BREAKING NEWS:Bob Dylan wins Nobel Prize for Literature. There is no doubt he wrote some of the most iconic songs about the times and he is being recognized now by the good folks in Swedish Academy, . This article has been in the fluff bin for a while but the recent news caused me to dust if off and submit for publication.
Some songs are performance songs and some songs are just there for you to cry in you beer songs. Other songs reflect the times. Still others may point up our fallacies. Bob Dylan wrote all types during his pre-mailing it in days. It is a credit to his choice of back up bands (THE BAND) that he did not need to be that good of a performer. His lyrics alone would have made him a force in the world. May performers have interpreted his songs much better than he did. But somehow he had that from the heart earnest delivery that hit the right spot. During my wild days in the late 1960's- to middle 1970's his songs were for the most part mile markers on a somewhat curvy road.
Having been blessed or cursed with an obsessive personality, I had to learn to curb my excesses in life. For a while there, I never bothered to try and I was most fortunate that I survived. While I was never a part of the drug culture in either practice or experimentation, I was a paid in full member of the don't give a damn culture.
I only saw Bob Dylan once in concert. I forgot what year it was (mid 2005 or so) but I took my grown daughter (a yearly tradition) to a concert in Atlanta. I did not expect much and I was not disappointed. It was the singular worst concert I have ever attended. Bob is easily bored and that is why he made such a ruckus back when he went from acoustic to electric. Blasphemy is not too strong a word for the reaction.
His performance was about as fresh as you might expect from someone demonstrating how he brushed his teeth twice a day for over sixty years. I eventually out grew the wildness but sometimes when I feel the need to feel sorry for myself, I pop the Greatest Hits play list on my Iphone and listen to old Bob narrate that part of my life.
Click on the arrow to hear Like a Rolling Stone. Bob is very protective of his copyrights on YouTube so the link may be broken. If it is don't worry. They say a rolling stone gathers no moss and this video may have moved on down the hill.
The below picture is just a fleeting memory of some past gals who reminded me that:
Click the record to hear the song.
I felt it important to update a previous post on BCN here. I am almost inclined to add RIP HERE but Bob is still kicking so I will just insert this and update later if I am still kicking when:
"It's all over now Baby Blue"
The Nobel Prize comes with a $900,000 check. I started out with his save the world verses "Blowing", "Don't Think Twice", and eventually move into the rest. I just spent the morning on the treadmill listening his playlist on the Iphone. Boy, he did speak to our generation and perhaps some will be introduced to him with this prize.
Of course, when wrote it, he probably did not have any idea that we would still be seeing "The times they are a changing". Or would he. (forgive me smartfella, I could not help it.) |
Bobby Tony, once again, thanks for the memories.
My dear mother, may God bless her committed Southern matriarchal spirit in Your care, would often pronounce: "What do you see in Bob Dylan? His voice is awful." And I would always be, "That may be the case to you, but, he speaks to me." Since 1964, I have always been a Bob Dylan fan. I have many of his first collection of albums, including "Blonde on Blonde", from whence you drew "Just Like a Woman". I loved that album that came out in 1965. When I was in Junior High, I learned his harmonica solo, at the end of that song, on my Marine Band harmonica. Now that I can all of a sudden play the guitar, started to pick it up after my 60th birthday, I will play the song on my guitar - easy chords - C, F, G, C, Em, Dm, E7, Am. Actually, I play all of these chords plus others, mostly bar chords, just to warm my fingers up (I have to warm up) before I play any song. Here's the link: tabs.ultimate-guitar.com Why don't you work on it too? |
PBA Series – American Umpire | Dueling Hits, Best Music Ever, Music Reviews, Music, The Arts | A Carpetbagger & Scalawag from Georgia Makes an Apology |
The Folkies got all pissed when he went electric, "Blonde on Blonde" was one of the early electric albums, but Dylan had to transition.
He actually became a much better guitar player after he went electric.
"All Along the Watchtower" is among his best work, and it is no folk song.
People can talk about his voice, but he is a smart guy, a fine artist. One of my all time favorites.
The best version of "All Along the Watchtower" may be this one by Jimi Hendrix: beaufortcountynow.com
Check these chords out B.T.: tabs.ultimate-guitar.com
This is the Bob Dylan Version and definitely doable.