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

[RobMCFC]

What distinguishes this from other folk-rock (or whatever you want to call the genre) isn't so much the lyrics/topics, nor even Roy's voice, which has a gentle waver that belies some power and quite a bit of earnest emotion underneath it. It's the beauty of the guitar work -- in some places nearly power chords, in others gentle little riffs. The point is that it's never put second to the vocals nor the lyrics, not once. In every song the underlying MUSIC could nearly stand on its own without the words.

Spot on. I like acoustic-based music, but sometimes the words aren't enough. If it's some guy just strumming on a guitar, sometimes not even the words can save it.

Bruce Springsteen is my #1 artist, and although I still enjoy it in parts, I don't hold Nebraska in as high a regard as some fans do because in a lot of it, there's not much going on.

 

[Saddleworth2]

I don't hold Nebraska in as high a regard as some fans do because in a lot of it, there's not much going on.

I'll come back to that one later.

 

[RobMCFC]

I'll come back to that one later.

Oh heck, I'm in trouble here!

 

[mancity2012_eamo]

Spot on. I like acoustic-based music, but sometimes the words aren't enough. If it's some guy just strumming on a guitar, sometimes not even the words can save it.

Bruce Springsteen is my #1 artist, and although I still enjoy it in parts, I don't hold Nebraska in as high a regard as some fans do because in a lot of it, there's not much going on.

You think Nebraska is bad, have you seen Idaho.

 

[Citizen of Legoland]

Great nomination, it's an album with a mix of content that's both of its time and timeless, songs like "How Does It Feel" and "Goodbye" could be Thom Yorke/Radiohead, and I love the guitar on the latter and then there's lyrics and tracks that can only be late sixties/early seventies. Even though I don't know much about Harper, one of my all-time favourite tunes is on here, Tom Tiddler's Ground - it appeared on a compilation album I once bought from a car boot sale back in the eighties, so it's been great to play that again. Odd that I never really explored his catalogue more, but I have already started to correct that.

I'll go for 8/10.

 

[Coatigan]

I'm a bit scared to go against the grain here, and say anything critical about everyone's favourite mancriachi. But I have to say, it doesn't do for me what it does for others.

Has maybe made me realise my inability
to get into Dylan isn't just his voice, the modern troubador is one that for me either hits the spot, or doesn't. When it does, I love it, when it doesn't, it just doesn't.

There is so much to like in this one. Some great lyrics. Some lovely melodies. Beautiful tone. But, I can't help reaching for the skip button. Every song feels at least 2 minutes too long, the self indulgence (e.g vocal excersises mid song, overdone guitar flagoulets, a bloody monologue?) really puts me off and distracts from what are songs with heart. Interesting one. Maybe it is an 'of it's time' thing I can get over, but that's an impression I can't shake, it is an album of its time, and it feels it.

I'll be honest here, the song I enjoyed most on the album is actually Hell's Angels, which ironically feels like a bonus track off another album.

One more listen to go, so lets see what it brings out in me.

 

[RobMCFC]

Great nomination, it's an album with a mix of content that's both of its time and timeless, songs like "How Does It Feel" and "Goodbye" could be Thom Yorke/Radiohead,

You're just Foggy-baiting now!

 

[bennyboy]

Never listened to any of his stuff before which was a good thing as I had no idea what to expect.
Got worried by the Dylan sounding first track Don't You Grieve and the average I Hate the White Man tracks.
Picked up after that though.
Really liked.
How does it feel,Goodbye and Another Day.
Loved East of the Sun but sadly didn't find anything else after as good as the above four songs.
I loved Ryan Adams up until Ashes and Fire and I hear a lot of Ryan's solo concert gigs on this.
Another great pick hopefully will investigate other stuff from Roy.
6/10.

 

[RobMCFC]

Flat Baroque and Berserk – Roy Harper

Yet another “heard of him but never heard his music” for me, but I’m happy to report that I really enjoyed this. I’ve not connected with @denislawsbackheel ‘s previous two selections, but this introduction to Roy Harper was excellent.

