Personally, one of my favourite Bob Dylan albums, Highway 61 Revisited, released in 1965, and the recordings churned out in a remarkable span of six days, contains some of the most angsty and bitter lyrics. Named after the New Orleans-Memphis-Iowa highway, popularly also called the "Blues Highway", because of its association with various other legends like Robert Johnson and Bessie Smith, it came in a phase of Dylan's life when he was widely criticized to be shifting towards more 'electric' rock and roll and more commercial music, instead of the more "honest" folk music, which he started off with. He silenced all these doubts and criticisms with this landmark album (ranked No. 4 by the Rolling Stones). With vitriolic songs such as "Like a Rolling Stone" and "Ballad of a Thin Man", that sting becomes more mixed with longing and concern in "Queen Jane Approximately" and "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry", and the brilliantly melodic rock and roll compositions of "Tombstone Blues" and "From a Biuck 6", the folk feel is retained in "Highway 61 Revisited". Although "Like a Rolling Stone" has been the most talked about track for its "vomitific" lyrics, whopping length and that accusatory and finger-pointing "How does it feel?", the greatest song according to the Rolling Stones magazine, which featured in this album after being released as a single shortly earlier, I think a relatively underrated but must-listen track is "The Ballad of a Thin Man", which appears in a very interesting context in the movie I'm Not There and has the same sort of mocking-at-the-helpless tone. With the concealed romance in "Desolation Row", one gets a hint of what lies in store for us in the next album, another legendary album called Blonde on Blonde.
Bob Dylan performing "Like a Rolling Stone" live.
Jimi Hendrix Cover of "Like a Rolling Stone".
The Rolling Stones music video of "Like a Rolling Stone".
"Ballad of a Thin Man" in I'm Not There (2007) - performed by Stephen Malkmus & The Million Dollar Bashers.
Johnny Winter cover of "Highway 61 Revisited".
Tombstone Blues lyrics.
1 comment:
more needed on Desolation Row..a mammoth tribute to Duluth where Dylan came from and a lovely critique of modern times..and the poetry of the lyrics! of course, in Blonde on Blonde he achieved Visions of Johanna..its awesome the watch the evolution of his lyrics!
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