best songwriter of them all, so why bother). Then, the release of Oh Mercy in 1989, which was a quantum leap into my immersion: The first great Dylan album I could celebrate at the time of its public germination.
Around that time I watched “Pat Garrett and Bill the Kid”; Dylan playing the bit-role as the quirky character “Alias”, and of course setting the mood with the soundtrack (the scene with the Slim Pickens character dying from a gunshot wound, his woman by his side, while “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” plays in the background still sends shivers). Then came the Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary (with Atlantic Records) Celebration, which I watched live simulcast (see Master Blueprints # 7 and # 8). There was the Joan Baez Any Day Now album of Dylan covers, a gift from a good friend (again, Jeff), which I would eventually wear out (note to self….get a new copy). There were several Rolling Stone Magazine interviews, always inspiring. There was the Roy Orbison tribute show in Los Angeles (1990), which included a surprise reunion of the Byrds with Bob Dylan joining them on stage (my wife and I with 2nd row seats and backstage passes…this also covered in Blueprint # 1). There were 3 other concerts as well.
On top of all this were all the accolades. For example, I attended many other concerts during this period, from big venues to small clubs, and invariably the given act would cover a Bob Dylan song; several of whom would also speak glowingly of him in the process. It seemed as if praise was coming from every angle in Dylan’s direction. Recognition of such came to a crescendo for me on Bob Dylan’s 50th birthday, May 24, 1991, when I headed into ‘Boston Town’ for an evening of live music with my good friend Mac.
Before I proceed, I have to say this qualifier upfront: I’m a big fan of many musicians, but not to the degree that I celebrate (or even know) their birth dates. Iconic musicians like those I’ve been musing on these past six years are a big part of my life, yes, but in no way do they define my life. Professional lives are one thing, personal lives are another. If the personal adds something to the songwriter’s song story, then I’m interested. Otherwise, I’m content to leave well enough alone. The key to loving the music of any given act is to relate to it and grow your own life from what you hear and feel.
For the most part, this qualifier includes Bob Dylan (heck, I even had to look up his birthday just now, though a sixth sense was telling me it was getting close). But here’s the thing; something has transpired with Dylan’s birthday over the years that is quite unique and astonishing. It is celebrated by musicians like no other I’ve seen. I’m not sure when it started, but for me it was that 50th birthday of his, when Mac and I bellied up at the bar of a small club and watched as at least 10 local musicians came and went; each setting up, playing a small suite of Dylan songs, breaking down, and moving on to other clubs. I’d bounced from bar to bar to catch multiple acts in tight-knit downtown music hubs like Music Row in Nashville, Sixth Street in Austin, and Bourbon Street in New Orleans. But in this case it was the musicians doing the bouncing around. It was a communal, organic and eclectic experience on many levels and the celebratory mood of it all caught me quite by surprise.
I’ve not experienced it in quite the same fashion since, but as Bob Dylan’s most significant decadal birthdays have inevitably played out in subsequent years (to date, his 60th and 70th) I’ve kept my ears open for events here in the Boston region, and I’ve never been disappointed. More recently it’s turned into a half decade thing (75th). In each case, the celebration was of multiple musicians playing at one event (in these cases though, the musicians stuck around to watch each other rather than move on). What you get to hear and feel is just how many wonderful ways Bob Dylan’s music can be interpreted and honored. This is the core to why Dylan will have a long term legacy.