Sure, I could do without the studio chatter, and there are two or three songs that I wouldn’t have missed had they been omitted, but the majority of songs on here are well played, well sung and captivate you.

"I Hate the White Man" is an epic: the chords, the words and the venom behind them make it a great song and performance. Following this, “Feeling All the Saturday” feels lightweight and throwaway, but he’s back on form again with “How Does It Feel?” and things get even better with “Goodbye”.

Next up is a run of songs that each have something that makes them feel a little different to what’s gone before: the strings (or mellotron?) on “Another Day”, “Davey”, although it’s a short song, feels all the better for the fingerpicking that gives it a nice melancholy feel, and then there’s the harmonica on “East of the Sun”. I loved “Tom Tiddler’s Ground” with what sounds like a flute or mellotron (although apparently, it’s Tony Visconti on the recorder) and its minor chords.

“Hell’s Angels” was an unusual way to finish the album, given that it feels a bit out of place, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

As I alluded to in my response to Foggy’s review, I like acoustic-based music, but I sometimes struggle when it’s too sparse. One of the reasons why John Cougar Mellencamp’s The Lonesome Jubilee is my favourite album of all time is because of the sheer range of instrumentation you can hear (and it’s top notch production and because it’s actually a modern pop/rock record full of hooks that most songwriters would kill for). But this album does not suffer from the “too sparse” problem at all – Foggy is spot on when he says that the acoustic guitar is interesting in and of itself – the recording is excellent and it’s never boring to listen to – the acoustic guitar rings nicely and the chord changes take the songs in interesting directions. I was thinking 7 or 8, but it’s better than some I’ve given 7 to this round, so I’ll go for 8/10.

 

[mancity2012_eamo]

Flat Baroque and Berserk – Roy Harper

Yet another “heard of him but never heard his music” for me, but I’m happy to report that I really enjoyed this. I’ve not connected with @denislawsbackheel ‘s previous two selections, but this introduction to Roy Harper was excellent.

Sure, I could do without the studio chatter, and there are two or three songs that I wouldn’t have missed had they been omitted, but the majority of songs on here are well played, well sung and captivate you.

"I Hate the White Man" is an epic: the chords, the words and the venom behind them make it a great song and performance. Following this, “Feeling All the Saturday” feels lightweight and throwaway, but he’s back on form again with “How Does It Feel?” and things get even better with “Goodbye”.

Next up is a run of songs that each have something that makes them feel a little different to what’s gone before: the strings (or mellotron?) on “Another Day”, “Davey”, although it’s a short song, feels all the better for the fingerpicking that gives it a nice melancholy feel, and then there’s the harmonica on “East of the Sun”. I loved “Tom Tiddler’s Ground” with what sounds like a flute or mellotron (although apparently, it’s Tony Visconti on the recorder) and its minor chords.

“Hell’s Angels” was an unusual way to finish the album, given that it feels a bit out of place, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

As I alluded to in my response to Foggy’s review, I like acoustic-based music, but I sometimes struggle when it’s too sparse. One of the reasons why John Cougar Mellencamp’s The Lonesome Jubilee is my favourite album of all time is because of the sheer range of instrumentation you can hear (and it’s top notch production and because it’s actually a modern pop/rock record full of hooks that most songwriters would kill for). But this album does not suffer from the “too sparse” problem at all – Foggy is spot on when he says that the acoustic guitar is interesting in and of itself – the recording is excellent and it’s never boring to listen to – the acoustic guitar rings nicely and the chord changes take the songs in interesting directions. I was thinking 7 or 8, but it’s better than some I’ve given 7 to this round, so I’ll go for 8/10.

I think yourself in particular and Foggy and Legoland have said all and I won’t waffle on for the sake of it.
I always had an 8/10 in my head for this. Thought 7 just didn’t do the pick justice.
Love;
Voice
Production
Clarity
Lyrics
Sentiment and delivery.

2 point deduction for Bonus track at the end (Hells Angels)
And the lengthy unnecessary monologue before second song.

8/10.