Bob Dylan

[Split from the Hua Hin Jazz Festival thread in Gay Thailand, here:

http://www.sawatdee-gay-thailand.com/fo ... 11927.html (http://www.sawatdee-gay-thailand.com/forum/hua-hin-jazz-festival-t11927.html) ~Elephantspike]


Well, if I were there now, I'd go, but I have to settle for Bob Dylan in Northampton, Mass. on the 26th. I'm O.K. With that, though.


You poor sod! Times must be hard eh??

I thought he was so old now that he went by the name Bob Zimmerframe - not Bob Dyan

Wasn't he famous for those old songs "Blow Job in the Wind" and "The Thai's They are a Changin'"

He was also a HUGE hit with the mouth organ

I thought he was so old now that he went by the name Bob Zimmerframe - not Bob Dyan

Wasn't he famous for those old songs "Blow Job in the Wind" and "The Thai's They are a Changin'"

He was also a HUGE hit with the mouth organ


He was and is a legend and a fantastic singer. "Baby, please stop crying" was a great number amongst many.

A great gravel voice!!

Come on jojopreppy, what were yours, Bay City Rollers??? The Wombles??? I know, The Spice Girls!

[elephantspike]

I thought he was so old now that he went by the name Bob Zimmerframe - not Bob Dyan

Wasn't he famous for those old songs "Blow Job in the Wind" and "The Thai's They are a Changin'"

He was also a HUGE hit with the mouth organ

Dude! Where have you been hiding for the last ten years? Under a rock? Somewhere remote? Backwards, maybe? What, like, say Laos or something, for example?

Google this:

Modern Times Bob Dylan

Love and Theft

Time Out of Mind

Bob Dylan and the Pope

The man had a mid-life slump back in the Eighties, but that is over now. That was a long time ago.

As Dylan said to Donovan in 1965,

"Get with it, Kiddo!"

With an original surname like "Zimmerman", I bet poor old Bob doesn't get any airtime in Hedda's strictly non-Kosher household.

[Bob]

He was and is a legend and a fantastic singer.

Geez, Kevin, you need to get your hearing checked! Having followed Dylan since his humble beginnings in the late 50's,
I'll grant he was a revolutionary, a great song writer, a great poet (at times), and a notable pointman for the 60's generation. But he was a horrid singer and would be tossed in the first round of American Idol....hehe.

I acknowledge that what attracted many of my generation to Dylan wasn't his voice but what he had to say and his style. And maybe some of us wouldn't have found him and his music so attractive if he could have carried a note (not sure)?

He was and is a legend and a fantastic singer.

Geez, Kevin, you need to get your hearing checked! Having followed Dylan since his humble beginnings in the late 50's,
I'll grant he was a revolutionary, a great song writer, a great poet (at times), and a notable pointman for the 60's generation. But he was a horrid singer and would be tossed in the first round of American Idol....hehe.

I acknowledge that what attracted many of my generation to Dylan wasn't his voice but what he had to say and his style. And maybe some of us wouldn't have found him and his music so attractive if he could have carried a note (not sure)?
Sure Bob doesnt have a 'pretty' voice, but his versions of his songs are far superior to other versions by people with prettier versions - eg The Byrds, who turned his songs into soul-less elevator music (wouldnt include Joan Baez's versions in this criticism though).

No one lasts for 50 years and stays successful in any business, let alone the music business, without them being somebody that is very special, as Dylan has always been and still is. He is one of the only few real superstars that are left and is still up on stage doing his thing. Long may he continue to do so as far as I am concerned. Rock on Bob and I hope we can look forward to hearing some feedback from you Spike, as to how the concert went.

Choc Dee,

G.

He was and is a legend and a fantastic singer. "Baby, please stop crying" was a great number amongst many.

A great gravel voice!!

Come on jojopreppy, what were yours, Bay City Rollers??? The Wombles??? I know, The Spice Girls!

