the xtian ones are also good
― duped and used by my worst Miss U (President Keyes), Wednesday, 1 February 2017 20:00 (seven years ago) link
hard rain is fire wtf
― j., Wednesday, 1 February 2017 20:02 (seven years ago) link
hard rain was the one i am most curious about, almost cut it from the poll but its rep seemed to be "not good"...maybe i'm wrong.
― nomar, Wednesday, 1 February 2017 20:06 (seven years ago) link
feel like another self-portrait bootleg series release has rehabilitated self-portrait's rep
― blonde redheads have more fun (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 1 February 2017 20:13 (seven years ago) link
I love everything on Another Self Portrait except for Self Portrait. I dunno how he did it, but in a way, I kind of admire the skill involved in making a dull album out of decidedly non-dull elements.
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Wednesday, 1 February 2017 20:18 (seven years ago) link
didn't know Infidels was regarded, was gonna vote that based on Jokerman alone
― flappy bird, Wednesday, 1 February 2017 20:25 (seven years ago) link
I kind of admire the skill involved in making a dull album out of decidedly non-dull elementsha yeah, this is otm ... hard to say just how intentional it was, but it's interesting
― tylerw, Wednesday, 1 February 2017 20:27 (seven years ago) link
Infidels is a jam imo
― nomar, Wednesday, 1 February 2017 20:29 (seven years ago) link
Saved is great
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 1 February 2017 20:35 (seven years ago) link
Street Legal, now that's a real turd
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 1 February 2017 20:36 (seven years ago) link
they're all great, let's be realok, maybe dylan and the dead is pretty bad
― tylerw, Wednesday, 1 February 2017 20:36 (seven years ago) link
Self Portrait bangs
― flappy bird, Wednesday, 1 February 2017 20:40 (seven years ago) link
People always say there was a lot better stuff recorded by the Dylan/Dead collaboration than was released.Haven't heard teh actual lp in years but don't remember much of it taking off. Think I may have bunged like half a track on a tape compilation I was making at the time, & I used to do a couple fo those every couple of weeks so taht I had things to listen to while hitching. So if I did take something off taht it was from an instrumental break onwards or something. Know I did taht with teh Hard to Handle from Bear's Choice but think I did it on something on there anyway.
Did seem like it would be a collaboration taht should have worked at one time. Not sure if that was the era though.
― Stevolende, Wednesday, 1 February 2017 20:41 (seven years ago) link
UTRS is the Dr. Seuss album he shoulda recorded in 1966.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 1 February 2017 20:45 (seven years ago) link
Froggy Went a Courtin def more relevant back then
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 1 February 2017 20:45 (seven years ago) link
(xpost)
I'm guessing you know about this already, which is what prompted your post. I've got it on my computer but never bothered listening. (Large image, so I won't embed.)
cdn8.openculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/DylanHearsAWho.jpeg
― clemenza, Wednesday, 1 February 2017 20:50 (seven years ago) link
dylan hears a who is surprisingly good -- worth at least one listen, anyway.
― tylerw, Wednesday, 1 February 2017 20:51 (seven years ago) link
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, February 1, 2017 3:35 PM (eighteen minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
def
― marcos, Wednesday, 1 February 2017 20:54 (seven years ago) link
self-portrait is great, too, ive always liked it, and it's nice to see that it's been reclaimed as a good dylan album.
― marcos, Wednesday, 1 February 2017 20:55 (seven years ago) link
Self Portrait was already the subject of a Bootleg series revisitation to recontextualise it. Wondered fi teh Dylan & The Dead thing might get some of the better stuff used for a future volume.Or released by the Dead themselves since they seem to be pretty comprehensive in their releases. Maybe the better stuff wasn't recorded as well as they'd hoped?
