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OT- Happy Birthday Bob Dylan

Abro1975

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Nov 21, 2009
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Turns 74 today, May 24. IMO, the most prolific American songwriter of the last 50 years. I love his studio albums (live not so much). Springsteen has a heck of a catalogue , as does Canadian Leonard Cohen, all favorites of mine. I've seen Dylan in concert a few times, and he was mostly awful, but his studio albums are terrific.

PS- I heard Howard Stern talking a few years ago, and he said he ran into Dylan in L.A, and Dylan invited him to go along with him for a work....to a boxing gym, Dylan loved to work out by sparring ! lol, go figure.

Another great Dylan story a fews years back in Long Branch, NJ :

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/jersey-homeowner-calls-cops-bob-dylan/story?id=8331830
 
Incredible songwriter of the Sixties....since then...eh.
But a quick list of fifteen awesome tunes from pre 1970:
1. Desolation Row
2 .Like a Rolling Stone
3. Masters of War
4 .The Times They are a-Changin
5. With God on our Side
6. The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
7 .It's Alright Ma (I'm only Bleeding)
8. Gates of Eden
9. Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowland
10.Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
11.It's All Over Now Baby Blue
12.Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again
13.Just Like a Woman
14.All Along the Watchtower
15.The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest

That's a damn good career right there.
Happy Birthday, Bob
 
I just got done listening to 'Tales of Yankee Power (Senor), and One More Cup of Coffee, both superb not big hits. There are a hundreds more like this, eg Simple Twist of Fate, Visions of JoAnna,, Ballad of a Thin Man, all the Byrds songs that were hits that Dylan wrote, many of The Band songs that Dyland wrote, and hundreds, maybe thousands great songs more.

http://www.bobdylan.com/us/songsB
 
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He's a legend and will go down as one of the great songwriters in popular music of all time. Although he is a marginal singer...sounds better on some songs than others....he always had a great band around him and he is a very solid acoustic guitar player. In many ways...I think he could be considered the first "Rap" guy....he really had some interesting early songs that would go over very well today. Anyway, i'm getting into my late 50s and it will not be a happy time when icons such as Dylan start departing this world. Many have already...but it will become common place in the near future.
 
One of the handful of all time greats. Every album up to and including Blonde on Blonde and Blood on the Tracks were his best, in my opinion
 
His success is proof that anything can happen and people are lemmings.
If you never heard of the guy but then saw him in a bar somewhere you would fall off your stool laughing.
 
Incredible songwriter of the Sixties....since then...eh.
But a quick list of fifteen awesome tunes from pre 1970:
1. Desolation Row
2 .Like a Rolling Stone
3. Masters of War
4 .The Times They are a-Changin
5. With God on our Side
6. The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
7 .It's Alright Ma (I'm only Bleeding)
8. Gates of Eden
9. Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowland
10.Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
11.It's All Over Now Baby Blue
12.Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again
13.Just Like a Woman
14.All Along the Watchtower
15.The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest

That's a damn good career right there.
Happy Birthday, Bob
What?? No Positively 4th St?....I saw him at the Cafe Wha live either "66" or "67" on McDougal Street in Greenwich Village when i was only 14 i think with my 1st gf !?! My middleschool teacher from Belleville Jr High was also there..Mr Lemongello with his GF...i was starry eyed. He's a modern day troubadour...or storyteller!!
 
Yes Im pretty sure that WAS his 1st name....Math teacher...I was with GF Donna Viviani and best friend Richard Capriglione drinking Brandy Bastards lol...thought i was getting high lol
 
No abro...just a schoolteacher...Peter Lemongello the singer...was never a middle school teacher...you live near W.Caldwell you should know that!!
 
Turns 74 today, May 24. IMO, the most prolific American songwriter of the last 50 years. I love his studio albums (live not so much). Springsteen has a heck of a catalogue , as does Canadian Leonard Cohen, all favorites of mine. I've seen Dylan in concert a few times, and he was mostly awful, but his studio albums are terrific.

PS- I heard Howard Stern talking a few years ago, and he said he ran into Dylan in L.A, and Dylan invited him to go along with him for a work....to a boxing gym, Dylan loved to work out by sparring ! lol, go figure.

Another great Dylan story a fews years back in Long Branch, NJ :

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/jersey-homeowner-calls-cops-bob-dylan/story?id=8331830


Love Dylan....no "Subterranean Homesick Blues"?
Dylan may be the father of rap...and the father of MTV.

However, he was looking / sounding OLD ....on Dave Letterman earlier this week (Why don't We Call it A Day). He
acted as though he was nervous, paranoid and trying to hide it....NOT. Sad.

Dylan could have sung "Forever Young", "the Times They are A Changin'" or "Like a Rollling Stone" and would have had the audience in the theatre, Dave and
the viewers all on the same emotional page. Instead he offered something that few if any could relate to....probably didn't resonate with him that much either.

