Background: By this point, Dylan, rather than assimilating the mood and tenor of the world around him then reflecting back what he has encountered through the his music, is now sending out his music into a world that is ripe for his influence. No longer is it the reflection, it is the image. This album was produced entirely after the Newport confrontation between the folkies and Dylan’s undeniable destiny. In a way, it is a statement that confirms that he has chosen his path. In Chronicles I Dylan explains, “The folk music scene had been like a paradise that I had to leave, like Adam had to leave the garden. It was just too perfect…The road out would be treacherous, and I didn’t know where it would lead but I followed it anyway. It was a strange world ahead that would unfold, a thunderhead of a world with jagged lightning edges. Many got it wrong and never did get it right. I went straight into it. It was wide open. One thing for sure, not only was it not run by God, but it wasn’t run by the devil either.”
The Recording: Produced by Bob Johnston, at the Columbia Recording Studios, Nashville, Tennessee. Joining Dylan instrumentally were, once again, Charlie McCoy and Al Kooper along with Wayne Moss, Ken Buttrey, Hargus Robbins, Jerry Kennedy, Bill Aidens, Henry Strzelecki, Jaime Robertson and the legendary Joe South. (Note that despite the fact that Dylan had appearing live with The-Hawks-eventually-to-be-The-Band during this time, none of them yet appears in the studio.) With its 14 songs, many longer than 5 minutes, including the 11-plus minute Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands this album is the first rock ‘n’ roll 2 record set.
Conclusion: Now more than forty years old, nearly half of the songs (Rainy Day Women 12&35, Visions of Johanna, I Want You, Stuck Inside of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again, Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat, Just Like a Woman and Absolutely Sweet Marie) included have found their way onto the setlists of recent performances of the ‘NeverEnding Tour’ while Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine) attracted new attention in a Mark Ronson remix version this spring. Listening to the entire album, there is little that falls between the cracks. Even the few songs that are no longer played live and are resurrected less often on oldies stations, etc. (Temporary Like Achilles, 4th Time Around and Obviously Five Believers) do not seem dated nor unfamiliar like some of the lesser known tracks on the earlier albums. This collection is arguably the cornerstone of the portion of Dylan’s oeuvre that is most readily recognized by current mainstream rock ‘n’ roll fans
The Recording: Produced by Bob Johnston, at the Columbia Recording Studios, Nashville, Tennessee. Joining Dylan instrumentally were, once again, Charlie McCoy and Al Kooper along with Wayne Moss, Ken Buttrey, Hargus Robbins, Jerry Kennedy, Bill Aidens, Henry Strzelecki, Jaime Robertson and the legendary Joe South. (Note that despite the fact that Dylan had appearing live with The-Hawks-eventually-to-be-The-Band during this time, none of them yet appears in the studio.) With its 14 songs, many longer than 5 minutes, including the 11-plus minute Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands this album is the first rock ‘n’ roll 2 record set.
Conclusion: Now more than forty years old, nearly half of the songs (Rainy Day Women 12&35, Visions of Johanna, I Want You, Stuck Inside of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again, Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat, Just Like a Woman and Absolutely Sweet Marie) included have found their way onto the setlists of recent performances of the ‘NeverEnding Tour’ while Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine) attracted new attention in a Mark Ronson remix version this spring. Listening to the entire album, there is little that falls between the cracks. Even the few songs that are no longer played live and are resurrected less often on oldies stations, etc. (Temporary Like Achilles, 4th Time Around and Obviously Five Believers) do not seem dated nor unfamiliar like some of the lesser known tracks on the earlier albums. This collection is arguably the cornerstone of the portion of Dylan’s oeuvre that is most readily recognized by current mainstream rock ‘n’ roll fans
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