To tell you the truth I never really liked Dylan (Zimmerman/Frame) OR the Beatles OR the Stones

I prefer the true "gravel voices" of Van Mossison or Bruce "The Boss" Springsteen as well as enjoying Ella Fitzgerald, BB King, Tina Turner. Lou Rawls, Nat King Cole and Ray Charles

Throw in some modern stuff from Canuk Bryan Adams and Harry Connick Jr wth a little Elton John and I am totally happy

Although I could be tempted with some Wiggles if the mood lighting was right!!

Everyone sing now " Hot Potato, Hot Potato ......"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FV6nJxg7mM0

[Bob]

Dylan's a hero of mine but.......
Now listen to this great song (Like A Rolling Stone)....and just tell me it doesn't almost hurt your ears to listen to his angelic voice...hehe:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO0gSJGJ7Fs

[elephantspike]

That's a great version of that song, Bob. It's from the film No Direction Home.

He never sounded like Judy Garland, but man, It makes me wish I was older so I could have seen him then. I saw him just last year, and I think he's still great, and still relevant, but his voice was a lot clearer in those days. It is still very expressive, though.

Anyway, sorry for the thread hijack. I'm a member of someone else's phpbb board where this subject fits better (A Bob Dylan fan site!). I'll post a thread in the Global Forum about the concert after it happens in a few weeks.

So....Anyone going to the Hua Hin Jazz Fest?

[Aunty]

I guess Bob Dylan is a bit like Billie Holiday in that respect. She too had quite possibly the worse voice a singer ever had. But you tell me what other artist who's been dead for 50 years, and who recorded many of her songs 60-70 years ago, yet you can still walk into any two-bit music store anywhere in the world and buy her music? And you can hear her on recent commericals and film as well. The women is still selling. She might sound like shit, but the women is singing pure emotion, and that hasn't changed in 70 or 700 years. (Let's see if Ella Fitzgerald is still selling in 50 years time)

So while Dylan might sound and look like shit (but not his hottie son) it's the story he has to tell that keeps his records selling. Personally when I listen to music I want to feel, not think, which is why you don't find any Bob Dylan in my CD collection.

[elephantspike]

So while Dylan might sound and look like shit

Taken last fall in Rochester, NY:

http://www.sawatdee-gay-thailand.com/forum/images/expecting_rain/rochester_06_4.jpg

Hey, I wouldn't pay to see the guy go-go dancing in his underpants, but I hope I can look that much "like shit" when I'm 65.

Soundwise, here is the concert I went to here in Portland, ME last fall. It's a free download, and sounds fantastic (If you like great rock music) :

9 November 2006 - Portland, ME - mp3s at 256 kbps
Part 1: http://rapidshare.com/files/3037000/200 ... part_1.zip (http://rapidshare.com/files/3037000/2006__9_November__Portland__ME__part_1.zip)
Part 2: http://rapidshare.com/files/3041377/200 ... part_2.zip (http://rapidshare.com/files/3041377/2006__9_November__Portland__ME__part_2.zip)
Part 3: http://rapidshare.com/files/3043199/200 ... part_3.zip (http://rapidshare.com/files/3043199/2006__9_November__Portland__ME__part_3.zip)
Or
Part 1: http://www.sendspace.com/file/1nvzs6
Part 2: http://www.sendspace.com/file/evy7m2
Part 3: http://www.sendspace.com/file/k7x16i
Or mp3s at 160 kbps
Part 1: http://rapidshare.com/files/3268829/Portland_1.zip.html
Part 2: http://rapidshare.com/files/3269008/Portland_2.zip.html

[Aunty]

Well since I'm such a huge Billie Holiday fan I can't resist posting some of her music. Bob Dylan, step aside.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=rT_h8mQsD1Y&mode=related&search=


and


http://youtube.com/watch?v=7IYTx60s07A&mode=related&search=


and with a young Louis Armstrong


http://youtube.com/watch?v=bWtUzdI5hlE&mode=related&search=


and finally, one of the last songs she sang before she died. Lyrics that many here should take to heart I think.


