Tell Tale Signs

Dylan’s back, and he’s got everyone running for cover again. It’s true, as Larry Sloman points out in the liner notes for the Bootleg Series Volume 8, that Dylan’s eight ‘bootleg’ cds of ‘extra material’ are enough to make a career for any other performer. Indeed, what Bob leaves on the cutting room floor often surpasses his own official album releases. From Volume 1-3, Blind Willie McTell and Farewell Angelina rank among the best songs he’s ever written, and no one but Bob could explain why he chose to shelve them. The same is true for Volume 8, released on Tuesday and loaded with gems. It’s a combination of alternate versions, early demos, unreleased tracks and blistering live versions of songs from his ‘late period’, 1989-2006. His recent studio albums are astonishing, but Volume 8 gives us a bonus, and sheds some light on his creative process. The alternate versions of Someday Baby and Most of the Time are radically different from what ended up on the albums, but are nonetheless impressive. And the unreleased tracks, Born in Time and Red River Shore in particular, rank right up there in his whole immense catalog. You could buy this release (should buy it, in fact) and not feel like it’s a collection of oddities for hardcore fans only.

But alas, I have a complaint. A rather big one, in fact. I got the 2-cd set for $18.99, which is more than fair. But the limited edition release, priced at over $100, contains a third disc of treasures and a book of all of Bob’s single record picture sleeves. Why must I pay an extra $80 for that? I don’t care much about the book, but that third cd is important. For the majority of music fans, the 2-cd set is enough, but I count myself amongst a small group of fanatics that want that extra disc of material, and I feel like we’re being taken advantage of. Of course the third cd is not available on i-tunes. I noticed this trend with the U2 remastered releases, with a hefty price tag on the premium edition for the fans who just can’t say no. Well I want that third disc, but I’m saying no. Columbia should not be surprised when these tracks start showing up on blogs and torrent sites. For God’s sake, some of Bob’s fans have been buying his records for 45 years, and this is how you treat them? Shame.

I'm Not There - The Soundtrack

I raved about the film earlier this week, so how's the soundtrack, you ask? Well, I've listened to both discs about 10 times, and overall it is enjoyable. Dylan is one of the most covered songwriters of all time, so the bar is raised. Two discs, with an interesting combination of veteran performers and some of the newest indy-alternative artists around. The result? Most of it is very good, with the standout performances mixed between the old and the new. A good cover respects the original but succeeds in conveying the cover artist's style in the song. There's nothing interesting in mimicking the original. However, a cover that totally obliterates the original seems like a cop-out. On I'm Not There, there's some of the former, and very little of the latter, which overall is a good thing.

The best part of the collection is that many of the songs are Dylan's lesser known material. This may be due to Todd Hayne's influence in the musical backdrop for his complex film, or the individuality of the artists, but it works. There's no Like A Rolling Stone or Blowing In The Wind here, but instead Dark Eyes and Goin' To Acapulco, to name two examples.

The mother of all Dylan Covers is All Along the Watchtower by Hendrix. How do these compare? Here's the summary, with my one blurb review. This review is for the non-Dylan fanatics. If you're not planning on buying the 2-CD set, buy the tracks in green. You won't be disappointed.

Disc 1
All Along the Watchtower - Eddie Vedder and The Million Dollar Bashers (MDB) (the soundtrack's 'house band'.) Nothing new here. Not the best way to start the CD.
I'm Not There - Sonic Youth. Fantastic. Thurston Moore nails this beloved 'lost track' from the Basement Tapes.
Goin' To Acapulco - Jim James and Calexico. James vocal breathes new life into this overlooked track from the Basement Tapes. A haunting scene from the film too.
Tombstone Blues - Richie Havens. Not exactly revolutionary, but it's hard not to like Havens style.

Ballad of A Thin Man - Stephen Malkmus and MDB. Malkmus and the band deliver almost a copy of the 1965-66 sound, but despite the unoriginality, it really works. Malkmus seems to be relishing every nuance in the song.
Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again - Cat Power. Uninspired. I didn't like the Dead's version either. Maybe only Bob can deliver this one.
Pressing On - John Doe. A killer version of a song from Bob's overlooked Christian period.
Fourth Time Around - Yo La Tengo. This one kind of lulled me to sleep.
Dark Eyes - Iron & Wine & Calexico. Has a nice percussive quality. An interesting cover.
Highway 61 Revisited - Karen O and the MDB. A pointless cover. Maybe ok if you're a bar band, but otherwise....
One More Cup of Coffee - Roger McGuinn and Calexico. Adequate. The mariachi horns of Calexico add a nice feeling, but it's not essential.
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll - Mason Jennings. A faithful, folk style rendering of the original, but not essential.
Billy 1 - Los Lobos. A great job from a great band. I wish they would have done another one on this collection. I never listen the Pat Garrett soundtrack Dylan did, so this feels fresh.
Simple Twist of Fate - Jeff Tweedy. Tweedy uses the lyrics from the New York demo version, but it's not enough. I didn't like the way Jeff sang this one. Disappointing for me.
Man In The Long Black Coat - Mark Lanegan. Very similar to Bob's own version. Good, but not essential.
Senor (Tales of Yankee Power) - Willie Nelson & Calexico. Sounds like Willie phoned this in. Of course, I'm not a big fan.

