this my fave dylan as well... god it's hard to choose.
― not everything is a campfire (ian), Monday, 7 February 2011 20:55 (thirteen years ago) link
was ready to vote "I Threw It All Away" but lol wrong album. I'm not so fond of this record tbh
― bien-pensant vibe (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 7 February 2011 20:56 (thirteen years ago) link
don't talk crazy shakey.
― not everything is a campfire (ian), Monday, 7 February 2011 20:59 (thirteen years ago) link
this is really tuff
country dub!
― pajamagram sam (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 7 February 2011 21:00 (thirteen years ago) link
i think it's got some of dylan's most fascinating writing on it. just how the format of songs like "frankie lee" or "st. augustine" kind of set you up for a resolution that never comes, a really canny use of the folk song. even when he's like here's the moral of this story in "frankie lee" you're like, what? that's the moral? the songs kind of swallow themselves up in that way. it's cool. (don't know if that made any sense lol).
― tylerw, Monday, 7 February 2011 21:02 (thirteen years ago) link
the bass sounds so awesome on this record
i'm kinda stuck between wicked messenger (but i kinda prefer the faces version) and dear landlord
― pajamagram sam (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 7 February 2011 21:05 (thirteen years ago) link
yeah bass is major on this. don't think i can cast a vote tbh
― bear, bear, bear, Monday, 7 February 2011 21:09 (thirteen years ago) link
An album I never really took to, though I tried many times. I do see how it was an important in the context of its times. (I think it was the Rolling Stone reviewer--Landau?--who argued that by not mentioning the war, that was in and of itself a major statement on the war.)
― clemenza, Monday, 7 February 2011 21:15 (thirteen years ago) link
yeah that's kinda what i meant about how weird this record must've seemed right when it came out. i'm sure people were expecting some kind of STATEMENT from Dylan, but he handed them a bunch of inscrutable folk riddles.
― tylerw, Monday, 7 February 2011 21:16 (thirteen years ago) link
He arranged a new version of "I Dreamed I Saw St Augustine" in the mid eighties with the Heartbreakers: he got some soul sisters adding harmonies. I would have love to hear it.
― Rich Lolwry (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 7 February 2011 21:17 (thirteen years ago) link
i've got that on bootleg. it's pretty good! those songs are cool live, i don't even think dylan knows what they're about.
― tylerw, Monday, 7 February 2011 21:18 (thirteen years ago) link
"Drifter's Escape," "Dear Landlord," and "Down Along the Cove" are all favorites, but "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" has that pedal steel guitar.
― Brad C., Monday, 7 February 2011 21:31 (thirteen years ago) link
after giving the whole thing a listen, kinda gotta go with I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
― bien-pensant vibe (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 7 February 2011 21:36 (thirteen years ago) link
title track
― Overend Wattstax (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 7 February 2011 21:40 (thirteen years ago) link
As I Went Out One Morning pips I'll Be Your Baby Tonight.
― historyyy (prettylikealaindelon), Monday, 7 February 2011 22:04 (thirteen years ago) link
i'm sure people were expecting some kind of STATEMENT from Dylan, but he handed them a bunch of inscrutable folk riddles.
True tho there is a fairly consistent sense of ... I don't know if dread is the right word, but something like it. Except for the last two songs, which sort of neatly close out the album on a gentler note. And "I'll Be Your Baby" pretty much directly points the way to Nashville Skyline. But up until then, there's a lot of weirdness, definite bad-dream vibe.
― something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Monday, 7 February 2011 22:05 (thirteen years ago) link
i think i've considered each of these songs a favorite on this record at some point. dear landlord, watchtower, lonesome hobo, baby tonight, drifter's escape, as i went out one morning ...must listen this week and figure it out!
this definitely became my favorite dylan record in the last few years.
― city worker, Monday, 7 February 2011 22:37 (thirteen years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Friday, 11 February 2011 00:01 (thirteen years ago) link
"Wicked Messenger" The Faces version is cool too.
― Your cousin, Marvin Cobain (C. Grisso/McCain), Friday, 11 February 2011 00:28 (thirteen years ago) link
so is Patti Smith's.
― Rich Lolwry (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 11 February 2011 00:30 (thirteen years ago) link
as i went out one morning kills it
― 69, Friday, 11 February 2011 00:33 (thirteen years ago) link
finally settled on "frankie lee and judas priest." the last line is one of my favorite dylan lines.
― something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Friday, 11 February 2011 02:07 (thirteen years ago) link
always liked joan baez' version of "st. augustine"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKlmc8HpkI4
― tylerw, Friday, 11 February 2011 02:46 (thirteen years ago) link
This is my favorite Dylan album too - and I've listened to a lot of Dylan. It's hard to pick just one track, but maybe I'd go with "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine".
