The notes that I am reading from during this video were written by ME, in case anyone is wondering. I was not reading notes from another source. These were MY interpretive comments about the songs. Enjoy! And feel free to comment. Thanks for watching!
Ballad Of A Thin Man was the song that first nailed me, pricked up my ears. 1966 Brisbane Australia. I was 16. After that I went back, found the change seamless from folk songs. Then I went forward & went forward ever since. Thanks so much for these reviews!
Thanks Irving. I appreciate it. Yes, Ballad of a Thin Man is a perfect song with a perfect title. I don’t think I have ever met anyone who dislikes that song.
What i enjoy with this review of the album is that it is well-put together and interesting. Often, independent reviewers on the internet make out reviewing to be a rambling session rather than an argumentation for merits. While i can thoroughly enjoy pretention on occasion, i can not stand useless pretention. The two types of reviews i think are superior to any other are either quick, succinct, and informative or dense, paradigm-shifting, and in-depth. Your videos are the good kind of pretention, meaning it falls in the later type of excellent reviews. You take the needed time to properly and passionately describe the quality of this album, which is a skill i wish others to learn.
Thank you so much for your kind comment, Peter. I worked very hard writing up and delivering the comments for my "review" of this singular masterpiece of an album, so I very much appreciate it when someone lets me know that it is enjoyed. Especially coming from one of my long-time-favorite UA-camrs! Thanks again.
Just getting to a few of these - awesome. I like the connection you made between the first and last song - thought that was very clever and thought provoking. I feel we had similar insights on this record. Will keep working through 😎
I feel unsure how you feel about my long, detailed responses, so I will just give my thoughts about the first song, for now. Like a Rolling Stone came out the day after my 12th birthday, although I don't know when I first heard it. I do remember that I first heard the shortened version on local AM radio, then I heard the full version late one summer night, sitting in my front yard, listening to KOMA - Oklahoma City. I still can remember the way I FELT about the song, and the lyrics, especially the night I heard the full song! It is a perfect example of how lyrics - especially enigmatic lyrics - always fascinated me. The music drew me in, then the lyrics sealed the deal - even though I was too young at the time to really have much understanding of the meaning, but I had at least a "subliminal" understanding. What a freaking masterpiece song!
I love your "long, detailed responses"! Thanks! Like A Rolling Stone is a song that we never tire of, isn't it? As you said, it is a masterpiece for sure.
A lot of people say it's Dylan's voice that puts them off listening to him; in my younger days it wasn't the voice but the lyrics that made me suspicious. It took me a long time to learn to 'go with it' and not be too hung up on trying to make sense of everything. I'm a bit suspicious of overly academic treatments of Dylan's words; my take on it is that he put words together that were going to sound great set to music and which were going to spin pictures in your mind which could be enjoyed even if you didn't want to study the lyrics too closely for literal meaning. It's fascinating how he went from very didactic message songs to surreal narrative, almost overnight. I always enjoy hearing your musical and lyrical analyses, very detailed and insightful.
James, many years ago I sat down and wrote a "prose-poem" (i.e., a poem written by a lazy person) that was a stream of seemingly random mental images and associations that poured from my mind as I wrote them....and no, I was not under any influence, other than a few beers....I just wanted to do it and see what happened. It actually came out damned good, haha! The seemingly random images were not random to me at all, but to others they surely must seem like jibberish, I thought......so I sent the poem to a few friends who read a lot of poetry, and I asked them to interpret it, to see if they could do so. They did not understand many of the specific details and personal connections in the imagery in the poem, but they very much got the GIST of the thread of thought behind the imagery, as well as the emotion put into it, and they actually liked the poem quite a bit. I was rather proud of it. So proud, apparently, that I somehow lost it. D'oh! Anyway, while I prefer to understand song lyrics, and try hard to do so, it is not imperative, like you wrote. In fact, even after decades of listening intently, I still can't "figure out" a few of the songs on "Blonde On Blonde"......hell, I probably haven't "figured out" ANY of Dylan's songs......he'd likely chuckle and call me "Mr. Jones" if he saw these videos!
