It's good to see that 19 comments in nobody has said anything silly about Bob dylan. I was having a conversation with some friends recently about influential artists and I said that Dylan has no equal and how he is influenced and shaped music both in the United States and around the world. one of the responses was " Doug will leave your personal tastes out of this."
So I wrote this...
As for Dylan, this idea that my personal tastes are what elevate him to the pinnacle, is a common tactic used to dismiss his influence on and importance to American Music and it's similar to how people dismiss Freud based on a snake in a dream. It diminishes his enormous and unequalled impact on not only music in the US and around the world but on society as well.
I don't particularly care for the Beatles, but I'm not going to deny that they might be (a distant) second to Bob Dylan. There's volumes written on Dylan's influence on the Beatles, very little in the other direction. When the Beatles were singing She loves you, Bob Dylan was singing the times they are a changin
I would say Tom Waits is perhaps his only equal but again my personal tastes are irrelevant placed next to the professional musicians who have covered, or gushed about him.
Look at who performed at Dylan's Birthday Celebration in MSG: Stevie Wonder, John Mellencamp, Booker T MGs, Lou Reed, Eddy Vedder (he spent all day just watching everyone else rehearse) and Mike McCready, Tracy Chapman, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Don Was, Johnny Winter, Mike Bloomfield, ron Wood, Richie Havens, The Clancy Brothers (renowned Irish Folksingers) Roseanne Cash, Mary Chapin-Carpenter and Shawn Colvin, Neil Young, Chrissie Hynde, Paul Shaffer, Eric Clapton, Booker T Jones, The Ojay's, George Harrison (the best Beatle) Tom Petty, Roger Mcguinn,
What other Artist could even dream of that many people, of such varying genres to come and play their music. The answer is 0.
Oh, those are just a bunch of old guys from the 60s and 70s, you say: Look at the wiki page: "list of artists who've covered Bob Dylan songs"
The Black Crowes, Bad Religion, Band of Skulls, Beck, Dierks Bentley, James Blunt, Edie Brickell, Garth Brooks, Kelly Clarkson, Cold Play, Concrete Blond. Sheryl Crow, Miley Cyrus, Ani DiFranco, Indigo Girls, Darius Rucker, Mumford, Chili Peppers
Echo and the Bunnymen, The Sisters of Mercy, Brian Ferry, Floggin Molly, Govt Mule, Guns and Roses, Buddy Guy, Sammy Hagar, Robyn Hitchcock, Hole, Maroon 5, Ministry, Morrisey
Wyclef Jean, K'naan, Kesha, Alicia Keys, Taj Mahal, Bob Marley,
Burl 'frickin' Ives man!
I'll stop at the M's... If you are not impressed by either of those lists, I submit that you have the blood of royals.
You simply could not find one other artist with that many covers of his/her songs from that diverse of a list. There's a reason why he plays 200 shows a year (at 81!) and has been doing so for 40 years - I've seen him in a high school gymnasium in Bristol, Tennessee with 300 people and I've seen him in an arena with 5000 and somehow in 2022 he still drew 3500 people in North Charleston and it's not because I pulled out the phone book, called people and convinced them of his greatness based on my personal tastes.
The guy was so misunderstood by the general population that by the time they got around to awarding him a Lifetime Achievement award at the Grammy's they realized they had never actually awarded him a Grammy. No other singer songwriter has ever won a Nobel Prize - dismiss it if you like I'm sure there are reasons to suspect it's all a scam - but the fact remains.
This is not the first time I've had to show just how influential Dylan has been and invariably, like the vaxaddicts and corona crazies who respond to mountains of evidence with, "ya, but COVID!", invariably there's some sort of retort along the lines of "ya but his voice!" and to that I say, "YES! HIS VOICE! IT IS AMAZING."
One last tidbit. Daniel Lanois had just finished producing U2s most successful and signature album The Joshua Tree in 1987. He was the most sought after producer in the world and could have worked with anyone he wanted to and named his price. Take a guess at who he worked with next.
Jack Nicholson presents him with the award. Perhaps the greatest acceptance speech in history. No hyperbole. Try to fit defiled into your acceptance speech?!
the artist formerly known for his support of the homeless, war veterans and the american worker but now a vax pusher unfortunately, really sums it all up here inducting him into the hall of Fame
_______
httpa://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LLoyNxjhTzc
Bob Dylan wrote this song and I submit that it is one of the greatest love songs ever written. I learned it on piano when my daughter was born and played it to her nonstop much to my wife's chagrin and listening to it now let's just say it's a little dusty in here
"My Back Pages"... Nice!! So much talent on one stage. (Though, honestly, I don't look at Neil Young the same way since the Joe Rogan/Spotify incident. Anyone who doesn't believe in free speech... can't go that, no matter how much talent!)
Too bad Neil young is there. Total hippo
Oh was that ever needed today,
far too much misery for the thoughtless divisiveness sprouting up......your thoughts and music are indeed a needed balm......
thank you!
Too bad young complained about Rogan
He’s on my shit list..
Good gathering tho !!!!
It's good to see that 19 comments in nobody has said anything silly about Bob dylan. I was having a conversation with some friends recently about influential artists and I said that Dylan has no equal and how he is influenced and shaped music both in the United States and around the world. one of the responses was " Doug will leave your personal tastes out of this."
So I wrote this...
As for Dylan, this idea that my personal tastes are what elevate him to the pinnacle, is a common tactic used to dismiss his influence on and importance to American Music and it's similar to how people dismiss Freud based on a snake in a dream. It diminishes his enormous and unequalled impact on not only music in the US and around the world but on society as well.
