- Bob Dylan
I've been listening to Bob Dylan's self-titled début album, which was released 19 March 1962. If I had to choose three words to sum up his voice and lyrics, they'd be these: Sparse. Raw. Evocative. Two weeks ago, I would have said: Irritating. Overrated. Nasal. What prompted this about face? Just the other week I realised that Bob Dylan released his début album 50 years ago. I was equal parts impressed and confused. Impressed because his appeal has lasted so long and had such a huge impact on the music industry. Confused because I don't understand why or how. I don't really know anything about the man, his music or his life. In fact, here's a confession coming up. This is what I know about Bob Dylan: He and Joan Baez were an item once. That's it. Truly. And that only because I remember my parents, years ago, discussing his relationship with Baez and how their careers took quite different paths. Quite a heated discussion, too. Mum was a Baez fan, dad was a Dylan fan. For some reason, their love of either artist never transferred itself to me. I could never see either of them as anything other than poets who also happened to play a guitar. Thanks to one of dad's brothers, I heard the album Infidel played too many times for my sanity to comprehend, and the only song that stuck was Jokerman. Today, I remember it fondly. At the time, I thought my ears would bleed. Seriously, there were days I wanted to yank the ribbon of the tape out and dance around the lawn with it if it meant I never had to hear it again. And then, over the weekend, I had this strange idea that it was perhaps high time I took Bob Dylan for a spin, and requested (by employing my usual on purpose/random selection process) a combination of titles about Dylan's life and his music, most of which I've finished, all of which made for fascinating viewing/watching/listening. All serving to show me how little I really knew about him. Like the fact that Dylan had roughly 27 albums between 1962 and 2001 and, that out of those (roughly) 220 songs, I know 13. (I can add a few more since I now have his first album). Some of those I only know because other people had versions. Do I like his music more, now? I'm not sure. Certainly I admire his ability as a writer. I don't want to make my mind up until the end. And so! 5 titles that'll either make me detest - or like - Bob Dylan even more :) (Although I'm leaning towards 'like,' but not quite willing to topple totally just yet).
