Nashville Skyline
by Bob Dylan

From Mercury TOP 100 COMMENTER 10/19/2017 20:03 | #199777 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

New Review. I love this all the more...

Due to laziness, I will just include this review of sorts I have on my as-of-now-nonpublic Dylan chart. I wrote this 4 years ago! (Time flies, love all you BEA buddies I've had for 5 years now)

"Beautiful, charming, short-and-sweet, countrified, humble, and fantastic album through and through! What I love about this album is it just manages to make me feel happy. It's so optimistic. It is so clearly a huge change away from serious or overly introspective elements of his music. It's amazing to me that Dylan could switch off to a whole new zone and genre of music and pull it off so perfectly.

The lyrics are simple, direct country-style nuggets of beauty. It ain't hard to pick up what is being expressed here. The musicians that back him up here sound great.

Man, there ain't much I dislike about this album at all. I will say I don't like the first track featuring Cash. It just doesn't sound too good. But after that track it rolls so well. It's 24 minutes of solid fun!

The greatest tracks here are "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You", "Nashville Skyline Rag" (what a smokin' instrumental to really kick this album off!), "Lay Lady Lay" (sexy as hell) and of course the very tragic-sounding "I Threw It All Away".

It is hard for me to say how this album compares to other Dylan favorites because it is so different in mood and style and theme and even in the way his vocals are delivered...

On its own terms this album is an essential release in Dylan's discography. I really love it. And it is a great way to end off the 60s! I look at these first 16 albums I've listened to for this chart and it blows my mind how much music he made from 62-69 and it astounds me how consistently great it was. He was just on fire for so long!"

Okay, now present-day Ryan again: Has my love for this album remained? Yes! As a matter of fact its increased greatly! I now LOVE that first Cash track now. Still not my fave track here, but its soooo warm and sweet. Also, Cash + Dylan = automatic good.

Now, compared to that Vince Martin album, its amazing how starkly different this is. Dylan had a clear plan, a short sweet statement delivered in perfectly constructed 2 or 3 minute songs. Martin took the same great band and just said "Let's see where this takes us.".

And as I listen yet again to this classic, I am indeed feeling joyeous, and optimistic again! Dylan is the closest thing to a sonic best friend I have ever had. I mean, that sounds lame, so let me dig the whole deeper with an explanation: Ever since I was a lad o' 12 I have always looked to Dylan's music and words and interviews and story as inspiration, or as a sort of reference point to my life. He has been a constant "friend" and presence. And I truly get emotional thinking about what he has meant for me in my life. So there, I reached the required 6 feet into the ground, kill me now. lol.

I had this album at 12, then moved up to 8 then 9 then 10 on this list...then as I wrote this and listened again, i came to and was like "WHAT?! Are you crayzy!? Get Dylan back on his rightful pedestal, fool!" So up to a (perhaps still too low position ) of #7 it goes!

Oh, and I would like to thank Gram Parson, Chris Hillman, Gene Clark, Doug Dillard, The Byrds in general, and Dylan of course, for showing the rock kids that Country was cool back in 1968 and 1969. That 4-peat statement of "Sweetheart of the Rodeo", "The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard & Clark", "Gilded Palace of Sin", and "Nashville Skyline" has been an inspiration for a huge percentage of my favorite music ever. Thanks, you fine geniuses all for doing what was right! (I suppose the Grateful dead, somewhat the Band, and many others deserve credit as well, so thanks Danko, Garcia, Robertson, and all you fine people too.)

Rating: 9.5/10

Oh and damnit! I forgot to mention this... The cover of Nashville Skyline is a miracle. Its awesome in general, Dylan looks so happy and handsome and all... but look at that nearly perfect triangle! How cool is that?!? Okay, bye. (Edited)

In my opinion, the best country/rock fusion of the late 60s. Even better than "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" and "Songs From The Big Pink." It is almost disconcerting to hear Bob Dylan's "country singer" voice, but not in a bad way. The quality of the songs is strong and varied and the musicianship is top notch. For my money, probably the most underrated Dylan album. Why it is never discussed as one of his finest albums is somewhat of a mystery to me. (Edited)

From Mercury TOP 100 COMMENTER 10/05/2013 05:44 | #87614 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

4 October 2013-
Beautiful, charming, shirt-and-sweet, countrified, humble, and fantastic album through and through! What I love about this album is it just manages to make me feel happy. It's so optimistic. It is so clearly a change away from serious or overly introspective elements of his music and it works so well it is fantastic! It's amazing to me that Dylan could switch off to a whole new zone and genre of music and pull it off so perfectly.

The lyrics are simple, direct country-style nuggets of beauty. It ain't hard to pick up what is being expresses here. The musicians that back him up here sound great.

Man, there ain't much I dislike about this album at all. I will say I don't like the first track featuring Cash. It just doesn't sound too good. But after that track it rolls so well. It's 24 minutes of solid fun!

The greatest tracks here are "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You", "Nashville Skyline Rag" (what a smokin' instrumental to really kick this album off!), "Lay Lady Lay" (sexy as hell) and of course the very tragic-sounding "I Threw It All Away".

It is hard for me to say how this album compares to other Dylan favorites because it is so different in mood and style and theme and even in the way his vocals are. I will say it is a little too short for my liking, the first song annoys, and the general quality of greatness of the songwriting is a step down from his usual.

On its own terms this album is an essential release in Dylan's discography. I really love it!

Grade: 90/100 (Edited)

I guess either this works for you or it doesn't. For me this album is all about concision. While usually Dylan's canvas is quite large, here he forces himself to work with a much smaller one. Simple but perfect songs, like haikus. (Edited)

From Larcx13 12/07/2020 09:33 | #262187 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

A very nice listen. Not Dylan's masterpiece by far but a very good collection of country tunes. Nice to listen to on sunny road trips. (Edited)