One thing that very much helped that first Bob Dylan birthday-bash experience for me back in ’91 was an interview I taped just prior. Dylan sat with Rock DJ Tony Pigg on New York City radio station WPLJ (simulcast to other stations including Boston’s WBCN) to discuss and play highlights from the first 3 volumes of his phenomenal Bootleg Series. Dylan’s 50th birthday was brought up at several points in the interview. Whether it was the landmark birth date or Pigg’s very effective and reverential tone (reverential to the music, not the man), or both, I am not sure, but the interview found Dylan in an unusually open and reflective mood. One of the cuts that was played was last week’s Blueprint “She’s Your Lover Now”. Others included; a magnificent homemade version of “Every Grain of Sand”, family dog barking at times in the background; a hypothetical canvas scene playing out masterfully in the song that is “Wallflower”; and the head-shaking beauty that is “Angelina” (after it’s played in the radio interview, Dylan is asked by the clearly blown-away Pigg why he never released this or so many other songs on the albums they were intended for, and Dylan replies something to the effect of “well, you can’t release them all, can you?” Yeah, as if we all have that problem!). It was all so profound because again, many of these were deep cuts that would be scratched from albums of yesteryear. I know of no other musician who has such a gift. How was this all helpful with that Boston 50th experience? Several songs from the Bootleg Series were played that evening, which gave me a sense that others related to the notion that this treasure chest of Bob Dylan’s was much deeper than any of us imagined.
Another cut from the Pigg interview is this week’s Master Blueprint, “Mama, You Been on My Mind” ( https://vimeo.com/161261103 ). This one is a bit of a makeup for last week’s borderline caustic entry “She’s Your Lover Now” (although I must say, I defend it as a Blueprint focus because it is so well performed). “Mama, You Been on My Mind” is the flip side of that emotion. It’s one of Bob Dylan’s finest love songs, and one he sat on, unreleased for 27 years. It’s reflecting on lost love, and since I’m not going there, I’m going to broaden the meaning here. I believe that loosely interpreted, “Mama You Been on My Mind” can be about anyone close to you who you’ve seen at one time or another in a state of grace (think Lieutenant Dan, in the near-end wedding scene of Forrest Gump, or maybe even Dylan singing this song). It’s those moments that you always want to remember when you are at odds with that person, or your relationship is strained. You’ve seen that person at their God-given best. Thankfully, these types of memories are indelible, always there for you to capture in time of need.
- Pete
Sunday, April 29, 2018
Master Blueprints # 16: “But Please Tell That to Your Friend in the Cowboy Hat. You Know He Keeps on Sayin’ Ev’rythin’ Twice to Me”
(Personal reflections
inspired by Bob Dylan songs)
Song: “She’s Your Lover Now”
Album: The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961-1991
Release Date: March, 1991 (recorded in Jan. 1966 for the Blonde on Blonde sessions)
Rolling Stone magazine has Bob Dylan in at # 7 for the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time ( https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-singers-of-all-time-19691231 ). When I first glanced at the rating I thought….what’s up with this? I mean, I love Dylan’s music (hopefully stating the obvious at this point), but I’d never put much thought along this particular line when reflecting on what it is that makes his music superb, and before reading that Rolling Stone list, I could not recall anyone who had ever made such a compelling case for this aspect of his musicianship. Yeah, maybe toss him in as a courtesy somewhere in the 80s or 90s, but # 7? Was this not akin to ranking Dylan’s guitar prowess with the likes of Clapton, Hendrix, and Santana? It just did not register at first.
When it comes to singing, there will always be strong cases made for the likes of Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday, Van Morrison, Aretha Franklin, Roger Daltrey, Joan Baez, Marvin Gaye, Roy Orbison, Otis Redding, Janis Joplin, Mick Jagger, and Curtis Mayfield and many others. These musicians are all obviously extremely talented in this regard. Heck, even Neil Young has gotten the rare nod as a great singer, at least for those of us who have an attuned ear for what many others may consider a vocal delivery akin to shrieking. With Bob Dylan however, I have always had felt that his singing was more a means to an end and surmised perhaps that even he felt this way.
However, the Rolling Stone #7 slot got me thinking, and it did not take long before I was changing my tune. After all…. there has to be a reason why Bob Dylan sings all his own material; this despite the fact that he himself has called his versions blueprints (hence my blog series title). And then it dawned on me: Dylan sings every single one of his own songs because he knows how honest he is with himself, and in this way he trusts himself to deliver his version of any song first and let the chips fall from there. Honesty with oneself can be revealing in many ways but I can’t think of any that are more revealing than in how someone delivers a song vocally. From this point of view, there are few out there who can rival Bob Dylan when it comes to singing. Rolling Stone Magazine got it right.