http://youtube.com/watch?v=_PqtQbJR02g&mode=related&search=



Now you can all go back to Bob Dylan. :cyclopsani:

[Bob]

Long before my time, but Billie Holliday had a very good voice. I would think you're issue is with her style (hey, blues songs sound that way) as opposed to her voice.
But, yes, Billie Holliday, Ella Fitzgerald, Al Jareau, etc., certainly conjure up feelings versus heavy thoughts. To be honest, I thought much of Dylan's early work (for example, Farewell Angelina, North Country Blues, Maggie's Farm, etc.) was much more bluesy (albiet, a bit of the hillbilly blues) than rock. It took other artists (Like Joan Baez singing Farewell Angelina) to make some of the songs more palatable and/or more saleable and a lot of Dylan's famous songs are clearly laments against societal wrongs and are more at home at a peace demonstration. Sort of a Pete Seeger on LSD.....
Dylan has written a huge number of songs and is still the poet laurette of the "wasted" (said with fondness) 60's generation.

[elephantspike]

Dylan's 2001 album Love & Theft is as bluesy as he's ever been. The new one, Modern Times has a few blues numbers on it too. I think his current blues sounds more urban than his older hillbilly blues. His current band gives even his older numbers that edge when played live. He has been quoted as saying that his current band is the best he had since The Band, and I agree.

Great Billie Holiday clips Aunty. Thanks.

What makes a "good voice"? The ability to convey emotion. Dylan, Billie Holliday, and I'll add Nina Simone to the list -- none great singers from a technical perspective, but the emotion is what makes them great.

[Smiles]

A few more personal favourites with odd-yet-affective voices: Janis Joplin, Neil Young, and the guy who sings 'Woke Up This Morning' during the intro credits of 'The Sopranos'.

Cheers ...

Joe Cocker and Rod Stewart are two more with croaking voices who can nevertheless wring emotion out of a song.

[Bob]

Ah, Joe Cocker singing You Are So Beautiful......it doesn't get much better than that.

[Aunty]

Which just goes to show you about something I've always thought about singers. It's not having the best voice that makes the best singer, it's the ability to convey the emotion and story of the song. That's not to say singers with great voices can't also put out stunning music. If they can combine both, then it can be something quite special.


http://youtube.com/watch?v=RfEjIR7kpPI

[Aunty]

And here's another song (also an ad - current one actually) I haven't a cluse what the words mean, but I don't need to. The emotion gives it away.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=mbVewAVsoME&mode=related&search=

Which just goes to show you about something I've always thought about singers. It's not having the best voice that makes the best singer, it's the ability to convey the emotion and story of the song.

Speaking as someone who was there at the time, I think what hasn't been said above is that Zimmerman was closely aligned with a particular mood of his time and a lot of that had to do with a part of South East Asia that much of blue collar America was finding itself in. He wasn't blue collar but he was accessible to the angst and aspirations. The giants of the time were Elvis, Jagger, Lennon/McCartney and Dylan. According to my classmates, you weren't supposed to like them all but each helped me wear a different mood at different moments. They're all on my i-pod still along with loads of other stuff from enka to Elgar.

Best voice? Deutekom singing the Queen of the Night on Decca. Callas, Pavarotti

[elephantspike]

Speaking as someone who was there at the time

You guys are all talking about The Old Days. Bob Dylan is not yet past tense at all.

My whole point is that this guy has great New stuff Now that young people today love. Most of the people at the concerts now are under 30. The last 3 albums are fantastic. Has anyone else heard any of them? Last year's Modern Times was #1 in the USA for four weeks when it was released.

Speaking of commercials, this one is very Here And Now. Bob Dylan's Someday Baby from his 2006 album Modern Times as a commercial for iPod:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJbAyQXcJfE :bom:

[Aunty]

I like that track Elephantspike, I love that blues riff on the guitar. Thanks for posting it. Is the rest of the album like that? That sounds pretty good. Maybe I might buy a copy and check it out. How old is Bob Dylan now anyway?

