Bob Dylan, American folk, Handel

(Music For Grown-Ups, The Dylan Daily’s sister site, carries this column every week; the latest column has loads of Dylan content):



FREE! Music for grown-ups on the BBC in the next 10 days

Hidden among its vast TV and radio output, the BBC broadcasts some magnificent music for grown-ups every week of the year. And it’s all free - well, sort of….

Friday 30 Jan
1400 Cecilia Bartoli in Handel’s opera Rinaldo Act 3 – BBC Radio 3
2100 Folk America (2/3) – BBC4

Sat 31 Jan
2200 Bob Dylan, Theme Time Radio Hour – BBC Radio 2

Sun 1 Feb
2000 Folk America (2/3) – BBC4
2100 Neil Young, Don’t Be Denied - BBC4
2200 Neil Young, In Concert (1971) - BBC4
2400 Bob Dylan, Theme Time Radio Hour – BBC 6Music

Tues 3 Feb
2355 Joni Mitchell, In Concert – BBC4
0105 Joan Baez, In Concert – BBC4
0135 Neil Young, In Concert (1971) - BBC4

Wed 4 Feb
2100 Buddy Holly, Arena (1985) – BBC4

Thurs 5 Feb
1400 Handel’s opera Il Pastor, overture & Act 1 – BBC Radio 3
2300 Bob Dylan, Theme Time Radio Hour – BBC Radio 2
0055 Later… Folk America – BBC4

Fri 6 Feb
1400 Handel’s opera Il Pastor Acts 2&3 – BBC Radio 3
2100 Folk America (3/3) – Blowin’ In The Wind – BBC4
2200 Dylan At Newport – The Other Side Of The Mirror – BBC4
2320 Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, In Concert - BBC4


Online access: many BBC radio programmes are broadcast live online - please see the channels’ web sites for details. Some BBC radio and TV programmes are also accessible online via iPlayer for a short period after transmission:

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer


Nearly all of the musicians listed above are profiled in my new book, Music For Grown-Ups. For full details, please click on the book cover at the top left of the Home Page of the master website:

www.musicforgrown-ups.com




Gerry Smith

Those Blowin’ In The Wind TV ads for the Co-Op supermarket chain

Two very different views:

* Micky Johns: “I’d go further: the new ads, like the women’s underwear ads from a few years ago, really upset me – what the Hell is Dylan playing at?”

* James Talbot: “Ask any musician and they’ll tell you that even earning a living from playing/singing is very hard. Few of them would begrudge Dylan or anyone else from taking the man for as much as he’s prepared to pay. In my opinion, Dylan should milk his back catalogue for all it’s worth - and good luck to him.”



XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Tour’s OK, but the Co-op ads worry me

Thanks to Pauline King:

“Unlike some Dylan Daily readers, I don’t have a problem with the NET: I always love Dylan gigs, and I’m sure 2009 will be no different.

“But the upcoming UK TV ads for the Co-op, for which Sony/Bob has licensed Blowin’ In The Wind, make me uneasy.

“Some will be reassured by the worthy left leanings of the Co-op business – it supports good causes as well as selling groceries, financial services and funerals – but I can’t stand it. If my local Co-op was the only supermarket I could use, I’d rather go hungry - it reminds me of Eastern European communism.

“The risk of Dylan associating his great art with a business is that many might not like the business and view the art in a lesser light.”

The Tour’s OK, but the Co-op ads worry me

Thanks to Pauline King:

“Unlike some Dylan Daily readers, I don’t have a problem with the NET: I always love Dylan gigs, and I’m sure 2009 will be no different.

“But the upcoming UK TV ads for the Co-op, for which Sony/Bob has licensed Blowin’ In The Wind, make me uneasy.

“Some will be reassured by the worthy left leanings of the Co-op business – it supports good causes as well as selling groceries, financial services and funerals – but I can’t stand it. If my local Co-op was the only supermarket I could use, I’d rather go hungry - it reminds me of Eastern European communism.

“The risk of Dylan associating his great art with a business is that many might not like the business and view the art in a lesser light.”

