Dylan: Christmas Album Confirmed!

[Rob McCow]

From Uncut:

A major Bob Dylan box set is released by Sony BMG on October 1, preceded by a remix of one of his classic songs by Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse producer Mark Ronson..

The three-CD retrospective, titled simply 'Dylan', features 51 tracks, covers five decades of Dylans career and comes in three versions a deluxe edition featuring the three discs in a cloth covered case and accompanied by an extended booklet of rare and unseen Dylan photos as well as 10 limited edition postcards from key moments in his history. There is also an 18-song Best Of edition, available as a single disc.

Content for the three CDs is still being finalised, but will be influenced by fans who can vote for their favourite tracks on the official Bob website, dylan07.com.

The website now features artwork for the compilation, plus a promotional trailer for the album, as well as details of a unique online photo exhibition featuring contributions from celebrities and fans who have been inspired by Dylans music.

Meanwhile, Mark Ronsons remix of Most Likely You Go Your Way (And Ill Go Mine) will have its global radio premiere on August 1.

Im a huge Dylan fan, so its a great honour, says Ronson, as a major shudder goes through massed worldwide ranks of Bob fans.

What the world needs now is another Dylan retrospective. With a remix by the arch traitor, the Thal spy, Mark Ronson!

[Si Hunt]

The world needs another Dylan Best Of like it needs a second Lily Allen Album. What's wrong with the ones you can already get? Are the general public stupid? Don't answer that.

Si.

[Carol Baynes]

I'd sooner have one than a new Lily Allen LP!

I bought "Desire" on Monday. We had it playing in the VW van when we went to Wales at the weekend, and I love dit (obviously it wasn't my copy). "Hurricane" is still my favourite, but it's wonderful to get to know the rest of thealbum at last.

A bit off tangent there, sorry!

[Si Hunt]

"Desire" is a great album, really atmospheric, especially Scarlet Riviera's violin and Emmy Lou's hapless attempts to wail along to songs she's never heard before. "Black Diamond Bay" is a favourite.

Si.

[Wayne]

Carol's bloke likes Dylan. I've gone off him already.

[Carol Baynes]

Predictable as ever, Doctor...

[Jon Masters]

I heard the remix- thingy on Radio 4 on Wednesday morning, and thought it quite a lively tune.

Whatt a pity they couldn't get someone who could sing to do the vocals (Mark Knopfler anyone ...?)

[Si Hunt]

It's called having character in your voice.

Si.

[Wayne]

It's called having character in your voice.

Si.

That's the most 'optimistic' post of the day!

[Si Hunt]

No dissin' Bob!

Si.

[Carol Baynes]

That's the most 'optimistic' post of the day!

Enough already!
Dylan is one of the songwriting genuises of the 20th century, whether you like him or not!

[Wayne]

Dylan is one of the songwriting genuises of the 20th century, whether you like him or not!

Never have i said anywhere or at any time that he wasn't great song writer.

[Si Hunt]

"I'm not sure about his songs, but that boy sure can sing!"
(Woodie Guthrie on Dylan)

Si.

[Wayne]

Woodie Guthrie

Wooh! Oh well that makes all the difference!

[Rob McCow]

The Ronson-ised version of a Dylan track is now available for download!

http://www.uncut.co.uk/news/uncut/news/10059

[Si Hunt]

I actually love Dylan's voice. It's a bizarre mix between being absolutely awful but at the same time absolutely lovely. It's technically, completely shot, a mass of catawalling, growling and shaking notes... but the very fact that it sounds like the voice of the oldest, most wizenned man in the world makes it perfectly suit his recent songs. It also has this great, earthy quality, like honey rolling over gravel. It's totally lived in, and gives his songs that touching feeling of poignancy because the voice is so damaged and bruised. And, let's face it, it's totally unique.

Si.

[Wayne]

@Si's post.
Fair enough.
You know i'm a terrible tease. You should just tell me to 'SHUT IT'. The Jack Regan/Gene Hunt approach usually works.

[Wayne]

Rather than start a new thread, Si & others might be interested to know that there's a night of Bob Dylan related stuff on BBC4 on Sunday night, plus an Arena documentary a week on Friday, as part of a on BBC4.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/music/bobdylan/

[Rob McCow]

Anyone fancy a trip overseas? If you do, it's the only way you'll get to see the big D.

Bob Dylan has confirmed 29 European live dates to start this May, on his website bobdylan.com this weekend (April 5).

The 29-date tour includes eleven performances in Spain, and they include several festival appearances.

No word as yet, as to whether Dylan's legendary 'Never Ending Tour' will stop of in the UK.

The full confirmed Bob Dylan European tour dates are as follows:

Reykjavic, Iceland, Egilshollin (May 26)
Odense, Denmark, Fyn Arena (28)
Stavanger, Norway, Viking Stadium (30)
Helsinki, Finland, Hartwall Arena (June 1)
St. Petersburg, Russia, Arena (3)
Tallinn, Estonia, Sakey Hall (4)
Vilnius, Lituania, Siemens Arena (5)
Warsaw, Poland, Stodola (7)
Ostrava, Czech Republic, Cez Arena (9)
Vienna, Austria, Stadhalle (10)
Salzburg, Austria, Arena (11)
Varazdin, Croatia, Radar Festival (13)
Bergamo, Italy, Lazzaretta (16)
Aosta, Italy, Castello Borgia (18)
Grenoble, France, Palais des Sports (19)
Toulouse, France, Zenith (20)
Andorra la Vella, Andorra, Campo de Futbol Muni (22)
Zaragoza, Spain, Feia de Muenstras (24)
Pamplona, Spain, Plaza de Toros (25)
Vigo, Spain, Recinto Ferial (27)
Avilla, Spain, Parque Natural de Gredos (28)
Valencia, Spain, Auditorio Ciudad (July 1)
Cuenca, Spain, tbc (2)
Murcia, Spain, Plaza de Toros (4)
Jaen, Spain, Recinto Ferial (5)
Madrid, Spain, Rock in Rio (6)
Jerez, Spain, Campo de Football Muni (8)
Merida, Spain, Plaza de Toros (10)
Lisbon, Portugal, Optimus Live (11)

[Si Hunt]

Well this tour has been going since 1987, with plenty of UK stops. If you haven't caught him here yet, it's your own fault!