Disc 2
As I Went Out One Morning - Mira Billotte. A pleasant rendition from this folk artist, but she doesn't really bring much of her own style.
Can't Leave Her Behind - Stephen Malkmus and Lee Ranaldo. More Malkmus! He never sounded this good in Pavement.
Ring Them Bells - Sufjan Stevens. Hmmmmmm. This version is totally different from the original, but I'm not big fan of Stevens musical style. Probably the most radically different of the entire collection, so for that I'll say yes.
Just Like A Woman - Charlotte Gainsbourg & Calexico. A predictable version of this song by a female lead vocalist. You don't need this one.
Mama. You've Been On My Mind - Jack Johnson. Jackson throws in part of Dylan's speech 'Last Thoughts On Woody Guthrie,' but Johnson's barefoot, carefree style doesn't suit this song.
I Wanna Be Your Lover - Yo La Tengo. The band sounds like the Sir Douglas Quintet, which suits the Stones parody of this song completely.
You Ain't Goin' Nowhere - Glen Hansard. I love this song, and the performance is rollicking, but it's probably not essential.

Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window? - The Hold Steady. Described as blend of the Replacements and 1973 era Bruce (who was trying hard to be Dylan), this one of my favorites. Perfect song choice.



Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues - Ramblin' Jack Elliott. A folk version with a little bluegrass, and it's hard not to be charmed. Elliott, who's 76, was a huge influence on young Bob, and it's great to hear things come full circle.
The Wicked Messenger - The Black Keys. Oh Yeah! A blistering blues version. A lot of artists maybe be intimidated by a Dylan song and afraid to depart from the original. The Black Keys obviously are unafraid.
Cold Irons Bound - Tom Verlaine and the MDB. A tortured Verlaine goes on for 7 minutes. I liked it, but it's tough to recommend it to a non-fanatic.
The Times They Are A-Changin' - Mason Jennings. Again, a copy of Bob's original version.
Maggie's Farm - Stephen Malkmus and the MDB. Like Ballad a Thin Man, this is a 1965 era facsimile, but what the hell, Malkmus is so into it that's it's fun.
When The Ship Comes In - Marcus Carl Franklin. Franklin is the 11 year old African-American boy who plays a version of Bob in the film. Amazing.
Moonshiner - Bob Forrest. A traditional song rearranged by Dylan, so it's not really a cover. Good song, though.
I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine - John Doe. Also fantastic. It has a gospel feeling, and Doe's vocal performance is jaw-dropping.
Knockin' On Heaven's Door - Antony and the Johnsons. An aching version of this song from a relatively unknown NY band. I need to check this band out.
I'm Not There - Bob Dylan and the Band. Finally, an official release of this fanatic favorite. A legendary outtake from the Basement Tapes sessions, you've got to own this one.

Whew. That's a lot to digest. Go see the movie, and buy at least some of this wonderful soundtrack. For more the best source on the bottomless sea of Dylan covers, go here.

I'm Not There - The Movie

With the release of the new Dylan biopic I'm Not There and the accompanying soundtrack, I've once again immersed myself in Bob's universe. I'm usually there most of the time anyway, but every so often events like this film/soundtrack remind me how vast Bob's universe really is. I'm not a film critic, and I'm quite sure I'm not equipped to provide an impartial review, but Todd Hayne's new film is a dream come true for Dylan fans, so chock full of detail that my head was spinning. I actually wanted to watch the film again, that same night.

Haynes does the right thing by approaching this film in a challenging and experimental way. A Hollywood biopic in the style of Ray or Walk The Line would be predictable, a little boring, and would not even begin to explain the complexities of Dylan. In choosing to portray Dylan with six different actors, none of which actually are Bob, Haynes blends the correct proportions of symbolism and fact. As a result, we get a wonderfully complex story of six lives that are woven together to tell Bob's story, or parts of it anyway. Significant points in Dylan's history are inserted into the fictional accounts, such as Bob's visit to Woody Guthrie's deathbed or his rural appearances during the Civil Rights Movement. Cate Blanchett's turn as Jude Quinn represents Dylan during the frantic 1965-66 period in England, and is the most literal representation. Her performance is phenomenal. We also get Heath Ledger playing a actor who reminds us of Bob in the early 70s, living in California, marriage on the rocks. Ledger's character played Jack Rollins (Dylan circa 1963, played in the film by Christian Bale) in a film within the film. It's like a kaleidoscope, endlessly spinning, but still giving us a constant focal point. For an artist as complex as Dylan, the film fits like a glove.

Oh and the details! Haynes is obviously a Dylan fanatic as he has peppered the film with obsessive detail, such as sporadically inserting a line of song lyrics into the dialogue, or naming songs of the fictitious Dylans with actual working titles of Bob's own songs. The Cate Blanchett scenes pay homage to Dont Look Back, as the hotel room, limousine and the cinematography are nearly recreated. I could go on and on. The film is currently playing in limited release in smaller theaters, and won't be released to widespread commercial theaters until next Spring. In this limited distribution the film is definitely playing to a captive audience; I sensed that everyone in the theatre was a Dylan fan. It will be interesting to see how the film will be received by a larger audience. Someone with little Dylan knowledge might be completely befuddled. For Dylan fans though, it feels like Christmas came early this year.

Musicology 101 - Just Like A Woman

I’ve had this post on my mind for quite some time, and the holiday gives me a little time to put it together. This year I started a series of posts called Musicology 101, which focuses on one particular song. Due to circumstances beyond my control, the series has only amounted to two songs to date. I chose Dylan’s Just Like A Woman today because he claimed to have written this on Thanksgiving. From the liner notes in Biograph:

“I think I was on the road… I think I wrote it in Kansas City or something… yeah I’m pretty sure I did. I was invited over to somebody’s house for Thanksgiving dinner but I didn’t go, didn’t feel like doing anything, I wasn’t hungry. I stayed in my hotel room and wrote this.”