Never Ending Tour: time to end it? Encore #3

Thanks to Paddy Stewart:

“I’m with James on this one. I’ve booked London and have an awful feeling I’m going to be disappointed.

“In the last few months, several of Dylan’s rocker contemporaries – Neil Young, Van Morrison and Leonard Cohen - have been delivering shows which are among their best ever. The bar has been raised.

“The prospect of Dylan doing a run-of-the-mill gig at the 20,000-seater 02 without screens fills me with a sense of foreboding.”




xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Never Ending Tour: time to end it?

Thanks to James Appleyard:

“I’ve been a Dylan gig-goer for decades, but I booked a 2009 show recently with a heavy heart. I’m not sure I’ll even use the ticket.

“Why? Simple: déjà vu! Bob’s shows now seem formulaic to me; they show insufficient invention; and I no longer respond to his voice or musicianship.

“Dylan’s a great artist. Well, no – the greatest, by a long way. But I think I’d rather focus on the recordings from now on.

“Am I alone in this, or do other Dylan Daily readers feel the same?”

Battle of the covers bands; Senor inspires a father’s tribute to his son - BOBMANIA #2-3/2009

Tribute bands will be engaging in the 1st Annual Battle Of The Dylan Covers Bands:

www.zimmingpoint.com


And veteran NJ podcaster Mel Prussack’s newest video, Steven, is now online. It’s a musical tribute to his son, with a nod in the direction of Senor.

http://www.youtube.com/dylanshrine



Gerry Smith

Folk America: a must-watch/record series

Folk America, the central trio of one-hour documentaries in BBC 4’s timely new series of the same name, are must-watch/record programmes.

If they’re as good as BBC 4’s similar earlier series – Folk… Jazz… (etc)… Britannia they could well be the best documentaries of 2009.

The series starts tonight at 9pm: Folk America - new series exploring the revival of American folk music (Part 1), and is repeated late tonight and on Sunday. Part 2 - Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie et al – airs next Friday at 9pm, with repeats.

As for the rest of the programmes in the series – er, no thanks, not really my cup of tea.

Online access: Some BBC TV programmes are accessible online via iPlayer for a short period after transmission:

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer



Gerry Smith


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Folk America on UK TV

Thanks to Martin Cowan:

A feast of viewing is on the horizon for Dylan Daily readers and Grown-Ups everywhere, as follows:

* Friday 23 January 2009 BBC4
8.00 Seasick Steve: Bringing it all back home (documentary about the blues singer)
8.30 Seasick Steve at Reading 2008 (live performance)
9.00 Folk America - new series exploring the revival of American folk music (Part 1)
10.00 Folk America at the Barbican - Hollerers, Stompers and Old Time Ramblers - concert
11.00 Desperate Man blues - profile of Joe Bussard

* Tuesday 27 January 2009 BBC4
11.15 Richie Havens in concert
11.55 Tom Paxton In concert
12.25 Judy Collins in concert
1.00 Joan Baez in concert
1.40 Crosby and Nash in concert

* Wednesday 28 January 2009 BBC4
8.30 - Tonight in Person - Peter Paul and Mary

* Friday 30 January 2009 BBC4
8.00 BBC4 session - Bruce Springsteen at the LSO, his tribute
to Pete Seeger
9.00 Folk America (part 2 - Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie et al)
10.00 Later...folk America (Norah Jones, Johnny Cash,
Emmylou Harris etc)
11.00 Arena Rock Docs - Woody Guthrie


Online access: Some BBC TV programmes are accessible online via iPlayer for a short period after transmission:

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer

Folk America on UK TV

Thanks to Martin Cowan:

A feast of viewing is on the horizon for Dylan Daily readers and Grown-Ups everywhere, as follows:

* Friday 23 January 2009 BBC4
8.00 Seasick Steve: Bringing it all back home (documentary about the blues singer)
8.30 Seasick Steve at Reading 2008 (live performance)
9.00 Folk America - new series exploring the revival of American folk music (Part 1)
10.00 Folk America at the Barbican - Hollerers, Stompers and Old Time Ramblers - concert
11.00 Desperate Man blues - profile of Joe Bussard

