Eephus
Footballguy
Bumping this so I don't have to search again for what I thought of Time Out of Mind four years ago.
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Bob Dylan -- Eephus's Reviews From Walking With His Beloved Dog Bosley During 2019: The Nobel Poet And A Fine Essayist With A Musical Corpus (4 Viewers)
- Thread starter rockaction
- Start date
Bumping this so I don't have to search again for what I thought of Time Out of Mind four years ago.
Eephus
Footballguy
Bootleg Series vol. 17 Fragments - The Time Out of Mind Sessions came out yesterday. There's five CDs with over six hours of music so I've just been poking around it. I don't think it's designed for listening straight through anyway.
The first disc is a pretty significant remix of Time Out of Mind. 2019 me didn't love Daniel Lanois' production saying there were times where it sounds like the band is playing in the next room. The remix sounds more direct with much of the murkiness removed. I suppose it sounds "better" but I have mixed feelings about making changes to the original. At least this is a separate release so I can listen to both.
There are two full discs of different versions of the songs that appeared on Time Out of Mind and later Dylan albums. None of the handful I've listened to were significant improvements on the master takes used on the album. It's still cool to listen to the master in the woodshed working out how he wanted the record to sound. There's also a separate disc of outtakes that seem rougher and more like demos than the fully fleshed out alternate takes. The alternate version of Highlands is two minutes shorter than the 16 1/2 minute marathon but I haven't had a chance to listen for what's missing.
Finally, there's a disc of live versions of the Time Out of Mind songs recorded during the Never Ending Tour between 1998 and 2004. Tracks are taken from ten different shows by my quick count which excites me about what is still in the vaults. The sound quality of the songs I've listened to is mixed but certainly listenable. The live Highlands clocks in at ten minutes.
The first disc is a pretty significant remix of Time Out of Mind. 2019 me didn't love Daniel Lanois' production saying there were times where it sounds like the band is playing in the next room. The remix sounds more direct with much of the murkiness removed. I suppose it sounds "better" but I have mixed feelings about making changes to the original. At least this is a separate release so I can listen to both.
There are two full discs of different versions of the songs that appeared on Time Out of Mind and later Dylan albums. None of the handful I've listened to were significant improvements on the master takes used on the album. It's still cool to listen to the master in the woodshed working out how he wanted the record to sound. There's also a separate disc of outtakes that seem rougher and more like demos than the fully fleshed out alternate takes. The alternate version of Highlands is two minutes shorter than the 16 1/2 minute marathon but I haven't had a chance to listen for what's missing.
Finally, there's a disc of live versions of the Time Out of Mind songs recorded during the Never Ending Tour between 1998 and 2004. Tracks are taken from ten different shows by my quick count which excites me about what is still in the vaults. The sound quality of the songs I've listened to is mixed but certainly listenable. The live Highlands clocks in at ten minutes.
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rockaction
Footballguy
Glad to see this thread bumped. I don't have an opinion about Time Out Of Mind, nor the sessions, so I'll make way for everybody else.
rockaction
Footballguy
As it stands, after the Mobile Fidelity scandal, the only two Dylan recordings I own on vinyl are Blonde On Blonde and The Times They Are A-Changin'. I figured out during ownership that Highway 61 Revisited was probably my favorite Dylan, Followed by The Times and Bringing It All Back Home.
Those were my favorites in the end. All great albums. All worthy.
Those were my favorites in the end. All great albums. All worthy.
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
Bringing It All Back Home gets forgotten about all too often because of what came immediately afterwards, but it shouldn't be. It's Dylan's nexus LP - sorta like Help is for the Beatles.
rockaction
Footballguy
I think that the visuals that go along with "Subterranean Homesick Blues" maybe make it harder for my particular generation to forget than the music critics of the era or of later eras.
It's a stunning video, cool as all get out and signifies something culturally forward-thinking and important is to come from Dylan, as if it already hadn't.
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
I'm far from a knowledgeable Dylan guy, but I'd peg that performance as the most important of his career. I wonder how widespread the video was and where it was shown? I was a 2 or 3 years old when it came out, so my memory is a little fuzzy on that point
rockaction
Footballguy
I was able to scrounge this in a quick link. I don't know how widespread the promotional clip was or what effect it had in 1965, but I know that when they showed it for my generation on MTV, we were pretty mesmerized by it. I think they showed it because INXS had done something similar to the cue card thing and MTV was pointing out the origin of it. That's how I remember it. This was pre-internet, too.
Here's a blurb I found with background information.
