What's So Great About Bob Dylan - Music - Forums : Best Ever Albums

Cymro2011

The Beatles were objectively average

Gender: Male

Age: 28

Location: In a deep, dark bubblegum graveyard

an_outlaw wrote:

Is it really such a great surprise? Neutral

Kind of. You're into different stuff but you like Frankenchrist and BRMC so that makes you cool with me.

Kool Keith Sweat

I like Dylan a lot, especially Tangled Up in Blue, but I much prefer other songwriters like Neil Young, Nick Drake, Joanna Newsom, Van Morrison, etc. I've always felt that Dylan's lyrics and especially his delivery were emotionally sterile most of the time. His music is great but not transcendental. Ultimately, he simply does not click with my aesthetic channels in the same way as other musicians. I will say, though I hate throwing the term around and will likely regret it, that I think his lyrics are horribly overrated; this is because for a few years now he has been considered a serious contender for the Nobel Prize in Literature by a few gambling organizations. To me, believing Dylan's lyrics achieve a level of genius reserved for (and often denied) the greatest living literary figures is absolutely absurd.

Guest

ppnw wrote:

I like Dylan a lot, especially Tangled Up in Blue, but I much prefer other songwriters like Neil Young, Nick Drake, Joanna Newsom, Van Morrison, etc. I've always felt that Dylan's lyrics and especially his delivery were emotionally sterile most of the time. His music is great but not transcendental. Ultimately, he simply does not click with my aesthetic channels in the same way as other musicians. I will say, though I hate throwing the term around and will likely regret it, that I think his lyrics are horribly overrated; this is because for a few years now he has been considered a serious contender for the Nobel Prize in Literature by a few gambling organizations. To me, believing Dylan's lyrics achieve a level of genius reserved for (and often denied) the greatest living literary figures is absolutely absurd.

Agreed that it's absurd to believe Dylan's lyrics to be comparable with some of the great literary figures, but I do think he excels in his field to a point beyond most others. I find it hard to see Dylan's lyrics as being "overrated", because I think they're the greatest song lyrics of all-time, but I'm not sure that comparing them to the work of some of the great novelists, playwrights and poets is necessarily overrating them, rather just creating unjust and largely bizarre competition between works from two totally different art forms. I don't sit down to read Bob Dylan's lyrics from a page as that is not how they were intended to be consumed, and not how the songs work best; similarly, I've never imagined anything from Death of a Naturalist set to music, nor do I want to and certainly not if Seamus himself were to play said music. As far as song lyrics go, I think Dylan worked (during his peak years) on a higher plane than most songwriters are even capable of. I do understand the argument that his music can come off as "emotionally sterile", and it's one I've heard before, but ultimately how much emotion we glean from and feel because of a song changes from listener to listener. I dunno, he's just a superb songwriter. I think he's the best ever, but there's no right answer. But yeah, comparison to artists of the printed word is quite obviously absurd, totally futile, and unfair on both sides.

Bork

Executive Hillbilly

Location: Vinson Mountain, GA

You, Sir, are no gentleman.

That aside, I guess the question is as fair a question as any unfair question. In the end, if you like it you do, if you don't you don't. If you find it ok but not worth writing home about, that's what it is to you. What I'm tryin' to say in a most convoluted way is that you may have a good and honest question but at the same time it can't be answered. When I hear the Bob at his best I find every single chord and every stray note placed at just the right pitch, tone and position. Any part of it can be taken out, the unconventional and slightly misplaced voice, the traditional and simple yet slightly off boom-chick strumming, or the lyrics that are sometimes so wrapped up in themselves that you don't know what the hell they mean but it still sounds good. At it's worst (which is still pretty decent) it is just any old singer/songwriter and can turn quite tedious. Fortunately his high points are so high, and through the 60's and 70's so consistent, that his lows can be forgiven.

Probably not the answer, but it's all I got.

JMan

The answer's plain and simple: his lyrics. I'm not into his music, but I have to admit his lyrics are brilliant.

Robert Anton Wilson

Epic Proghead

Gender: Male

Age: 56

Location: Inside

Applerill wrote:

What I want to know is, take away his grasp of the English language, and his cultural significance, and what is special about the music itself (including his voice).

Take away the hats and sunglasses he wears also.

I agree that if you take away all of the songs he ever composed, music he recorded, albums he put out, charities he funded, bottles of alcohol he drank and radio shows he's produced, I too am at a loss to see what is special about him. He still remains the father of the Wallflowers guy I guess. Oh! and take away his mouth organ too.

It is quite tough to answer a question of what makes an artist special is you take away some of the top qualities for which he is known. I mean take away from Obama the fact that he his president and alive, what is so special about him. I dunno? His wife and kids maybe?

Ah well, here is the guy who asked everybody to stop thread bashing not finding anything better to say.

You asked what is different between Bob, Pink Floyd, The Dead and the Beatles taking away his grasp of the English language and cultural significance, well the first thing that springs to mind is the fact that he released his first album before all of these acts and he is still releasing albums now long after all of these acts have been put to rest - and his latest albums are relevant, contemporary and new compositions, not greatest hits or rehashing of what he used to do. That has to count for something.

Then there is always the hats and the sunglasses.

Facetious

Gender: Male

Age: 24

Location: Somewhere you've never been

I admit I might be among the biggest fans of Highway 61 Revisited on BEA, but I might not be among the very biggest Dylan fans. I haven't heard that much of his discography, but I admit even on his great albums he can be...not completely consistent I guess. If I try to write something that defends him, it usually ends up becoming more about his very best albums than about him generally really.

I do agree with his good qualities which have so far been pointed out, good effort guys.

SuedeSwede

Ognoo

Gender: Female

Age: 26

Location: On a cloud

I think it's the fact that he is a multi-instrumentalist, playing all guitars, harmonica, keyboards, and vocals at the same time in some songs, mainly 'Like A Rolling Stone'. If you listen carefully, every keyboard played, every rhythm guitar played, every harmonica played, and every lyric sung is his doing. All in a six-minute song. I think that makes him so brilliant, just like Sufjan Stevens. (Don't confuse what I am saying, the piano intro is NOT Dylan, it's all the organy stuff in the bridge).

However, I see your point. There isn't much to him other than the lyrics, and people do like him mainly for the folky lyrics that tell stories. However, I think his voice is rather beautiful in Blood on the Tracks and Blonde on Blonde, and his musical ability is top-notch, but I do see where you're coming from, and I do acknowledge and respect your dearest opinion.

sulmagnificent

Gender: Male

Location: USA

Mod wrote:

I think it's the fact that he is a multi-instrumentalist, playing all guitars, harmonica, keyboards, and vocals at the same time in some songs, mainly 'Like A Rolling Stone'. If you listen carefully, every keyboard played, every rhythm guitar played, every harmonica played, and every lyric sung is his doing. All in a six-minute song. I think that makes him so brilliant, just like Sufjan Stevens. (Don't confuse what I am saying, the piano intro is NOT Dylan, it's all the organy stuff in the bridge).

Wait I thought Al Kooper did that famous bridge in the keyboard in Like Rolling Stone, I thought that in the beginning, before Kooper added it, there was no organ in the song?

hairymarx1

Gender: Male

Location: London

Applerill wrote:

What I want to know is, take away his grasp of the English language, and his cultural significance, and what is special about the music itself (including his voice).

Not much really, although on Highway 61, the rhythm section is pretty awesome.