* Tuesday 27 January 2009 BBC4
11.15 Richie Havens in concert
11.55 Tom Paxton In concert
12.25 Judy Collins in concert
1.00 Joan Baez in concert
1.40 Crosby and Nash in concert

* Wednesday 28 January 2009 BBC4
8.30 - Tonight in Person - Peter Paul and Mary

* Friday 30 January 2009 BBC4
8.00 BBC4 session - Bruce Springsteen at the LSO, his tribute to Pete Seeger
9.00 Folk America (part 2 - Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie et al)
10.00 Later...folk America (Norah Jones, Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris etc)
11.00 Arena Rock Docs - Woody Guthrie


Online access: Some BBC TV programmes are also accessible online via iPlayer for a short period after transmission:

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer

Never Ending Tour: time to end it? Encore #2

Thanks to Martin Cowan:

“Further to the recent debate, I would say that some of the live recordings from the last 10 years are right up with other great performances down the decades. And - let's be honest - there are detractors who can't stand the caterwauling "Rolling Stone" (1966 vintage), his "shouting" when fronting the Band in 1974, the so-called "gone Vegas" 1978 shows etc etc.

“Listening to live recordings from the mid-‘80s, many vocal tics were in place at the time, including a faithful rendition of the tune for one verse, and then lots of Dylan-esque up-and-down singing for the rest.

“It seems to me that following Good As I Been and World Gone Wrong he really discovered the joy of singing - I'm thinking of live shows in 1993, the Great Music Experience from 1994, the beautiful "Restless Farewell" at Frank Sinatra's 80th in 1995, and the scintillating "Love Sick" from the Grammys in 1998.

“However, I do think that Dylan would benefit from an extended break. The old vocal chords are not what they were and I do think the set lists have become somewhat stale and formulaic.

“It's good that he gives such exposure to recent material, but some of the stuff from the ‘70s and ‘80s deserves to be played. When he is focussed, he is still an extraordinary vocal talent and anyone who doubts this should check out his cover of Sam Cooke's "A Change is gonna come" from 2004 on YouTube:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6_nP55cAwsk

“But he does need to remember that for most of us it's words AND music and to "recite" the lyrics is not really good enough.

“I'm not sure that the O2 will be a good venue for him and I await the reviews of those who are attending with interest.”

Never Ending Tour: time to end it? Encore #1

Thanks to Matthew Zuckerman:

Any Dylan fan/appreciator/fanatic has, over the years, had to put up with a steady stream of skepticism -- can't sing, can't play, can write a little -- and either we develop a thick skin or grow to enjoy the blood-letting.

I find it more disconcerting, however, to hear long-time Dylan fans
disparaging his recent songs, recordings or performances when I myself am more deeply in awe of them than ever.

This is true of such notable Dylan commentators as Clinton Heylin and Michael Gray as well as James (and also my MP Don Foster, a long-time fan who insists his recent performances are beyond the pale and has "given up" on seeing the man on stage).

I have two theories as to why this happens.

Theory 1:

Like a wild mustang, Bob will, given time, throw any rider who attempts to ride him. Some, he threw at Newport, some at Woodstock, some at Bible school, many during the bleak 1980s, many more with his occasional mercenary ventures, and a steady trickle at various stages along the Never-Ending Tour. This probably has something to do with Dylan's ability to "seem" to express our own thoughts and feelings more clearly and deeply than we knew them to exist. He may resent it, but this inevitably means we all feel we have a whole lot of ourselves invested in his work.

When he ceases to speak for us -- or, worse, when he appears to strike out in a radically different direction -- we are unable to see what he's doing since we are so incensed at what he ISN'T doing. Those of us not thrown are wrong to attribute it to anything more than that we haven't been thrown YET.

For me -- for what it's worth -- 2005 saw him give some of the finest performances of his career, and if the three years since have been a little less revelatory, then they have still been constantly absorbing.

Theory 2:

I have tin ears.