All this came to mind this week as I listened to the deep cut “She’s Your Lover Now”, a song from the Blonde on Blonde sessions that did not make the final cut. Why a blog focus on Bob Dylan’s singing in this song, and not say “Blowin’ in the Wind” – where Dylan is speaking core truths – or “Lay Lady Lay” – where he comes across in a rare comforting sort of way – or “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” – where the day of reckoning is expressed so poignantly - or “Every Grain of Sand” – where deep Faith shines through? Converse to all those gems, “She’s Your Lover Now”, like its blood relatives “Ballad of a Thin Man”, “Positively 4th Street” “Idiot Wind” and “It’s All Good”, drips with sarcasm, in a way that is both hilarious and downright scary at the same time. These are not the type of emotions that typically stir the soul, which is what great vocals do. So what was it that tripped that Dylan-vocals wire in my head this week? Well I’ve already greased those skids, because….. I did say just say ‘typically’.
When I think of singers who can express themselves in ironic fashion, Ray Davies immediately comes to mind (“Plastic Man”, “Shangri La”, “David Watts”). John Lennon is not too far behind (“How Do You Sleep”, “Working Class Hero”). After that, Bob Dylan is right there in the mix and the song that does it best for me in this regard is “She’s Your Lover Now”. The lyrics are priceless, and the delivery of them is equally astonishing. This is a complex song (one of the most complex in Dylan’s catalog), which may be the biggest reason it never made it on Blonde on Blonde. The version we get on The Bootleg Series cuts off abruptly near the end of the fourth and final stanza, Dylan presumably forgetting the closing lines (although I leave room for this being a slip up with one of the Nashville session guys). But other than causing it not to make the original classic album it was intended for, it matters not. The cat is out of the bag by this point of the song. Every ounce of artistic energy has already been spent.
Bob Dylan sets the scene brilliantly in “She’s Your Lover Now”. We are placed in the world of mid-60s counterculture, likely Greenwich Village, New York City, the protagonist in the song laying it all out on the line to a former love interest, who comes across as extremely headstrong and self-absorbed. And equally on the receiving end of the verbal abuse is her new lover, who kowtows to her egocentric ways. We get brought into the hip social setting of the day, and there’s a light shed on it that is devoid of praise. You get the sense that Bob Dylan was on the cusp of heading for the hills (which indeed is what happened less than a year later).
Out of the gate, Dylan sounds mockingly saccharine with the line “the scene was so cra-zeeee, wasn’t it?” j…..catching lightning in a bottle with one of the hip phrases of the day (when I listen, I’m reminded of Richard Manuel singing “Cuz’ I’m tired of everything being bea-uuuu-tiful, bea-uuuu-tiful” on “Orange Juice Blues”…. same era phrase coming out in sarcastic wit there). From that point on it’s a relentless surge of ridicule. There are four or five tempos, verses and bridges going on here but at the core of it all is a recurring toggle of the protagonists attention, first toward his former love interest in the form of indignation, and then toward her current lover in the form of disgust. When he switches attention to the new lover it’s always with the line “and you….”, as in “and YOU!”. The listener can almost see him pivot and wave a finger in the poor saps face.
I love analyzing this song because it’s endlessly entertaining. One of the early great lines directed at the former love interest goes “Now you stand here expectin’ me to remember something you forgot to say”. That’s another thing about “She’s Your Lover Now”; we hear anger directed at the laziness of spirit. Just after that line, the protagonist pivots attention to the new lover for the first time with “Yes, and YOU, I see your still with her, well. That’s fine ‘cause she’s comin’ on so straaaange can’t you tell”. The double barrage attack is now becoming apparent.
