Bobology. I find it a truly tiresome science. I've always wondered why so many people put so much effort into understanding a person whose most essential quality is his refusal to be defined. Isn't it much more fun to just sit back, listen and enjoy the music without needing to write a dissertation about how a certain line pertains to his second marriage and how this event influenced that song and blah, blah, blah?
That said, I've spent 8 billion hours of my life listening to Dylan, and have naturally formed some strong opinions about his work. Since I know fate of the free world hinges on the following material, I'll waste no more time on introductory blather. My only self-imposed limit is a 15-word-or-fewer description. Ratings are, as always, out of 5
McBones.
Bob Dylan -
3 McBones. Early signs and greenhorn exuberance.
Favorite Track:
Song to Woody.
The Freewheeling Bob Dylan -
5 McBones. First foray into undiluted genius.
FT: A
Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall.
The Times They Are A-Changin' -
5 McBones. Perfecting his craft with another ten flawless songs.
FT:
Boots of Spanish Leather.
Another Side of Bob Dylan -
5 McBones. Apt title. First signs of sloughing the folk mantle.
FT:
My Back Pages.
Bringing it All Back Home -
5 McBones. Starts to piss off his base.
FT: Love
Minus Zero/No Limit.
Highway 61 Revisited -
5 McBones. Completely alienates his base. Changes music forever.
FT:
Desolation Row.
Blonde on Blonde -
5 McBones. Sixth straight perfect album. Bitter folkies burn his image in effigy.
FT:
Memphis Blues Again.
John Wesley Harding -
5 McBones. Spooky and spare. Side A is arguably his finest work.
FT:
All Along the Watchtower.
Nashville Skyline -
4.5 McBones. Inserts himself into the country discussion. Teams with Johnny Cash. Earth's foundations shake.
FT:
Girl from the North Country.
Self Portrait -
2 McBones. After 33 years, I'm still not sure what's going on here. Oddly entertaining though.
FT:
The Mighty Quinn.
New Morning -
3 McBones. Obscure, at times charming, slightly erratic letdown.
FT:
Three Angels.
Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid -
4.5 McBones. First-rate soundtrack for a first-rate film.
FT:
Knockin' on Heaven's Door.
Dylan -
0.5 McBones. Though few know it, the expression WTF!? was invented for this album.
FT:
The Ballad of Ira Hayes.
Planet Waves -
3 McBones. Decent album with The Band.
FT: Not sure I have one.
Wedding Song maybe?
Blood on the Tracks -
5 McBones. The greatest album ever recorded. End of discussion
. FT:
If You See Her, Say Hello.
The Basement Tapes -
4 McBones. A boatload of awesome, rambunctious, sometimes incomprehensible songs.
FT:
Million Dollar Bash.
Desire -
4.5 McBones. Possibly his most underrated work. Sings in Spanish!
FT:
Oh Sister.
Street-Legal -
4 McBones. Actually his most underrated work. Song
Señor not sung in Spanish.
FT:
Changing of the Guards.
Slow Train Coming -
3 McBones. Burgeoning Jesus freakdom. Answers mystery of how animals were named.
FT:
Slow Train.
Saved -
N/A. Yikes! I'm not saved and not trying get saved, so I don't listen to this much.
FT: Hmm. I'll get back to you on that one someday.
Shot of Love -
3.5 McBones. Also Jesus-y, but way underrated. Actually good. Totally forgotten.
FT:
Every Grain of Sand.
Infidels -
4 McBones. End of the born-again phase, thank God.
FT:
Jokerman.
Empire Burlesque -
3 McBones. Slightly overrated and synth-y, but his last good album before the plunge into darkness.
FT:
Dark Eyes.
Knocked out Loaded -
1.5 McBones. Whoa. This is not good. Completely salvaged by the epic and unforgettable...
FT:
Brownsville Girl.
Down in the Groove -
1.0 McBones. Blech! Sorry, Darin. Double blech!
FT:
Silvio, by a mile.
Oh Mercy -
4 McBones. Bright ray of light in a truly murky decade.
FT:
Most of the Time.
Under the Red Sky -
1.0 McBones. Cool title, bad record. Beginning and, happily, end of the Don Was Era.
FT:
Born in Time, I guess.
Good as I Been to You -
3.5 McBones. Shedding demons with awesome takes on traditional ballads.
FT:
Arthur McBride.
World Gone Wrong -
4 McBones. Virtuosic folk and blues interpretations. He could make 50 records like this.
FT:
Delia.
Time out of Mind -
5 McBones. Almost dies. Retaps his genius. Broods on death.
FT:
Not Dark Yet.
Love and Theft -
5 McBones. The
Ulysses of records. Draws from every source imaginable.
FT:
Mississippi (OK, I know this is a leftover from TOoM, but I regard this as his finest vocal recording, so lay off).
Modern Times -
5 McBones. Possibly his modern masterpiece.
FT:
Workingman Blues.
Together Through Life -
4.5 McBones. One wonders how long he can keep this up.
FT:
If You Ever Go to Houston.
Tempest -
5 McBones. Blood-soaked brilliance. Even the ballads are steeped in death.
FT:
Tempest.
nwb
