Post by crowhats on Jun 12, 2012 19:24:49 GMT -5
Bob Dylan is truly a masterful musician and has recorded some of the most unique and meaningful music ever. His career continues to be one that redefines how music is performed today, and as a result his albums are some of the best and most influential ever produced. While he has a outstanding variety of different music and albums, my favorite of Dylan’s albums would have to be his groundbreaking album Highway 61 Revisited. This is a very unusual album even among Dylan repertoire, and was one of the first albums to reveal the immense versatility of style Dylan was capable of (though this music had already been played in concert) . This album is a masterpiece that is important for any music fan to hear.
It is hard to understand looking back why people were so upset about this album. Many folk purists were extremely angered during the release of this album, and claimed that Dylan was selling out. These people accused Dylan of betraying the ideals of folk music, and that he was turning toward a more rock based sound for purely commercial reasons. Looking back this reaction was probably fueled by many folk fans that were not ready or willing to accept an electric sound. They were concerned also with the shift of Dylan away from more obvious protest themes towards subtle cerebral and abstract elements. They weren’t able to comprehend what it was Dylan was trying to do or say with this new style of music.
This album is about as far a work could be from the concept of selling out. It is clear from modern perspective that Dylan’s use of electric instruments and these more cerebral concepts had no connection to a desire for commercial aspirations. The abstract poetic nature of this album seems suggests a shift in focus from the earthly problems found in his earlier works, to that of the concerns about mental degradation. While these songs still have a element of protest (Dylan stated during this period that all of his songs were protest songs) this aspect of protest became much more abstract in nature. These new songs challenged the many of the conventions of the traditional concept of folk. Many critics and fans during this period (and even still today) saw Folk as somehow a more pure genre of music, and as a result this music was regarded by many as controversial and boundary pushing. This resulted in a sound that was and to a extent is still one of a kind. To say that this music really has a specific genre is a stretch, however it can be said that it is influenced heavily by blue, folk, and rock and roll music, and by abstract poetry of poets such as Alan Ginsberg (one of Dylan’s close friends).
One of the most shocking features of this album is that it marks a major change in Dylan’s instrumentation. This album marks Dylan’s change of scoring from a smaller acoustic guitar sound, to an electric sound with a backing of a louder blues style band. The electric guitar is given a much more driving blues style sound, rather than a more contemplative folk sound (though this folk sound is still a part of the music). One of the most remarkable parts of this new sound is Dylan’s inclusion of an electric organ. This organ sound is something that is deep a part of Dylan’s music during this period, and has an extremely memorable quality to it. For those who are sadly unfamiliar with Dylan’s music, Bob Dylan has a very nasally and unique style of singing which is found in this and all of his music. This style really fits well into the poetic music Dylan presents in this album.
The reason why this is my favorite of Dylan’s albums is that every song on this album is literally a masterpiece. It isn’t unusual for a Dylan album to have many pieces that I consider masterpieces, but this is probably the only album where I would consider ever track to be memorable and outstanding. Each track on this album has a defining and grabbing feature that makes it stand out as excellent piece. The depth of the lyrics and the musicianship on this album is both groundbreaking and stellar. Every track offers something unique and different from the every other work on this album. I can’t really recommend any specific tracks from this album, because I think it is a stellar work as a whole and all of it should be heard.
It is hard to explain how breathtaking this album is to someone who has never heard it or any of Dylan’s music before, especially since I consider this album so uncategorizable and revolutionary. I can’t really understand why this album was hated by anyone, even during its released (admittedly this is partly because I am looking back on it). While this is definitely an unusual album, and it is this unconventional nature that makes it so brilliant. Even among Dylan albums this is one of the best. This work marks a major change in Dylan’s style, and took a lot of guts to make. This determination Dylan had really paid off, and as a result this is one of Dylan’s most thoughtful works. I would recommend this not only to fans of Bob Dylan, but also to anyone who enjoys excellent music.