The second stanza includes my favorite line in the entire song (and also the title of this entry) - directed at the former love interest: “But pleeeease tell that to your friend in the cowboy hat. You know he keeps sayin’ ev’rythin’ twice to me”. We are all welcomed into the room of the bohemian party scene here, and the big bruiser bouncer type, coming across as a mercenary for the former love interest, looking to lay a beat down on the protagonist for either real or imagined slights (more likely the latter). The insight to conceive of a line like that is what puts Bob Dylan in a class all his own.
Later in the stanza there’s this: “Now you stand here sayin’ you forgive and forget. Honey what can I say?”. So very real: Considering the circumstances, there is really nothing to say. Again, Bob Dylan, as the protagonist, being true to himself. And then the 2nd pivot to the new lover: “Yes, you, you just sit around and ask for ashtrays, can’t you reach? I see you kiss her on the cheek ev’rytime she gives a speech”. I’m staggered every time I hear it. And there’s more rollicking verbal abuse immediately after that line, but I’d just be repeating myself with description.
On to the third stanza, which includes the line “Now you stand here while your finger’s goin’ up my sleeve”. Yow! There will have to be some reevaluation at some point for that former love interest if she ever hopes to get her life back intact. And then the 3rd pivot: “and YOU, just what do you do anyway? Ain’t there nothin’ you can say?” This is the way it’s written out in the on-line lyrics (as well as Bob Dylan’s book of lyrics). But when Dylan sings it on the Bootlegs version, I hear “there ain’t nothin you can say”. Note, there’s no question mark here at the end. This is a statement of fact. I like it much more, as well as the notion of how far a simple rearranging of words can make a difference. This is followed by one of the most mind boggling lines in Bob Dylan’s vast laundry list of lyrics: “She’ll be standin’ on the bar soon. With a fish head an’ a harpoon. And a fake beard plastered on her brow”. Dylan howls this out, dragging out the last word. It’s fascinating, but I don’t even know where to begin with it. Somebody help!
One thing that makes “She’s Your Lover Now” so effective is one particular transition that resonates in each stanza. I’ll use the line in the first stanza as an example. It’s where Dylan sings “Did it have to be that way?” ….with a long drawn out “waaaaaaayyyyy”, where Dylan sings down through several octaves, as if slipping into the deep abyss. It’s a feeling of hopeless resignation and Bob Dylan makes it so palpable in the way he sings it. Again, Rolling Stone got it right.
I could not find the Bootlegs version on the internet. If you’ve never heard it, you’re just going to have to track it yourself (I recommend it). Another take is here: ( https://vimeo.com/153198336 ). It’s a solo version, with not as much, ahhh …… venom. But it carries its own weight.
Ok, so Bob Dylan’s vocals are top notch. I get it. An acquired taste, yes, but definitely worth putting the effort in to acquire. This entry got me thinking though along another line. Dylan’s musicianship has never been in question, however, if you isolate the argument to how great his guitar playing, piano playing, harmonica playing, what have you, is, you are left thinking that none of it percolates to anywhere near the aficionado realm. But as with Leonard Cohen, it’s much much deeper than that. That’s partly what this blog series is about. To get to the bottom of why -- that -- is.
- Pete
Song: “She’s Your Lover Now”
Album: The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961-1991
Release Date: March, 1991 (recorded in Jan. 1966 for the Blonde on Blonde sessions)
Rolling Stone magazine has Bob Dylan in at # 7 for the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time ( https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-singers-of-all-time-19691231 ). When I first glanced at the rating I thought….what’s up with this? I mean, I love Dylan’s music (hopefully stating the obvious at this point), but I’d never put much thought along this particular line when reflecting on what it is that makes his music superb, and before reading that Rolling Stone list, I could not recall anyone who had ever made such a compelling case for this aspect of his musicianship. Yeah, maybe toss him in as a courtesy somewhere in the 80s or 90s, but # 7? Was this not akin to ranking Dylan’s guitar prowess with the likes of Clapton, Hendrix, and Santana? It just did not register at first.