No one but Bob knows if this is true. Dylan is known for his grand fabrications in interviews, and many accounts of the Blonde on Blonde Sessions have him working on songs in a Nashville hotel and recording on the fly into the wee hours of the morning. But that’s irrelevant. What’s important is that Just Like A Woman is one of Dylan’s most enduring songs, on perhaps his greatest album. Widely regarded as a sexist and anti-feminist taunt, the song was criticized by many when released in 1966. The critics seemed to interpret the song as an indictment of women’s inherent weakness. Even 5 years later, Marion Meade in the New York Times stated "that there is more complete catalog of sexist slurs." where Dylan defines women's natural traits as greed, hypocrisy, whining and hysteria." That's a bit heavy. There’s no doubt that Dylan is remarking on the childlike emotions of a certain woman, commonly thought to be Warhol groupie Edie Sedgwick, but I don’t hear any intent that it’s directed at women in general. [Leopard Skin Pill-Box Hat is also thought to be about Edie, who may have also inspired the album title. Ironically, Bob played both songs last time I saw him]. On the original recording, the lilting arrangement has a nursery rhyme quality, as Dylan seems to mock the immature girl that lurks below the surface of the woman:


Nobody feels any pain
Tonight as I stand inside the rain
Ev'rybody knows
That Baby's got new clothes
But lately I see her ribbons and her bows
Have fallen from her curls.

Ironically, it could be these very qualities of childlike innocence and vulnerability that attracted him to her in the first place. In the end, he speaks of his own vulnerability:

It was raining from the first
And I was dying there of thirst
So I came in here

then later...

I just can't fit
Yes, I believe it's time for us to quit
When we meet again, introduced as friends
Please don't let on that you knew me when
I was hungry and it was your world.

In later years, the live performances of this song take on quite a different tone, as Dylan reflects on this failed relationship with a critical eye on his own failings as well as hers. Check out his solo performance from 1974, one of my favorites, from Before the Flood:




Interpreting Bob Dylan’s music is a daunting task. There are hundreds of books on the subject, and not much help from the author. When asked about the song in a 1992 interview, Dylan responded, “That’s a hard song to pin down. It’s another one of those that you can sing a thousand times and still ask what it is about, but you know there is a real feeling there.” Like all great poetry, it can mean different things with each reading, and this, my friends is why his music will endure for centuries. Happy Thanksgiving.

Just Like A Woman
Recorded March 8, 1966
Columbia Recording Studios, Nashville, Tennessee

Released as a single in September, 1966.
Bob Dylan, lead vocal, guitar and harmonica
There's some confusion over who played what on these sessions, which included:
Robbie Robertson, Al Kooper, Ken Buttrey, Rick Danko, Charlie McCoy, Wayne Moss, Jerry Kennedy, Bill Aikins, Henry Strzeleci, Joe South, Garth Hudson, Joe South and Paul Griffin, among others. [Little known fact: sweeping the studio floors was a young janitor named Kris Kristofferson].

more on Blonde on Blonde
the final word on Blonde on Blonde, and some damn good writing

Dylan and Elvis

Well, it has been another long gap in between posts, as once again my workload approaches critical mass. I did manage to squeeze in a show at the Chicago Theatre headlined by Bob Dylan, with brief warm up acts by Elvis Costello and Amos Lee. Although enjoyable, the experience points to my waning interest in the whole rock concert thing.

The show started at 7:00, so there was really no time for dinner beforehand. Amos Lee opened and was done by 7:30. Lee is a blend of John Hiatt and Jakob Dylan, and his band sounded good. Just when he started to settle in, he ended his set. Elvis came out promptly, and played solo for the first time in about 12 years. I've seen Elvis a few times, and he always seems to rush through his material at a frantic amped-up pace. At one point, he knocked over his water bottle and continued to barrel into the next song, even as a stagehand crouched behind him and wiped up the spill. He pounded away at an amplified acoustic, often overpowering his amazing voice. The highlight was the closing song, The Scarlet Tide with a delicate guitar background and a poignant vocal . The audience was dead silent, and the moment was stunning. But alas, Elvis was done in 45 minutes.

So here we were, two-thirds into a Saturday night three-act rock show and it's only 8:30! We sensed that old Bob was due any minute, so we skipped the beer line and waited. Sure enough, Dylan took the stage before 9:00. Dylan's shows at age 66 are definitely for the faithful. If you have never seen him perform and go see him now hoping for rousing renditions of his greatest hits, you will be disappointed. He is notorious for twisting the melodies, phrasing and arrangements of his songs, even the most famous ones, to the point where they are sometimes unrecognizable. He rarely addresses the audience, and plugs away at the set list very methodically. Nowadays, it takes him 4 or 5 songs for him to clear his throat, so the early part of the show can be tedious. He's picked up the guitar again, but only for the first few songs. For the bulk of the show, Bob plays electric piano. He's got a good band, but they seemed a little tentative when Bob was on guitar.

I know that does not paint an enthusiastic picture, but it is Bob Dylan after all, and he is still an interesting performer. Things slowly jelled as Bob settled in behind the piano, and with each song, Bob's voice became clear and stronger. The best performances were his newer material, particularly Things Have Changed, High Water, and Ain't Talkin', probably Dylan's best song in years. Watching him play, you get the sense that Bob is endlessly exploring and dissecting his own songs, looking for new ways to reinterpret his own work. He seems more at ease when he's not center stage, but simply the keyboardist/vocalist in a good band. I'm not sure he always cares how the audience receives his performances, but after all these years he's still worth seeing.

As for the Chicago Theatre, it might be too luxurious for a rock show. The acoustics are great, but it's so fancy that the audience felt intimidated. For most of show we sat quietly in our seats, even as Bob's band roared through Highway 61 Revisited.

