Dylan Listening Party: You Pick the Album
Which Dylan classic should aspiring fan A.J. Jacobs hear when he presses 'play' Tuesday at 8:30 p.m.?
Wednesday, July 18, 2012 - 01:17 PM
Bob Dylan
(WCLAFLIN/Bobdylan.com)
When we asked our listeners for their summer music resolutions back on June 1, we got a lot of interesting responses. Writer A.J. Jacobs' was simple: get to know the work of a singer-songwriter named Bob Dylan. We want you to help him.
(UPDATE: The listening party has been moved from 8 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. After much deliberation, Jacobs and the Soundcheck staff decided it was very important that John Schaefer watch "Pawn Stars" before getting down to business.)
"I have a lot of gaping holes in my musical education, but I think the gaping-est is...that I know very little about Bob Dylan" said Jacobs, whose books and articles have seem him strictly follow the Bible's rules for a year, outsource his whole life to India, and train himself into superhuman shape. "I've heard a few of his songs here and there, but I pledge to become much more knowledgable."
We checked in with Jacobs at the start of the summer, and now it's time to check in again - in the form of a listening party. At precisely 8:30 p.m. ET this coming Tuesday, July 24, join our host John Schaefer as he and Jacobs press "play" on a Dylan album and participate in a live chat as it progresses.
Which album will they listen to? You tell us! We're taking suggestions on Twitter, our Facebook page, and right here in the comments. Suggest away, and join us and your fellow listeners at 8 p.m. ET for a live discussion of the album as it plays. Who knows...you might just learn something along with Jacobs.
(UPDATE #2: Thanks to your suggestions, we have picked the album! Join us on Tuesday at 8:30 ET, press play on "Blood on the Tracks" and live chat with us here.)
Comments [15]
Since Bob's music has always had a chameleon-like ability, it probably should depend on A.J.'s existing tastes in music. For example if he likes newer folky artists, then the "Freewheelin'" era is great.
If his year abiding the bible led to his being reborn, then the '80's are great.
If he loves jammy rock then mid-late '70's (Slow Train)
For me...
Blonde on Blonde
Dylan (1972)
New Morning
Time Out Of Mind
"Blood" a safe bet with its theme of broken love a pop music staple, albeit with Dylan's inimitable twist ... but not, in my opinion, the groundbreaking genius of "Highway 61" ... but hey, it's your show, and apparently the people have spoken. I look forward to listening to the show via the 'net here in the Steel City.
I think this can be very easily done. Listen sitting in the bleachers in the sun, why don't you put on Highway 61!
Thanks to your comments, Tweets and FB musings, you've convinced us that 1975's "Blood on the Tracks" is the must-listen album for A.J. Jacobs next Tuesday at 8:30. Mark your calendars, dig out your copy of the album, and join us then!
None of the 60's stuff. Yes, it's legendary. But if he hasn't listened to Dylan yet, he doesn't care. Love and Theft by a mile. It is hilarious, it is prescient, it is beautiful in spots, and it was released on 9/11/01. It shows that Dylan is not a relic, and that -- if you pay close attention -- the way history unfolds is obvious and redundant, both in politics and in the bedroom.
As a teenager I was swept away by the topical songs on "Freewheelin'" and "The Times They are A-Changin'," but, outside of their historical context, they might seem archaic, and maybe even a little corny, to an initiate. Not so the full-bore musical and poetic power of "Highway 61," despite the fact that the album created the template for much of rock music and popular culture since its release. Then, maybe Cynthia Gooding's March 1962 WBAI radio interview of the young Bob Dylan, which would provide a glimpse of Dylan's knack for self-invention, and perhaps whet a curiosity to study Bob from the beginning; God knows there is enough material out there.
I would argue that it should be either Another Side of Bob Dylan or Bringing it All Back Home - they are past the early strict folk songs and signify the shift in his writing that set the stage for Highway 61 and Blonde on Blonde. In my mind, these albums need to be absorbed and understood in order to appreciate more fully all the rest.
I second Highway 61 Revisited. It has stood the test of time, and is as unusual sounding and breathtaking now as it was when I first heard it at 16 year old in 1985 - twenty years after it came out. I knew that I had never heard anything like before, nor that I would again.
Biograph provides an excellent survey though, and demonstrates his variety.
There are 3 ways in - Freewheelin', Highway 61, and Blood on the Tracks. Gives you a good sweep. Then you could go Bringing it All Back Home, Time Out of Mind, Blonde on Blonde and Desire. Or you go next to the Bootleg Series (1-3 is still the Primer, and then Albert Hall and Rolling Thunder). Of course, Tell Tale Signs gets most play for me currently. It's just a treat no matter which way you go!
.. hmm, 'Live 1966' is amazing but may not be the best for a 'beginner'/new to Dylan listener.. someone not familiar with the studio albums that preceded it--
If I were introducing someone to Dylan, I'd choose either Freewheelin' (the breadth and power of which still astounds me) or Biograph (I realize that's cheating a bit.. since it's squeezing in 3 discs! but it's a spellbinding collection--)
so difficult to choose, though!
I would go with a great but understated album like "Planet Waves" or "New Morning"
Tell Tale Signs, the deluxe £ CD version. A goldmine of great songs despite the fact that they were initially held back from general release.
As an alternative how about the most excellent Together Through Life, a masterclass in songwriting and musical performance
Live albums are totally fair game -- the Bootleg Series album you mentioned came up in the office this morning, too.
Blood on the Tracks
every song is good and Dylan is more multi-faceted by then...
Why would it be anything other than "Highway 61 Revisited"? It starts with
Like a Rolling Stone" and ends with "Desolation Row." For an initiation, how can it be beat?
OK, ok, if live albums are allowed, Bootleg Series: Live 1966 would also be acceptable.
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