A Complete Unknown

[tarheelinfl]

Saw the Bob Dylan biopic on Tuesday, I enjoyed it. Has anyone else seen it, thoughts?
The performances were good, hopefully will introduce a new generation of listeners to Dylan, Joan Baez,
Johnny Cash, etc.

 

[strummingram]

Awesome film. Saw it Christmas night

 

[bluetoe]

didn't see it but I would like to have.

I used to usher at the Dean Dome back when they were doing a lot of concerts. I was assigned to the area directly in front of the stage when Dylan came, and I was excited to be that close to the legend. Didn't understand a single word that no-singing genius mumbled out, but still...it was Like a Rolling Stone.

 

[tarheelinfl]

didn't see it but I would like to have.

I used to usher at the Dean Dome back when they were doing a lot of concerts. I was assigned to the area directly in front of the stage when Dylan came, and I was excited to be that close to the legend. Didn't understand a single word that no-singing genius mumbled out, but still...it was Like a Rolling Stone.

go see it, it just started on Christmas

 

[bleeduncblue]

Good movie, but Dylan still sucks. IMO the most overrated “musician” of all time.

 

[bluetoe]

Good movie, but Dylan still sucks. IMO the most overrated “musician” of all time.

are you only talking about his performing? Some also say that about Springsteen who sings like a goat. His voice is good enough for me though, as is Dylan's, given their songwriting abilities.

Springsteen...
The screen door slams, Mary's dress sways
Like a vision she dances across the porch as the radio plays
Roy Orbison's singing for the lonely
Hey, that's me and I want you only
Don't turn me home again
I just can't face myself alone again

Don't run back inside, darling
You know just what I'm here for
So you're scared and you're thinking
That maybe we ain't that young anymore
Show a little faith, there's magic in the night
You ain't a beauty, but hey, you're alright
Oh, and that's alright with me



Dylan..
Johnny's in the basement
Mixing up the medicine
I'm on the pavement
Thinking about the government
The man in a trench coat
Badge out, laid off
Says he's got a bad cough
Wants to get it paid off

Look out, kid
It's somethin' you did
God knows when
But you're doin' it again
You better duck down the alley way
Lookin' for a new friend
A man in a coon-skin cap
In a pig pen
Wants eleven dollar bills
You only got ten.

 

[bleeduncblue]

are you only talking about his performing? Some also say that about Springsteen who sings like a goat. His voice is good enough for me though, as is Dylan's, given their songwriting abilities.

Springsteen...
The screen door slams, Mary's dress sways
Like a vision she dances across the porch as the radio plays
Roy Orbison's singing for the lonely
Hey, that's me and I want you only
Don't turn me home again
I just can't face myself alone again

Don't run back inside, darling
You know just what I'm here for
So you're scared and you're thinking
That maybe we ain't that young anymore
Show a little faith, there's magic in the night
You ain't a beauty, but hey, you're alright
Oh, and that's alright with me



Dylan..
Johnny's in the basement
Mixing up the medicine
I'm on the pavement
Thinking about the government
The man in a trench coat
Badge out, laid off
Says he's got a bad cough
Wants to get it paid off

Look out, kid
It's somethin' you did
God knows when
But you're doin' it again
You better duck down the alley way
Lookin' for a new friend
A man in a coon-skin cap
In a pig pen
Wants eleven dollar bills
You only got ten.

I guess I mean who would I pay to go see (now or in their prime) ... Dylan is WAAAAAY down the list. The Boss would be about halfway down the list.

 

[pooponduke]

I guess I mean who would I pay to go see (now or in their prime) ... Dylan is WAAAAAY down the list. The Boss would be about halfway down the list.

Can't disagree with this assessment. The only thing I'd add is that unlike seeing someone else way past their prime, Dylan probably would sound very much like 30 years ago. Of course, with my hearing, I wouldn't know.

 

[strummingram]

are you only talking about his performing? Some also say that about Springsteen who sings like a goat. His voice is good enough for me though, as is Dylan's, given their songwriting abilities.

