I agree with the cheap trick I want you to want me
also Sweet Caroline
and I could go the rest of my life without hearing born to run ever again, but I think Bruce was a fantastic live performer, kinda like janis joplin who also has no real voice just a lot of soul.
I totally get this.....
I use to make fun of Dylan and had a pretty good impersonation of him down...I could not listen to him and that nasal wining that he calls singing...then one day I realized I liked him and now give him credit for the great songwriter he is.
I saw him once too....he sucked.
The best way to listen to Dylan is when someone else (anyone else) covers his songs.
Even when that someone is Peter, Paul and Mary.
Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools, because they have to say something.
Frasier: Niles, I’ve just had the most marvelous idea for a website! People will post their opinions, cheeky bon mots, and insights, and others will reply in kind!
And for the record, I agree that Dylan is overrated. he was in the right place at the right time, playing to the right people. There are other artists that are his contemporaries that are much better. I dont think if you went back in time and removed him from musical history that the music of the last 50 yrs would be much different. You cant say that about Elvis, Chuck Berry or even Hank Williams. I think the lyrics of the Beatles are much better and far reaching, never mind the instrumentation, harmonies, recording techniques that they did. Give me Woodie Guthrie over Dylan any day......
Bob Dylan has been described as one of the most
influential figures of the 20th century, musically and
culturally. Dylan was included in the Time 100: The Most
Important People of the Century where he was called
"master poet, caustic social critic and intrepid, guiding
spirit of the counterculture generation".
and the other side of the coin (which I agree with)
I cant stand any version of "sweet melissa" especially bad bar cover bands with 20 drunk women singing it reliving their "glory days".
Ive dated not 1, not 2, not 3 but 4 different girls named melissa in a 4 year period, why I kept getting girls with that name is besides me, and everytime I was like "another girl named melissa?, oh this is going to end bad" but they were all hot and into me for some reason, so I went with it.
Now everytime I hear that song I want to hurt someone.
Imagine by John Lennon. A wimpy tune to begin with that has been played so much it inspires the violence the song's trite lyrics were trying to stop.
There should be a rule that after a song is played x number of times of a given period it can not be played on the radio for a period of three years.
Can't believe the Dylan bashing in this thread. Yes his voice isn't great. Yes his live performances can be sporadic - I've seen him 4 times and saw 2 good shows and 2 terrible shows.
But denying his influence on music history? Watch the PBS documentary of him including those live folk performances at Newport in the early 60's and listen to the lyrics. They do inspire.
He stirred up the youth in the early 60's and was not afraid to speak out. Listen to lyrics from The times they are a changin' or Chimes of Freedom.Listen to the Highway 61 album.