I can't explain why I love Bob Dylan's music, I've suffered for years listening to jokes about "A voice like sand and glue" but it doesn't bother me. I remember how I first got into Dylan: One day outside the City Hall in Newcastle in about 1977 I saw a man standing in the queue who looked really cool and tucked under his arm was a copy of "Highway 61 revisited". At about the same time I was really into Jimi Hendrix, raucous guitar solo's etc and one of my favourite tracks was "All along the watchtower" - I loved the imagery in the words. One day I realised that this track was written by Bob Dylan too.
My first Dylan album was "More greatest hits" because it contained the aforementioned track and the first new album I bought was "Street Legal" I was hooked. The following year Dylan toured and played six nights at Earls Court. The second of these coincided with my last O-level exam. I moaned on for ages to my parents about how he hadn't toured since 1969 and how it could be another 10 years before he came back. I threatened to take all of my holiday money out of the bank and hitchhike to London and stand outside Earls Court until someone sold me a ticket. Another date was added to the tour at Blackbushe Aerodrome but it clashed with a family holiday. My father eventually let us go to the show and so not only did I get to see Dylan but I went to my first festival as well. |
Since then I have seen Dylan on 10 more times - (a fact that my mother kept reminding me of) and they were as follows:
Blackbushe Aerodrome - 17th July 1978
I think the best example as to why Dylan is a genius can be heard by listening to his lyrics, one of the best examples can be found on "The Travelling Wilburys" first album. "Tweeter and the Monkeyman" is like a film screenplay set to music! |
"Tweeter and the Monkeyman were hard up for cash
|
The story unfolds and though it never really makes any sense it creates a mental picture of these people in your mind. This cinematic imagery is a constant theme throughout Dylan music and can rarely be matched by any other writer of popular music.
Another excellent example of Dylan's imagery comes on Street Legal |
"Well, the last thing I remember before I stripped and kneeled,
Was that train load of fools bogged down in a magnetic field, A gypsy with a broken flag and a flashing ring Said, "Son, this ain't a dream no more it's the real thing"" |
Anyway those are a few reasons why I like Bob Dylan.