7:36 I totally agree on that point. A lot of people tend to see "Like a Rolling Stone" like a vengeful song towards the protagonist. I see it as a statment without resentment by Dylan, facing her with the real world, but in a way where she learns to grow into a much more authentic and true individual.
Thank you!! It is so rare to meet people who view "LARS" in this way. I never knew whether I was right in my interpretation or not (same with ANY Dylan song....who knows??! haha) but it just made sense to me that it was so much more than just a "haha look at you now!" sentiment. I never bought into that. Thanks again. Jeff
The song Desolation Row might is one of my personal favorites. I can listen too it all day and not get burnt out and have for forty years. The sound takes me to a saloon across the border in a different time. The setting is much like that in the movie the Three Amigos. My question is "who is picking what sounds like a Spanish guitar on this song? Was it Dylan himself or someone else. I finally found out who played organ on Blonde on Blonde ( Al Cooper) and loved his accidental appearance on the album and his with note delay which somehow made Just Like a woman and I Want You such unique masterpieces to me. Thank you, I appreciate your reviews. Hope you are feeling better now!
Hello Tim. That 2nd guitar on Desolation Row is played by Charlie McCoy. Thanks for your nice comments! Yes Dylan's music never gets "old" to my ears even after 50+ years of listening. I know what you mean, for sure. Cheers. Jeff
@@CalicoSilver That's really pretty amazing that my favorite sounds were created by musicians on the fly who were playing instruments that were not their primary instruments. Haha, that is amazing. Thanks again!
@@timjacobs6934 Ol' Charlie McCoy was a master of several instruments, I believe. But yeah, what amazes me is that no matter who Dylan is working with, it ends up sounding good to my ears.....must have something to do with Dylan, I guess? ;-)
Not only is this a great album -- a legendary album, but Dylan is one of the greatest poets and composers of our time and I actually like his voice. The only thing that really doesn't do much for me on Dylan's album is the harmonica -- I enjoy harmonica at rare times, but sometimes it seems to be mixed too loudly and sounds tinny and gets on my nerves. Haha. But, I love the folk-rock Dylan even more than just the folk Dylan. Excellent review!
It took me some time to "warm up" to the harmonica being placed quite up front on those '60s Dylan albums too, Trannon. Like you, it initially gave me a headache until I adjusted to it. Now I love it. Do you ever notice how Dylan fans always react positively when he brings out the harmonica in live concerts? They too, like me, have probably come to really love it. But yeah, I definitely know exactly what you mean. As for this album, the ONLY complaint I have against it is the just-out-of-tune-enough-to-annoy guitar on "Queen Jane".....but the song is otherwise so perfect that I can overlook that also. I think the album is a perfect artistic statement from "Rolling Stone" to "Desolation Row", as I said in the video, and can be appreciated in that context with that thread running through it. A masterpiece, hands-down. Thanks for taking the time to suffer through the video and commenting, Trannon!
i know this is an older one, but i appreciate your dissections so much....one thing though, and it could just be me but....on 'ballad of a thin man', when he talks about swordswallowing, the throat, and the one eyed midget, i believe he is referring to a man committing an 'act' on another man, shall we say.... maybe you just didn't want to go there...anyway...does it get any better than desolation row...great as always...peace....rocky
I've heard/read that theory about the swordswallower but I never bought it, Rocky. I strongly doubt Dylan would go there in his lyric. Of course I could be wrong, but I really doubt it. Yes Desolation Row is quite amazing indeed. Cheers! Jeff
I remember being incredibly frustrated with my wife's simple dismissal of the interactive "Like a Rolling Stone" video. I thought it was brilliant so I came to her a said "Look, You have to see this video!" she said "I'm cooking." I said "just stop for a minute." she asked what it was that I needed her to see. I said, "It's Like a rolling Stone". She said, "I'll look at it later." My response..."But you don't understand!" She and I are polar opposites in that when I really love an artist like Dylan, I'm excited, effusive and I just have to show people what they're missing. She finally gave in and watched the video. Her response when it was over? "You know I don't like his voice. Now let me finish dinner." So I stomped off, "Fine, I'm done trying to share any artistic excitement with you!" She said in a monotone..."Ok".And so it goes. But I then thought..."Why do I care if she likes Dylan?" Why do people want other people to desparately agree with them? Does it somehow validate your artistic taste? In fact, why is it dangerous to discuss politics or religion with people? Why can't we just accept that the other person don't agree with you and it's not some type of attack on their intelligence or anything else?' who knows....