When it comes to singing, there will always be strong cases made for the likes of Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday, Van Morrison, Aretha Franklin, Roger Daltrey, Joan Baez, Marvin Gaye, Roy Orbison, Otis Redding, Janis Joplin, Mick Jagger, and Curtis Mayfield and many others. These musicians are all obviously extremely talented in this regard. Heck, even Neil Young has gotten the rare nod as a great singer, at least for those of us who have an attuned ear for what many others may consider a vocal delivery akin to shrieking. With Bob Dylan however, I have always had felt that his singing was more a means to an end and surmised perhaps that even he felt this way.
However, the Rolling Stone #7 slot got me thinking, and it did not take long before I was changing my tune. After all…. there has to be a reason why Bob Dylan sings all his own material; this despite the fact that he himself has called his versions blueprints (hence my blog series title). And then it dawned on me: Dylan sings every single one of his own songs because he knows how honest he is with himself, and in this way he trusts himself to deliver his version of any song first and let the chips fall from there. Honesty with oneself can be revealing in many ways but I can’t think of any that are more revealing than in how someone delivers a song vocally. From this point of view, there are few out there who can rival Bob Dylan when it comes to singing. Rolling Stone Magazine got it right.
All this came to mind this week as I listened to the deep cut “She’s Your Lover Now”, a song from the Blonde on Blonde sessions that did not make the final cut. Why a blog focus on Bob Dylan’s singing in this song, and not say “Blowin’ in the Wind” – where Dylan is speaking core truths – or “Lay Lady Lay” – where he comes across in a rare comforting sort of way – or “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” – where the day of reckoning is expressed so poignantly - or “Every Grain of Sand” – where deep Faith shines through? Converse to all those gems, “She’s Your Lover Now”, like its blood relatives “Ballad of a Thin Man”, “Positively 4th Street” “Idiot Wind” and “It’s All Good”, drips with sarcasm, in a way that is both hilarious and downright scary at the same time. These are not the type of emotions that typically stir the soul, which is what great vocals do. So what was it that tripped that Dylan-vocals wire in my head this week? Well I’ve already greased those skids, because….. I did say just say ‘typically’.
When I think of singers who can express themselves in ironic fashion, Ray Davies immediately comes to mind (“Plastic Man”, “Shangri La”, “David Watts”). John Lennon is not too far behind (“How Do You Sleep”, “Working Class Hero”). After that, Bob Dylan is right there in the mix and the song that does it best for me in this regard is “She’s Your Lover Now”. The lyrics are priceless, and the delivery of them is equally astonishing. This is a complex song (one of the most complex in Dylan’s catalog), which may be the biggest reason it never made it on Blonde on Blonde. The version we get on The Bootleg Series cuts off abruptly near the end of the fourth and final stanza, Dylan presumably forgetting the closing lines (although I leave room for this being a slip up with one of the Nashville session guys). But other than causing it not to make the original classic album it was intended for, it matters not. The cat is out of the bag by this point of the song. Every ounce of artistic energy has already been spent.
Bob Dylan sets the scene brilliantly in “She’s Your Lover Now”. We are placed in the world of mid-60s counterculture, likely Greenwich Village, New York City, the protagonist in the song laying it all out on the line to a former love interest, who comes across as extremely headstrong and self-absorbed. And equally on the receiving end of the verbal abuse is her new lover, who kowtows to her egocentric ways. We get brought into the hip social setting of the day, and there’s a light shed on it that is devoid of praise. You get the sense that Bob Dylan was on the cusp of heading for the hills (which indeed is what happened less than a year later).
Out of the gate, Dylan sounds mockingly saccharine with the line “the scene was so cra-zeeee, wasn’t it?” j…..catching lightning in a bottle with one of the hip phrases of the day (when I listen, I’m reminded of Richard Manuel singing “Cuz’ I’m tired of everything being bea-uuuu-tiful, bea-uuuu-tiful” on “Orange Juice Blues”…. same era phrase coming out in sarcastic wit there). From that point on it’s a relentless surge of ridicule. There are four or five tempos, verses and bridges going on here but at the core of it all is a recurring toggle of the protagonists attention, first toward his former love interest in the form of indignation, and then toward her current lover in the form of disgust. When he switches attention to the new lover it’s always with the line “and you….”, as in “and YOU!”. The listener can almost see him pivot and wave a finger in the poor saps face.
