Bob Dylan (1962) Revisited | Discovering Bob Dylan, Ep. 2
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- Опубликовано: 23 дек 2024
- Welcome to episode two of the Discovering Bob Dylan show! If you missed episode one, we dove into our Dylan backstories and previewed Bob Dylan's debut album from 1962.
In the past week, both Joe and Dylan listened intently and are ready to give their thoughts, both old and new on an album that seems to be forgotten about or merely momentarily mentioned when discussing Dylan's long legacy.
Did it blow Joe's mind as Dylan possibly predicted? Or did it leave Joe cold, confused and concerned for the rest of the journey?
You should watch and find out.
Then you should leave your comments in the comment section!
Thanks for coming on this journey with Joe and the Dylans, both Sevey and Bob.
~~~
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Not wanting to be a prisoner to the moment, but this series has the potential to be the gold standard of in depth and concise analysis of musical artists. The informative and passionate interaction between Joe and Dylan is mesmerizing. Everyone has an opinion of Bob, generally shaped by who they want him to be, which is so wearying. But this, this is different. Not only examining the music, personality and cultural influence of an artist that transcends categories, Dylan Sevey's passion for the music and letting Bob speak for himself is so refreshing. Joe, I am grateful not only for your willingness to be challenged about previously held thoughts on Dylan but for making this public and allowing us to journey with you. For only two episodes, this is fantastic. I'm really looking forward to what is coming.
Sorry for sounding like a gratuitous fan but this is so much better than 99.9% of the other music review BS online. I really appreciate it.
Dylan first came to Columbia Records as a harmonica player on Carolyn Hester's debut album for the label (1962 as well). Also a great record worth hearing. Hester was a beauty with a husky voice that Dylan must have found irresistable.
As much as you may like this album, Dylan grows 10-fold in many of his later albums, maybe most of them. I think it is impossible not to appreciate his greatness as you progress though his albums.
I must say that this series is proving to be immensely enjoyable. I will be listening all the way.
Most people don't realize Bob Dylan started out as a rock 'n roll guy and only moved into folk music later. When he plugged in on Bringing It All Back Home he was going back to his roots.
Discovering Dylan with Dylan, great title for this series. Cant wait for the next 50 episodes. 👍🙂
This is fantastic…and so great to hear Joe begin to appreciate the Bob…I so look forward to this journey! Joe is the guy who refused to participate in the original Listography run-down of the Dylan albums, you may recall, so he’s already come a long way. I think the guide Mr. Sevey offers is terrific…I have never heard a better description of the first Dylan album than his “punk folk” label…and I totally share Dylan S’s attitude and appreciation of the first album. This is urgent, angry, eclectic stuff…totally new takes on blues, country, gospel and folk…Dylan is offering a contemporary, urban, studied (and somewhat effected) work-weariness to these songs…but his singular message is that their meaning is relevant now, today…not some historic artefact you should appreciate intellectually…they should hit you in the gut, and speak to the anxiety of today. That is the theme and approach Dylan will bring to all his albums in the Sixties, and what really changed the scene. As Dylan said at the time: “some stuff I’ve written, some stuff I discovered, some stuff I stole…early folk music done in a rock way, which was my style”. For someone who looked like a “cross between a choir boy and a beatnik”, to quote a review, he possessed more anti-establishment distrust and anger than you would guess…and he came out swinging! And to consider what could have been, think of songs left off the album, such as Hard Times in New York Town, He Was a Friend of Mine, Man in the Street and (especially) Let Me Die in my Footsteps…the first true Dylan classic. As Mr. Sevey righty states, to be a Dylan fan is to know all the truly great songs not on any official album, for whatever reason…that’s why the Bootleg Series is essential. This is a great start to a terrific series, whatever the name…looking forward to the next one! Cheers, JPE
I'm glad you mentioned Good As I Been To You and World Gone Wrong as a comparison to this album because when he made his debut album he was still absorbing and mimicking different songs and styles from the Greenwich Village scene at the time. Those two traditional folk albums from the 90s really show how great a folk singer he is. It's also interesting to compare this first album to the songs he was writing as the time, though many weren't even released until the first Bootleg Series. He was doing far more writing in 1962 than this first album suggests.
The most interesting thing you said is towards the end when you said, “I just hope I don’t have the opposite effect where I’m pining for that Bob Dylan from 1962…”
As much as his voice has been a hang up, it’s expectations that take away or distract from enjoying Bob and his music.