Amen, brother. Truer words were never spoken. I have long ago stopped trying to proselytize music or anything else. But I sure do love expressing my own (even if only my own) rapt appreciation for the few things that have consistently provided me joy in this life. I just stopped worrying whether anyone other than me shared in those appreciations. And I am comfortable in my acceptance that I obviously have very bad taste in most things. Haha!!
@CalicoSilver it never hurts my feelings when someone says that they don't like a work of art that I absolutely love. I think that one reason that I love it is because I've had certain experiences in life(that only I've had) that drew me to that song or painting or novel, etc. At the same time, I try to step lightly when someone presents me with something that I really don't like. I just say that it doesn't really speak to me rather than saying that it's crap ( who am I to know if it's crap or not). I found that with my kids, they a more open to sharing something that they love without condescending criticism. One example is that my youngest daughter wanted my to listen to a song by an artist named Mitski. It's called Bug Like an Angel and it absolutely blew me away! Brilliant original song. And more than just loving the song for myself, it shows me that Emma is really putting some thought into what is a song that gives you no answers but wonderful questions; a piece of work that forces you to think. So I loved the song plus I loved that she loves it. And I've always said, questions are far more important than the answers.
Hey Jeff, In my pantheon of favorite albums (for me) this one is absolutely at the top! The Apotheosis! I think you said that it was No. 4 on Greatest albums. For me, the fight out for No. 1 album of all time (now, I'm speaking of both musical achievement as well as influence on future musicians) would be Hwy 61,Velvet Underground and Nico, Trout Mask Replica and Revolver ( maybe I should throw in Pet Sounds as well). For me, Sgt Pepper wouldn't even b it the top 10 because it dates iself a little too much . I'll draw this to a close but one question. What do you think the deal is the problem with reading all of F.Scott Fitzgerald's books? I for one have read all of F. Scott Fitzgerald's books and find them magnificent. My assumption is that a Fitzgerald fan would be someone that is a society person, a wanna be, a guy trying to keep up with the Jones' (no pun intended). What do you think? Oh, and to my horror, When I turned 50, I realized (to my extreme consternation) that I had become the confused and misplaced Mr. Jones.
Hi Tony! It is my #1 Dylan album for sure. There are times when I prefer other albums by him at the moment, but I always come back to this one as the best he's ever done, IMHO. And of course I also love VU, TMR, and Pet Sounds. It bothered a few viewers that none of The Beatles albums were listed in my top 100 favorite albums, but as much as I enjoy and admire them, they've never done much for me emotionally. Just good quality music.....like Steely Dan, for example. Top notch stuff, but it doesn't MOVE me. Just me, I know. As for Sgt Pepper, it always sounded like children's music to my ears. Nothing wrong with that....but just me, again. I have never read any F. Scott Fitzgerald, so I can't comment on your comment in that regard. I should remedy that situation because I'm sure I would love his writing. As for being a Mr. Jones, my own person has always been a conflict between an almost-radical enthusiast for all things new and groundbreaking and an equally almost-radical preserver of all that has been "proven good and wholesome". Haha! In other words, I love Trout Mask Replica and The Partridge Family.......Twin Peaks (well, at one time, that is) and The Waltons. So I can relate to the Mr. Jones in me while sneering at him at the same time. Haha! Jeff
The notes that I am reading from during this video were written by ME, in case anyone is wondering. I was not reading notes from another source. These were MY interpretive comments about the songs. Enjoy! And feel free to comment. Thanks for watching!
Ballad Of A Thin Man was the song that first nailed me, pricked up my ears. 1966 Brisbane Australia. I was 16. After that I went back, found the change seamless from folk songs. Then I went forward & went forward ever since. Thanks so much for these reviews!
