All Time Top 1100 Albums (Aerosmith - Big Ones) P265

FogBlueInSanFran said:
Look, I don't have a problem with Dylan's voice/singing -- I like (love) Sleater-Kinney FFS, and if you don't like Dylan's voice you would run screaming from Corin Tucker's. I have a problem with the MUSIC on side one (the "electric" side). Hard to believe this was considered a betrayal of folk ideals at the time -- it's actually a betrayal of group dynamics. These are poems set to music, but not really -- they're poems set to chords and drumbeats and random harp blowing and ragged bluesy yammering. It's mushy, and it's boring. Now these might be wonderful poems to those to whom they speak -- which isn't me -- but even I can recognize creative genius when I read it. But are there any hooks? No. Is there any innovation whatsoever to the backbeat? No. Do the songs all sound the same? No, but then again, yes.

Onto the folk side . . . and I'm just going to say it: "Mr. Tambourine Man" was done MUCH better by the Byrds (sorry, purists). But after that, this is pretty great stuff -- especially "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" which can't be described any way but moving and beautiful.

How do you grade this then? It's like an antique shop -- in more ways than one, since all this shit is older than I am -- but there are some remarkable treasures and some real junk. One the one hand this is ambient music -- a record to put on in the background while I do emails or wash the pots. On another hand -- this is folk hip-hop. Which is something. But not really my thing.

I'd say "Subterranean Homesick Blues" is 8/10, the rest of the electric stuff 3/10, and the acoustic stuff 7/10. So call it 6/10 leaning to 7 but not leaning hard enough.
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superb stuff FogBlue - great write up. i can see many of your points despite this being one of my favourite albums.
 
BlueHammer85 said:
superb stuff FogBlue - great write up. i can see many of your points despite this being one of my favourite albums.
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Cheers BH. In general I’m not a Dylan fan in terms of his music (folk is not so much my jam so it’s not really personal), but as a poet, he’s inarguably one of the greatest to ever be accompanied by music, especially in his time, when his music mattered so much socially to (young, white) Americans. In that way, his innovations lyrically changed the evolutionary path of popular music. And you really can see how hip-hop owes him a debt.

I should also have noted that “Gates of Eden” is a lovely song too.
 
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FogBlueInSanFran said:
Look, I don't have a problem with Dylan's voice/singing -- I like (love) Sleater-Kinney FFS, and if you don't like Dylan's voice you would run screaming from Corin Tucker's. I have a problem with the MUSIC on side one (the "electric" side). Hard to believe this was considered a betrayal of folk ideals at the time -- it's actually a betrayal of group dynamics. These are poems set to music, but not really -- they're poems set to chords and drumbeats and random harp blowing and ragged bluesy yammering. It's mushy, and it's boring. Now these might be wonderful poems to those to whom they speak -- which isn't me -- but even I can recognize creative genius when I read it. But are there any hooks? No. Is there any innovation whatsoever to the backbeat? No. Do the songs all sound the same? No, but then again, yes.

Onto the folk side . . . and I'm just going to say it: "Mr. Tambourine Man" was done MUCH better by the Byrds (sorry, purists). But after that, this is pretty great stuff -- especially "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" which can't be described any way but moving and beautiful.

How do you grade this then? It's like an antique shop -- in more ways than one, since all this shit is older than I am -- but there are some remarkable treasures and some real junk. One the one hand this is ambient music -- a record to put on in the background while I do emails or wash the pots. On another hand -- this is folk hip-hop. Which is something. But not really my thing.

I'd say "Subterranean Homesick Blues" is 8/10, the rest of the electric stuff 3/10, and the acoustic stuff 7/10. So call it 6/10 leaning to 7 but not leaning hard enough.
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Enjoyed your write up as usual - Tambourine Man isn't one of my fav's however, you are correct The Byrd's version is miles better..............
 
Talking Heads
Remain in Light
2/10

Beth Orton
Central Reservation
4/10

David Crosby
If Only I Could Remember My Name
7/10

Def Leppard
Euphoria
2/10

Beck
Mellow Gold
2/10

Bad Company
Bad Company
6/10

New Score

Bob Dylan
Bringing it all back home
6/10

A few good numbers on here that I really enjoy (Subterranean homesick blues being the highlight), but again there are songs that I could leave and never have a need to listen to them again.

I find the layout of the album a bit strange that he effectively has an electric half and an acoustic half (potentially pandering to expected fan outrage?). If that was his plan, I would like to think he would have just told them to fuck off and do it as he pleased (you live and die by your own material right?) I think it may run slightly better if he shuffled the pack a little.

On to his devisive voice, I can live with it when it is slightly lowered in volume against the rest of the elements, when it's front and centre I find it quite cutting. That saying, people would make similar observations with Neil Young which I have grow to love so it's really an each to their own...............
 
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