You’ve got a new set of ears, Joe.
I HIGHLY recommend you listen to the first disc of his Bootleg Series.
🤠 got this one from the Columbia Record & Tape Club in 1979! Much appreciated, y'all.
This is a lot of fun to watch, particularly after hearing Joe's thoughts on Dylan (Bob) the past few years in various TLM videos. Also, I have to say that Dylan (Sevey) is doing such a great job representing the perspective of all of us long time Dylan (Bob) fans.
I'm not a huge Dylan fan overall but I like his music, but one of my all time favorite albums is his "Slow Train Coming". It has one of my all time favorite vocal performances by anyone, he can really sing well, plus some amazing guitar work by Mark Knofler.
Dylan has lots of punk aspects throughout the years, even into the 80's and 90's. Some things are more apparent than others. The 1966 tour to me is definitely Bob in punk mode. He has reinvented himself so many times.
this album kicks ass.. . shocking... he's performing .. these lil vignettes... they are actorly with his voice and commitment to the character of the song....super impressive.. funny.... fierce .. precocious... wild
Great start on this journey. Not everyone overlooked this album. Johnny Cash threatened to quit Columbia if they dropped Dylan after it’s poor sales.
I love this series so far. I am 100% guilty of treating the debut like juvenilia. I have in my head that Another Side of is the place to start. Now I am going back to listen to this album. So thank you.
Dylan on Dylan? A La Blonde on Blonde
Holding his note on the Freight Train Blues is mimicking the sound of a train whistle in the distance of course, so he’s layering meaning in the song. Just another reason he’s an supreme artist like Joni Mitchell
Those throw out of names were so funny, thanks for that
I figured Joe would like this album! It’s really such a great debut album. I enjoy every song and the performances are so passionate and frenetic. My favourite on this album is probably Highway 51, followed closely by Baby Let Me Follow You Down.
I had every preconception about this first album that you guys listed.... excited to listen to it now ..
I enjoy this format. A lot of the deep dives I might not be interested in the artist or sitting through an extended conversation. This is the perfect amount of content, discussion, and episode length. Ultimately it's educational and it allows for the fan (Dylan) to exhort the values of his fandom. You could apply this to any artist and I think the conversation would still be fascinating. There are plenty of music genre's and artists catalogue that I'm too intimidated to dive into. This format gives the listener an easy way into these more challenging artists.
i see that one can miss the raw intensity of the first album's voice afterwards, but ... there is still very high intensity of another kind in so many songs that follow. but true, there is a lot of coolness too in the 1960s (which i like very much). if one wants to hear raw emotional intensity, one has to go to the 1970s, his emotional decade, from the Before the Flood live album and some songs on Planet Waves up to the gospel singing like in "I Believe In You".
Great series, guys, thanks! I only got into Dylan in my late 40s, and am also rediscovering him again from this perspective -- people who (unlike me) know a bit about music and have good taste! I always liked the intensity of this album, but never paid much attention to it. Never thought of it in terms of its punk-like nature.
Great discussion and insight. I think this is going to be a very enjoyable journey, for Joe & Dylan and for the audience.
Baby-faced Dylan fooled a lot of people into dismissing him has a young, wannabe. The debut did not do well and producer John Hammond had to push hard with Columbia to keep his discovery on the roster. Dylan just hadn't lived long enough to attempt these songs (compared to the older artists who were also covering Guthrie, Leadbelly, etc.). Call it an early example of 'agism'. However, what the critics didn't count on were his emerging mastery of lyric writing and his single-minded ambition. No one in the NY folk scene was as driven as Dylan. Once he started penning protest classics, he became a juggernaut. Thinking of the "punk energy" of the debut, keep in mind that while Dylan was putting together his second album, he recorded the electric and rockin' "Mixed Up Confusion".which was released as an obscure single. Dylan was already foreshadowing where he wanted to go a few years later. Worth checking out.
I hope one of those Freewheelin’ outtakes you plan to listen to is Mixed Up Confusion!
A man discovering Dylan in a Prince shirt. Minnesota represent. I like "what about bob...dylan"
I was Zep > blues > this underrated album. So, In My Time of Dying fascinated me as well as Bukka White's Fixin' to Die and also Highway 51 which reminds me of Zep's (Hats Off To) Roy Harper which is a manic version of White's Shake 'Em on Down. Great discussion and insights by Sevey and Joe.