Thanks Irving. I appreciate it. Yes, Ballad of a Thin Man is a perfect song with a perfect title. I don’t think I have ever met anyone who dislikes that song.
What i enjoy with this review of the album is that it is well-put together and interesting. Often, independent reviewers on the internet make out reviewing to be a rambling session rather than an argumentation for merits. While i can thoroughly enjoy pretention on occasion, i can not stand useless pretention. The two types of reviews i think are superior to any other are either quick, succinct, and informative or dense, paradigm-shifting, and in-depth. Your videos are the good kind of pretention, meaning it falls in the later type of excellent reviews. You take the needed time to properly and passionately describe the quality of this album, which is a skill i wish others to learn.
Thank you very much for your encouraging comment!
Awesome review. Love this Dylan album. One of his best for sure. Classic album.
Thank you so much for your kind comment, Peter. I worked very hard writing up and delivering the comments for my "review" of this singular masterpiece of an album, so I very much appreciate it when someone lets me know that it is enjoyed. Especially coming from one of my long-time-favorite UA-camrs! Thanks again.
CalicoSilver You’re welcome.
Brilliant. Enjoyed your views and interpretations. Thank you, sir 😊
Thank you, Reidar. I really appreciate your kind and encouraging comment. Jeff
Just getting to a few of these - awesome. I like the connection you made between the first and last song - thought that was very clever and thought provoking. I feel we had similar insights on this record. Will keep working through 😎
Thanks. I really love this album, as do most Dylan fans for good reason. I really enjoyed your commentary on this one also. Cheers. Jeff
Wonderful, Marvellous Album and a Wonderful Marvellous Review 💯🤜🤛👏👌
Thanks, Kevin. I think this album is a masterpiece from start to finish! Jeff
I feel unsure how you feel about my long, detailed responses, so I will just give my thoughts about the first song, for now.
Like a Rolling Stone came out the day after my 12th birthday, although I don't know when I first heard it. I do remember that I first heard the shortened version on local AM radio, then I heard the full version late one summer night, sitting in my front yard, listening to KOMA - Oklahoma City.
I still can remember the way I FELT about the song, and the lyrics, especially the night I heard the full song! It is a perfect example of how lyrics - especially enigmatic lyrics - always fascinated me. The music drew me in, then the lyrics sealed the deal - even though I was too young at the time to really have much understanding of the meaning, but I had at least a "subliminal" understanding. What a freaking masterpiece song!
I love your "long, detailed responses"! Thanks! Like A Rolling Stone is a song that we never tire of, isn't it? As you said, it is a masterpiece for sure.
A lot of people say it's Dylan's voice that puts them off listening to him; in my younger days it wasn't the voice but the lyrics that made me suspicious. It took me a long time to learn to 'go with it' and not be too hung up on trying to make sense of everything. I'm a bit suspicious of overly academic treatments of Dylan's words; my take on it is that he put words together that were going to sound great set to music and which were going to spin pictures in your mind which could be enjoyed even if you didn't want to study the lyrics too closely for literal meaning. It's fascinating how he went from very didactic message songs to surreal narrative, almost overnight. I always enjoy hearing your musical and lyrical analyses, very detailed and insightful.
James, many years ago I sat down and wrote a "prose-poem" (i.e., a poem written by a lazy person) that was a stream of seemingly random mental images and associations that poured from my mind as I wrote them....and no, I was not under any influence, other than a few beers....I just wanted to do it and see what happened. It actually came out damned good, haha! The seemingly random images were not random to me at all, but to others they surely must seem like jibberish, I thought......so I sent the poem to a few friends who read a lot of poetry, and I asked them to interpret it, to see if they could do so. They did not understand many of the specific details and personal connections in the imagery in the poem, but they very much got the GIST of the thread of thought behind the imagery, as well as the emotion put into it, and they actually liked the poem quite a bit. I was rather proud of it. So proud, apparently, that I somehow lost it. D'oh! Anyway, while I prefer to understand song lyrics, and try hard to do so, it is not imperative, like you wrote. In fact, even after decades of listening intently, I still can't "figure out" a few of the songs on "Blonde On Blonde"......hell, I probably haven't "figured out" ANY of Dylan's songs......he'd likely chuckle and call me "Mr. Jones" if he saw these videos!
