Posted in Album Reviews

Bob Dylan – Rough and Rowdy Ways (2020)

Posted on by Michael
Rough And Rowdy Ways

Back in late March, Bob Dylan released the nearly 17 minute single “Murder Most Foul”.  The track acts as an elegy for John F Kennedy as it focuses on his assassination.  “Right there in front of everyone’s eyes/Greatest magic trick ever under the sun/Perfectly executed, skillfully done”  The song then touches on pop culture that was occurring at that moment including The Beatles, the British Invasion, Thelonius Monk, etc. Similar in tone to Van Morrison with just piano and strings, the song has a dreamy quality of a man looking back upon his life. 

In several places on Rough and Rowdy, Dylan’s 39th studio album, he mentions his contemporaries and other historical figures including Anne Frank and The Rolling Stones on “I Contain Multitudes”.  The lead track is about living a life of contradictions with multiple layers. A phlegmy growl powers the bluesy “False Prophet” where the man sings, “I’m first among equals/Second to none/The last of the best/You can bury the rest”. Most of the 70 minute album has a slow to mid tempo speed.  “My Own Version of You” adds a bit of jazz noir to the proceedings in a track about putting body parts together to create something new.

Dylan’s voice is clear on “Crossing the Rubicon” and follows the a style that appears on a few other songs of having many verses with the name of the song featured in the last line of the verse. “Goodbye Jimmy Reed” mentions the blues legend on a rollicking track about religion. Lyrically the album is a dense lyrical wonderland but tracks like “Mother Of Muses” give the listener the chance to listen to the legend strum and sing a lovely little tune.  Similar in tone, “Key West (Philosopher Pirate)” mentions “Ginsberg, Corso and Kerouac” and that the “radio signal, clear as can be/‪I’m so deep in love that I can hardly see”. 

On a personal level, I’m familiar with most of Bob Dylan’s 60s albums plus a few others. This is the first Dylan album that I’ve purchased when it actually came out. Upon purchasing the The Complete Albums Collection Volume 1, I’ve gone back and started to review his albums in order, with a long way yet to go. As Dylan turns 80, he makes it all seem effortless on a collection that is a wonderful addition to his discography. Rough and Rowdy Ways is one that will endure beyond just being a late period footnote. 

9/10

Posted in Album Reviews

The Byrds – The Byrds Greatest Hits (1999)

Posted on by Michael
Greatest Hits

One of the legendary bands of the 60s, The Byrds sound played a major role in ushering in folk rock to the Top 40.  The main line-up centered around guitarists Jim (Roger) Mcguinn, David Crosby, and Gene Clark; they were also joined by bassist, Chris Hillman, and drummer Michael Clarke. The band scored several hits including covers, most notably of Bob Dylan of which four appear on The Byrds Greatest Hits collection.  Originally released in 1967, the album was then updated with the addition of three songs in 1999 but keeps its focus on the first two years of the band. 

The Greatest Hits starts with Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man” and features one of the most famous guitar beginnings in rock history. The Byrd’s version of “Chimes of Freedom” has the band locked in with their excellent harmonies while “My Back Pages” was their last top 40 hit and a highlight here. Pete Seeger was another favoured source for material including “The Bells of Rymney” that adds a pop shine to a Welsh mining disaster.  More famously, is the band’s cover of Seeger’s “Turn Turn Turn” that also features another landmark guitar solo to start the track and wonderful harmonies.  The lyrics are mostly taken from the third chapter of the Book of Ecclesiastes deal with peace and love, “A Time for peace, I swear it’s not too late”.

The band got into some radio trouble with their original songs.  The spaghetti western guitar on the darker and more complex “Eight Miles High” who’s lyrics are most certainly drug influenced. Another track banned by some radio stations is the title track of their third album, “5D (Fifth Dimension)”. Podcast Sound Opinions steals a snippet of “So You Want to be A rock and Roll Star”, another classic guitar sound.  The lyrics take aim at their more manufactured contemporaries.

Gene Clark turns in a fine original in “I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better” while at the end of the disc, a final highlight appears with the Chris Hillman penned “Have You Seen Her Face”. The track leaves behind the folk influences and instead sounds more like the British Invasion. While the guitar sound is one of the band’s hallmarks, the drumming of Michael Clarke on several tracks really add a lot of life to the songs. The Byrds Greatest Hits doesn’t always burn bright, but the influence of the band on acts such as R.E.M, Big Star and Teenage Fanclub is immeasurable and still reverberates through rock and roll today. 

8/10