I love Dylan and will see him at least once a year until he keels over. But more and more, I'm feeling that I need to back off on the big name rock shows and the high priced venues and get back to basics. More on this as it develops......

Set lists for 10/27/07

Elvis Costello: (Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes/Down Among the Wines and Spirits/Veronica/The River In Reverse/From Sulphur to Sugar Cane/Radio Sweetheart>Jackie Wilson Said/(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace Love & Understanding/The Scarlet Tide

Bob Dylan: Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat/It Ain't Me Babe/Watching The River Flow/The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll/Rollin' & Tumblin'/Positively 4th Street/Things Have Changed/Workingman's Blues #2/High Water(for Charlie Patton)/Spirit On The Water/Highway 61 Revisited/Ain't Talkin'/Summer Days/Masters Of War/Thunder On The Mountain/All Along The Watchtower

Elvis didn't play this one, but here's a favorite, ripped direct from my vinyl copy of Blood & Chocolate, complete with a couple pops...

Blue Chair

Musicology 101 - You Need Love

The influence of American blues music on British rock has been well documented, but the plagiarism that was rampant in the 60’s and 70’s is still largely overlooked. Today, we call it ‘sampling,’ but to the original artists, in this case Willie Dixon and Muddy Waters, it was stone cold theft. Everyone knows Zeppelin’s ‘Whole Lotta Love’, but how many people know of the origin of this song? In 1962 Willie Dixon wrote ‘You Need Love’ and Muddy Waters cut the first version of this song at Chess Records in Chicago. Sung in Muddy’s inimitable style, the song is a typical blues theme of a man’s lusty pursuit of a young woman. Do any of these lines sound familiar?


You've got yearnin' and I got burnin'
Baby you look so sweet and cunning
Baby way down inside, woman you need love
Woman you need love, you've got to have some love
I'm gonna give you some love, I know you need love

You just gotta have love, you make me feel so good
You make me feel all right, you're so nice, you're so nice
You're frettin', and I'm petting
A lot of good things you ain't getting
Baby, way down inside, you need love

You need to be hugged and squeezed real tight,
by the light of the moon on some summer night
You need love and kissing too,
all these things are good for you
I ain't foolin' you need schoolin'
Baby you know you need coolin'
Baby, way down inside, woman you need love

Zep’s version owes as much to the Small Faces version, called ‘You Need Loving,’ recorded in 1966. Songwriting was credited to Ronny Lane/Steve Mariott, just as ‘Whole Lotta Love’ is Page/Plant. ‘Whole Lotta Love’ also borrows from Howlin’ Wolf at the end, with the line "Shake for me girl/I wanna be your back door man.” ‘Shake for Me” and “Back Door Man’ were written by Dixon and recorded by Howlin’ Wolf. And of course, Led Zeppelin II closes with ‘Bring It On Home,’ also written by Dixon and recorded by Sonny Boy Williamson.

Somehow I was vaguely aware of this back in the late 70’s when I was in high school. Chicago is home to the blues, and Muddy still had a following, getting airtime on the Loop and playing at Chicagofest to hoards of clueless white folks. At school, a typical exchange probably went something like this:

Stoner: “Man, are you trying to tell me that Whole Lotta Love was really written by some old black dude?”
Me: “Well not exactly, but they sure did copy a lot. A few others, too.”
Stoner: “Oh, shut up dude, Zeppelin rules!”

On Zeppelin’s debut album they gave credit to Dixon for “You Shook Me” and ‘I Can’t Quit You Baby”, maybe because they were pretty straight cover versions. With the heavy metal reinterpretation in ‘Whole Lotta Love’ they must have been reluctant. Ultimately, Dixon sued Led Zeppelin for plagiarism, but that didn’t happen until the mid 80’s. The case was settled out of court and recent Led Zeppelin releases have shared songwriting credit for "Whole Lotta Love" with Willie Dixon.

There’s a fine line between covering a song and reinterpreting it. Part of the complex roots of American music is the liberal reworking of songs, but with each new version, the original gets more obscure. For years Dylan has reinterpreted songs, although claiming songwriting credits. His latest album includes reworked versions of Someday Baby, When the Levee Breaks, and Rollin’ and Tumblin’, songs written by Lightning Hopkins (1948), Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie (1929, and of course redone by Zeppelin in 1971), and Hambone Willie Newbern (1936, made famous by Muddy in 1950), respectively. On the label, Dylan claims songwriting credits, presumably due to the reworked lyrics.

My point in all this rambling is to raise awareness, and encourage you to return to the originals from time to time and understand how music draws so heavily on the past. It’s not for me to decide on credits and royalties, but it sure wouldn’t hurt to pick up a few blues CD’s now and then.

Blues Heaven

You Need Love
Written by Willie Dixon
Recorded October 12, 1962
Chess Recording Studio, Chicago, Illinois
Chess single #1839

Muddy Waters, Vocal
Earl Hooker, guitar
Willie Dixon, bass
John ‘Big Moose’ Walker, organ
Casey Jones, drums
Ernest Cotton and A.C. Reed, tenor sax

Buy these discs:

Blues Masters, Volume 6

Muddy Waters Anthology - 1947-72

Dylan at 66

No time to gush forth today on my favorite artist and the greatest songwriter of the 20th century, just birthday wishes. Still going strong at 66 and not showing any signs of letting up, the life of Bob Dylan is truly something to celebrate. Do yourself a favor and catch him on tour this summer. We can't take the Never Ending Tour for granted anymore.