― o. nate, Friday, 11 February 2011 02:51 (thirteen years ago) link
Very weird album. His first with no city imagery. Great bass sound. He seems like he's singing in character on virtually every song-- he often seemed that way, of course, but not in the same way is this. It's like it's the *same character* on every song. Not in my top 10 Dylan albums but I like it.
― Mark, Friday, 11 February 2011 04:21 (thirteen years ago) link
You know what album in his catalog this resembles, kind of? Slow Train Coming.
― Mark, Friday, 11 February 2011 04:28 (thirteen years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Saturday, 12 February 2011 00:01 (thirteen years ago) link
that's weird.
― j., Saturday, 12 February 2011 05:41 (thirteen years ago) link
"I Pity the Poor Immigrant" – 4:12 0
― ciderpress, Saturday, 12 February 2011 06:53 (thirteen years ago) link
Charlie McCoy on bass and Kenny Buttrey on drums combine to be one of the all-time great rhythm sections ever on this album
btw, the mono version of this has even more bass, sounds soooo good
― ilx snitch (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 8 January 2014 18:40 (ten years ago) link
I have yet to get around to Self Portrait but this is probably my least favorite Dylan album of all the 60s and 70s stuff. not that it's bad, it's more that it's appealfeels more limited. it's such a stark, cold sounding record. lyrically so many of the songs seem to go nowhere, they're even more inscrutable than usual, and the stripped down arrangements don't really appeal to me, even though the playing is undeniably solid. it lacks the colorful lyrics and arrangements of the previous records, nor does it have the slapdash warmth of subsequent ones.
― Ayn Rand Akbar (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 8 January 2014 19:30 (ten years ago) link
shakes you haven't gotten the another self-portrait bootleg 2CD?? you're missing out!
― ilx snitch (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 8 January 2014 19:55 (ten years ago) link
yeah it is great. only complaint is that they didn't dig up any radical JWH outtakes! probably because they don't exist. but the Band / Isle of Wight versions of some JWH are killer.
― tylerw, Wednesday, 8 January 2014 19:57 (ten years ago) link
I'm totally curious about it but I am poor and make pretty selective music purchasing choices these days (ie who needs my money more, Bob Dylan or E-40)
― Ayn Rand Akbar (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 8 January 2014 20:04 (ten years ago) link
I adore this record.
― Your sweetie-pie-coo-coo I love ya (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 3 December 2018 11:20 (five years ago) link
I approve of these rankings. Nice write up too.
― o. nate, Monday, 3 December 2018 15:50 (five years ago) link
wondering if the JWH outtakes will show up in some kinda copyright protection deal this month — they are in the hands of collectors, but they've never circulated. would certainly be interesting to hear, say, take 1 of "watchtower."
― tylerw, Monday, 3 December 2018 18:14 (five years ago) link
hadn't thought of that but now I'm excited.
― niels, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 11:43 (five years ago) link
I had been a Dylan holdout for a long time before a friend said you know, I bet you’d like this weird little record. And of course I fell for it completely, and then Time Out of Mind came out and blew my head off.
― an incoherent crustacean (MatthewK), Tuesday, 4 December 2018 19:53 (five years ago) link
this is bob's best album ever imo
― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Tuesday, 4 December 2018 19:56 (five years ago) link
Well, Alfred, I don't agree at all with your rankings, but I will say this: at least you put the correct album at the bottom.
― Totally different head. Totally. (Austin), Tuesday, 4 December 2018 22:53 (five years ago) link
More good JWH content in this thread: Dylan's John Wesley Harding vs. nothing in particular
― o. nate, Wednesday, 5 December 2018 01:40 (five years ago) link
― an incoherent crustacean (MatthewK),
It bored my head off
― Your sweetie-pie-coo-coo I love ya (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 5 December 2018 02:52 (five years ago) link
?!What did you think of "Love and Theft"?
― an incoherent crustacean (MatthewK), Friday, 7 December 2018 20:00 (five years ago) link
top five if not top three Dylan
― Your sweetie-pie-coo-coo I love ya (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 7 December 2018 20:08 (five years ago) link
Love this album. What outtakes, Tyler?
