Re: Post I don't like writing....

Hi John. I found your post very interesting and refreshingly honest.

I find MT a really pleasurable listen. I don't think it is between L&T and
TOOM, as I think TOOM is a very different album from L&T.
Instead I think this is a post-L&T album and probably the last of this
style/format he will do. The next album will be very different, IMO.

The reason why I think it is post-L&T is that with L&T the style of music
was very explicit, and you had to like that style of music
(Rockabilly-esque, 50's bop) before you could get into the songs. For those
of us who don't appreciate this style of music and the naked way it was
played on the album, L&T remains a bit of a mystery.

MT seems to soften the style, and concentrate on format. The style is quite
generic, even though it has overtones of L&T. However, the format of music -
12-bar blues formation, country-blues formation etc, plus the strings over
the more ballady numbers, make it more mass-appealing, and that is partly
why it has gone to No. 1.

I am not sure if Bob is relying too much on a safe format to construct his
songs these days. In addition, I am wondering whether a younger Bob would
have ditched some verses as extraneous and honed it further. Maybe the extra
time allowed in a CD format means there is less constraint when it comes to
songs.

However, I think the production is beautiful and makes the album stand out
on its own. It is
not a Lanois production and we can point to MT as yet another album that has
a "distinct" sound. Amazing when you consider the volume of work Dylan has
done.

So I would say that MT is about format over style. But I think you are being
a little harsh on the content.
I really think "When The Deal Goes Down" will be seen as the stand-out track
from this.
I haven't gone into detail and examples because this is just a post, but I
am sure most people will know what I mean, even if they disagree. I'll leave
actual analysis to the experts!

All the best
Jim

"Jumbo" <chris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1158275951.075794.101520@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
John wrote:
Having lived with Modern Times since the day it came out, I reluctantly
have
to face up to the fact that it is one of Dylan's weakest albums. I'm so
disappointed that I don't, at this time, feel like indulging in any
detailed
analysis, but I must say that, to my ears, the songs are tediously
protracted, derivative, melodically flat, and for the most part,
lyrically
banal. The arrangments are equally derivative and played by a band (the
guitarists especially) who seldom rise above the sort of stuff you'd
expect
from any competent covers band. The production is also not quite right;
the
bass is frequently too high and some of the vocals - especially the ends
of
lines - are lost in the mix. Nevertheless, it is the vocals that provide
the
album's only redeeming feature. But it's a great pity that such great
singing is wasted on such inferior material and accompanied by such
mediocre
musicianship. I'm not a bit surprised, incidentally, that it has been so
successful in the charts. It hurts me say this, but, with very few
exceptions, this an easy-listening, middle-of-the road collection which,
if
it wasn't by Bob Dylan, I would never have given a third or fourth
listen. I
would love to think that subsequent listenings will prove me wrong, but,
as
of now, Modern Times is a huge, huge disappointment.
Best wishes

Sorry you don't care for it John. But don't be hard on yourself. It's
only an album. Play the other albums you like. Maybe after 6 months or
a year, put this one on again... As for me, I get a lot of pleasure
every day from Thunder on the Mountain. (Spirit on the Water and Ain't
Talkin', I think, are the other "big" tracks, though, naturally, I
enjoy the whole package.)

I hope you might like it eventually :)



.

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