A Simple Twist Of Fate - The Bob Dylan Thread

Joe Mac said:
Just listening to Infidels for the first time in years seeing as I just picked up a really clean Japanese OG.

My thoughts:

1. There’s some good songs on here; but
2. The production is horrendous; and
3. The music is really ponderous, could the guitar lines be any more dull? So
4. I hope there are some stripped back versions on the new bootleg set.
5. While the above also applies side B has a least a smidge more life in it.
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That all said, and all true: I have an unreasonable love for it.
 
avecigrec said:
That all said, and all true: I have an unreasonable love for it.
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Hahaha! It’s not one I’m hugely familiar with to be honest, I’d kind of avoided 80s Dylan until recently. I’d heard it at home as a kid/teen years ago but this really is more initial thoughts as much as anything.

Also it’s probably a fair amount to do with Mark Knoffler, I’m not so much a Dire Straits fan lol!
 
It took me a long time to really open up to Infidels, too, but I've really been enjoying it the last few months. It's certainly a unique Dylan album and sounds more dated than probably anything else I've really dug into so far. Some interesting/questionable choices on the tracklist for sure, notably leaving off "Blind Willie McTell" and "Too Late" (two versions of which were posted earlier in this thread and will be on this fall's Bootleg Series, and I guess turned into "Foot of Pride", which I don't like nearly as much), though in the context of the album, I'm not sure they would have fit anyway.

I've also really enjoyed this, which was released last spring, channeling those infamous late-night performances into "what could have been" the full album.

 
BjorgenFjorgen said:
It took me a long time to really open up to Infidels, too, but I've really been enjoying it the last few months. It's certainly a unique Dylan album and sounds more dated than probably anything else I've really dug into so far. Some interesting/questionable choices on the tracklist for sure, notably leaving off "Blind Willie McTell" and "Too Late" (two versions of which were posted earlier in this thread and will be on this fall's Bootleg Series, and I guess turned into "Foot of Pride", which I don't like nearly as much), though in the context of the album, I'm not sure they would have fit anyway.

I've also really enjoyed this, which was released last spring, channeling those infamous late-night performances into "what could have been" the full album.

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Yeah Blind Willie McTell is a really strange one. There’s a version of it on the Bootleg 1-3 set and it’d certainly have elevated the album!
 
Joe Mac said:
Hahaha! It’s not one I’m hugely familiar with to be honest, I’d kind of avoided 80s Dylan until recently. I’d heard it at home as a kid/teen years ago but this really is more initial thoughts as much as anything.

Also it’s probably a fair amount to do with Mark Knoffler, I’m not so much a Dire Straits fan lol!
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I had a spell of deciding I to go deep on the 80s stuff because everyone generally hated it and I had (and still do at times) a bit of a contrarian streak. Infidels and Saved rounded out my top 3, after Desire, for a number of years in my mid/late twenties - and damn was it fun to see the rise that got out of people!

In fact, up until being gifted a copy of Nashville Skyline a couple of months ago those three were the only Dylan I had on wax.

These days I would say without hesitation that Oh Mercy is the best 80s Dylan, but Infidels is still my favourite. My excitement for Sly & Robbie on this one may be inversely proportional to your disfavor of Mark Knoplfer. ;)
 
Joe Mac said:
Yeah Blind Willie McTell is a really strange one. There’s a version of it on the Bootleg 1-3 set and it’d certainly have elevated the album!
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Definitely. I can't remember right now which version is in the film I'm Not There, but I think it's the one with Knopfler on guitar. (I could be totally wrong.) I always thought it was one of Dylan's best songs, which just makes it all the more incredible that there was no definitive version released on a studio album. Certainly, it's one of his most powerful vocal performances!
 
avecigrec said:
I had a spell of deciding I to go deep on the 80s stuff because everyone generally hated it and I had (and still do at times) a bit of a contrarian streak. Infidels and Saved rounded out my top 3, after Desire, for a number of years in my mid/late twenties - and damn was it fun to see the rise that got out of people!

In fact, up until being gifted a copy of Nashville Skyline a couple of months ago those three were the only Dylan I had on wax.

These days I would say without hesitation that Oh Mercy is the best 80s Dylan, but Infidels is still my favourite. My excitement for Sly & Robbie on this one may be inversely proportional to your disfavor of Mark Knoplfer. ;)
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Hahaha! I like it!