Guess which theory I hold to.



James Appleyard wrote:

> ³I¹ve been a Dylan gig-goer for decades, but I booked a 2009 show recently with a heavy heart. I¹m not sure I¹ll even use the ticket.
>
> ³Why? Simple: déjà vu! Bob¹s shows now seem formulaic to me; they show > insufficient invention; and I no longer respond to his voice or musicianship.
>
> ³Dylan¹s a great artist. Well, no the greatest, by a long way. But I think > I¹d rather focus on the recordings from now on.
> Am I alone in this, or do other Dylan Daily readers feel the same?²

Never Ending Tour: time to end it?

Thanks to James Appleyard:

“I’ve been a Dylan gig-goer for decades, but I booked a 2009 show recently with a heavy heart. I’m not sure I’ll even use the ticket.

“Why? Simple: déjà vu! Bob’s shows now seem formulaic to me; they show insufficient invention; and I no longer respond to his voice or musicianship.

“Dylan’s a great artist. Well, no – the greatest, by a long way. But I think I’d rather focus on the recordings from now on.

“Am I alone in this, or do other Dylan Daily readers feel the same?”

Nature’s voice: Dylan’s everywhere! #1/2009

Thanks to David Carter:

“Bob turns up in some unexpected places!

“In the spring edition of my RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) members’ magazine "Birds", highlighting the theme of the magazine, Nature's voice, is the following headline:

“Nature's voice,
Makes my heart rejoice,
Play me the wild song of the wind.”

Bob Dylan, Huck's Tune, 2007

“This is captioned over a photo of a Red Squirrel!”


(All lyrics quoted are used for the purpose of criticism or review. Huck's Tune by Bob Dylan, Copyright © 2007 Special Rider Music.)

William Zantzinger obituary

Thanks to Peter Truin for reminding me that the London-based Daily Telegraph carried a detailed obituary of William Zantzinger, as featured in Dylan’s classic The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll:

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/4224527/William-Zantzinger.html



Gerry Smith

Street Legal, according to Michael Gray

Thanks to Francesca Barnes:

“Funny that Dylan Daily should cover Michael Gray (on tour) so soon after your discussion of Street Legal.

“I happened to be reading Gray (S&DM3) on Street Legal at the weekend, and was struck by his impressive, lengthy analysis. Gray sees the CD as a coherent suite of songs charting Dylan’s replacement of married love by a nascent Christian faith.

“I like much of Gray’s writing and, though I’ve no religious agenda, I found this piece especially convincing and recommend it to your readers.”

Alphabet - Dyl-Time Theme Radio Hour - BOBMANIA #1/2009

Thanks to Mel Prussack:

“My new podcast of Dyl-Time Theme Radio Hour is now online. The theme this month is Alphabet. I hope everyone enjoys it!”

http://dylanshrine.podOmatic.com

Michael Gray to tour his BOB DYLAN & THE POETRY OF THE BLUES gig

If you haven’t yet caught Michael Gray’s recommended BOB DYLAN & THE POETRY OF THE BLUES gig, you get another chance in the next few months:


BOB DYLAN & THE POETRY OF THE BLUES: An Evening With Michael Gray
“wit, erudition, loud music and rare footage”

Thu Feb 19, 8pm Colchester Arts Centre, UK
Church St., Colchester, Essex
Box Office: 01206 500900 / www.colchesterartscentre.com
tickets £10, £8 concessions

Fri Feb 20, 8pm Belltable Arts Centre, Limerick, Ireland
temporarily at 36 Cecil Street, Limerick, Eire
Box Office: ticketline 061 319 866 or:
boxoffice@belltable.ie
tickets €15, €12 concessions

Fri Mar 6, 7.30pm Birkenhead Pacific Road Arts Centre, UK
Pacific Road, Birkenhead, Wirral CH41 1LJ
Box Office: 0151 666 0000 or:
http://www.pacificroad.co.uk/webpages/booking.asp
tickets £10, £8 concessions

Tue Mar 31, tba Daemen College, Amherst NY, USA
4380 Main Street, Amherst NY 14226
Box Office: n/a; free admission (may be campus members only)