― Stevolende, Wednesday, 1 February 2017 20:56 (seven years ago) link
i've never heard dylan tbh
knocked out loaded is essential just for "brownsville girl", a top 5 dylan tune for me
― marcos, Wednesday, 1 February 2017 20:56 (seven years ago) link
down in the groove is trash. i can't tell you a thing about under the red sky even though i've listened to it a few times
― marcos, Wednesday, 1 February 2017 20:57 (seven years ago) link
if only someone had thought to record the Dead shows
― duped and used by my worst Miss U (President Keyes), Wednesday, 1 February 2017 20:57 (seven years ago) link
utrs sorta suffers from dull production and uninspired performances, but it really isn't that far off from song-wise from his 21st century output
― tylerw, Wednesday, 1 February 2017 20:58 (seven years ago) link
UTRS seemed like a regression at the time, after the Oh Mercy comeback narrative
― duped and used by my worst Miss U (President Keyes), Wednesday, 1 February 2017 21:00 (seven years ago) link
here's the best dylan and the dead show i've heard: https://archive.org/details/gd87-07-19.sbd.fishman.13023.sbeok.shnfthe rehearsals are fun too ...
― tylerw, Wednesday, 1 February 2017 21:02 (seven years ago) link
My gut says Down in the Groove and Dylan and the Dead are the two worst things here. Though At Budokan is his worst live record not to involve the Grateful Dead.
As far as best, I gotta go Self Portrait.
― EZ Snappin, Wednesday, 1 February 2017 21:09 (seven years ago) link
I found "Dylan and the Dead" was disappointing as it was nothing like as awful as I was given to understand.
Knocked Out Loaded has "Brownsville Girl", and some other good things too.
I has that Budokan live album, I did not like it, no.
― Mark G, Wednesday, 1 February 2017 21:19 (seven years ago) link
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, February 1, 2017 2:36 PM (forty-one minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
woah woah woah senor #TeamStreetLegal gonna yankee power ya ass!
seriously though it's such a great album, he follows a 10 minute epic "changing of the guard" with a song about fucking a horse
also great album cover the truest expression of bob in photograph form
― blonde redheads have more fun (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 1 February 2017 21:19 (seven years ago) link
Had. I do not has it now. Xposts.
Am voting "Dylan", someone has to.
― Mark G, Wednesday, 1 February 2017 21:20 (seven years ago) link
Dylan is great.
― EZ Snappin, Wednesday, 1 February 2017 21:21 (seven years ago) link
MY GOD THEY KILLED HIM
― JoeStork, Wednesday, 1 February 2017 21:26 (seven years ago) link
If you ignore the horrifying track witht he children's choir whose title I won't mention for fear of opening a crack in the earth, Knocked Out Loaded is fun: "Under Your Spell," "Maybe Someday," "Driftin' Too Far From Shore," the Petty collab, and of course "Brownsville Girl."
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 1 February 2017 21:31 (seven years ago) link
yeah street legal seems like it shouldn't be good but it's actually kinda awesome
otm about the cover photo, too
― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Wednesday, 1 February 2017 21:48 (seven years ago) link
I'm not a fan -- it has more sexist drivel than usual ("Is Your Love in Vain") and two songs that count as history-as-farce ("Changing of the Guard," "Where Are You Tonight?"). I've liked "Senor" the last couple times he's played it.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 1 February 2017 21:49 (seven years ago) link
Where the FUCK is Empire Burlesque???
― Mr. Snrub, Wednesday, 1 February 2017 22:00 (seven years ago) link
It'd well regarded.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 1 February 2017 22:00 (seven years ago) link
Not by me!!
― Mr. Snrub, Wednesday, 1 February 2017 22:03 (seven years ago) link
I stand by this re: Street Legal, my opinion hasn't changed
Bob Dylan's "Street Legal" - Classic or Dud?
― Οὖτις, Thursday, 2 February 2017 00:33 (seven years ago) link
Self Portrait is mostly great, imo, but I'm a casual music listener
― a but (brimstead), Thursday, 2 February 2017 01:02 (seven years ago) link
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, February 1, 2017 7:33 PM
can you understand my paaain?
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 2 February 2017 01:33 (seven years ago) link
No
― Οὖτις, Thursday, 2 February 2017 01:45 (seven years ago) link
your love is in vain
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 2 February 2017 01:53 (seven years ago) link
Self Portraiton first listen I was surprised at how not terrible this was - has some good songs, but it's not one I return to often. Overlong. Also, the bootleg series compilation is great, so not much need for this one after all.
Dylanas received wisdom has it, this is indeed a lesser 'Self Portrait'. 'Mr. Bojangles' is... fun. And I like 'Lily of the West'
Hard RainI don't like Dylan's shouting on this and other 70s live records
At BudokanWell this one has a p good band, some enjoyable interpretations. From what I've read, the band became kicking on the North American leg of the tour, and Budokan are some of the least good concerts with this setup. Too bad.
