It occurred to me that I haven't done a Yer Rock and Roll in ages - plenty of clips but not a yer Rock and Roll. It was inevitable that I would get round to Bob Dylan sooner or later and so here is the elderly gent. I only ever saw him live once - at Brixton Academy in the mid-1990s - the conventional wisdom is that he either turns up ready and willing to perform or he - well - just turns up and goes through the motions grumpily. Fortunately, the time I saw him he was willing and able and a fine concert it was too. I'm not going to all the stuff about Dylan's merit or lack of it as a poet etc so straight into the songs - two (very) oldies.
The first is Subterranean Homesick Blues. The clip is well-known - it must be the original promotional video. Watch at the end when our man get completely out of synch as regarding discarding the cards in time to the music...
The second is Highway 61 Revisited. I said I wouldn't launch off about Dylan as poet but the lyrics are very fine. The artwork is by an Italian guy called Giovanni Rabuffetti.
4 comments:
I'm one of those who thinks that Dylan's words are more powerful when sung by another artist. Who wouldn't rather hear Hendrix do "All Along the Watchtower"?
As for "Highway 61 Revisited", I prefer the Johnny Cash (spooky) or the PJ Harvey version.
But that's just me.
I've always been an admirer of Dylan and his "my way or nothing at all" attitude, but he seems to have had a whole lifetime of 'bad hair days'.
As for Rabuffetti and his artwork, I liked it.. a lot. Being artistic is the equivalent of having an inner eye. Sadly, the only extra eye I have is my 'Japs eye'
That Subterranean clip--from the opening of Don't Look Back may still be the best rock video ever, as well as quite possibly the first (though "The End" at the beginning and ending of Apocalypse Now) comes close....
Yogaforcynics - welcome to my humble blog. This blog plainly needs a resident doctor. Consider yourself appointed. Do you do virtual house calls?
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