Si.

[Wayne]

I think we should have a PS Meet in Lisbon on May 26th!

[Jeff]

I've been listening to Highway 61 Revisited the past couple of days... my first Dylan album ever, though I've been meaning to explore his catalogue for a long, long time but never got around to it... And I've been enjoying it immensly.

It happens that I started listening to the Beach Boys 'Pet Sounds' a couple weeks ago, and reading about it being one of the top ten greatest albums of all time according to Rolling Stone, I decided I would get to know the other nine as well (though I am already well familiar with the four Beatles entries). Highway is number 4 on the list, and Blonde on Blonde in at no. 9, so I'll get to that later.. a few weeks maybe.

Regarding some previous discussion: I haven't heard any or much recent work from him, so I'm not really familiar enough to comment on his voice now, but for Rock'n'Roll he sounds fine to me on this old album.

[Carol Baynes]

"Bringing it all back home", "Highway 61 revisited" and "Blonde on blonde" are three of the greatest albums of the 1960s in many people's opinion! Even of the 20th century in other's eyes (and ears!)
I don' t think Dylan's crative stock rose quite as high again until 1974 and "Blood on the tracks" (another great album). He lost it again at the end of the '70s/early '80s though ....only to get it back again in recent times!

I wonder what Si thinks?

[Carol Baynes]

Interesting interview from about three years ago. He never gives much away does he?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2L2VwHIv1k

[Si Hunt]

I wonder what Si thinks?

I pretty much agree. I can see that everything he did in the sixties was obviously great, although I struggle to identify with it, particuarly stuff on "Highway 61". It's just another world. I do love his sixties voice though.

Then you have the weird few years with the bike crash, and changing his voice and all that stuff with the Band. There are some great songs, but mostly lost albums. My personal favourite era is "Blood on the Tracks" through to "Streetlegal", I find the songs he did then the most inspiring and sonically brilliant. I've always said "Streetlegal" was my favourite album, but in truth it's very underrehearsed and doesn't work when played from start to end... but begin with the highlights, "Senor", "Baby Stop Crying", "Journey Through Dark Heat" and work your way through every track and it shines. "Desire", by the way, is fab, and sounds as if it were recorded in one take on a street corner... which it probably was. "Oh Sister" is an unholy row, but a great one. Poor Emmylou Harris is forced to wail along to the words hoping to guess what they are, but it sounds so of-its-time.

The early eighties are a quagmire of shit and lost gems. For every unreleased "Willie McTell" and "Every Grain of Sand" there's a "Neighbourhood Bully" or a "Trouble". There are great albums hiding in "Infidels" and "Shot", but he chooses the wrong songs and sings badly. The eighties - a musical decade where production became important - doesn't suit Dylan's improvised stylings, but for whatever reasons his albums in the first half of this decade contain as many duds as they do classics. "Shot of Love" is actually quite good - but he's trying to affect his 'live' style amid modern instruments, and it just doesn't work; he needed a timeless, rootsy instrumental sound and to ensure the music is seemless, but he just bashes them out and his voice is getting worse - listen to "I Believe In You" from "Slow Train" and it's hilarious! His most glorious moment in this dark gloom is "Tight Connection To Your Heart" from "Empire Burlesque" (on which he tries really, REALLY hard to be up to date, and succeeds.... but it's 1985 so it now sounds TERRIBLE). Things finally dissapear into the mud with "Into The Groove" and things die on their feet.

Then we have a surprise classic album - well, at a cost. His fire, enthusiasm, absurd self-belief is gone and he makes a soft rock record. He sounds like he's halfway into the grave, his voice is shot and we lose in invention what we gain in production and decent tunes. But people like it! Then he gets his belief back, makes another flop album (of which more some other time), some silly folk records and then re-makes his comeback classic with the same producer on "Time Out Of Mind". People really, really love it even though in truth half of it is noodling. The other half is brilliant, and sets the template for everything after.

From then on, he only makes records every five years, makes sure they are rehearsed and produced properly, and that the lyrics have five years of thought put into them, and his absence fuels his mystique, ensuring everyone is enthralled by him when he does come back. He also seems to have discovered a sense of humour in the last decade, and his latest albums are surprisingly full of puns and witty wordplay ("Politicians put on his jogging shoes, must be runnin' for office not a thing to lose"). The music is basically nicked from a time before anyone else can remember, and a lot of it samey (how many takes on the "say a line, repeat it" verse structure have we had in recent years?) but he knows now that it's the lyrics that count, and people will listen to his gravelly, world-wise voice over jangly, doomy music if what he's saying is interesting.

Looking at Dylan, it's surprising that someone can change suddenly after 30 years, and sometimes I expect him to come back three months after his latest applauded release and bang out some ill-advised record of nursery rhymes or something done in one take. But he doesn't seem to. He seems to have learned, and become good all-the-time again for the first time since 1968.

Si.