Here's a blurb I found with background information.
| Subterranean Homesick Blues is one of the first "modern" promotional film clips, the forerunner of the music video. The original clip was actually the opening segment of D. A. Pennebaker's film, Dont Look Back, a documentary on Bob Dylan's first tour of England in 1965. In the film, Dylan, who came up with the idea, holds up cue cards for the audience, with selected words and phrases from the lyrics. The cue cards were written by Dylan himself, Donovan, Allen Ginsberg and Bob Neuwirth. While staring at the camera, he flips the cards as the song plays. There are intentional misspellings and puns throughout the clip, for instance when the song's lyrics say "eleven dollar bills" the poster says "20 dollars". The clip was shot in in an alley behind the Savoy Hotel in London where poet Ginsberg and Neuwirth make a cameo in the background. For use as a trailer, the following text was superimposed at the end of the clip while Dylan and Ginsberg are exiting the frame: "Surfacing Here Soon | Bob Dylan in | Dont Look Now by D. A. Pennebaker". In addition to the Savoy Hotel clip, two alternate promotional films were shot: one in a park where Dylan, Neuwirth and Ginsberg are joined by a fourth man, and another shot on the roof of an unknown building (possibly the Savoy Hotel). A montage of the clips can be seen in the documentary No Direction Home. |
rockaction
Footballguy
Really hearing the Chuck Berry in the song now that Dylan mentions it. Probably why I always loved it, even before I was a Dylan fan.
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
Chuck's way of phrasing was all OVER Dylan's work. Odd timing, run-on lyrics, eccentric stresses...... Both had limited vocal range, though Berry stayed in his lane better than Bob did.
rockaction
Footballguy
This thread reminds me of being in Italy and Spain in 2019, newly sober, and looking forward to reading Eephus's reviews in my hotel room at night. I especially remember reading these while in Barcelona. Good stuff, and it kept me going through a time that was slightly difficult for me, but ever worth it.
Eephus
Footballguy
Lou and I met a blind dog at the park the other day. He usually has three feet out the door when he encounters other dogs but he must have sensed the blind dog didn't pose a threat. She was only 8 years old but had lost her sight to a fast moving case of glaucoma a couple of years ago. Both her eyes had to be removed, one was replaced by a prosthetic. It took me back to old Boz in his sunglasses bumping into everything. I miss that guy.
Eephus
Footballguy
There's a new Dylan album out today.
Shadow Kingdom is the soundtrack to a streamed concert he did in July 2021. It's largely acoustic versions of old songs with nothing more recent than Oh Mercy. The obvious point of comparison is Dylan's MTV Unplugged set from 1994 but almost 30 years on, Shadow King is a more somber, less rocking affair. Dylan as usual reinterprets his own songbook switching up tempos and arrangements from the original versions. The most prominent instrumental voice is Doug Lacy's accordion which is on almost every number. The album is edited so the songs flow seamlessly from one to the next. It's a very enjoyable, mellow album with mostly familiar songs dressed up in new threads. Boz would have loved it.
PBS is showing the accompanying video starting next weekend, check local listings, etc. From what I've read, it's shot in black and white using a different set of masked up musicians (including Buck Meek of Big Thief) standing in for the musicians who played in studio. Not sure why they chose to do it that way but Bob is nothing if not a mysterious dude.
Shadow Kingdom is the soundtrack to a streamed concert he did in July 2021. It's largely acoustic versions of old songs with nothing more recent than Oh Mercy. The obvious point of comparison is Dylan's MTV Unplugged set from 1994 but almost 30 years on, Shadow King is a more somber, less rocking affair. Dylan as usual reinterprets his own songbook switching up tempos and arrangements from the original versions. The most prominent instrumental voice is Doug Lacy's accordion which is on almost every number. The album is edited so the songs flow seamlessly from one to the next. It's a very enjoyable, mellow album with mostly familiar songs dressed up in new threads. Boz would have loved it.
PBS is showing the accompanying video starting next weekend, check local listings, etc. From what I've read, it's shot in black and white using a different set of masked up musicians (including Buck Meek of Big Thief) standing in for the musicians who played in studio. Not sure why they chose to do it that way but Bob is nothing if not a mysterious dude.
Eephus
Footballguy
I watched the Shadow Kingdom video on PBS. It's more like an extended music video than a concert film because Dylan and his (fake) band are all syncing to studio recordings. The sets are decorated to look like a Delta Blues club populated by extras dressed in retro clothes. Everybody smokes a lot which looks great in black and white.
Each song is staged in a unique style using a largely static camera that captures the musicians in mid-to-long shots. Sometimes there are dancers or waiters that pass between the camera and the stage. The lack of quick editing fits the laid back nature of the music and makes the viewer seem like a member of the audience in the (fake) club.
Dylan's face is shrouded in shadow for the entire 50 minutes with a halo of his still bushy hair constantly illuminated by backlight. He wears a number of different snazzy suits that contrast with the basic black outfits and face masks of his (fake) band.
I enjoyed it overall. The production is kind of pretentious but I like how it maintained focus on Dylan's music. There were definitely some unusual artistic choices made but the visuals added a bit to a very fine album.
