Bob Dylan - new album just out on Tidal - Rough and Rowdy Ways

I’m a big Dylan fan, but some of his later releases have been hard to become attached to as opposed to Highway 61, Blond on Blond, or Blood on the Tracks, his work with The Band, etc. Yea, I know, old stuff.

I’ll tell you though, I last saw Bob was around 2000ish. Natalie Merchant opened, and to be honest, I went more for Natalie than for Bob, but he and his band kicked butt, and he ‘blew me away’. Unfortunately his albums at that time seemed inconsistent, and really were not recorded/engineered (perhaps over engineered) well. So, I’ve really not paid much attention since Modern Times.

OK, this album; actually, I enjoyed it, probably because he did strip it down more bare. perhaps that’s where Bob is right now in his life, just concentrating on his poetry and lyrics more than the actual music. Unfortunately that also shows. It all started sounding the same. Great lyrics and poetry (as usual and expected), but the music seems like an excuse to make an album instead of a book.

As I was listening I kept thinking of Leonard Cohen. Leonard has made many albums this same way, but to me, there was usually still a greater musical diversity no matter how ‘simple’ in accompaniment. Do we really need another Cohen?

I doubt Dylan ever ‘wanted to play in a rock band’.

@glupson

There may already be a few out there in the world, and may have been, but language barrier becomes a real barrier.

Oh, there are, such as an album I have by John Trudell - Johnny Damas And Me

It’s interesting, and I used to listen to it a lot when I was younger. Tried to again not so long ago, but just lost interest. It wasn’t his message, but rather his method to the musical part of it, or a lack thereof.

Cohen is ‘the granddaddy’ of this style, and he still interests me as he does it so well. Same to a degree with Tom Waits. Or, later, Laurie Anderson who I have a lot of work of, but she never really touted herself as a musician or singer either. Simply a performance artist and composer. She may of rubbed off on Lou, or Lou her.

Yes, he may have stated that as well once. But he did call himself a ‘trapeze artist’ as well.

I believe Dylan was asked once ‘what he was’, and he replied a ‘trapeze artist’. That’s exactly how I would expect Dylan to respond to a question like that.

Seriously, I don’t think you can classify Dylan, and I doubt he would do so if asked (see above).

There are a lot of bands I don’t consider rock even though others do, and the ‘Hawks’, er I mean The Band, was one of those. I never considered The Band a ‘rock band’. Some band and musicians just don’t fit in a nice tidy box, some others do.

No, this all started from you making the statement, ‘if he (Dylan) wants to be in a rock band....’ and implying his current effort doesn’t meet the classification of a being in a ‘rock band’, so why doesn’t he just quit? Or find another singer?? Seriously? 😳 You seem to be putting Dylan in some box that to you think he should remain. 

I just don’t get that opinion. It just does not reflect all the various kinds and types of music Dylan has done over the years. I’m sure he is most focused on what he is doing today, just as he has always done.....Dylan has always done what he wants to do...... That is a luxury many without his genius and talent cannot afford. Whether I or you like the direction of his current album or not really isn’t important to Bob. Never has been.

I’m sure he will be just fine.

@tomcy6

Sorry, but that’s not what I said. I was saying that Bob’s singing voice had deteriorated to the point where, if he wanted to continue playing in a rock band, he should get someone else to sing.

You just said it again. And you call his current album ‘rock’?, seriously? I don’t hear much of a ‘rock band’ in this album, so perhaps you got your desire. Listening to it, I’m not sure Dylan had any desire to make a ‘rock album’ with this release.

Get someone else to sing? Seriously? Dylan ‘is’ is his voice, his delivery, and his lyrics. Without that, it isn’t Dylan.

You then said that Bob has never wanted to play in a rock band.

I think you are totally missing the point. But no, I don’t think he started writing to be in a ‘rock band’.

As did The Stray Cats before him.