SavedHas good songs but ultimately boring and a lesser 'Slow Train Coming'
Shot of LoveNow here's a good album! Great energy, great phrasing, wit, fun. 'Heart of Stone' and ofc 'Every Grain of Sand' are standouts.
Knocked Out LoadedCrap record which for some reason has 'Brownsville Girl' which is all time
Down In the GrooveSo bad
Dylan and the DeadEmbarrassing
Under the Red SkyHaven't listened too much to this one but I do like the sticker on my copy
http://i.imgur.com/c1cUc3X.png
MTV UnpluggedFirst time I heard this I thought it was awful, last time I checked it sounded a lot better. He plays Dignity. Probably one of the best in this lot.
Dishonorable mentions: Empire Burlesque, Real Live
In other news: Bootlegs 1-3 have been reissued on vinyl, get 'em while you can!
― niels, Thursday, 2 February 2017 08:26 (seven years ago) link
After reading Dave Marsh on Budokan (RS Record Guide, blue/1983 edition) I thought, jeez, it can't be THAT bad. But it is.
The versions of Dylan's songs on Budokan sabotage meaning, reduce it to rubble, and walk blithely away, snapping their fingers like so many little hipster hitmen. It was as though Dylan were daring his audience to continue to pay attention -- or even to respect him. This is his worst record by such a wide margin it's hard to fathom it.
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Thursday, 2 February 2017 14:18 (seven years ago) link
The version of Shelter From The Storm on Hard Rain is excellent.
Shot of Love is probably the best of these records overall, but there are good songs on all of them. Seek out Born In Time from Under The Red Sky, that is super duper good.
― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 2 February 2017 14:46 (seven years ago) link
I like Hard Rain fine, it's just not near as good as Before the Flood.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Thursday, 2 February 2017 14:47 (seven years ago) link
xp that's a bit much imo, give Budokan Ballad of a Thin Man a listen - it's not sabotaged, just an attempt you may or may not enjoy
the James Bond version of It's Alright, Ma is more controversial but... it rocks!
despite a false start Simple Twist of Fate is quite nice too
not an album I revisit often but when I do it's better than I remembered
― niels, Thursday, 2 February 2017 14:51 (seven years ago) link
I'm not a big fan of Before the Flood either but if you don't mind shouty lyrics the band, songs, energy are all great
I will echo the orthodoxy that Self Portrait, Saved, Shot of Love, Knocked Out Loaded, Down In the Groove, and Under the Red Sky are all terrible, minus the (maybe) two good songs that can be found among the whole lot of them. I've never heard Dyaln, and am not even sure what it is.
I'm not typically a fan of live albums, but I'm intrigued enough by this poll to check these out. At the very least, I'm curious to hear why Dylan and the Dead has been a punchline for the last 30 years.
― some sad trombone Twilight Zone shit (cryptosicko), Thursday, 2 February 2017 16:25 (seven years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bsx9YBV9EnM
― dow, Tuesday, 23 June 2020 19:16 (three years ago) link
From 1972----much later, they did a whole album of Dylan.
― dow, Tuesday, 23 June 2020 19:18 (three years ago) link
Their 1972 LP Street Corner Symphony (Lenny Kaye wrote a beautiful little piece somewhere about the brief-lived a capella persuasion, from late-50s to early 60s)
― dow, Tuesday, 23 June 2020 19:22 (three years ago) link
Bettye LaVette did "EY" on her incredible BD collection, Things Have Changed---here she is live, atypically ravaged, but driving through it, as always---"It's like...my whole life never happened...shake me, hold me..."https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJujOOFQV-c
― dow, Tuesday, 23 June 2020 19:28 (three years ago) link
Not so faceless there!
Wild to realize I’m the same age as Empire-era Dylan... I should get a suit like his.