MO
 
That's typical Dylan, he never does as expected. and is always bizarre when interviewed. I sometimes think its an act.

PS- "Postively 4th St" isn't on that list either, one of the best songs EVER written. The Dude is an Enigma wrapped in a mystery, or whatever that expression is.


Love Dylan....no "Subterranean Homesick Blues"?
Dylan may be the father of rap...and the father of MTV.

However, he was looking / sounding OLD ....on Dave Letterman earlier this week (Why don't We Call it A Day). He
acted as though he was nervous, paranoid and trying to hide it....NOT. Sad.

Dylan could have sung "Forever Young", "the Times They are A Changin'" or "Like a Rollling Stone" and would have had the audience in the theatre, Dave and
the viewers all on the same emotional page. Instead he offered something that few if any could relate to....probably didn't resonate with him that much either.

MO
 
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That's typical Dylan, he never does as expected. and is always bizarre when interviewed. I sometimes think its an act.

PS- "Postively 4th St" isn't on that list either, one of the best songs EVER written. The Dude is an Enigma wrapped in a mystery, or whatever that expression is.


At his height (the 60's)...there was NO ONE BETTER! NO ONE!

And the list of 15 songs needs to be expanded to top 50.....he had that many- probably more: e.g. Love Minus Zero; Ballad of a Thin Man (Mr. Jones) .....etc. - etc
 
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Really liked the ballads, really didn't like the political stuff (and you guys know I'm an old lefty). Too much, "I know the truth and you don't" in his political stuff (I have the same problem with John Lennon). Much preferred Phil Ochs who was always willing to include himself in the group of people he was parodying. But Ochs checked out early.

Sad Eyed Lady, Just Like a Woman, It's All Over Now, really good songs.
 
I like the story telling songs. Lily Rosemary and the jack of hearts, Isis, Tangled up in blue, black diamond bay, where are you tonight, etc.
 
Really liked the ballads, really didn't like the political stuff (and you guys know I'm an old lefty). Too much, "I know the truth and you don't" in his political stuff (I have the same problem with John Lennon). Much preferred Phil Ochs who was always willing to include himself in the group of people he was parodying. But Ochs checked out early.

Sad Eyed Lady, Just Like a Woman, It's All Over Now, really good songs.



Hey Skillet, what was the name of his song about "while riding on a Train heading West?"....and some reference to NJ / turnpike?

BTW just looked at the original posters lists / there is no, NO : Mr. Tambourine Man, My Back Pages..... give me a break.
His list of best songs are closer to 100!

Add Lay Lady Lay, Stuck In Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again...Blood on the Tracks album.

Mo
 
Turns 74 today, May 24. IMO, the most prolific American songwriter of the last 50 years. I love his studio albums (live not so much). Springsteen has a heck of a catalogue , as does Canadian Leonard Cohen, all favorites of mine. I've seen Dylan in concert a few times, and he was mostly awful, but his studio albums are terrific.

PS- I heard Howard Stern talking a few years ago, and he said he ran into Dylan in L.A, and Dylan invited him to go along with him for a work....to a boxing gym, Dylan loved to work out by sparring ! lol, go figure.

Another great Dylan story a fews years back in Long Branch, NJ :

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/jersey-homeowner-calls-cops-bob-dylan/story?id=8331830
 
My favorite verse of his is:

Mehm mmmm a foo do loa ps do
Mm me. Mmmm hoo kitty blab
Me
 
Hey Skillet, what was the name of his song about "while riding on a Train heading West?"....and some reference to NJ / turnpike?

BTW just looked at the original posters lists / there is no, NO : Mr. Tambourine Man, My Back Pages..... give me a break.
His list of best songs are closer to 100!

Add Lay Lady Lay, Stuck In Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again...Blood on the Tracks album.

Mo
"While riding on a train going west"was from Bob Dylan's Dream off of the Freewheeling album. So many great songs that aren't on these lists e.g., Tomorrow is Such a Long Time, Sooner or Later One of Us Must Know, x 100. Saw him in. 72 and again at the Columbia records reunion. Not always great live but Bangeledesh was as good as it gets. Not the best musician but probably a top 5 song writer on the century.
 
There is a difference between a musician and a songwriter. Big difference.

Yes, but he was an excellent songwriter AND singer AND musician. His music didn't require him to be a virtuoso guitar player, but what he did was excellent in all ways
 
Quite possibly the most overrated musician ever

It's an interesting comment, because I was about to post that he is still very underrated. The music critics and fellow musicians appreciate his brilliance and excellence, and they are a tough crowd to please. However, among many otherwise knowledgeable music fans, he is still underrated and under-appreciated.