Slow Train 🚆 Coming was the first Bob Dylan album I fully appreciated despite being generally a non religious person. It was & is a great record.
Wasn't necessarily expecting this outcome for Joe for the first album! But it is super nice to see. I enjoyed the album as well when I heard it, giving it a 3.5 but maybe didn't have quite the same mindblown experience. Maybe I should give it a fresh listen with that in mind.
Enjoyed hearing all the series name ideas, I like 40 Shades of Dylan lol. But yes, ultimately Discovering Bob Dylan is probably the best name to hopefully bring in some new viewers!
I have it rated 4 stars because I think that, performance-wise, it definitely gets into "great" territory. But I do understand why some people downgrade it for having so many covers and rearraged traditionals.
Paul Simon sang ''Every generation throws a hero up the pop chart'' ... I see you wear Prince shirt ... as a 66 year old I first heard of Prince and saw Purple Rain show ,but my first thought was he channels James Brown, Hendrix and Sly and the family Stone, which is how the ''influences'' seem to get passed on, the greats use the past add their own creativity to it and pass it on .... Bob is now getting YT reactions from Hip Hop listeners and they're saying he's
rappin' back in the day .....
Love this series! Watching Joe have eureka moments left right and centre, with our Dylan superbly guiding him on this epic journey, Bring on Freewheelin’
I’ve been a really dedicated Dylan Head for a few years now & I only recently got into this self titled album so the fact that Joe was surprised and impressed by it is a good sign for him becoming a Bob fan in my opinion haha. y’all are so right about the guitar playing being more manic than you’d expect. I try to play along to his albums on acoustic just for workout / practice and this album wears my ass out in some parts lmao. Already loving this show guys, keep up the fun discussion!
PS Dylan- whenever you guys get to Infidels you have to show Joe the punk rock version of Jokerman on Letterman !
Solid 3 star rating....under-rated for sure..great discussion
That's a nice format. 🙂
I love these episodes, what a cool series to look forward to.
Potential title for the series: Discovering Dylan with Dylan
Or simply “Dylan on Dylan”
I got really into Dylan between TooM and Love and Theft. There are songs on even his worst albums i love. I think he has more 5 star albums than any other artist. In the 60s each album from the debut until Nashville Skyline was a huge creative leap forward, and he was plugged into the zeitgeist (whatever that is) to a level even he didnt understand. I get that other people don't get it, thats fine. But for me he is easily the greatest, rock songwriter.
Stuart
Dylan is the Miles Davis of rock. Every 2-3 years he goes in a totally different direction
Yep just when you think you have him figured out you don't
I've recently discovered artists i used to ignore in the past, sometimes it clicks something, take Frank Zappa, i've never been into his music, then something happened, he is among my favourites now
Blood On The Chats...? for the title of the show?
Like it
Love everything bob some more than others but I can't say I dislike any
I (respectfully) disagree with Joe about the Animals' version of House of the Rising Sun. They altered it from being a song in the first person about a woman who works in a brothel and ultimately regrets it, to a song about a man who repeatedly blows his pay check at a brothel. That kind of changes the meaning of it rather a bit too much, I think! All because Eric Burden wanted to impress the chicks with his great sounding screaming voice, and couldn't have done that while singing Hey everyone, I'm a girl. !!!
How about “Dyl-on or off” ?
Steig Legal. That's the show name.
I actually prefer this album over Freewheelin’. While the latter’s highs are higher, it’s less a cohesive listening experience.
yay
You're no Good --> It Ain't Me Babe ... Fixin' to Die --> Ballad of Hollis Brown... And so on....
Hope you can play one of the outtakes
Joe Train Coming. That's the title.
This series is heating up and only the 2nd episode
Ok so some people do bible study…I watch this 👌
My vote goes for Bobbing for Dylan. LOL
Joe, despite you finding something to appreciate in the album.... Will you ever really listen to it again?
Yea, it’s different and interesting enough. It stands out. Can’t get the same vibe anywhere else. - Joe
Bob Dylan's a great artist, even if he isn't one of my personal favourites (I don't like Blonde on Blonde at all, but I LOVE Highway 61 Revisited, Nashville Skyline, Free Wheelin', Desire, Blood on the Tracks). There's no denying his influence and talent and the amount of classics he has written. Honestly, what put me off him in the beginning was his hardcore fanbase. I understand loving an artist, but the way some of his diehard fans talk about him it's like he's the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ and that his music is the only music worth listening to. It's the same with Radiohead and Rush - the pretension of the fans put me off.