Each song is staged in a unique style using a largely static camera that captures the musicians in mid-to-long shots. Sometimes there are dancers or waiters that pass between the camera and the stage. The lack of quick editing fits the laid back nature of the music and makes the viewer seem like a member of the audience in the (fake) club.
Dylan's face is shrouded in shadow for the entire 50 minutes with a halo of his still bushy hair constantly illuminated by backlight. He wears a number of different snazzy suits that contrast with the basic black outfits and face masks of his (fake) band.
I enjoyed it overall. The production is kind of pretentious but I like how it maintained focus on Dylan's music. There were definitely some unusual artistic choices made but the visuals added a bit to a very fine album.
Eephus
Footballguy
Fascinating long-form Shadow Kingdom review by Christopher Jackson that digs into the many lyrics Dylan changed from the original versions of the songs.
www.cityam.com
Bob Dylan documentary Shadow Kingdom is a portrait of rare genius - CityAM
Documentary Shadow Kingdom is about what happened when a Bob Dylan tour was sidelied through Covid. It's typical of an atypical artist.
rockaction
Footballguy
I just read it. I thought "Tombstone Blues" had Mama was in the alley looking for food, too. Not fuse. But I guess we'll all stand corrected.
Ilov80s
Footballguy
Forgot to mention that here. Was a nice birthday gift for me. I agree it was pretty good, an easy hour or so listen/watch.There's a new Dylan album out today.
Shadow Kingdom is the soundtrack to a streamed concert he did in July 2021. It's largely acoustic versions of old songs with nothing more recent than Oh Mercy. The obvious point of comparison is Dylan's MTV Unplugged set from 1994 but almost 30 years on, Shadow King is a more somber, less rocking affair. Dylan as usual reinterprets his own songbook switching up tempos and arrangements from the original versions. The most prominent instrumental voice is Doug Lacy's accordion which is on almost every number. The album is edited so the songs flow seamlessly from one to the next. It's a very enjoyable, mellow album with mostly familiar songs dressed up in new threads. Boz would have loved it.
PBS is showing the accompanying video starting next weekend, check local listings, etc. From what I've read, it's shot in black and white using a different set of masked up musicians (including Buck Meek of Big Thief) standing in for the musicians who played in studio. Not sure why they chose to do it that way but Bob is nothing if not a mysterious dude.
Eephus
Footballguy
There's a new/old Dylan album out today. As the title The Complete Budokan 1978 suggests, it's the complete set of recordings CBS made of his 1978 concerts at Nippon Budokan. At 58 songs over 4 1/2 hours it's only for the committed.
22 of the tracks were previously released in 1979 as Bob Dylan At Budokan. There are alternate takes of all 22 because Bob and his band stuck to pretty much the same setlist over both nights that were recorded which leaves
I looked back to see what 2019 me wrote about At Budokan. This was pretty early on in my deep dive and I should have mentioned how great Dylan's voice sounds on this album. I definitely like the album a lot more than I did when it was originally released. It makes more sense in retrospect especially because Dylan has spent much of the succeeding 45 years messing around with his canon.
RIP MoCS and Boz.
22 of the tracks were previously released in 1979 as Bob Dylan At Budokan. There are alternate takes of all 22 because Bob and his band stuck to pretty much the same setlist over both nights that were recorded which leaves
I looked back to see what 2019 me wrote about At Budokan. This was pretty early on in my deep dive and I should have mentioned how great Dylan's voice sounds on this album. I definitely like the album a lot more than I did when it was originally released. It makes more sense in retrospect especially because Dylan has spent much of the succeeding 45 years messing around with his canon.
RIP MoCS and Boz.
rockaction
Footballguy
In other news, Cat Power (Chan Marshall) has released an album that recreates Dylan's concert at the Manchester Free Trade Hall in May of 1966, where Dylan played half an acoustic set and half an electric one to the shock of many and over a distinct call of "Judas" from the crowd. The album is called Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert and I'm going to check it out and see what it's all about.
Leroy Hoard
Footballguy
Not sure how many instrumentals were covered, but this one showed up in my thanksgiving playlist.
music.youtube.com
Bob Dylan - Turkey Chase (Official Audio) - YouTube Music
Official audio for "Turkey Chase" by Bob Dylan Listen to Bob Dylan: https://bobdylan.lnk.to/listenYD Subscribe to the Bob Dylan YouTube channel: https://bob...
Eephus
Footballguy
Not sure how many instrumentals were covered, but this one showed up in my thanksgiving playlist.
Bob Dylan - Turkey Chase (Official Audio) - YouTube Music
Official audio for "Turkey Chase" by Bob Dylan Listen to Bob Dylan: https://bobdylan.lnk.to/listenYD Subscribe to the Bob Dylan YouTube channel: https://bob...
Dylan didn't record a lot of instrumentals. Most of them were from his film soundtracks for Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid and My Own Love Song. I looked up what I wrote about Pat Garrett mostly because I wanted to see what Boz was up to.