― OG Honeymoon Ave (morrisp), Tuesday, 23 June 2020 19:30 (three years ago) link
Tight Connection has the tightest seven-inch arthttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/19/Bob_Dylan_Tight_Connection_to_My_Heart_Single.jpg
― tylerw, Tuesday, 23 June 2020 19:34 (three years ago) link
think i prefer the infidels version though:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbhoo_gGkK8
― tylerw, Tuesday, 23 June 2020 19:35 (three years ago) link
Lou Reed gushed about Empire B in an interview
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Tuesday, 23 June 2020 21:14 (three years ago) link
Wasn't it Down in the Groove? He liked "Rank Strangers to Me."
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 23 June 2020 21:24 (three years ago) link
XP!...and Down In The Groove when talked to Rolling Stone in '89.
― "...And the Gods Socially Distanced" (C. Grisso/McCain), Tuesday, 23 June 2020 21:25 (three years ago) link
He oddly singled out two covers for praise, as if he thought Dylan wrote them.
― "...And the Gods Socially Distanced" (C. Grisso/McCain), Tuesday, 23 June 2020 21:26 (three years ago) link
It's the RS interview promoting New York, collected in a late nineties book of Reed interviews and essays.
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 23 June 2020 21:30 (three years ago) link
Maybe. Reed talked about Dylan a lot in the 80s. It was something like "If a new artist had made (new Dylan album) it would be hailed as a masterpiece."
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Tuesday, 23 June 2020 21:30 (three years ago) link
i think Dylan told Lou he loved "doin the things we want to" and suddenly Lou was a huge Dylan booster.
― tylerw, Tuesday, 23 June 2020 21:37 (three years ago) link
that's about right
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 23 June 2020 21:38 (three years ago) link
Lou Reed said a lot over the years.
― Future England Captain (Tom D.), Tuesday, 23 June 2020 21:40 (three years ago) link
But he never said he was ept!
― Barry "Fatha" Hines (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 23 June 2020 23:10 (three years ago) link
while they're beatin' the devil out of a guywho's wearing a powder-blue weeeeeeeeeeeeeg
― Yanni Xenakis (Hadrian VIII), Tuesday, 23 June 2020 23:10 (three years ago) link
Best I recall, Reed did a good "Foot of Pride" on the Dylan trib 30th Anniversary Concert.
― dow, Tuesday, 23 June 2020 23:37 (three years ago) link
agree
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 23 June 2020 23:39 (three years ago) link
Musically speaking, the 30th Anniversary Concert was a very uneven affair, but Reed's "Foot of Pride" was possibly the highlight of the whole thing. I think he was the only one to pick a song that was a 'bootleg' track. He's clearly reading off a teleprompter or something, so it could be better, but otherwise, he delivers it with a lot of authority. It has the makings of a great cover, it's just too bad he never tried it again in a recording studio.
― birdistheword, Tuesday, 23 June 2020 23:59 (three years ago) link
Neil doing "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" absolutely destroyed
― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 24 June 2020 00:26 (three years ago) link
Neil Tennant?
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 24 June 2020 00:37 (three years ago) link
Sedaka
― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 24 June 2020 00:44 (three years ago) link
Diamond
― "...And the Gods Socially Distanced" (C. Grisso/McCain), Wednesday, 24 June 2020 00:45 (three years ago) link
Hannon
― Barry "Fatha" Hines (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 24 June 2020 00:48 (three years ago) link
Fred
― dow, Wednesday, 24 June 2020 01:39 (three years ago) link
Schon
― Yanni Xenakis (Hadrian VIII), Wednesday, 24 June 2020 03:48 (three years ago) link
Hamburger
― OG Honeymoon Ave (morrisp), Wednesday, 24 June 2020 04:30 (three years ago) link
Hagerty
― Western® with Bacon Flavor, Wednesday, 24 June 2020 05:32 (three years ago) link
https://66.media.tumblr.com/0c3ec4e792525b9a21c8a0dfcb679367/tumblr_n43u97VcvU1shl3p1o1_1280.jpg
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Wednesday, 24 June 2020 14:36 (three years ago) link
I agree, Vince Neil really brought the heat
― Joey Corona (Euler), Wednesday, 24 June 2020 14:41 (three years ago) link
The few worthy songs on "Saved" are best heard in the live versions found on "The Bootleg Series Vol. 13: Trouble No More (1979–1981)
"Covenant Woman" and "Solid Rock" are better on "Saved" IMO (and are both great).
― o. nate, Saturday, 27 June 2020 01:02 (three years ago) link
Hard rep for the Take 1 “Pressing On” on disc 3.