Thu Apr 2, 4.30pm Washington College, Chestertown MD, USA
The Rose O’Neill Literary House, 300 Washington Avenue,
Chestertown, Maryland 21620
Box Office: n/a; free admission (may be campus members only)

Fri Apr 3, 7.30pm Nyack Village Theatre, Nyack NY, USA
94 Main Street, Nyack NY 10960
Box Office: [001] 845-367-1423
tickets $20

Fri Apr 17, 8pm Buxton Opera House, UK
Water Street, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 6XN
Box Office: 0845 127 2190 / www.buxtonoperahouse.org.uk/booking
tickets £8

Thu Apr 23, 7.30pm Herne Bay Little Theatre, UK
Box Office: 01227 366004
tickets £12, £10 concessions

Wed Apr 29, 4.30pm Farmingdale State College, State Univ. of New York, USA
English & Humanities Department, Farmingdale State College
2350 Broadhollow Road, Farmingdale (Long Island)
NY 11735-1021, USA; Tel: [001] 631-420-2050
Box Office: n/a; free admission (may be campus members only)

Sat May 2, 8pm Bridgwater Arts Centre, UK
11-13 Castle Street, Bridgwater, Somerset TA6 3DD
Box Office: 01278 422700 / www.bridgwaterartscentre.co.uk
tickets £12, £10 concessions

Sat May 9, 8pm The Market Theatre, Ledbury, UK
Market Street, Ledbury, Herefordshire HR8 2AQ
Box Office: c/o Tourist Information Office 01531 636147 /
www.themarkettheatre.com/
tickets £10

Wed May 13, 7.30pm Uppingham Theatre, Rutland UK
32 Stockerston Road, Uppingham, Rutland LE15 9UD
Box Office: 01572 820820 / upp.the.arts@uppingham.co.uk
www.uppthearts.co.uk / or in person at Uppingham Bookshop
or at Stamford Arts Centre
tickets £8.50

Fri May 15, 7.30pm Cotswold Playhouse, Stroud, UK
Parliament Street, Stroud GL5 1LW
Box Office c/o Stroud Tourist Office: 01453 760960 /
www.cotswoldplayhouse.co.uk/jm/
tickets £12, £11 priority booking, £10 concessions

Sat May 16, 7.30m Festival of the Spoken Word, Berwick-on-Tweed, UK
The Main House, The Maltings Theatre & Arts Centre,
Eastern Lane, Berwick upon Tweed TD15 1AJ
Box Office: 01289 330999 / www.maltingsberwick.co.uk
tickets £10, £8 concessions

Fri May 29, 7.30pm Exchange Studio, Hazlitt Arts Centre, Maidstone
Earl Street, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1PL
Box Office: tel 01622 758611/
www.hazlittartscentre.co.uk/pages/booking.html
tickets £12.50, £10 concessions

Sat May 30, 8pm Bridport Arts Centre, Dorset UK
South Street, Bridport, Dorset DT6 3NR
Box Office: 01308 424204 / www.bridport-arts.com/
tickets tba


An enjoyable, stimulating evening/late afternoon awaits you!




Gerry Smith

Street Legal remasters: how good are they? Encore #2-4

* Thanks to Paul Ryles:

“In my opinion, either of the remastered versions of Street Legal, the 1999 remaster or the SACD issue, is worth a purchase.

“In both versions the 'muddy, muffled, insufficient separation...' of the original are gone. What you get is crystal clear music, so the muddy sound of the original was probably created at the mixing desk rather than as a result of poor recording in the studio.

“I think the transformation is nothing short of spectacular, but I will admit so some bias, as Street Legal has also been one of my favourites, even the muddy sounding vinyl original. I love the wordiness of the songs, especially as this was the time of disco.

“Hunt out either reissue and purchase, you won't be disappointed.”


* Thanks to Martin Cowan:

“In reply to your question, I would say yes, definitely worth getting. I have the 2003 remaster and it certainly is refreshing to hear this strong and intriguing set of songs in all its crystal-clear glory.

