sleepy jack

"The Basement Tapes (1975)"


More work with the Band, most of this album was actually recorded in between Blonde on Blonde and John Wesley Harding. Now I remember reading about the recording of this in the Bob Dylan Chronicles, it was recorded in the basement of Big Pink in New York. Some of it feels incomplete, maybe it even is. Dylan would go to the house regularly and they would just sort of jam and what would come out of it was recorded. It's been awhile since I read the book so I'm not sure if that's exactly how it went but it was along those lines. I know it was a chill atmosphere that Dylan needed after his motorcycle accident.

The music here is rough and rootsy. This album isn't anything we haven't heard before but that doesn't make it bad. In fact Dylan does some of the best music he's done here It's stripped down, simple, great and just quintessentially Bob Dylan.

Favorite Lyric: "We pointed out the way to go / And scratched your name in sand / Though you just thought it was nothing more / Than a place for you to stand / Now, I want you to know that while we watched / You discover there was no one true / Most everybody really thought it was a childish thing to do / Tears of rage, tears of grief, must I always be the thief / Come to me now, you know / We're so low and life is brief."
Favorite Songs: Odds and Ends, Orange Juice Blues, Bessie Smith, Goin' to Acapulco, Tears of Rage, You Ain't Goin' Nowhere, Too Much of Nothing, Nothing Was Delivered, This Wheel's on Fire, Long Distance Operator, Open the Door Homer

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sleepy jack

My news resolution will be to finish this up haha, I'm listening to Desire now.

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sleepy jack

"Desire (1976)"


The opening track shows Dylan returning to his topical roots with the firey song protesting the arrest and testifying the innocence of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter. You know Dylan has had some amazing openers, Like a Rolling Stone, Blowin In the Wind, Subterranean Homesick Blues etc and Hurricane is seriously one of the best. Needless to say, Hurricane really blew me away. I had high expectations for Desire, my friend Chloe said it was her favorite Dylan album and it was the follow up to my favorite Dylan album (Blood on the Tracks.) I don't think I like it better but I think this is my second or third favorite Dylan album and I think it's the most underrated Dylan album I've encountered so far too. The music is kind of Caribbean at times, Emmylou Harris does back up vocals it's pretty similar to the stuff he's been doing before but by no means does that make it bland. His lyrics are at some of his best hear, long gone are the rambling and often nonsensical lyrics of his electric days and he's grown past being the voice of our generation now he just tells beautiful stories that are like poetry with songs like Isis and Sara.

Favorite Lyric: "Your breath is sweet / Your eyes are like two jewels in the sky / Your back is straight, your hair is smooth / On the pillow where you lie but I don't sense affection / No gratitude or love / Your loyalty is not to me but to the stars above."
Favorite Songs: Hurricane, Isis, Sara, Oh Sister, One More Cup Of Coffee, Joey

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Laces Out Dan!

You are a witty man.

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sleepy jack

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sleepy jack

"Street Legal (1978)"


This album follows two of my favorite Dylan albums (Blood on the Tracks and Desire) and I didn't expect it to be very good because this album in a lot of ways would mark the start of his religious themes and lyrics that would become the main writing well which he would draw from after this so I expected it to be the beginning of some bad christian rock phase and it really isn't anything like the two before with its female choir background vocals and big productions but the change is very welcome. It's fairly dark and strange, still very good and very underrated album. Oh and thank god for the remastered version.

Favorite Lyric: "Gentlemen, he said / I don't need your organization / I've shined your shoes / I've moved your mountains and marked your cards / But Eden is burning, either brace yourself for elimination / Or else your hearts must have the courage for the changing of the guards / Peace will come with tranquility and splendor on the wheels of fire / But will bring us no reward when her false idols fall / And cruel death surrenders with its pale ghost retreating / Between the King and the Queen of Swords."
Favorite Song: Changing Of The Guards, Señor (Tales Of Yankee Power), New Pony, Where Are You Tonight? (Journey Through Dark Heat)

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sleepy jack

With God On My Side


In the late 70s Bob Dylan became a born again christian. He released two christian albums Slow Train Coming and and Saved, both caused a variety of emotions and feelings from fans, friends and musicians. His song "Gotta Serve Somebody" inspired Lennon, with his typical douchebaggery to write "Serve Yourself" Ever since then Dylan's religious beliefs have been under a constant state of speculation. "Here's the thing with me and the religious thing. This is the flat-out truth: I find the religiosity and philosophy in the music. I don't find it anywhere else. Songs like "Let Me Rest on a Peaceful Mountain" or "I Saw the Light" – that's my religion. I don't adhere to rabbis, preachers, evangelists, all of that. I've learned more from the songs than I've learned from any of this kind of entity. The songs are my lexicon. I believe the songs." - Bob Dylan.

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sleepy jack

"Slow Train Coming (1979)


Damnit Bob, why did you have to go funk AND christian at the same time? I can't make up my mind on this album on whether I like it or not. The problem with christian music is that it's more about the message than the music so the delivery is very heavy on the message and it's almost impossible to ignore but sometimes, even despite the christian themes, it's very worth it, Precious Angel is a great song despite its overly christian message. Anyway that's the problem here, but unlike most christian music the music is actually worth it and this is apparent from the opener. If you're like me and have trouble ignoring lyrics then this album is going to be difficult for you. If you don't pay attention to the lyrics than you're in luck, Dylan released another good album.

Favorite Lyric: "All that foreign oil controlling American soil / Look around you, it's just bound to make you embarrassed / Sheiks walkin' around like kings, wearing fancy jewels and nose rings / Deciding America's future from Amsterdam and to Paris / And there's a slow, slow train comin' up around the bend."
Favorite Songs: Gotta Serve Somebody, Slow Train, Precious Angel, I Believe In You

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sleepy jack

I'm done with the 70s, I don't know if this is a good thing. I feel like I accomplished something but I'm kind of dreading what's next.

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sleepy jack

Ranking them in order of preference so far, I plan to finish this up in the next two weeks. Lets hope I actually do.

1. Blood on the Tracks
2. Blonde on Blonde
3. Desire
4. Bringing It All Back Home
5. New Morning
6. Highway 61 Revisited
7. John Wesley Harding
8. Another Side of Bob Dylan
9. The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
10. Street Legal
11. The Times They Are A-Changin'
12. Nashville Skyline
13. Planet Waves
14. Slow Train Coming
15. Bob Dylan
16. The Basement Tapes
17. Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid
18. Self Portrait
19. Dylan

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