― Duke, Friday, 7 December 2018 20:47 (five years ago) link
Ok, I've found this explainer by some dude called Tyler Wilcox. Must think he's some sorta Dylan expert.
https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/1157-beyond-the-bootlegs-bob-dylans-unreleased-holy-grails/
― Duke, Friday, 7 December 2018 20:51 (five years ago) link
Here's the rundown from Bjorner:
Columbia Studio ANashville, Tennessee17 October 19671st John Wesley Harding session, produced by Bob Johnston.1. Drifter's Escape2. Drifter's Escape3. Drifter's Escape4. Drifter's Escape5. Drifter's Escape6. I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine7. I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine8. I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine9. I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine10. The Ballad Of Frankie Lee And Judas Priest
Columbia Studio ANashville, Tennessee 6 November 19672nd John Wesley Harding session, produced by Bob Johnston.
1. All Along The Watchtower2. All Along The Watchtower3. All Along The Watchtower4. All Along The Watchtower5. All Along The Watchtower6. John Wesley Harding7. John Wesley Harding8. As I Went Out One Morning9. As I Went Out One Morning10. As I Went Out One Morning11. As I Went Out One Morning12. As I Went Out One Morning13. I Pity The Poor Immigrant14. I Pity The Poor Immigrant15. I Pity The Poor Immigrant16. I Pity The Poor Immigrant17. I Pity The Poor Immigrant18. I Pity The Poor Immigrant19. I Pity The Poor Immigrant20. I Pity The Poor Immigrant21. I Pity The Poor Immigrant22. I Pity The Poor Immigrant23. I Am A Lonesome Hobo24. I Am A Lonesome Hobo25. I Am A Lonesome Hobo26. I Am A Lonesome Hobo27. I Am A Lonesome Hobo
― tylerw, Friday, 7 December 2018 21:08 (five years ago) link
and then there's one more session with the pedal steel player, but I don't think there are outtakes from that? Anyway, not sure if there's going to be anything mindblowing, but I'd still like to hear these!
― tylerw, Friday, 7 December 2018 21:09 (five years ago) link
xps Alfred glad we agree on that late period peakI don’t want to hear outtakes from JWH - it’s a sealed enigma
― an incoherent crustacean (MatthewK), Friday, 7 December 2018 21:47 (five years ago) link
No interest in anybody's outtakes.
― Your sweetie-pie-coo-coo I love ya (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 7 December 2018 21:54 (five years ago) link
god kenny buttrey was an *unbelievable* drummer
this is my favorite dylan album no contest
― american bradass (BradNelson), Wednesday, 3 July 2019 03:47 (five years ago) link
― tylerw, Monday, February 7, 2011 2:02 PM (eight years ago) bookmarkflaglink
lol earlier today i said that almost every song on this record is "the end! no moral" in song form
https://i.imgur.com/c6WKwQ4.png
― american bradass (BradNelson), Wednesday, 3 July 2019 03:56 (five years ago) link
the way this album flows fascinates me. it kicks off with some of bob's most genuinely anguished and ominous songs ("as i went out one morning," "st. augustine," and even "watchtower" even tho the lyrics are so overfamiliar it can be hard to hear them with fresh ears) and gradually the mood alters, bit by bit, until you get to the very last song, probably one of his happiest, simplest, and least troubled moments on record. feels like you've just emerged from days and days of total darkness into the sunlight. i love this album.
― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Wednesday, 3 July 2019 04:09 (five years ago) link
23. I Am A Lonesome Hobo24. I Am A Lonesome Hobo25. I Am A Lonesome Hobo26. I Am A Lonesome Hobo27. I Am A Lonesome Hobo
lol
― j., Wednesday, 3 July 2019 04:10 (five years ago) link
Thought for a second I had clicked on a Whale thread.
― Vini C. Riley (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 3 July 2019 04:14 (five years ago) link
J.D. otm
brad otm re: KB
his drumming is so restrained on the title track right up until the end of the second verse when he opens up with this right tasty fill and then does this super groovy pattern throughout the second harmonica solo where he's hitting the snare on the & of 2 = amazing
― budo jeru, Thursday, 4 July 2019 04:29 (five years ago) link
Yeah the drums/bass on this album are great.The sound is a bit too dry for my taste though.Still, I love this album and "I dreamed I Saw St Augustine" in particular. Amazing song (and the drums breaks on "Arise, Arise" is one of my favourite moments on it).
― AlXTC from Paris, Thursday, 4 July 2019 10:28 (five years ago) link
totally. he adds all these little touches but they really elevate the music so much.
― budo jeru, Thursday, 4 July 2019 16:14 (five years ago) link
yeah buttrey really is one of the great all-time drummers — and on these classic dylan recordings, he's pretty much just coming up with that stuff off the top of his head.
― tylerw, Thursday, 4 July 2019 16:18 (five years ago) link