― Western® with Bacon Flavor, Saturday, 27 June 2020 02:51 (three years ago) link
I'm actually not a fan of "Covenant Woman," but I prefer "Solid Rock" when it was performed early on in late 1979 - the groove was funkier. By the time they tried it in the studio, they were already streamlining the rhythm and speeding up the tempo, but the result sounds more generic and less interesting to me.
― birdistheword, Saturday, 27 June 2020 03:04 (three years ago) link
i haven’t been able to get into that bootleg set, for whatever reason... I love some of the songs on Saved — particularly “Covenant Woman.”
― OG Honeymoon Ave (morrisp), Saturday, 27 June 2020 03:38 (three years ago) link
there is def not that much distance between the live and studio versions of “solid rock”
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Saturday, 27 June 2020 06:01 (three years ago) link
Not a huge difference, but enough to render "Saved" completely useless for me.
― birdistheword, Sunday, 28 June 2020 17:46 (three years ago) link
Listening to the "Minnesota Hotel Tape," a very popular bootleg among collectors and generally one of the first ones recommended to new fans. (It was taped soon after he recorded his very first album for Columbia.) Haven't heard it in a long time, but it still sounds pretty awesome. Even the very brief moments of tape overload/harmonica distortion are appealing - a great, raw recording. Sound quality aside, it blows the debut LP out of the water - like, THIS should have been the introduction to Bob Dylan. Great songs, great performances - the recording is over 70 minutes, and it would have been easy to make a great LP out of it, there's more than enough material: "Hard Times in New York Town," "Dink's Song," "I Was Young When I Left Home," "Baby Please Don't Go," "Stealin'," "Poor Lazarus," "Wade in the Water," etc..."Black Cross" especially but Columbia might've balked at something that bold.
This blog posted a two-disc bootleg that has the whole thing preceded by more recordings from that era: https://100greatestbootlegs.blogspot.com/2016/09/90-bob-dylan-early-dylan-1961-flac.html
― birdistheword, Tuesday, 9 March 2021 06:08 (three years ago) link
(Actually meant to post this in "Bob Dylan 1962-64: The pre-electric albums" thread but whatever.)
― birdistheword, Tuesday, 9 March 2021 06:09 (three years ago) link
https://www.musicradar.com/news/slash-bob-dylan-michael-jackson
Slash on his time tracking for Bob Dylan's 1990 Under The Red Sky on the much-maligned song "Wiggle Wiggle":
Don Was hooked me up with Bob Dylan and said, 'Here's the song', it was a real basic I-IV-V blues kind of thing. Don had suggested me to play the solo for this particular song, which was like an acoustic kind of thing. So there was a section and I went down to the studio and I went in and did what I thought was a really great one-off. So I said, 'Don, make me a tape when you guys are done and let me check it out.'
So he sends me a tape the next day of the rough and the song's moving along; the lyrics and chorus go by and the solo section comes in and it's just me playing acoustic, strumming. And that's like two full progressions, whatever. And then back into the song. I said, 'What happened to the solo?' [Don said], 'Bob thought it sounds too much like Guns N' Roses.'
― birdistheword, Friday, 26 November 2021 17:48 (two years ago) link
that's a good story. I haven't spent much time with Under the Red Sky but I reckon "Wiggle Wiggle" would have been (marginally) improved by a Slash solo. Looking at the credits on that album it's kind of insane how many big name guests he pulled in - Al Kooper and George Harrison, sure, but in addition to Slash you've got David Crosby, Jimmie AND Stevie Ray Vaughan, Elton John(!)...
― Lavator Shemmelpennick, Tuesday, 30 November 2021 15:20 (two years ago) link
Good album.
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 30 November 2021 15:23 (two years ago) link
listening to it now. enjoyed the title track
― Lavator Shemmelpennick, Tuesday, 30 November 2021 15:31 (two years ago) link
I finally have all the Dylans and I can certify Budokan as the worst.
― Cow_Art, Tuesday, 30 November 2021 15:34 (two years ago) link
ok now that I am listening to it I am not sure I had ever heard Under the Red Sky. It IS good!
― Lavator Shemmelpennick, Tuesday, 30 November 2021 15:39 (two years ago) link