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

It’s twenty years since I listened to this album at least and I can’t for the life of me think why. So when I first played it this week it felt like welcoming an old friend. It’s been on for most of the week such is my affection.

An album of shimmering beauty, every song a story of depth, emotion and truth. Add to that the sophistication of the musicianship and for me that adds up to the finest pick this thread has seen. I’m not going to bang on about the genius of the bass or some of the steel guitar work. This is Joni at her very very best and that best is very very hard to top.

A 10 from len.
 
BlueHammer85 said:
I really wanted to like this! But … I just couldn’t

Joni Mitchell has always been on my plans to listen too and I’m grateful to finally listen to one her albums properly- being a massive Dylan fan i really was hoping I’d get a similar experience- but nothing clicked.

She clearly is a unique talent, has a great voice, the production sounds great and there’s nice instrumentation all the way through

‘Coyote’ and ‘Amelia’ were a strong start but found the rest a struggle, much to my annoyance.

Thanks for the pick though and a great write up to present this Album

5/10
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Trust me it will reveal itself and reward repeat listens. Try 'Blue' as well.
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
This isn't jazz to me (save maybe "Blue Motel Room") because it's the singing that's the boat and the music that's the river, whereas in jazz (save for certain great vocalists -- e.g. Billie Holiday), it's all river with maybe a key instrumentalist as a boat.
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I see it slightly differently. The vocalist in Jazz is often just another instrument. Literally in the case of a singer like Cleo Lane. It can also be the main attraction though - think Diana Krall (albeit she is a wonderful jazz pianist as well).
 
A quick review as I'm off out.

I liked her voice, it has a nice quality to it. What I didn't like was the same style over and over again. Some of the music was nice as well. But...like others on here it didn't grab me. There's nothing I've listened to that would make me go back and re-listen. Which is a shame.

5/10
 
What makes me like any Song is either a guitar riff, a hook, a catchy chorus or passage off singing, or combination of.
Like Cohen (albeit with a melodic voice) it's rambling over instantly forgettable background music. I just seem to wait forever for something to happen, but nothing does. Not my thing at all, so for me just a 2.
 
southamptonblue said:
What makes me like any Song is either a guitar riff, a hook, a catchy chorus or passage off singing, or combination of.
Like Cohen (albeit with a melodic voice) it's rambling over instantly forgettable background music. I just seem to wait forever for something to happen, but nothing does. Not my thing at all, so for me just a 2.
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In general I agree -- I just found the background music here more interesting or quirky, almost ambient, and loved her voice.
 
At some point today Hejira was in the top 5, then the top 10 ,but it's eventually finished on exactly the same number or nominators and points as two others. However, the fact that it scored three 10s means that it takes top place in that particular mini battle. 15 nominators and an average of 6.4 lands Joni Mitchell in 16th place.

Thanks to @GoatersLeftShin for the nomination - it was another album new to some of us, whilst three gave it the maximum points and there was plenty of good discussion.

Now it's time for @Coatigan to drop some clues for the next nomination.
 
Here you go, without further ado.


(There are no more clues to come btw, it is all in there below, and all deliberate.)

image3m copy2~01.jpg
 
I'm going to take a wild guess and eliminate Cliff Richard from the list of possible suspects!
 
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