I don't particularly care for the Beatles, but I'm not going to deny that they might be (a distant) second to Bob Dylan. There's volumes written on Dylan's influence on the Beatles, very little in the other direction. When the Beatles were singing She loves you, Bob Dylan was singing the times they are a changin
I would say Tom Waits is perhaps his only equal but again my personal tastes are irrelevant placed next to the professional musicians who have covered, or gushed about him.
Look at who performed at Dylan's Birthday Celebration in MSG: Stevie Wonder, John Mellencamp, Booker T MGs, Lou Reed, Eddy Vedder (he spent all day just watching everyone else rehearse) and Mike McCready, Tracy Chapman, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Don Was, Johnny Winter, Mike Bloomfield, ron Wood, Richie Havens, The Clancy Brothers (renowned Irish Folksingers) Roseanne Cash, Mary Chapin-Carpenter and Shawn Colvin, Neil Young, Chrissie Hynde, Paul Shaffer, Eric Clapton, Booker T Jones, The Ojay's, George Harrison (the best Beatle) Tom Petty, Roger Mcguinn,
What other Artist could even dream of that many people, of such varying genres to come and play their music. The answer is 0.
Oh, those are just a bunch of old guys from the 60s and 70s, you say: Look at the wiki page: "list of artists who've covered Bob Dylan songs"
The Black Crowes, Bad Religion, Band of Skulls, Beck, Dierks Bentley, James Blunt, Edie Brickell, Garth Brooks, Kelly Clarkson, Cold Play, Concrete Blond. Sheryl Crow, Miley Cyrus, Ani DiFranco, Indigo Girls, Darius Rucker, Mumford, Chili Peppers
Echo and the Bunnymen, The Sisters of Mercy, Brian Ferry, Floggin Molly, Govt Mule, Guns and Roses, Buddy Guy, Sammy Hagar, Robyn Hitchcock, Hole, Maroon 5, Ministry, Morrisey
Wyclef Jean, K'naan, Kesha, Alicia Keys, Taj Mahal, Bob Marley,
Burl 'frickin' Ives man!
I'll stop at the M's... If you are not impressed by either of those lists, I submit that you have the blood of royals.
You simply could not find one other artist with that many covers of his/her songs from that diverse of a list. There's a reason why he plays 200 shows a year (at 81!) and has been doing so for 40 years - I've seen him in a high school gymnasium in Bristol, Tennessee with 300 people and I've seen him in an arena with 5000 and somehow in 2022 he still drew 3500 people in North Charleston and it's not because I pulled out the phone book, called people and convinced them of his greatness based on my personal tastes.
The guy was so misunderstood by the general population that by the time they got around to awarding him a Lifetime Achievement award at the Grammy's they realized they had never actually awarded him a Grammy. No other singer songwriter has ever won a Nobel Prize - dismiss it if you like I'm sure there are reasons to suspect it's all a scam - but the fact remains.
This is not the first time I've had to show just how influential Dylan has been and invariably, like the vaxaddicts and corona crazies who respond to mountains of evidence with, "ya, but COVID!", invariably there's some sort of retort along the lines of "ya but his voice!" and to that I say, "YES! HIS VOICE! IT IS AMAZING."
One last tidbit. Daniel Lanois had just finished producing U2s most successful and signature album The Joshua Tree in 1987. He was the most sought after producer in the world and could have worked with anyone he wanted to and named his price. Take a guess at who he worked with next.
...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k7sFHsw8-_w
Jack Nicholson presents him with the award. Perhaps the greatest acceptance speech in history. No hyperbole. Try to fit defiled into your acceptance speech?!
______
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SRu66l3QI_U
the artist formerly known for his support of the homeless, war veterans and the american worker but now a vax pusher unfortunately, really sums it all up here inducting him into the hall of Fame
_______
httpa://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LLoyNxjhTzc
Bob Dylan wrote this song and I submit that it is one of the greatest love songs ever written. I learned it on piano when my daughter was born and played it to her nonstop much to my wife's chagrin and listening to it now let's just say it's a little dusty in here
My husband, John Diaz produced this 30th Anniversary Show of Dylan. It was his favorite show. Brilliant!
The other page will not open
I was was a fan of Young
Buffalo Springfield was one of my favorite
Bands still is.
Young’s songs
Expecting to fly
I am a child
Are brilliant
Loved CSNY
LIKED cinnamon girl
But when he whined about Rogan
That was it damn
Love those songs
But black eye to Neil Young for
Not paying attention to real science.
Funny Clapton and he on same stage
Both got shots poor Clapton loses
Dexterity in fingers
Young in the loss of thinkers
Too bad hate to put anyone on
Thrown to find out he is a chump!
True love their art not necessarily the
Artist
We want our old heroes to be Heroes
Lovely stuff. Thank you Mark!
The Byrds My Back Pages one of the greatest songs ever!!!
Thanks
"My Back Pages"... Nice!! So much talent on one stage. (Though, honestly, I don't look at Neil Young the same way since the Joe Rogan/Spotify incident. Anyone who doesn't believe in free speech... can't go that, no matter how much talent!)
Ahhhh the O’Jays… thank you- I grew up in Cleveland and went to school with
Sandy Denny's, "Who knows where the time goes?". Puts your life and eventual death into the front and center of now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsqztvHIB9Y
Thank you very much. It's a luxury gift. I love all of them and they are from my time. A big hug ❤👏👏👏👏
Yep, music and American history. Thanks.
"The horror, the horror..."
(Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad.)
Oh God, yes, the horror. Beyond imagination.
When lyrics and words mattered.
Thank you for "My Back Pages." It made my day.