This is it, the first real landmark number, album number fifty. This marks that I am now 1/20th of the way though the 1001 project and aside from the occasional hyperventilation and headaches this has thus far been relatively painless. Personally it is a surprise that I made it past one month let alone to fifty albums, it makes you wonder why certain projects just fall flat after a few starting hurdles (and let’s face it there were a few of those in the early stages of this blog) while others really do have staying power. Maybe it’s because there have been some definite surprises and discoveries that have been made and as such has further cemented my love for music whilst simultaneously shaping my opinions. If that is truly the case then I can think of no artist more apt for this landmark number than Bob Dylan.My experience of Bob Dylan previous to Bringing It All Back Home boils down to the album I have previously reviewed, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, and Modern Times which I gave a go two years ago and gave up after listening to two tracks. So my knowledge of his music was nothing if not underwhelming and rather different. This is why I can always appreciate when I hear a familiar track or two on his albums as it makes me feel more musically savvy than I am in reality.
When stacking up Bringing It All Back Home against The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan there is no contest for me, the former is better and here’s why. There has been a considerable improvement in his guitar and harmonica playing abilities, ok the voice hasn’t really got any better but I guess that’s part of his charm. Also there is a progression in the arrangement in the first half of the album with him employing a actual backing band, with there being an acoustic second half. It won’t take much to guess which of these halves I preferred.
That isn’t to say that the acoustic half isn’t good though, as Mr. Tambourine Man is by far the best song on the album and a bit reminiscent of the older Bob Dylan material, but the first half marks a new step in his sound. He continues with his self-named tracks in the form of Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream which is in essence a random surrealist flight of fancy regarding the discovery of America by a fictional character reminiscent to Captain Ahab from Moby Dick (here named Captain Arab).
Also worthy of mention, not just because it is one of ’those’ songs, is Subterranean Homesick Blues. This quick-fire opener is one of the reasons that you can tell that this is a step forward from his previous incarnation as the voice of acoustic folk rock protest. Here he still has some of the lyrics that one would come to expect from him but this time it is executed in a far smarter way by giving it the sheen of a fast-paced folk-rock number whilst still throwing in references to causes and struggles. The same can be said for Maggie's Farm, which was later used by protesters against Margaret Thatcher, as this once again utilises a hook and more fast-paced blues structure whilst still maintaining the heart of protest.
In the end Bringing It All Back Home is a very apt name for this album for as an artist this marks his maturation and his ability to tie all the loose ends together to make a cohesive album. With the exception of the overly long It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) this is a consistently long album which makes me look forward to the albums of his to come which are considered his masterpieces.
8.0/10
Fab Four:
Subterranean Homesick Blues
Maggie’s Farm
Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream
Mr. Tambourine Man
New York 10/27/09 R. Frankel
ReplyDeleteFew artists can lay claim to the controversy that has surrounded the career of songwriter James Damiano. Twenty-two years ago James Damiano began an odyssey that led him into a legal maelstrom with Bob Dylan that, to this day, fascinates the greatest of intellectual minds.
As the curtain rises on the stage of deceit we learn that CBS used songs and lyrics for international recording artist, Bob Dylan. Bob Dylan’s name is credited to the songs. One of those songs is nominated for a Grammy as best rock song of the year. Ironically the title of that song is Dignity.
Since auditioning for the legendary CBS Record producer John Hammond, Sr., who influenced the careers of music industry icons Billy Holiday, Bob Dylan, Pete Seger, Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Ray Vaughan, James has engaged in a multimillion dollar copyright infringement law suit with Bob Dylan.
As per court papers it is judicially uncontested by Bob Dylan and or Bob Dylan’s law firms Manatt, Phelps & Phillips , Parcher Hayes & Snyder, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, Hecker Brown and Sherry and Sony House Counsel that Bob Dylan and people in Bob Dylan’s entourage have solicited music and lyrics written by James Damiano for a period of over ten years and eleven months.
Interestingly enough Judge Jerome B. Simandle decided “This court will accept as true Plaintiff’s allegations that Sony represented to him that he would be credited and compensated for his work if Dylan used it. Judge Simandle also stated in his decision “Plaintiff has demonstrated a genuine issue of material fact as to whether defendants had access to his work.
http://jamesdamiano.yolasite.com/