I love analyzing this song because it’s endlessly entertaining. One of the early great lines directed at the former love interest goes “Now you stand here expectin’ me to remember something you forgot to say”. That’s another thing about “She’s Your Lover Now”; we hear anger directed at the laziness of spirit. Just after that line, the protagonist pivots attention to the new lover for the first time with “Yes, and YOU, I see your still with her, well. That’s fine ‘cause she’s comin’ on so straaaange can’t you tell”. The double barrage attack is now becoming apparent.
The second stanza includes my favorite line in the entire song (and also the title of this entry) - directed at the former love interest: “But pleeeease tell that to your friend in the cowboy hat. You know he keeps sayin’ ev’rythin’ twice to me”. We are all welcomed into the room of the bohemian party scene here, and the big bruiser bouncer type, coming across as a mercenary for the former love interest, looking to lay a beat down on the protagonist for either real or imagined slights (more likely the latter). The insight to conceive of a line like that is what puts Bob Dylan in a class all his own.
Later in the stanza there’s this: “Now you stand here sayin’ you forgive and forget. Honey what can I say?”. So very real: Considering the circumstances, there is really nothing to say. Again, Bob Dylan, as the protagonist, being true to himself. And then the 2nd pivot to the new lover: “Yes, you, you just sit around and ask for ashtrays, can’t you reach? I see you kiss her on the cheek ev’rytime she gives a speech”. I’m staggered every time I hear it. And there’s more rollicking verbal abuse immediately after that line, but I’d just be repeating myself with description.
On to the third stanza, which includes the line “Now you stand here while your finger’s goin’ up my sleeve”. Yow! There will have to be some reevaluation at some point for that former love interest if she ever hopes to get her life back intact. And then the 3rd pivot: “and YOU, just what do you do anyway? Ain’t there nothin’ you can say?” This is the way it’s written out in the on-line lyrics (as well as Bob Dylan’s book of lyrics). But when Dylan sings it on the Bootlegs version, I hear “there ain’t nothin you can say”. Note, there’s no question mark here at the end. This is a statement of fact. I like it much more, as well as the notion of how far a simple rearranging of words can make a difference. This is followed by one of the most mind boggling lines in Bob Dylan’s vast laundry list of lyrics: “She’ll be standin’ on the bar soon. With a fish head an’ a harpoon. And a fake beard plastered on her brow”. Dylan howls this out, dragging out the last word. It’s fascinating, but I don’t even know where to begin with it. Somebody help!
One thing that makes “She’s Your Lover Now” so effective is one particular transition that resonates in each stanza. I’ll use the line in the first stanza as an example. It’s where Dylan sings “Did it have to be that way?” ….with a long drawn out “waaaaaaayyyyy”, where Dylan sings down through several octaves, as if slipping into the deep abyss. It’s a feeling of hopeless resignation and Bob Dylan makes it so palpable in the way he sings it. Again, Rolling Stone got it right.
I could not find the Bootlegs version on the internet. If you’ve never heard it, you’re just going to have to track it yourself (I recommend it). Another take is here: ( https://vimeo.com/153198336 ). It’s a solo version, with not as much, ahhh …… venom. But it carries its own weight.
Ok, so Bob Dylan’s vocals are top notch. I get it. An acquired taste, yes, but definitely worth putting the effort in to acquire. This entry got me thinking though along another line. Dylan’s musicianship has never been in question, however, if you isolate the argument to how great his guitar playing, piano playing, harmonica playing, what have you, is, you are left thinking that none of it percolates to anywhere near the aficionado realm. But as with Leonard Cohen, it’s much much deeper than that. That’s partly what this blog series is about. To get to the bottom of why -- that -- is.
- Pete
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)