A great, great song that was cut from Blood on the Tracks: Up to Me

The Roundup

A lot of blogs gather news bits and random notes for easy consumption. I've avoided that approach to this point, but thought I'd offer up some recent items that may interest you. We'll call it the Roundup:

Pete Opens Lifehouse (from Billboard)

Pete Townshend's decades-old vision of creating musical portraits through technology has come to fruition. On April 25th Pete unveiled his music creation, now dubbed the Lifehouse Method, to a small gathering of journalists in London.

The Method is an Internet-based software program that enables the user -- or "sitter" -- to generate music from unique, inputted data. The sitter can upload four strands of personal information into the system, consisting of a digital photo, a rhythm, a sound and a voice.

Townhend explained that the project was the culmination of an idea which had percolated since his art school days in the 1960s. The concept was first introduced in the early 1970s via music intended for the Townshend-penned "Lifehouse" song cycle and planned concept album, which eventually morphed into the Who's "Who's Next" album. More here

Raconteurs Recording Again (from Billboard)

Jack White is a busy man. The Raconteurs are in Nashville working on the follow-up to their 2006 debut "Broken Boy Soldiers" and hope to have a new album out sometime next year.

The group, which features White, Brendan Benson, and Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler of The Greenhornes, has been recording at Blackbird Studio in Nashville and currently has 12 songs written.

The group is attempting to get as much of the as yet unnamed sophomore album done before the White Stripes start touring in support of their next album, "Icky Thump," due June 19 on Third Man Records/Warner Bros. Records. That outing also is slated to begin in June.

Dylan is Tireless

Now that James Brown is gone, Bob Dylan maybe the the hardest working man in the business. Dylan is in the midst of a European tour, and will hit the road in the States beginning with a June 22-23 stand at the Borgata in Atlantic City, and running through July 28, including festival appearances in Canada. He also has a new song, "Huck's Tune," on the just-released "Lucky You" soundtrack (Columbia) and will return to his excellent XM Satellite Radio show, "Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour," in September.

Here are Dylan's Summer North American tour dates. The bad news for me, nothing really near Chicago. The good news is that Bob has been playing the guitar on stage again for the first time in a few years. Hmmm. Maybe a trip to the Toledo Zoo is in order....

June 22-23: Atlantic City, N.J. (Borgata)
June 24: Hershey, Pa. (Hersheypark Stadium)
June 26: Northampton, Mass. (Pines Theater)
June 27: Uncasville, Conn. (Mohegan Sun)
June 29: Wantagh, N.Y. (Jones Beach)
June 30: Bethel, N.Y. (Bethel Woods Center)
July 1: Essex Junction, Vt. (Champlain Valley Expo)
July 3: Quebec City, Quebec (Colisee Pepsi)
July 4: Montreal (Festival Intn'l de Jazz)
July 5: Ottawa, Ontario (Cisco Systems Bluesfest)
July 7-8: Rama, Ontario (Casino Rama)
July 10: Interlochen, Mich. (Kresge Auditorium)
July 11: Sterling Heights, Mich. (Freedom Hill Amphitheatre)
July 12: Toledo, Ohio (Toledo Zoo)
July 14: Cleveland (Plain Dealer Pavilion)
July 15: Indianapolis (The Lawn at White River)
July 16: Kansas City, Mo. (Starlight Theatre)
July 26: Costa Mesa, Calif. (Pacific Amphitheatre)
July 27: Paso Robles, Calif. (Mid-State Fair Grandstand)
July 28: Kelseyville, Calif. (Konocti Field Amphitheatre)

U2 and Marvel Team-Up

Marvel Studios is working on a Broadway musical starring the Spider-Man, which will be directed by Tony winner Julie Taymor, with U2's Bono and the Edge creating new music and lyrics for the project. Maybe Bono will reprise his role as Mephisto or the muscle dude from the ill-fated Popmart Tour.

mp3: Mofo, a U2 song you may have overlooked

Wilco Weebles

We've got action figures of Hendrix and Cobain, but I never would have expected little toy figurines of my favorite alt-country/impressionist rock band. Thanks to Portland based company UNKL, these little guys will be available soon. I must admit in browsing this site some of this stuff is kind of fun.

Signs of the Apocalypse

And finally, the Chicago Tribune recently reported that a 13-year old girl in Pennsylvania claims to send nearly 8,000 text messages a month on her cell phone, and in a contest was able to text "supercalifragilisticexpealadocious" (from Mary Poppins) in 15 seconds. For her efforts, she won $15,000. Oh my gawd......

Dylan Hears A Who, among other things

Whoa, it’s been a long time since the last post. So much to do, so little time. Fortunately for me, I’ve been mostly at play. Saw Rusted Root at the Chicago House of Blues a week ago Friday, then the Who yet again last Monday. This was my first exposure to Rusted Root, and I felt a little like I crashed some sort of tribal gathering. The band has a rabid following much like Phish, only on a smaller scale. The floor of the HOB was definitely moving with the throng, to music I can best describe as a melding of 60’s west coast jam –band, reggae and world beats. I kept hearing Jefferson Airplane and Poi Dog Pondering. RR has definitely found a particular sound and honed it to perfection. In my opinion, they could use some keyboards and electric guitar just to add some variety, as the sound is energetic but one-dimensional. Interesting covers included Stevie’s Superstition, Dylan’s All Along the Watchtower and the King’s Suspicious Minds.