My NFL Football 🏈 Prediction is .. The Cincinnati Bengals over ... The .. Detroit Lions 🦁 In The Super Bowl ..
Title: Dueling Dylan's/ Discovering Dylan/Dylan Discoveries/40 Shades of Dylan
First record for me: Debuts his wandering minstrel/troubadour style. Showcases his folk and blues influences through Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, The Greenwich Village cafe scene, Alan Lomax folk recordings meshed with his own distinctive vocal style.
highlights:
Talkin New York, in my time of dyin, man of constant sorrow, Peggy-O (later done by Simon and Garfunkel/Grateful dead), baby let me follow you down (later done in rock style on the last waltz), house of the rising sun and Song to Woody.
Dylan discography deep dive
Two good originals (Talkin' New York/Song to Woody), two good covers (In My Time of Dyin'/House of the Risin' Sun).
And that's all, folks. B-
The coat Dylan's wearing on the album cover is sheepskin.
This debut album was a huge flop. I initially it sold only 2,500 copies. John Hammond from Columbia Records signed Bob but criticized for it at the tine. Sme folk critics called Hammond's folly.
With all due respect and mindful of your experience how could anyone think Bob Dylan is/was a "wet noodle"? How could the man who wrote "Masters of War", "It's All Right Ma", lead off the title song of one of his greatest albums with "God said to Abraham kill me a son, Abe said man you must be putting me on", and in the face of his entire audience went electric and half of them freaked out until they got, it be a "wet noodle". And if you ever see Don't Look Back he was the definition of cool. You don't write "Ballad of a Thin Man" unless you are way cool. When the guy yells out "Judas", Dylan cooly says "I don't believe you".
"you're a liar" then says to the band "play It f***** loud and belts out perhaps the single greatest performance of this song ever recorded.
Anyway I started watching this journey and I commend Joe for his openness and the dialectic between the two of you is going to make for some really entertaining and possibly provocative discussions.
The Animals version of House was based on "Bob's " arrangement from this album. I used quotation marks because the arrangement was actually one by folk singer Dave VAN Ronk. Bob. Who was a total Unknown at the time, asked Dave if he could use Dave's arrangement for the record. Dave said no. He wanted that for himself. Bob used it anyway.
Lol. Bob really didn’t give a hell. Gotta respect that. - Joe
@TastesLikeMusic to a point I agree but there has to be a line some. The are some blatant uses of lyrics and melodies by others that Bob didn't give credit for including on his last album.
Maybe you could borrow a line from John Lennon and call this series “I don’t believe in Zimmerman…or do I?”
This album is great, but it's clearly an act. It's a good act, but it does make you want to listen to the real thing. Nothing wrong with that. The next album is far more original.
Just don't do Knocked out Loaded next! The series might end abruptly
Knocked Out Loaded is half terrible and half excellent. It’s just too bad they all the good songs are buried on Side 2 (Brownsville Girl, Got My Mind Made Up, Under Your Spell).
Let's get real. I'm not being purposely harsh, just speaking my mind. I am not dismissing this album but I just don't enjoy listening to it. I have little understanding of love for this record. I just wish I could find some Buddy Holly or Peter Paul and Mary in this debut. I guess it's there but I'm too blind to see. Not feeling Little Richard just Woody I guess who I am not enamored with. I haven't a good idea what new paths he paved or how much he borrowed - so it's hard to evaluate and be fair from a historical viewpoint. I'm not saying he isn't witty or that few could do what he did at 20. I'm just saying I'm not enough into the melodies or his vocals and nothing is more important than melody.
I know there are a few pretty decent songs and it should be interesting to see the raw talent on this record but I'm not into it. I do know if it was my favorite artist, such as Neil Young, I would not give it much of a listen. Fortunately, Neil's debut (after much practice with the Springfield and having Dylan as an influence) was great and very underrated.
Now a better folk singer is Phils Ochs. His "All the News That Fit to Sing" was released in 1964 is so much better. Phil was more melodic and even if he copied from Dylan somewhat during his short life, he is remarkable and you don't have to be a leftist commie to love his lyrics and melodies. Phil is a top 20 all-time for me. Of course, the Free Wheeling Dylan is going to be good or maybe great.
I really never did like Bob Dylan voice great song writer maybe one or two songs from him