My Dylan Project

 Released June 2, 2023 It seems fitting to end my project with this album, Dylan’s last studio album to date. Recorded in early 2021 to accompany the film of the same name, it’s a collection of 13 songs from Dylan’s earlier career, plus one instrumental.  The album received rave reviews, and it deserves them. Dylan sounds great and his reinterpretations of these familiar songs are fascinating. They are all eminently recognizable, but transformed. The accompanying musicians, as always, are excellent. Dylan used no drums. The songs flow into one another,  which I don’t think he did on any other album, at least, not for every song.  My favorites on this album are “What Was It You Wanted” and “When I Paint My Masterpiece”. The only one I didn’t like in its new form was “Tombstone Blues”. He sings it very slowly.  I like it fast ;-)  The film this was used for is well worth seeking out. It was filmed on a soundstage in California, but is credited as being in the...

 Released June 19, 2020 This is the last album of original material Dylan has released (to date!) It received almost universal acclaim, landing on numerous “Best Albums of 2020” lists. Overall, it’s a quiet, intense album, capped with the 17-minute masterpiece “Murder Most Foul”. Dylan sounds great and the musicianship is excellent.  Hard to pick favorites here; “Goodbye Jimmy Reed,” “Crossing the Rubicon” and “Key West” are all great. “Murder Most Foul” never drags, despite its length. How does he do that?  If this is the last Dylan album with original songs, no one can complain.  Crossing the Rubicon: https://youtu.be/r3stG270JaM?si=GEHGC3xIlVSzZa0r

 Released March 31, 2017 After two albums of standards, was Dylan done? Heck no! He released “Triplicate,” which was three CDs of 10 songs each. 30 more songs!  I really enjoyed listening to this, even if it wasn’t as exciting as listening to new, original material. Once again, his musicians are excellent and his delivery is appealing. The songs were again recorded live and in order, and I think you can hear Dylan becoming more comfortable with the material as he goes along.  My favorites were some of the ones I was less familiar with, including “Day In, Day Out,” “Why Was I Born,” and “Braggin’”, which especially suits his playful side (& I love the horn & the guitar solos): https://youtu.be/V-m38_TOKaU?si=SVy5y9TxmF6MMIga Unbelievably, I’m now up to his last (to date!) album of original material. It’s a masterwork. Stay tuned…

 Released May 20, 2016 Another collection of Sinatra classics (all except “Skylark,” which apparently Sinatra never recorded; why??)  I enjoyed this album even a little more than “Shadows in the Night” - maybe I just like the song selections better, or they fit Bob’s voice better?  I’m not sure I’ll ever pick these albums over, say, “Blood on the Tracks” or “Love and Theft,” but they’re very nice. It’s fun to hear Dylan singing these songs that he must have grown up with, with so much feeling. The musical arrangements are excellent. Love the pedal steel guitar.  “Nevertheless” was a standout for me: https://youtu.be/b1nF2Ma9IZU?si=nVb8o7ptC8Ah1iAF

 Released February 3, 2015 An album of standards which had all been recorded by Frank Sinatra, this is certainly a change from the darkness and violence of Tempest. I think whether you like them or not depends on how you feel about Dylan’s voice (which is much smoother here than his voice on Tempest) and on how much of a traditionalist you are. I liked this album; his interpretations are full of emotion, and his musicians are great. It was recorded live, in track order.  My favorites here were “That Lucky Old Sun,” and “What’ll I Do,” which is one of my favorite songs. Irving Berlin could do anything.  What’ll I Do: https://youtu.be/PlrW5K8-5Iw?si=-_ZaokUDIEeeZ7IO What’ll I Do: Sinatra: https://youtu.be/VgJlNWdeElQ?si=bHca1uFmlazlNy8C

 Released September 11, 2012 As the authors write in “Bob Dylan: All the Songs,” the tone of this album is “overwhelmingly dark and violent”. Despite this, it was a critical success.  This is a rare Dylan album that I admire more than love. Still, there are several songs I really like, including “Duquesne Whistle” (cowritten with Robert Hunter), “Scarlet Town” and “Early Roman Kings”. “Roll on John,” a tribute to John Lennon, isn’t a top-tier Dylan song, but it’s very touching.  I expect to be hearing “Early Roman Kings” live in about a month, since Dylan’s had it in just about every recent set list. He must like it!  https://youtu.be/6T1d3STzwh0?si=wvwh8do7grr-k-qs

 Released October 13, 2009 It’s Christmas in July! I swear I didn’t plan this.  Dylan recorded this very soon after Together Through Life was released. All the profits went to several charities addressing childhood hunger, including Feeding America.  This album just makes me smile from beginning to end, which isn’t something you can say about many Dylan albums. There’s no irony here; as Dylan said at the time, “You have to play them straight.” The musicians are, as usual, excellent, and the backup singers are great as well. Dylan’s voice is very rough on this album, but he only strains on a few songs.  My favorite song by far is “The Christmas Blues”. Dylan sounds totally comfortable with it; I wonder why? ;-) “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” “Must be Santa” (a song I normally loathe, but this is a crazed polka version!) and “The Christmas Song” are also very good renditions. When asked why he included the introduction to “The Christmas Song,” which is often...

 Released April 28, 2009 This album got its start when Dylan was asked to write songs for the movie “My Own Love Song”. Writing again with Robert Hunter, he came up with the beautiful song “ Life is Hard”.  The rest of the songs, almost all co-written with Hunter, are homages to the blues, country, Tex-Mex, and several other genres. It’s dark, but has flashes of humor. I kept adding songs to my “likes” until I realized I was pretty much adding the whole album. My favorite songs are “ Beyond Here Lies Nothin”, “It’s All Good,” “My Wife’s Home Town,” and “Jolene,” which is nothing like Dolly’s song: https://youtu.be/yvpJ-blRvUc?si=Bib4Mx-NbhGh7Y-j

 Released August 29, 2006. Released 5 years after Love and Theft, this album was another critical and commercial success for Dylan. Another homage to the greats of folk and blues, this album received some backlash because of accusations of plagiarism. I think those who protested fundamentally misunderstood the traditions of folk and blues songwriting. In addition, Dylan’s interpretations are entirely his own. My favorites from this album are “Thunder on the Mountain” (with its surprising shoutout to Alicia Keys),  “Spirit on the Water,” and “Workingman’s Blues #2,” but all the songs are good. Dylan’s voice is raspier, but his phrasing and emotion are outstanding.  Thunder on the Mountain: https://youtu.be/hAuC78omlMU?si=eyyW6u73m4cwBPp1 I was thinkin' 'bout Alicia Keys, couldn't keep from crying When she was born in Hell's Kitchen, I was living down the line I'm wondering where in the world Alicia Keys could be I been looking for her even clear through Tennessee

 Released September 11, 2001 Despite the (accidental) horribly bad timing of the release, this is a fantastic album, recorded just after his Oscar win for “Things Have Changed”. This time Dylan (as Jack Frost) produced it himself, and the process was apparently quite streamlined. He had a great collection of musicians.  The album has been called “a tribute to the blues pioneers of American ballads” and includes many references and influences, including Charlie Patton and even Bing Crosby. It also has more touches of humor than he’s used in many years. It won the Grammy for Best Folk Album.  I’ve listened to this album many times. The first three songs - Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, Mississippi, and Summer Days - are probably my favorites, but every song is excellent. It’s maybe best that Amazon Music can’t tell me exactly how many times I’ve listened to Mississippi. Hundreds?  And that’s not even including the many alternate takes!  Mississippi: https://youtu.be...