The Who’s Left? Tour returned to town on the 5th, and the only disappointment was the nearly identical set list from September, even though Pete led us to believe that things would be different. However, the playing was sharper, some of the extended jams more inspiring, and overall, a good time was had by all. It warmed my heart to see Pete and Roger genuinely enjoying themselves, and a few times absolutely stunned by the audience reception. As a reward we got The Naked Eye in the encore, and an unbelievable Tommy medley that was worth the price of admission alone. Townshend was on fire all night, and as chatty on stage as I’ve ever seen him, to me indicative that he’s relaxed and confident in the new Who. After the show we pondered if this was the final go around. The way Pete is playing, and the obvious enjoyment evident in his demeanor, I can’t imagine him quitting now. A recent blurb in Rolling Stone covered his recent club gigs with Lou Reed, J Mascis and the Raconteurs. Pete says he finds these types of gigs inspirational, and hinted that the next Who tour could be more intimate, acoustic affairs. Yikes. Some video is available at In The Attic. Select audio available at itunes.

Finally, Dylan Hears A Who has been snaking its way across the Internet of late. The source of this remarkable mimicry is reportedly a Houston based producer named Kevin Ryan, who has obsessed over sound and studio technology before, and has created some amazing audio here. If you weren’t paying attention, you’d swear this was a 1965 era Zimmy covering Dr. Seuss. I wonder what Bob thinks…..

Musings on Dylan - 10/28/06

The faithful gathered this weekend to see Dylan on his Never Ending Tour, at the Sears Centre, a new venue northwest of Chicago. Built for hockey, the sound was surprisingly good, and with the smaller size (11,000), this could be a nice alternative for a number of performing artists. God knows nobody needs to endure another show at the Allstate Arena.

To see Bob Dylan in 2006 is to see a living legend settled into a comfortable position in a very good band. Perhaps too comfortable. Most fans long for the days when we could expect an acoustical interlude in the middle of the set, with Bob at center stage armed with guitar and harmonica. These days, Bob has his back to one-third of the audience as he directs the proceedings from behind an electric piano. Theories abound. Bob has arthritis and guitar playing is questionable. Or he’s simply lost his chops. Others think Bob has begun to struggle with his own lyrics and is able to use a crib sheet more covertly at the piano. Is he tiring at 65? Or is he simply determined to march to his own drummer, and to hell with what the audience wants? Whatever the reason, for the time being we are in the age of Piano Bob.

Not that this is altogether bad. Perhaps the comfort of the piano and the lack of the center spotlight allow him to focus on his vocals, which have become a thing of great beauty and wonder. On Saturday night Bob took us on a journey through 40+ years of his songwriting, and to my ears he has never sounded better. With a voice ranging from pleasant crooning to a mellifluous growl, he continues to breathe new life into both his oldest and newest songs. Here’s the concise but amazing set list, with the vintages for you newbies:

Maggie's Farm (1965) – A rollicking, if somewhat predictable opener, with Bob flubbing the words a bit. I swear he sang the line ‘Everybody says she’s the brains behind Pa’ at least three times. So much for the crib sheet theory. Still, the words were as clear as a bell and I instantly liked the venue. The song is a little too repetitive for an opener though, and it had me itching for the next song.

She Belongs To Me (1965) – A great song with a nice harmonica solo by Bob. Bob’s vocal phrasing and delivery were beautiful. He sounded warmed up already, which doesn’t always happen this early in a show.

Lonesome Day Blues (2001) – The band kicked it in gear for this blues tune from Love and Theft, and Bob became quite animated behind the piano, pouncing on the keys and growling some great lines: "He's not a gentleman at all - he's rotten to the core, he's a coward and he steals” in his inimitable way. Loved it.

Positively 4th Street (1966) – Many people’s favorite Dylan song. He’s stayed pretty true to the melody but slowed the tempo and sang without the contempt of the original recording. Another nice harp solo at the end.

It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) (1965) – I’ve seen this song performed live several times. Some of Bob’s most vitriolic lyrics, but it didn’t knock me out on this night. The arrangement with the violin accompanyment is interesting, though.

The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll (1964) – This gorgeous song from The Times They Are A-Changin' is about the death of a barmaid at the hands of the privileged William Zanzinger. A social protest song from a year that probably seems like another lifetime for Bob, it was majestically delivered on this night.

Rollin' And Tumblin' (2006) - From the early 60’s to 2006, via Muddy Waters. Again the band rocked and Bob was really into it. The first song played tonight from the new album, I was really hoping for Bob to pick up the guitar.

Ballad of Hollis Brown (1964) – The band expertly backed up Bob as he told the grim tale of a South Dakota farmer who killed his family and himself in desperation. The banjo and surging arrangement were chilling, matching the growing dread as Bob recounted the tale.

Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine) (1966) – The highlight for me, as Bob and the band barreled into one of my favorite tracks from Blonde on Blonde.

Joey (1976) – This one is an overlooked song from the Desire album, but a favorite of the die-hard fans. The song, about New York gangster Joey Gallo is not often played, and it was a solid performance.

Highway 61 Revisited (1965) – Another barn burner, this song seems to be more of showcase for the band than for Bob, but it’s enjoyable.

Workingman's Blues #2 (2006) – Many of the songs on the new album are derivative, 12-bar blues or Dylanized versions of Muddy and Chuck Berry. A few songs are a little too similar to the material on Love and Theft, too. What makes the album another masterpiece are the purely original songs that are interspersed. Workingman’s Blues #2 is one of them and I was thrilled to hear it on this night.

Summer Days (2001) – This is another song that can raise the roof, and has been heavily played the last few years. It’s a blast and I’m not tired of it yet, and apparently neither is Bob, as he danced and pounded on the keys once again.

Encores
Thunder on the Mountain (2006)
Like A Rolling Stone (1965)
All Along the Watchtower (1967) – After a brief break (1 minute, maybe) the band kicked into Thunder, which is basically Dylan’s spin on Chuck Berry’s Let It Rock. It’s a good song that really sounded great live. The obligatory Rolling Stone and Watchtower closers were adequately performed but too ‘by the book’ for me. Crowd pleasers for sure, but I’d rather hear some more rarities that Bob doesn’t feel obligated to play.

