Revisiting past passions

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vernon

Harder than Ronnie Pickering
Location
Meanwood, Leeds
Dave5N said:

I passionately hated it then.

I passionately hate it now.

Nothing has changed. :biggrin:
 

dellzeqq

pre-talced and mighty
Location
SW2
the problem with Dylan is that he was so clever so young that for the last forty years his wheels have been spinning. If you write all those songs by the time you're 23 years old, cramming in that much musicality, erudition and (it has to be said) resentment then the encore is going to be patchy.


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgC77nc22ec&feature=PlayList&p=636A1F0481A0327D&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=5


this is a link to some wierd Youtube playlist - 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' is followed by the Monkees' 'I'm a Believer' and 'The Last Train to Clarkesville' which are both perfectly respectable Brill Building songs - but there is a chasm of wit between the two. And Gillian Wearing - eat your heart out!

I'm not really a Dylan fan - but I do know that he's the smartest songwriter of the last fifty years.

(And I have stood on the stage where he gave his first public performance. And he got booed off)
 

PaulB

Legendary Member
Location
Colne
dellzeqq said:
the problem with Dylan is that he was so clever so young that for the last forty years his wheels have been spinning. If you write all those songs by the time you're 23 years old, cramming in that much musicality, erudition and (it has to be said) resentment then the encore is going to be patchy.

The problem with the phrase "the problem with..." is that it suggests there's a problem and from the filter of the person saying "the problem with..." then they have a problem with... And that's all it means. I can certainly see why someone who hasn't followed Dylan's subsequent career would think there's a problem but those of us who've followed him would probably think differently. I think you may be confusing the fact he's not on the telly or radio as much as he used to be with him no longer being able to write good songs. He can.
 

rh100

Well-Known Member
PaulB said:
The problem with the phrase "the problem with..." is that it suggests there's a problem and from the filter of the person saying "the problem with..." then they have a problem with... And that's all it means. I can certainly see why someone who hasn't followed Dylan's subsequent career would think there's a problem but those of us who've followed him would probably think differently. I think you may be confusing the fact he's not on the telly or radio as much as he used to be with him no longer being able to write good songs. He can.

His early stuff that I hear, studio and live, is excellent. Some very powerful lyrics, which has always been his strength eg Blowin In The Wind and The Times They Are A Changin'. His inspiration came from the like of Woodie Guthrie.

However - I did go to see him live at Brum once - never again - I'd rather listen to what he used to do. A quote from wikipedia describes it well.

"Others have criticised his vocal style as a “one-dimensional growl with which he chews up, mangles and spits out the greatest lyrics ever written so that they are effectively unrecognisable”,[264] and his lack of interest in bonding with his audience."

Compare this to Joan Baez, from a similar era, I've seen her twice, and both times faultless.

You're probably right that he can still write good songs - but the recent releases I've heard a bit of just doesn't grab my attention like the old stuff does.
 

PaulB

Legendary Member
Location
Colne
rh100 said:
His early stuff that I hear, studio and live, is excellent. Some very powerful lyrics, which has always been his strength eg Blowin In The Wind and The Times They Are A Changin'. His inspiration came from the like of Woodie Guthrie.

However - I did go to see him live at Brum once - never again - I'd rather listen to what he used to do. A quote from wikipedia describes it well.

Some of his middle years stuff is as good, if not better, than the earlier stuff and now that everyone's writing or has written "protest" songs or political stuff, then Dylan's output isn't as unusual as it would once have been considered. While he can produce some rubbish (who can't?), then some late-Dylan stuff stands comparison with anything he's done in his illustrious career.

And as for going to see him live, well you missed the boat on that one. He's well past his best on stage, as happens to all old men as I discovered when I made the mistake of going to see the curmudgeonly Van Morrison. The peanut.
 

rh100

Well-Known Member
PaulB said:
And as for going to see him live, well you missed the boat on that one. He's well past his best on stage, as happens to all old men as I discovered when I made the mistake of going to see the curmudgeonly Van Morrison. The peanut.

Sadly, I wasn't even born in his hayday.

Not quite all - Leonard Cohen is well worth watching still - what a voice!
 
PaulB said:
The problem with the phrase "the problem with..." is that it suggests there's a problem and from the filter of the person saying "the problem with..." then they have a problem with... .

to cut a problem short, the problem with Dylan is that he's always been crap.
 
XmisterIS said:
When I read the title of this thread, I thought it meant, "Have you ever phoned an ex-girlfriend when you're gagging for a f*ck, on the outside chance that she'll come round to give you a leg-over?"

+1 ;)
 
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