Springsteen...
The screen door slams, Mary's dress sways
Like a vision she dances across the porch as the radio plays
Roy Orbison's singing for the lonely
Hey, that's me and I want you only
Don't turn me home again
I just can't face myself alone again

Don't run back inside, darling
You know just what I'm here for
So you're scared and you're thinking
That maybe we ain't that young anymore
Show a little faith, there's magic in the night
You ain't a beauty, but hey, you're alright
Oh, and that's alright with me



Dylan..
Johnny's in the basement
Mixing up the medicine
I'm on the pavement
Thinking about the government
The man in a trench coat
Badge out, laid off
Says he's got a bad cough
Wants to get it paid off

Look out, kid
It's somethin' you did
God knows when
But you're doin' it again
You better duck down the alley way
Lookin' for a new friend
A man in a coon-skin cap
In a pig pen
Wants eleven dollar bills
You only got ten.

Dylan wrote incredible lyrics and songs. I don't think he was some notorious stage presence or performer, and certainly not a guitar virtuoso (he had Mike Bloomfield).

But, his songs are just in-fvcking-credible. And, his influence on other artists is almost... pretty much entirely, unmatched.

Mike Bloomfield smokes on Highway 61 Revisited.




And, this... Darkness at the break of noon, shadows even the silver spoon...

 

[strummingram]

Freewheelin' is the best of all...





Basically, just one chord... and a half

 

[bleeduncblue]

That's the problem - his lyrics might be incredible, but his voice / singing style were so bad, I couldnt give the lyrics their proper due. And I'm sorry, reading lyrics just doesnt move the needle.

 

[strummingram]

 

[strummingram]

That's the problem - his lyrics might be incredible, but his voice / singing style were so bad, I couldnt give the lyrics their proper due. And I'm sorry, reading lyrics just doesnt move the needle.

He definitely has an unorthodox performing style. Same as Willie Nelson. Willie Nelson is another acquired taste.

 

[bleeduncblue]

He definitely has an unorthodox performing style. Same as Willie Nelson. Willie Nelson is another acquired taste.

True, and I love Willie. Have seen him twice.

 

[strummingram]

True, and I love Willie. Have seen him twice.

And, Willie wrote a lot of songs that other artists made famous long before he was super-famous. Crazy, Hello Walls, Night Life, Pretty Paper, Family Bible etc., etc.. When you hear him sing those same songs, they are way different. I remember the guy from the Jordanaires said that Patsy Cline almost didn't record Crazy because she couldn't get Willie's odd cadence of the song out of her head, and she was in a serious car accident, too.

 

[uncboy10]

I also hate Dylan’s singing voice but his voice as a writer is pretty close to unparalleled.

He is to folk songwriting what Hendrix was to electric guitar. Even if you don’t want to listen to him you have to acknowledge the influence they had on multiple generations.

 

[strummingram]

I also hate Dylan’s singing voice but his voice as a writer is pretty close to unparalleled.

He is to folk songwriting what Hendrix was to electric guitar. Even if you don’t want to listen to him you have to acknowledge the influence they had on multiple generations.

His influence on his peers is definitely unparalleled. When you think of the contemporaries of his prime...and, they were in complete awe of him. Hendrix, as you mentioned, was one who was completely changed by Dylan's presence in music. Hendrix idolized Bob Dylan
This is from my favorite documentary. It's hard to find the whole thing now. I had a VHS copy 40 years ago. This was his girlfriend in Harlem, before he ever went to England.

 

[uncboy10]

His influence on his peers is definitely unparalleled. When you think of the contemporaries of his prime...and, they were in complete awe of him. Hendrix, as you mentioned, was one who was completely changed by Dylan's presence in music. Hendrix idolized Bob Dylan
This is from my favorite documentary. It's hard to find the whole thing now. I had a VHS copy 40 years ago. This was his girlfriend in Harlem, before he ever went to England.

View embedded media

That was awesome, I love hearing stories from people who hung out with Jimi.