Another of my favourites.
Masterpiece.
7:36 I totally agree on that point. A lot of people tend to see "Like a Rolling Stone" like a vengeful song towards the protagonist. I see it as a statment without resentment by Dylan, facing her with the real world, but in a way where she learns to grow into a much more authentic and true individual.
Thank you!! It is so rare to meet people who view "LARS" in this way. I never knew whether I was right in my interpretation or not (same with ANY Dylan song....who knows??! haha) but it just made sense to me that it was so much more than just a "haha look at you now!" sentiment. I never bought into that. Thanks again. Jeff
The song Desolation Row might is one of my personal favorites. I can listen too it all day and not get burnt out and have for forty years. The sound takes me to a saloon across the border in a different time. The setting is much like that in the movie the Three Amigos. My question is "who is picking what sounds like a Spanish guitar on this song? Was it Dylan himself or someone else. I finally found out who played organ on Blonde on Blonde ( Al Cooper) and loved his accidental appearance on the album and his with note delay which somehow made Just Like a woman and I Want You such unique masterpieces to me. Thank you, I appreciate your reviews. Hope you are feeling better now!
Hello Tim. That 2nd guitar on Desolation Row is played by Charlie McCoy. Thanks for your nice comments! Yes Dylan's music never gets "old" to my ears even after 50+ years of listening. I know what you mean, for sure. Cheers. Jeff
@@CalicoSilver That's really pretty amazing that my favorite sounds were created by musicians on the fly who were playing instruments that were not their primary instruments. Haha, that is amazing. Thanks again!
@@timjacobs6934 Ol' Charlie McCoy was a master of several instruments, I believe. But yeah, what amazes me is that no matter who Dylan is working with, it ends up sounding good to my ears.....must have something to do with Dylan, I guess? ;-)
Not only is this a great album -- a legendary album, but Dylan is one of the greatest poets and composers of our time and I actually like his voice. The only thing that really doesn't do much for me on Dylan's album is the harmonica -- I enjoy harmonica at rare times, but sometimes it seems to be mixed too loudly and sounds tinny and gets on my nerves. Haha. But, I love the folk-rock Dylan even more than just the folk Dylan. Excellent review!
It took me some time to "warm up" to the harmonica being placed quite up front on those '60s Dylan albums too, Trannon. Like you, it initially gave me a headache until I adjusted to it. Now I love it. Do you ever notice how Dylan fans always react positively when he brings out the harmonica in live concerts? They too, like me, have probably come to really love it. But yeah, I definitely know exactly what you mean.
As for this album, the ONLY complaint I have against it is the just-out-of-tune-enough-to-annoy guitar on "Queen Jane".....but the song is otherwise so perfect that I can overlook that also.
I think the album is a perfect artistic statement from "Rolling Stone" to "Desolation Row", as I said in the video, and can be appreciated in that context with that thread running through it. A masterpiece, hands-down.
Thanks for taking the time to suffer through the video and commenting, Trannon!
@@CalicoSilver Haha! I enjoy your commentary.
i know this is an older one, but i appreciate your dissections so much....one thing though, and it could just be me but....on 'ballad of a thin man', when he talks about swordswallowing, the throat, and the one eyed midget, i believe he is referring to a man committing an 'act' on another man, shall we say.... maybe you just didn't want to go there...anyway...does it get any better than desolation row...great as always...peace....rocky
I've heard/read that theory about the swordswallower but I never bought it, Rocky. I strongly doubt Dylan would go there in his lyric. Of course I could be wrong, but I really doubt it. Yes Desolation Row is quite amazing indeed. Cheers! Jeff
I remember being incredibly frustrated with my wife's simple dismissal of the interactive "Like a Rolling Stone" video. I thought it was brilliant so I came to her a said "Look, You have to see this video!" she said "I'm cooking." I said "just stop for a minute." she asked what it was that I needed her to see. I said, "It's Like a rolling Stone". She said, "I'll look at it later." My response..."But you don't understand!" She and I are polar opposites in that when I really love an artist like Dylan, I'm excited, effusive and I just have to show people what they're missing. She finally gave in and watched the video. Her response when it was over? "You know I don't like his voice. Now let me finish dinner." So I stomped off, "Fine, I'm done trying to share any artistic excitement with you!" She said in a monotone..."Ok".And so it goes. But I then thought..."Why do I care if she likes Dylan?" Why do people want other people to desparately agree with them? Does it somehow validate your artistic taste? In fact, why is it dangerous to discuss politics or religion with people? Why can't we just accept that the other person don't agree with you and it's not some type of attack on their intelligence or anything else?' who knows....