[lonelywombat]

What makes a "good voice"? The ability to convey emotion. Dylan, Billie Holliday, and I'll add Nina Simone to the list -- none great singers from a technical perspective, but the emotion is what makes them great.

I was slightly more right wing than Bob Dylan, but of the "poor voices" of that era that could sell a song, make it meaningful and memorable, can I add Louis Armstrong.

What a Wonderful World still rates one of my all time favourites.

As a singer he is a great trumpet player, he has that something that for me is all time great.

[Smiles]

This is a neat little thread.

My favourite voice of all time, Sam Cooke. Smooth as silk, always in control, but sublimely sexual ... all at the same time. 'Sentimental Reasons' and 'You Send Me' wrapped into one ~ dig the sweet segue from one song into the other. Nobody does lalalalalalal dadeedadee like Sam:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3v05XbsVbF0



Sam Cooke's 'soultrain' version of Dylan's Blowin' in the Wind (of all songs)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=fzhP9zRmlEA



Not sure if this is the song that LonelyWombat is referring to, but whatever, there's no version of 'Wonderful World' as good as Cooke's. ( Herman's Hermits made it a monster hit on the charts . . . Sam Cooke took it and wrapped it around his heart ). The background video a little schmaltzy, but just shut your eyes.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=PH67vKRjp5s


Cheers ...

[Bob]

I'm not sure that's the title for the Sam Cook song, Khun Smiles. Louis Armstrong sang What a Wonderful World (I could be wrong but think it was part of the Robin Williams "Good Morning Vietnam" film). Go to Youtube, search for Khun Louis, and you'll see it about 3-4 songs down..... Some nice music.

Edit: Just checked my MP3 collection...yea, the Cook song is "Wonderful World" whereas the Armstrong song (different) is "What a Wonderful World."

[elephantspike]

I like that track Elephantspike, I love that blues riff on the guitar. Thanks for posting it. Is the rest of the album like that? That sounds pretty good. Maybe I might buy a copy and check it out. How old is Bob Dylan now anyway?

He just turned 66. There are 2 songs on Modern Times That are more blues-rock style than that one, and the rest are ballads, and this is something he started on the previous album: The ballad arrangement instead of his traditional acoustic-folk style, are more like jazzy lounge-style, a'la Frank Sinatra or Tony Bennet. Such as This one, When The Deal Goes Down:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSXE5e4_C6A

This one, Beyond the Horizon:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUR7Fl-lcAE

and this is made with a bootleg of a live version of Spirit on the Water:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMP-eO1Kc7U


As good as this album is, though, I don't think it tops his previous effort, "Love & Theft" from 2001. That one is his best since 1966's Blonde on Blonde, and he's had lots of albums since then, some of them quite good.

[Aunty]

So what do people think of this guy? Amazing, shocking, unexpected, captivating, repellent? Is anyone here familiar with his music. For some strange reason when I see the first one I think of Cedric and how charming it would be to walk through winter's coldest landscapes with him and hear the crunch of the snow and ice underfoot. Given that neither of us live or were born in places where it snows, it doesa seem a little odd!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsgcdl8dIew&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKg8T71UZs4&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMN5GJnYjrk&mode=related&search=

[Aunty]

He just turned 66. There are 2 songs on Modern Times That are more blues-rock style than that one, and the rest are ballads, and this is something he started on the previous album: The ballad arrangement instead of his traditional acoustic-folk style, are more like jazzy lounge-style, a'la Frank Sinatra or Tony Bennet. Such as This one, When The Deal Goes Down:


As good as this album is, though, I don't think it tops his previous effort, "Love & Theft" from 2001. That one is his best since 1966's Blonde on Blonde, and he's had lots of albums since then, some of them quite good.

Thanks for posting those clips, Elephantspike. I like the bluesy - folksy cross of the music. Some of those songs (especially the first one) almost sounded like they were being sung by Willie Nelson! Are you a fan of his as well?