 

[strummingram]

I saw the documentary called Once We Were Brothers. It's a great doc about The Band. Robbie Robertson was the main member in the film. He talks about when they- members of The Band - were Dylan's touring band in the mid-late 60s, Dylan was playing electric then. He said they were constantly getting booed off the stage on the tour. Dylan absolutely didn't give a shit. But, it really bummed them out.

 

[strummingram]

That was awesome, I love hearing stories from people who hung out with Jimi.

It was made in the 70s. It's got some amazing footage of Little Richard...dude was tripping balls and talking about how great Jimi was... Jimi was in his backing band in the early 60s, after he got out of the army.



That footage of Little Richard is some of the best ever. And, at the end of it, you see Hendrix hitting a chord and it cuts off. The chord is the opening of a live version of Like A Rolling Stone, at Monterey Pop

 

[strummingram]

 

[gunslingerdick]

I guess I mean who would I pay to go see (now or in their prime) ... Dylan is WAAAAAY down the list. The Boss would be about halfway down the list.

I've paid to see Dylan perform about a dozen times. His shows are sometimes fantastic and sometimes not. I get the reasons people don't want to listen to his music. He's not everyone's cup of tea. But in no world is he "overrated". He's as influential in modern music as any artist ever, if not more.

Just a head's up, but I'm probably turning this thread into videos of my favorite Dylan songs.

As for the movie, I've heard it's good. Haven't seen it. Probably won't until I'm flicking around on my TV one day in the future and see that it's on.

Let's get it started with some old Dylan. My favorite song from his first album.

 

[gunslingerdick]

When most people think of Dylan, they think of his early folk stuff. But he evolved like no other artist. I think 80s Dylan is vastly underrated. Some of my favorite Dylan stuff was off Slow Train Coming (1979), Infidels (1983) and Oh Mercy (1989).

He had tried his hand at Christianity in the late 70s and that's what inspired the Slow Train Coming album. The below song "Precious Angel" is probably my favorite and easy to pick up on the Christian themes as are "When He Returns" and "Gotta Serve Somebody", both off of Slow Train Coming.

A sample of the Christian themed lyrics from Precious Angel:

Precious angel, you believe me when I say
What God has given to us no man can take away
We are covered in blood girl, you know our forefathers were slaves
Let us hope they've found mercy in their bone-filled graves.
You're the queen of my flesh, girl, you're my woman, you're my delight
You're the lamp of my soul, girl, and you torch up the night
But there's violence in the eyes, girl, so let us not be enticed
On the way out of Egypt, through Ethiopia, to the judgement hall of Christ.



Infidels doesn't have the same Christian themes (I think Bob was done with it by then). But it's got some bangers. "I and I' is my favorite off this album and probably a top 5 Dylan song of all time for me. I've seen him play it live a couple times and it totally hits. The guitar licks are fantastic.



I also really like "Don't Fall Apart On Me Tonight" and "License To Kill" from this album. Tom Petty does a great cover of the latter as well.

Then, at the end of the 80s decade, he came out with Oh Mercy., which has themes of self examination and he takes shots at society's desire for materialism and such. This is one of those Dylan albums where I can legit listen to every song from start to finish but if I had to choose one, it's the following.

 

[HookUNC75]

"Dignity" from the MTV Unplugged Concert

 

[bluetoe]

I guess I mean who would I pay to go see (now or in their prime) ... Dylan is WAAAAAY down the list. The Boss would be about halfway down the list.

in that case I agree on both counts. I also ushered at the Springsteen concert. Performance wise, Dylan was disappointing and Springsteen was only so-so, and he pissed me off by doing a slowed-down version of Born to Run for his encore. When it became apparent that that was going to be his encore, the audience was jonesing for a rocking rendition of it to top things off and resurrect a kind of meh overall performance, and instead they got a lullaby.

But otherwise, between the two they are responsible for a good chunk of my favorite music.

 

[tarheel0910]

Good movie, but Dylan still sucks. IMO the most overrated “musician” of all time.

He's a great musician, but a horrible singer.