- I’d like to talk about a new Bob Dylan tribute album that’s out today called Bob Dylan in the ’80s: Volume One, in the hope that I can make some sense out of it. As the title plainly states, Bob Dylan in the ’80s is focused on Dylan’s least celebrated decade, a period the man himself believes just about put an unceremonious end to his storied career. It features a few artists you might have heard of (like Built to Spill and Glen Hansard) and many you haven’t covering songs that Dylan himself rarely plays anymore. Saluting this era is analogous to erecting a statue in honor of “fat” Elvis or awarding a Medal of Honor to The Hangover Part III. It’s a toast to stasis, if not flat-out decay. I’m not suggesting that Bob Dylan in the ’80s is not a good record (it is!), but it’s very weird (and yet also somehow predictable) that it exists.
thenewgreen, I think you're a Dylan fan, you might enjoy this article.
I just saw Daniel Lanois, who produced and played on Dylan's Oh Mercy Monday night. He was playing as one of three members of Emmy Lou Harris's band and I'm like "Damn, her band is ridiculously good what's up?" I kept wanting to catcall the stage about how great her band was. Looked them up after and it all made sense. One of the most important (if not the) producers of the 80's. Emmy told a story onstage...she found him when her record company asked her who she wanted to work with if she could work with anyone. She had been listening to Oh Mercy nonstop and asked for Lanois. The album he made with her is also good and underrated. It was released 19 years ago and they are just touring for it now...
Oh Mercy hit 40 on the pop charts (which is pretty good as Dylan albums probably have a much longer burn than most pop hits) and I remember the video for Political World getting a fair amount of play on MTV. Dylan may have had a slump during part of the 80's but I think that could be said for most decades of his multiple decade career.
Huh, maybe it's because I don't know many Dylan fans outside of Hubski but I rarely hear people talk about his 80s stuff.
I enjoyed reading this. I own such a small percent of the music Dylan has released so I don't feel experienced enough to comment on this, but I did like the point about listening to "bad" records (I know that distinction is unfair but whatever) analytically rather than for enjoyment. One good example is Radiohead. I'm embarrassed to even have Pablo Honey in my library but on some levels it's nice to look at just for the sake of appreciating where they went from there.
Pablo Honey and the Bends are both amazing. Don't be embarrassed.
I don't think i'd say that regarding pablo honey. Radiohead is my favorite band ever and i think all their music has its place. The Bends is a fantastic album but i wouldn't mention it in the same sentence as pablo honey unless i was pointing out how much better The Bends is (eg my earlier comment).
Pablo Honey is straightforward. It's poppy. Creep was a hit but i don't think it has any more value for music in general than any pop song out today. To me, Pablo Honey is like Mumford & Sons or The Lumineers... It scratches an itch the first couple times and then really starts to bother me. So i wouldn't call it amazing. Especially not when you consider what Radiohead are capable of. Dude, they made Kid A. It blows my mind how they can eschew the hit formula on a whim and still be the biggest band in the world.
I still like Pablo Honey but it could be that I was 16ish when it came out and it's the nostalgia, but there's some bad ass rocking going on there that I don't think should be so easily dismissed. Kid-A is amazing, so are all their albums but to me, their best (meaning the one I enjoy listening to the most) is still the Bends.
That makes sense. I still have a soft spot for some of the earlier Blink 182 albums even though i recognize that they're not very good. And i'm not dismissing Pablo Honey. I still do think it has a place in Radiohead's narrative arc. I just don't want to call it amazing. I'd call it a necessary starting point. The Bends is the most thenewgreen-y, haha. That used to be my favorite too, but now i can never decide. Somewhere between Kid A and In Rainbows i guess.
I'll check it out, thanks. Also, scrimetime is a big Dylan fan. Check it out scrimer.