“I do have one reservation, however. While "Changing of the Guards" sounds superb (though there is a bizarre additional instrumental verse which sounds like it was somehow looped on to the end), many of the other tracks have an annoying echo on the vocals, which is a disappointment. This is a shame, because if you listen to "Senor" on "Biograph" (for which it was also remastered), there is no sign of the nasty echo.

“Reservations aside, I recommend you pick this up pronto.”


* And thanks to a third reader who sent a private message:

“I am probably some kind of weird person because I reckon I listen more to some of Street legal than just about anything else. From that
perspective then, at today's prices, I would say definitely worth it.

“In particular, Changing of the Guards and Where Are You Tonight? are much improved. Something I hadn't expected is that, compared with my old CD, the new one has maybe thirty seconds more instrumental at the end of Changing of the Guards which to my mind enhances the song. I like that song a lot, without having the foggiest idea what it's 'about'.”

Street Legal remasters: how good are they? Encore #1

Thanks to Tiernan Henry:

“I’m sure you’ve had plenty of responses to your question so I’ll just join in too.

“Some background: “Street Legal” was the first Dylan album I bought on release. I already had a couple by 1978, and had “acquired” a couple of others from my brother and sister’s collections.

“A common theme I’ve found among Bob listeners is the warmth with which we all regard our first Dylan album. “Hard Rain” remains the favourite of a friend of mine as it is the one that introduced him to Bob all the way back in the late ‘70s. Likewise I have more than a passing regard for “Street Legal”. I was 15 when it came out; the perfect age to listen and listen and listen to an LP. I still know the album inside out, so deeply did it get lodged in my brain back then.

“I bought a CD version sometime in the late ‘80s and found it almost totally unlistenable: it was muddy, dull and damp. In that first flush of CD releases the record companies were obviously not bothering about source tapes and were just getting back catalogues out there on sale. Though the album remained a firm favourite and though I would return to it on occasion I found that I would listen to the LP more than the CD (and in the car I had a tape I’d made from the LP).

“The 1999 remaster was and is a revelation. There are a number of reasons: they worked from the original tapes; it was obviously a work of love; and it sounds astounding. Though there is still bleed into the various mikes – remember that this was essentially an album that was recorded live – the separation has improved immensely. It is louder, though not simply as a result of levels being jacked up, and not in a way that causes loss of definition or detail. It has a really full, rounded and live feel to it.

“To my ears it sounds better than the LP. One other unexpected bonus was that “Changing of the Guards” is a full minute longer than on the LP (and earlier CDs) – there is an extended coda that really allows the band to kick the verse and chorus into high gear.

“I didn’t get the subsequent redone version because I didn’t think that they could improve it anymore.

“Though I listen to most of the albums over the course of the year “Street Legal” remains the one I probably listen to most, on CD and on my iPod.

“I hope that helps and I hope that a fresh listen to one of the newer versions opens up the album for you. It is worth listening – if you can – to the old CD and then sticking on the ‘99 remaster immediately after. Think Paul and road to Damascus!”

Series Of Dreams: a stimulating new study of Dylan the songwriter

By Anne Ritchie


Listeners who enjoy dissecting Dylan’s lyrics will be stimulated by Series Of Dreams, the new critical study by John Burns.

Compared with the heavyweight classics of Dylan Lit (notably Gray and Ricks), Burns’ book might be slight, but it’s an accessible way into a study of Dylan’s art - which can be as daunting as starting to study Shakespeare.

Burns applies his well-honed critical insight by focusing on what he calls “vision songs” – a couple of dozen classics from across the catalogue.

His antennae are mostly well-tuned – I particularly like his appreciation of the imagery in Chimes Of Freedom. And his comments on TOOM, especially Not Dark Yet, are revelatory. His discussion of Highlands made me reassess it – I’d always switched off half way through what I heard as a tedious shaggy dog story. And Burns’ appreciation of Dylan’s voice and his performance art, throughout the book, is right on the money.