All in all, I enjoyed this show even more than the shows in 2004 and 2005. Go see him now. If you’re on the east coast, you’ll also get the Raconteurs as the opening act.

The Elder Statesman

At the moment, we are immersed in All Things Dylan. Rock’s elder statesman is featured in dozens of magazines and newspapers, with critics gushing over his latest release, Modern Times. We have him on the “cover of the Rolling Stone” giving a great, candid interview, plugging iTunes and his music on our TVs, and a upcoming Broadway musical featuring his music. Did I mention Modern Times is the #1 album in the country, surpassing Jessica Simpson and Christina Aguilera, all with virtually no radio support? His last #1 was thirty years ago, before most of the acts on the charts today were born. Within the last year or so, we’ve also been treated to the Scorsese directed rock-doc, a best selling memoir, and a satellite radio show.

What does it mean when an artist of Dylan’s magnitude pervades so much of our culture? To me, it means we are extremely fortunate, and we should enjoy it while we can. The hard core Dylanophiles may wince at seeing Bob hawking Victoria’s Secret and iTunes, but Bob is not the mysterious enigma that he would have us believe. Dylan has never claimed indifference to commercial success and popularity, and I think his output would decrease or even cease if the public stopped paying attention. After four decades in the music business Dylan knows a bit about marketing, and he could easily be riding the oldies circuit into the sunset, playing Blowing in the Wind night after night in packed arenas. Instead, he’s out there in the trenches, playing smaller venues where he can be scrutinized up close by the most discerning fans in music. But, he’s got enough savvy to put Scarlet Johansson in the video, and tour with opening acts like Foo Fighters and the Raconteurs. He’s still trying to sell records and find new audiences, and what’s wrong with that?

So what about Modern Times? Every review I’ve read has been of the 5-star variety, and to the casual observer it probably appears that no music critic has the balls to post a negative review. The truth is, Modern Times is an amazing record. It’s a seamless blend of American music’s primordial soup; blues, folk, rock and roll, vaudeville, and Dylan’s own imitable style, done with such grace and aplomb that it never comes across as a cop-out. These are not lazy retreads of Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry; this is music that is entwined in Dylan’s musical DNA, and what comes out is so natural that with each listen it gets better. It feels honest; this is a 65-year old man making music, and it is somehow relates to our own lives as much as his own. The songs are mesmerizing, clocking in at 6-7 minutes in length, yet they are gone in an instant, and you want to hear them over again. Like his previous records, there is a underying sense of melancholy that runs throughout, but with bursts of venom interspersed.

Dylan's voice is an acquired taste. It always has been, but the growling rasp that surfaced years ago really took some time to accept. It has mellowed though, and over the last three albums he has found song structures and phrasing that suit his current voice. Bob's voice ranges from crooner to growling bluesman without skipping a beat. His voice is unbelieveably expressive and now as potent an instrument as his poetry. About the only downside to Modern Times is the sound, to which Dylan has already expressed his displeasure for in the Rolling Stone interview. This is music that should sound raw and alive, but instead it sounds flat and too polished.

Judge for yourself. Here's Bob crooning When the Deal Goes Down from the album. To hear the other gems on this record you'll need to go out and buy it. While you're at it, if you don’t own Time Out of Mind (1997) and Love and Theft (2001), go out and buy those too. And then, go see him on tour this fall, while you still can.

Forever Young

How fortunate we are to live in the time of Bob Dylan. Such an artist comes along maybe once every few hundred years. An artist so prolific and influential that it boggles the mind. Arguably the greatest artist of the 20th century, Dylan turns 65 today and shows no signs of slowly down. Still on The Never Ending Tour, hosting a radio program, planning a new CD release and writing his memoirs, Bob plugs on with the energy of men half his age. He could easily rest on his laurels and live on the royalties of his staggering catalog, but that's not what he's about. Bob is in a class with artists like B.B. King, Duke Ellington and Bill Monroe, put on this Earth to write songs and perform up until the bitter end. Bob singlehandedly brought poetry and literacy to rock music. Without him, we'd all still be singing about cars and girls.

Listening to Dylan is a lifelong pursuit. No artist that I know of is capable of transforming his own songs so completely. By altering tempo, phrasing and vocal inflections Bob has redefined his songs year by year, tour by tour, sometimes night by night. And as 44 years of recording have passed, we now have the young and wide-eyed coffeehouse Bob of 1962, the rock/poet star of 1965-66, the exuberant arena rock hero of the 1974 tour with the Band, the mid 80's born again Christian, the Traveling Wilbury, and the worldwise, grizzled Bob of the 21st century.

To pick a favorite Dylan track to share is impossible. My preferred songs change like the weather. Here are two from the superb Biograph compilation, a great starting place for anyone who wants to explore this music beyond Blowing In The Wind and Like A Rolling Stone.

Up To Me is a discarded track from Blood On The Tracks, quite possibly Dylan's best album. Unusually reflective, it's one of my all time favorites, with fantastic lyrics:

"If we never meet again, baby remember me
How my lone guitar played sweet for you that old time melody
And the harmonica around my neck I blew it for you free
No one else could play that tune you knew it was up to me."

This version of Forever Young was never meant for release. Bob played it in his publisher's office in 1973 when asked for the words and music for copyrighting purposes. Bob played it into a tape recorder. It's a timeless song, one that you imagine no one wrote; we've just always had it. It could be hundreds of years old, or brand new. Of the song, Bob comments:

"I wrote it thinking about one of my boys and not wanting to be too sentimental. The lines came to me in a minute. I certainly didn't intend to write it, I was going for something else; the song wrote itself. You never know what you're going to write. You never know if you're going to make another record, really."

