Bob Dylan: Bringing it all Back Home

Entry posted by lamstonite November 22, 2007

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No matter what i try to write about this album it all comes out like prententious bollocks. Its all a cliche when it comes to Dylan. Everything has allready been said before and in more depth and better and everything too.

I'm not even sure this is my favourite Dylan album. Its miles better than Blonde on Blonde (if you ask me) but is it better than Highway 61 revisited? Aren't they 1 album? And only the other night i was listening to Freewheelin' and decided that that was my favourite Dylan album.

So i don't know.

I really like BIABH, its got some of my favourite songs on it and i like the way that it was the first album of his in the new 'electric' direction (which is all bollocks anyway). I like the way the songs flow and I like the way its split in 2 but i dont think its my favourite. I dont think i have one. I'd lump this and Highway together and call it something rubbish and that would be my favourite Dylan album. Apart from Freewheelin'. Cause the Freewheelin' Bob Dylan has that classic feel to it.

BIABH has Mr Tamborine Man, the best song ever. But TFBD has A Hard Rains gonna Fall, the best song ever...

no thats not gonna work.

BIABH has got 'Its Allright Ma I'm Only Bleeding' but then TFBD comes back with Masters Of War..

*sigh*

All i know is that songs like Subterranean Homesick Blues and Mr Tamborine Man have been part of my life for all of my life and they dont sound tired. I'm still touched by the beauty of the melody of the 2nd guitar in Tamborine Man. It stays with me all day. I still get excited when Homesick Blues starts, still get that little rush you get when you hear really really good music. I'm baffled by how good Its Allright Ma is. She belongs to me is such a nice tune.

People talk about his lyrics and poetry style but that doesn't mean much to me. I like the surreal style to the 'side B' of this album and the fact that up till then he'd been championed for writing Protest Songs where the lyric was the most important part of the song. This album was a complete turnaround in that aspect. The vommiting lyrics stream of conciousnes style has been used time and time again by different artists but Dylan made it sound so logical and even common sense. Mixing dream like lines with statements about reality. Which is quite a trick really. To say something while spouting rubbish. Or to use intricate poetic skills to establish an individual style. Depending on who you ask.

So maybe BIABH is my favourite.

Although Highway does have Like a Rolling Stone...