I find it very hard to overlook Blood on the Tracks as my favourite, I’d have it in my all time top 3 by any artist, but Desire is very high up for me too.

Ive gone on a few Dylan buying sprees and have picked up a few mofis down the years too. I’m on 28 of the 39 studio albums wiki has listed and have a few of the bootlegs. Hopefully at some point I’ll have all 39 and all the bootleg ones…
 
BjorgenFjorgen said:
Definitely. I can't remember right now which version is in the film I'm Not There, but I think it's the one with Knopfler on guitar. (I could be totally wrong.) I always thought it was one of Dylan's best songs, which just makes it all the more incredible that there was no definitive version released on a studio album. Certainly, it's one of his most powerful vocal performances!
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That’s Bob though. You think Blood on the Tracks is perfect then hear Up To Me and wonder how that didn’t get added on!
 
avecigrec said:
I had a spell of deciding I to go deep on the 80s stuff because everyone generally hated it and I had (and still do at times) a bit of a contrarian streak. Infidels and Saved rounded out my top 3, after Desire, for a number of years in my mid/late twenties - and damn was it fun to see the rise that got out of people!

In fact, up until being gifted a copy of Nashville Skyline a couple of months ago those three were the only Dylan I had on wax.

These days I would say without hesitation that Oh Mercy is the best 80s Dylan, but Infidels is still my favourite. My excitement for Sly & Robbie on this one may be inversely proportional to your disfavor of Mark Knoplfer. ;)
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That's the great thing about Dylan! People can have completely different favourite albums since so many of them are so great. Generally makes for more interesting and lively discussions than artists who don't have as many varied but still awesome albums. Reminds me of my affection for the oft-lambasted Self Portrait :)
 
Joe Mac said:
That’s Bob though. You think Blood on the Tracks is perfect then hear Up To Me and wonder how that didn’t get added on!
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That's a great example. It's been a while since I've listened to it or the rest of More Blood, More Tracks, as I've been sticking to the test pressing mp3s I found online last year, but I should give it another go soon. That might have been an instance of "amazing song, but can't find the right spot for it in the tracklist." Maybe also a casualty of the "everything sounds too same-y" criticism that got him to re-record so much of the album in the first place.
 
Joe Mac said:
Hahaha! I like it!

I find it very hard to overlook Blood on the Tracks as my favourite, I’d have it in my all time top 3 by any artist, but Desire is very high up for me too.

Ive gone on a few Dylan buying sprees and have picked up a few mofis down the years too. I’m on 28 of the 39 studio albums wiki has listed and have a few of the bootlegs. Hopefully at some point I’ll have all 39 and all the bootleg ones…
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Blood On The Tracks is a beast! I can agree without hesitation that it's his best album, but Desire will probably always be my favourite. My number 3 these days seems to alternate between Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde On Blonde, depending on my mood.

I think one of the biggest draws to Desire for me, and The Traveling Wilburys Volume 1, is that it feels very evident that he's enjoying himself - which isn't exactly a common feeling through his catalogue to me.
 
I'm at 24 of the studio albums on wax, plus Before The Flood and Bootleg series 5, 14, 15.

I have Bootlegs 1-3, 4, 6, 7, 8 (the 3cd set), 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 on CD.

I find Dylan just infinitely listenable.

My favorite album is Blood on the Tracks, but so many of his albums are worthy of that consideration.
 
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Blind Willie McTell on the 1st bootleg series is one of the greatest songs of all time ..how that got left off an album by anyone is mind blowing...possibly the best unreleased song of its time by anyone ?

Can’t think of another better ?
 
I was on the fence whether to get the deluxe version of the new Bootleg Series entry or just stick with the 2 disc highlights version. Decided to get the deluxe because it had some interesting sounding selections, and this era really hasn’t been covered deeply on previous entries in the series. Liking a lot of what I’ve heard so far, but still have a lot to go through.
 
Any get Springtime in NY Bootleg Series Vol 16 yet ? I thought I seen a couple copies in the spinning thread. Just ordered mine. 2lp has gone pretty quick in stores, OOS stock in alot of places.

 
I've got a digital of the 2 CD set, pretty underwhelmed to be honest , not one of the best .
JohnnyCashFan said:
Any get Springtime in NY Bootleg Series Vol 16 yet ? I thought I seen a couple copies in the spinning thread. Just ordered mine. 2lp has gone pretty quick in stores, OOS stock in alot of places.

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