Amen, brother. Truer words were never spoken. I have long ago stopped trying to proselytize music or anything else. But I sure do love expressing my own (even if only my own) rapt appreciation for the few things that have consistently provided me joy in this life. I just stopped worrying whether anyone other than me shared in those appreciations. And I am comfortable in my acceptance that I obviously have very bad taste in most things. Haha!!
@CalicoSilver it never hurts my feelings when someone says that they don't like a work of art that I absolutely love. I think that one reason that I love it is because I've had certain experiences in life(that only I've had) that drew me to that song or painting or novel, etc. At the same time, I try to step lightly when someone presents me with something that I really don't like. I just say that it doesn't really speak to me rather than saying that it's crap ( who am I to know if it's crap or not). I found that with my kids, they a more open to sharing something that they love without condescending criticism. One example is that my youngest daughter wanted my to listen to a song by an artist named Mitski. It's called Bug Like an Angel and it absolutely blew me away! Brilliant original song. And more than just loving the song for myself, it shows me that Emma is really putting some thought into what is a song that gives you no answers but wonderful questions; a piece of work that forces you to think. So I loved the song plus I loved that she loves it. And I've always said, questions are far more important than the answers.
Hey Jeff, In my pantheon of favorite albums (for me) this one is absolutely at the top! The Apotheosis! I think you said that it was No. 4 on Greatest albums. For me, the fight out for No. 1 album of all time (now, I'm speaking of both musical achievement as well as influence on future musicians) would be Hwy 61,Velvet Underground and Nico, Trout Mask Replica and Revolver ( maybe I should throw in Pet Sounds as well). For me, Sgt Pepper wouldn't even b it the top 10 because it dates iself a little too much . I'll draw this to a close but one question. What do you think the deal is the problem with reading all of F.Scott Fitzgerald's books? I for one have read all of F. Scott Fitzgerald's books and find them magnificent. My assumption is that a Fitzgerald fan would be someone that is a society person, a wanna be, a guy trying to keep up with the Jones' (no pun intended). What do you think?
Oh, and to my horror, When I turned 50, I realized (to my extreme consternation) that I had become the confused and misplaced Mr. Jones.
Hi Tony! It is my #1 Dylan album for sure. There are times when I prefer other albums by him at the moment, but I always come back to this one as the best he's ever done, IMHO. And of course I also love VU, TMR, and Pet Sounds. It bothered a few viewers that none of The Beatles albums were listed in my top 100 favorite albums, but as much as I enjoy and admire them, they've never done much for me emotionally. Just good quality music.....like Steely Dan, for example. Top notch stuff, but it doesn't MOVE me. Just me, I know. As for Sgt Pepper, it always sounded like children's music to my ears. Nothing wrong with that....but just me, again. I have never read any F. Scott Fitzgerald, so I can't comment on your comment in that regard. I should remedy that situation because I'm sure I would love his writing. As for being a Mr. Jones, my own person has always been a conflict between an almost-radical enthusiast for all things new and groundbreaking and an equally almost-radical preserver of all that has been "proven good and wholesome". Haha! In other words, I love Trout Mask Replica and The Partridge Family.......Twin Peaks (well, at one time, that is) and The Waltons. So I can relate to the Mr. Jones in me while sneering at him at the same time. Haha! Jeff