Happy Birthday Bob!

Buy Biograph - make sure you get the remastered version -wm

Dreams, Schemes and Themes

I’m not yet prepared to pay for satellite radio, although I have been tempted. What may push me over the edge is a new program on XM called the Theme Time Radio Hour, hosted by none other than Bob Dylan. The first installment aired May 3, although it was ‘leaked’ by XM for promotional purposes and has been available on Dylan fan sites in various formats for two weeks.

The show in a word is fantastic.

Dylan is notoriously reclusive, doesn’t talk much to the press, and in recent years rarely utters a word on stage between songs. In this format, Bob is chatty, down to earth, informative and supremely entertaining. Last Sunday morning, we listened to the hour long program and felt transported to the 1950s, like we were sitting around one of those old wood radios, sipping Maxwell House and smoking Chesterfields. You imagine Bob sitting behind a big microphone like Ed Murrow, chain smoking, spinning platters and introducing Dean Martin and Slim Harpo with casual anecdotes (in reality he’s recording his bits from home or his tour bus, and XM is finds the tracks and puts it together). It never feels contrived. Dylan has remarked on how listening to the radio in his youth affected him. Here, it seems like he’s opening a door to his subconscious, sharing with us the blues, country and early rock and roll music that shaped his genius. Each week has a theme; the May 3 show was weather. Future programs will focus on mothers (for Mother’s Day), cars and whiskey. Here’s the playlist from the first show:

Blow, Wind, Blow - Muddy Waters
You Are My Sunshine - Jimmie Davis
California Sun - Joe Jones
I Don't Care if the Sun Don't Shine - Dean Martin
Bob talks about The Prisonaires
Just Walking in the Rain - The Prisonaires
After the Clouds Roll Away - The Consolers
Let the Four Winds Blow - Fats Domino
Raining in my Heart - Slim Harpo
Summer Wind - Frank Sinatra
The Wind Cries Mary - Jimi Hendrix
Come Rain or Come Shine - Judy Garland
It's Raining - Irma Thomas
Stormy Weather - The Spaniels
Jamaica Hurricane - Lord Beginner
A Place in the Sun - Stevie Wonder (Italian version)
Uncloudy Day - The Staple Singers
Keep on the Sunny Side - The Carter Family

In future shows, Bob will be answering e-mail from listeners. For a lot of us, this is like talking to God.

Dreams, schemes and themes. Say it in Dylan’s nasal tone and you can’t help but smile.

[Note: I'm trying a new file sharing site, so if the links don't work, I'm working on it]

Pool Games

I won the only NCAA pool I entered Monday night. This is ridiculous because I was 0 for 4 in the final four picks, but I'll take it. While many people might have been focused on their NCAA brackets in the last few weeks, I've been a little more interested in a compelling pool at the Dylan Pool, where a few thousand Dylan fans complete in a friendly on-line game to try to predict the setlists on Dylan's current tour. Old Zimmy is back on the road, and although he doesn't mix up the set lists to the extent the Grateful Dead did, it's still fun to give to play along. Many of Dylan's fans are obsessive, and analyzing set lists, song frequencies, and orders can keep us occupied for days. Not to mention the thrill of the unexpected rarity or cover that Bob is known to pull out of his hat. When Link Wray died late last year, Bob began several of his shows with Wray's power surf classic Rumble. Last Fall Bob played Million Dollar Bash (from the Basement Tapes) for the first time ever, and the Dylan Poolers were buzzing for days. The site is not the best there is for All Things Bob, but it has an active and entertaining message board, a super list of Bob related links, a huge photo gallery and mp3 files from the current tours.

Here's a rarity from the 1990 tour: Dark As A Dungeon

Originally recorded by Merle Travis on Aug 8, 1946, Hollywood, CA, and released as Capitol 48001.

"The saddest songs are written when a person is happy. I was driving home after a date with a beautiful girl in Redondo Beach, California. I had a recording session to do the next morning and needed some material. I parked my car under a street light and wrote the verses to "Dark As A Dungeon." I got the idea from growing up around the coal mines in Kentucky. My father and brothers were coal miners."

Merle Travis

The Freewheelin' mp3

Recently I posted a mp3 music file. Let me take this moment to state my position. I sincerely believe that sharing music files in this medium is no different than the good old days when we swapped vinyl and made tapes on our trusty Maxell cassettes. It's all about broadening our musical horizons, not taking money out of the artist's pockets. If I can share a song with 25 people that may have never it before, and perhaps prompt those people to legitimately seek further music by that artist, than I see no harm. Nevertheless, the wild mercury legal department has suggested I add a disclaimer to the sidebar (see below). Songs will be posted for a short time with a limited number of downloads.

Now to today's post. Bob Dylan's official recorded catalog is prodigious, but the number of unreleased recordings is equally impressive (and historically important, I might add). For years Dylanphiles have collected the unreleased stuff, and we all squealed with delight when the Official Bootleg Series was introduced by Columbia in the early 90's. However, there is plenty of truly wonderful music that remains unreleased and has escaped the casual listener. Here's a version of That's All Right from the sessions recorded in 1963 for Bob's second album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. This song, among others, ended up on the cutting room floor, and remains officially unreleased. All of the outtakes are revered by the Dylanphiles. I love this track because it foreshadows by 2-3 years the sound Bob would attain on his landmark albums in 1965-66.


This image is an outake from the photo session for the album.

Here's the track:
That's All Right #1