Opinion of Bob Dylan?

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

My obsession with Bob Dylan and his music has grown since I saw him in concert (I figured I would get burnt out on him and not listen to a single song for six months after I heard him live). I love all of his music-from his early days in Greenwich Village, to the ’66 tour when he rebelled against the rebellion, to his country-rock phase with the Band, to his pure country phase with Nashville Skyline, to the Christian stuff, to today. I suppose his music is so broad that every man can identify with at least one song in terms of their hatred of aging, a love gone south, or anger at an injustice. Songs like Blowing in the Wind, A Hard Rains Gonna Fall, and It’s All Right Ma, I’m Only Bleeding transcend time, and fit crises and conflicts for each generation.

So, is Bob Dylan really as great as I (and some music historians) seem to think he is? Or is he as Joni Mitchell suggested, an overrated fake? And is my level of love for all of his music reaching Mark Chapmeneque levels? .

[memphis]

The quality of his music is extremely inconsistent. It goes from first class to crap and everything in between.

[dead0man]

FM obviously

Some on the far right hate him because they think he is a far left hippie nut...

Some on the far left hate him because he isn't a far left hippie nut...

Everybody else acknowledges him for what he is, one of the best song writers of modern era, a good enough guitarist and an average singer that has turned into a mubling giberish smolk mahng.

[tpfkaw]

What, no "JUDAS!!!" option?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Freedom Musician, though it's best to pretend he ended his musical career 40 years ago.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Freedom Musician, though it's best to pretend he ended his musical career 40 years ago.

I loved his latest album, and saw the first live performances of some of the songs from it.

[Eraserhead]

Freedom Musician, though it's best to pretend he ended his musical career 40 years ago.

That would actually erase Blood on the Tracks and Desire, two of his best records.

Some of his recent albums have actually been quite good too although I know many people can't get past the horrendous nature of his voice at this point.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Freedom Musician, but an HP in his politics.

[TDAS04]

FM, definitely.

[Oakvale]

Freedom Musician, though it's best to pretend he ended his musical career 40 years ago.

Time Out of Mind came out 16 years ago, BRTD.

[TNF]

Freedom Musician, and hey, Tempest wasn't that bad.

[King]

When he hits it, he hits it. 

Knockin' on Heaven's Door and Mr. Tambourine Man are two of my favorites.

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

Freedom Musician, but an HP in his politics.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Pretty good.

[The Simpsons Cinematic Universe]

Hendrix's version of All Along the Watchtower was better.

[Eraserhead]

Hendrix's version of All Along the Watchtower was better.

Dylan himself would agree with that. That's why when he performs it in concert, it sounds closer to the Hendrix version than it does his own original version of it.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Hendrix's version of All Along the Watchtower was better.

Dylan himself would agree with that. That's why when he performs it in concert, it sounds closer to the Hendrix version than it does his own original version of it.

When I heard a few weeks ago, I thought it was very bluesy, and differant than either version. I wished I performed Just Like A Woman, and Don't Think Twice It's Alright. Dylan's gonna play what Dylan's play however, which is part of the magic about him.

[RedSLC]

Freedom musician, though in terms of his music, it really depends on the song.

My dad actually read a book by him titles "Tarantula".

To this day, he still can't figure out what it was actually about.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Freedom musician, though in terms of his music, it really depends on the song.

My dad actually read a book by him titles "Tarantula".

To this day, he still can't figure out what it was actually about.

I tried reading an exert of that online. It was some form of stream of conscious poetry.

[Torie]

I didn't much cotton to Dylan's style and non-melodious voice when I was in High School, but liked him better when he developed a more mellow sound for awhile in College. However, when I listen to him now, I found he has an amazing "robustness," a complexity to his music, that does not grow tiresome over time, and I find the mellow sound, more like a overly thin claret, that has not bite.

So my opinion of Mr. Dylan has gone up considerably as the decades have passed. Just like with taste buds, what you like in sound can vary considerably as time goes by. Whether that is biological, or cultural, or both, I don't know.

[anvi]

Knockin' on Heaven's Door and Mr. Tambourine Man are two of my favorites.

Same here.  I also like "Day of the Locusts" and "Tangled up in Blue" a lot.  For the particular genre and themes of his music, I think it's pretty damn difficult to rival Dylan's songwriting skills--he is a bona fide lyrical genius.  When all is said and done, I prefer Neil Young myself, but Dylan is an all-time great.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Knockin' on Heaven's Door and Mr. Tambourine Man are two of my favorites.

Same here.  I also like "Day of the Locusts" and "Tangled up in Blue" a lot.  For the particular genre and themes of his music, I think it's pretty damn difficult to rival Dylan's songwriting skills--he is a bona fide lyrical genius.  When all is said and done, I prefer Neil Young myself, but Dylan is an all-time great.

I love Tangled up in Blue and Simple Twist of Fate. Neither of them compare to what may be his most underrated and draw song, Dirge, from Planet Waves. He has not done it live and only one version exists on youtube. Pretty dark song, but I love it.

[All Along The Watchtower]

Great songwriter, but I don't care for his voice.

[Citizen (The) Doctor]

Genius songwriter, a very worthy successor of Woodie Guthrie.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

I can't listen to anything by Dylan without cringing.