No, PoppaGator, the God of Guitars...

...or was that Duane Allman?

I agree that Dylan's songwriting had a "something" to it that made a certain type of song more "credible". But I think what we are talking about is the folk/rock singer/songwriter genre being born with Dylan, much more than his actual songwriting abilities.

I mean, how many "classic" Dylan songs are there compared to the Lennon/McCartney or Jaggers/Richards? Certainly not more in number, or quality really.

Now, if you want to argue body of work, I think you have an argument, just not one you'll win. ;-)

How many Dylan songs get covered nowadays? How many kids of subsequent generations have thought Dylan was a great songwriter? Nowadays, the only kids who look to Dylan as a god are the indie rock kids who look up to Beck and others of that ilk.

And I would argue, that Dylan is no better/worse than John Prine, Roger McGuinn, Paul Simon, Fairport Convention, Phil Ochs, Joni Mitchell. But I would especially say John Prine, who, IMO is the best "short story set to music" songwriter of the generation, and even out-Dylans Dylan in that genre of songwriting.

I don't want y'all to think I don't like Dylan. I agree he is one of the top songwriters of the 60s, but I don't see him as being more extraordinary a songwriter than others I mention above, who weren't exactly songwriting dummies. I just hate the "voice of the generation" propaganda, because I have always felt it shortchanged so many songwriters who really were as good as Dylan, and who at the time blew our minds just as much as Dylan did.

That's all I'm sayin'. And that I haven't bought a Dylan album in a couple decades because there just wasn't much there that interested me. Unlike John Prine and Joni Mitchell--I kept listening to their music for longer than I did Dylan's. There isn't much in the post-Band era of Dylan's I thought was worth much. Some, but not much.