I have a few misgivings. The author struggles to justify his “visionary songs” theme – “songs which open our eyes and help us to see” - for example when discussing Isis.

Burns can also be dogmatic, at times committing the cardinal sin of deciding what Dylan means or is trying to say. On a few occasions, he misses the obvious – for example, the nuances of the looks on Dylan’s face during the musical jousting with Donovan in the hotel room jamming scene in Don’t Look Back. And familiar rock hack prejudices crop up in the author’s ignoring of the achievements of great pre-Dylan pop writers such as Cole Porter.

But I combed Burns’ text closely enough to unearth such reservations, which suggests that he successfully engaged me in a serious discussion about Dylan’s art.

Series Of Dreams is a stimulating new study: recommended.

A round of applause for Glen Murray Publishing, too – this handsome, well-designed volume is a pleasure to handle.


DETAILS: Series Of Dreams: The Vision Songs Of Bob Dylan, by John Burns, published by Glen Murray Publishing, November 2008, 136pp, £12.99, pbk, ISBN 9780955318351.

Available from:

www.glenmurraypublishing.co.uk

Street Legal remasters: how good are they?

Like most listeners, I’ve long been aware that the original Street Legal album, while comprising impressive Dylan material and performances, suffers from poor sound quality – muddy, muffled, insufficient separation , blah, blah…

Listening to the original CD release today on a poor quality “hi-fi” (who’s kidding whom?) in my daughter’s car, I was stunned anew by just how bad the album sounds.

Is it worth replacing the original CD with either of the subsequent releases? Do they improve the sound sufficiently to justify the effort of acquiring?

Your thoughts welcome.



Gerry Smith

Yet more new Dylan books in 2009

With the Dylan bookshelves already groaning, many more new titles are scheduled for 2009. I’ll be buying (probably from Amazon):

Jan
* The Cambridge Companion to Bob Dylan (Cambridge Companions to American Studies) by Kevin J. H. Dettmar (hbk/pbk - 31 Jan)

Feb
* The Political Art of Bob Dylan by David Boucher and Gary Browning (pbk)

March
* Bob Dylan: The Illustrated Biography (Classic Rare & Unseen) by Chris Rushby (hbk, 1 Mar)

* Bob Dylan (Music Icons) by Luke Crampton and Dafydd Rees (pbk, 25 Mar)

April
* Revolution in the Air: The Songs of Bob Dylan, 1957-1973 by Clinton Heylin (hbk)

* Dylan: 100 Songs and Pictures by Bob Dylan (pbk)

May
* Bargainin' for Salvation: Bob Dylan, a Zen Master? by Steven Heine (pbk)

* Highway 61 Revisited: Bob Dylan's Road from Minnesota to the World by Colleen J. Sheehy and Thomas Swiss (pbk)

June
* Real Moments: The Photographs of Bob Dylan by Barry Feinstein (pbk)



Gerry Smith

Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid – enhancing the official CD

Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid has long been a favourite Dylan CD in these parts. Its exquisite musicality gives the lie to critics who claim Zim is a wordsmith but not a convincing musician.

The only problem with it is that it’s too short and omits some worthwhile material.

Reader Jake Squires “added a couple of tracks left off the official release, so my enhanced CDR tracklist runs:

1. Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid
2. Workin' For The Law
3. Billy 1
4. Bunkhouse Theme
5. River Theme
6. Turkey Chase
7. Knockin' On Heaven's Door
8. Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid
9. Billy 4
10. Billy 7

BONUS TRACKS:
Peco’s Blues
Goodbye Holly

The extras aren’t brilliant, but they fit the vibe and extend a short album by about six minutes.”

Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid - on the big screen again

This month offers a rare chance to see a great Dylan film on the big screen again. The National Film Theatre at London’s BFI is showing Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid on Sun 18, Thurs 22 and Sun 25 Jan, as part of its Sam Peckinpah season.

“Now re-edited in close accord with Peckinpah’s original intentions”, so presumably this is the 1988, not the messed-up 1973, release.

Great movie, great sound-track, great director, great art-house cinema.



www.bfi.org.uk




Gerry Smith