He was outstanding and brilliant in two different musical genres. In the 1960s, folk music had a big following and audience, and Dylan was the biggest star there was. When he electrified and switched to rock and roll, it was an unprecedented and monumental event, and then he became among the best in that genre as well. His record sales never reflected his impact because he no longer cared to promote himself, and his concerts were often bad because he no longer really cared about the audience. However, his impact on the growth of rock and roll can NOT be understated.
 
"While riding on a train going west"was from Bob Dylan's Dream off of the Freewheeling album. So many great songs that aren't on these lists e.g., Tomorrow is Such a Long Time, Sooner or Later One of Us Must Know, x 100. Saw him in. 72 and again at the Columbia records reunion. Not always great live but Bangeledesh was as good as it gets. Not the best musician but probably a top 5 song writer on the century.


Thanks! Will have to You tube it...

MO
 
RUEtarted must be one of those shallow idiots that thinks "raspy voice = overrated." Guy influenced music like only a handful of musicians ever, and he's overrated? No, you just don't like his music.
 
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Really liked the ballads, really didn't like the political stuff (and you guys know I'm an old lefty). Too much, "I know the truth and you don't" in his political stuff (I have the same problem with John Lennon). Much preferred Phil Ochs who was always willing to include himself in the group of people he was parodying."


How could someone be an "old lefty" and not like Dylan's political stuff ?
And like Phil Ochs ?
You should be sentenced to listen endlessly to "Love Me, I'm A Liberal".:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye::stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye::stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:
 
Wow, Phil Ochs. Anyone remember Ochs singing "Outside of a small circle of Friends"? Great song.
 
How could someone be an "old lefty" and not like Dylan's political stuff ?
And like Phil Ochs ?
You should be sentenced to listen endlessly to "Love Me, I'm A Liberal".:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye::stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye::stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Good one, KBee! To me, Love Me, I'm a Liberal is exactly why Phil Ochs was better than Bob Dylan. To me, Dylan's underlying message was, "You are the man, and you suck. I am counter culture, and I am terrific." Ochs underlying message was, "You know, maybe we all could use some improvement." This, from the last stanza of Love Me I'm a Liberal:

Sure, once I was young and impulsive; I wore every conceivable pin,
Even went to Socialist meetings, learned all the old Union hymns.
Ah, but I've grown older and wiser, and that's why I'm turning you in.
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal.


That's a guy who doesn't take himself too seriously. Furthermore, he committed suicide thus giving him a lot more street cred than a guy who almost died in a motorcycle accident.

And Purple Ed, I own all his albums. Small Circle of Friends is terrific. Lots of great Phil Ochs songs. I particularly like, "Miranda."
 
It's an interesting comment, because I was about to post that he is still very underrated. The music critics and fellow musicians appreciate his brilliance and excellence, and they are a tough crowd to please. However, among many otherwise knowledgeable music fans, he is still underrated and under-appreciated.

He was outstanding and brilliant in two different musical genres. In the 1960s, folk music had a big following and audience, and Dylan was the biggest star there was. When he electrified and switched to rock and roll, it was an unprecedented and monumental event, and then he became among the best in that genre as well. His record sales never reflected his impact because he no longer cared to promote himself, and his concerts were often bad because he no longer really cared about the audience. However, his impact on the growth of rock and roll can NOT be understated.
Was gonna say something very similar...i still think he's underrated. I know it when I see or hear it.The mans got depth that only the blind can't see !!
 
Good one, KBee! To me, Love Me, I'm a Liberal is exactly why Phil Ochs was better than Bob Dylan. To me, Dylan's underlying message was, "You are the man, and you suck. I am counter culture, and I am terrific." Ochs underlying message was, "You know, maybe we all could use some improvement." This, from the last stanza of Love Me I'm a Liberal:

Sure, once I was young and impulsive; I wore every conceivable pin,
Even went to Socialist meetings, learned all the old Union hymns.
Ah, but I've grown older and wiser, and that's why I'm turning you in.
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal.


That's a guy who doesn't take himself too seriously. Furthermore, he committed suicide thus giving him a lot more street cred than a guy who almost died in a motorcycle accident.

And Purple Ed, I own all his albums. Small Circle of Friends is terrific. Lots of great Phil Ochs songs. I particularly like, "Miranda."


Not sure what you mean by "doesn't take himself too seriously." Phil Ochs was a radical, not a liberal, And "Love me, I'm a Liberal" was not a humorous jibe, but a scathing indictment of liberals....at least a certain type of liberal. He was way more serious about these issues than Dylan. And he didn't just write songs about these things like Dylan. Ochs was an activist.
 
Smartest thing said in this thread.

But that is why he is overrated. He sang what he wrote, and his singing is awful.

His myth is much bigger than his talent, which is why as time goes on, future generations will forget him. Other acts from his generation, this won't happen.
 
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