"4th Time Around" is IMO, a parody of "Norwegian Wood". It was written shortly after he met Lennon for the fourth time in London. I wouldn`t say it was a scathing crit of The Beatles per se, just of John`s Dylanesque songs (I`m a Loser, Hide your love away, etc). It was actually The Animals recording of "House of the Rising Sun" which prompted Dylan to abandon folk music.(He had recorded an acoustic version for his second album). It should be remembered that he actually turned his back on his core audience and had to endure all the "Judas" taunts afterwards. Al Kooper, who played organ on "Like a Rolling Stone", refused to tour with Dylan because of the animosity from the folkies.
But the main point is that Dylan gave music a vocabulary which transcended straightforward love songs.No-one had ever recorded anything resembling "Like A Rolling Stone" or "Just Like a Woman". I would be the last person to disparage The Beatles, but in the context of who had the greater influence on popular music, I`d still opt for Dylan.
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Yes it`s true.This man has no dick.
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