The Album Review Club - Week #147 - (page 1942) - Blonde On Blonde - Bob Dylan

threespires said:
Just looked up what that album is, you're not funny ya know :-)

There's been a lot of good discussion already so job's a good 'un (admittedly not all of it connected to the album but on the plus side I now know what a kitchen caddy is, so selfishly I'm happy).

Serious question, do you think you got answers to the questions you posed? I haven't seen anyone objecting to the subject matter as such. The overall opacity of the lyrics it seems people have struggled with.
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Ha I was conscious that just a couple of weeks ago Foggy nominated an album we might find difficult and most people didn't find it difficult in the way he expected. My initial nomination had a big defence of why it was legitimate for me to pick a religious album but having seen the response to Foggy's nomination I decided I didn't want to insist on a response. I thought it might be dismissed because it's a religious record and bluemoon seems to have a dismissive reaction to all religions. This hasn't materialised maybe because most people couldn't understand the lyrics so didn't have that visceral response to it.

I was curious if people would dismiss it because they either didn't understand its world view or disagreed with it. Similar to my response to Guitar Town - I don't get the references and what I did get i don't vibe with (small town open road kind of stuff). If id been reviewing it having never heard it that's probably what I would be talking about.

I only provided a few discussion points after someone said my review was rambly (which I agree with). I did try and convey in my nomination how thrilling it was to me discover this in someone's record collection and I wanted to share that. In my review of Definitely Maybe I mentioned that the reason I like that album is it feels like Oasis are sharing their favourite songs. I wanted that sharing thing to be the main thing really. Here is an album I love maybe you'll like it.

I did find it interesting that many people have found it musically irritating rather than lyrically objectionable (most people commented they couldn't hear them but when they were noted they weren't done so critically). Sooooo I may nominate something in the future with easier to hear religious words to see if it generates any kind of response - there was one I was toying with nominating before this one.

Ultimately I was excited to share something I love with people I like to see what they thought
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
Of course. I am on record wishing we had two weeks to review records, with a new record every week (so you always have two to listen to but two weeks to do them), but I recogniz(s)e that's unwieldy too. I wanted more time -- and a lyric sheet! I think my wife would really like this, btw -- going to play some for her on our drive home from Oregon this weekend and listen again to the whole thing.
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We would be on to a new album by then but I would genuinely be interested in what she thinks especially as the Roan nomination came via her :)
 
mrbelfry said:
Ha I was conscious that just a couple of weeks ago Foggy nominated an album we might find difficult and most people didn't find it difficult in the way he expected. My initial nomination had a big defence of why it was legitimate for me to pick a religious album but having seen the response to Foggy's nomination I decided I didn't want to insist on a response. I thought it might be dismissed because it's a religious record and bluemoon seems to have a dismissive reaction to all religions. This hasn't materialised maybe because most people couldn't understand the lyrics so didn't have that visceral response to it.

I was curious if people would dismiss it because they either didn't understand its world view or disagreed with it. Similar to my response to Guitar Town - I don't get the references and what I did get i don't vibe with (small town open road kind of stuff). If id been reviewing it having never heard it that's probably what I would be talking about.

I only provided a few discussion points after someone said my review was rambly (which I agree with). I did try and convey in my nomination how thrilling it was to me discover this in someone's record collection and I wanted to share that. In my review of Definitely Maybe I mentioned that the reason I like that album is it feels like Oasis are sharing their favourite songs. I wanted that sharing thing to be the main thing really. Here is an album I love maybe you'll like it.

I did find it interesting that many people have found it musically irritating rather than lyrically objectionable (most people commented they couldn't hear them but when they were noted they weren't done so critically). Sooooo I may nominate something in the future with easier to hear religious words to see if it generates any kind of response - there was one I was toying with nominating before this one.

Ultimately I was excited to share something I love with people I like to see what they thought
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It still remains to be seen what the scores on the doors say, but even if at one level it's a failed experiment it's a noble one that stops things becoming stale.

I've contemplated nominating something with religious lyrics, in part for the same reasons you mention but it's quite hard to find something of the right 'quality'. A lot of it is a bit Lilith Fair so will have at least a couple of regulars losing their shit irrespective of any spiritual dimension. I've thought about the aforementioned Jennifer Knapp's debut album because though it's quite obviously religious it's got quite an intimate, reflective feel and a quiet intensity, almost angsty at times which I thought might be interesting. She's also an interesting artist because she subsequently came out as gay and lost a certain chunk of her audience, what she's since said musically and more broadly is interesting to me. I ultimately shied away from it because though I personally like her music, I think too many here would just feel the musical side of it didn't have enough depth or heft. But as various noms have shown, maybe it's a dangerous game double guessing the thread response.
 
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threespires said:
It still remains to be seen what the scores on the doors say, but even if at one level it's a failed experiment it's a noble one that stops things becoming stale.

I've contemplated nominating something with religious lyrics, in part for the same reasons you mention but it's quite hard to find something of the right 'quality'. A lot of it is a bit Lilith Fair so will have at least a couple of regulars losing their shit irrespective of any spiritual dimension. I've thought about the aforementioned Jennifer Knapp's debut album because though it's quite obviously religious it's got quite an intimate, reflective feel and a quiet intensity, almost angsty at times which I thought might be interesting. She's also an interesting artist because she subsequently came out as gay and lost a certain chunk of her audience, what she's since said musically and more broadly is interesting to me. I ultimately shied away from it because though I personally like her music, I think too many here would just feel the musical side of it didn't have enough depth or heft. But as various noms have shown, maybe it's a dangerous game double guessing the thread response.
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Never knowingly actually listened to any Jennifer Knapp. I've always assumed she was a standard CCM pop act. There is a Maria McKee album I may nominate in the future but there is a bunch of other stuff I'd want to get through first
 
mrbelfry said:
Never knowingly actually listened to any Jennifer Knapp. I've always assumed she was a standard CCM pop act. There is a Maria McKee album I may nominate in the future but there is a bunch of other stuff I'd want to get through first
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Tbh that's not an unfair characterisation, I just happen to think her first album had a bit more about it but I think I'd be very much in the minority.

If I was going for a Maria McKee album, I'd go for Life is Sweet. Underrated songwriter IMO. A few people on here like her I think.
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
As long as it's not the Indigo Girls, I promise to give it a fair shake :)
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But everybody likes Scooter Boys....don't they? :-)

I'm think I'm about to nominate either a Patty Griffin or Shawn Colvin song on the playlist thread, the acceptable face of Lilith ??
 
threespires said:
Tbh that's not an unfair characterisation, I just happen to think her first album had a bit more about it but I think I'd be very much in the minority.

If I was going for a Maria McKee album, I'd go for Life is Sweet. Underrated songwriter IMO. A few people on here like her I think.
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Yes it would be Life is Sweet. Hadn't listened to it for years. It was actually the Roan week that reminded me of her. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it. People may find it a bit samey but I like it
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
Apparently everyone else hated this record, but I have a bit of a different view.
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Apparently you missed two reviews over the weekend that came in at exactly or 0.5 within your score, so there is that on the plus side too.

I realize all the talk of kitchen utensils, repetition (and if I mention that am I actually being repetitive?), and fish or sausage or the like possibly had it all drowned out, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen.

Kinda like Brentford might have won had City not had the big guy, but I can assure you, all were there. ;-)
 
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