Rick F. and Peter T. do Dylan, Part II

Subject: Rick F. and Peter T. do Dylan, Part II
From: Peter T.
Date: 17 Feb 01 - 09:03 AM

"At dawn my lover comes to me and tells me of her dreams
With no attempt to shovel the glimpse
Into the ditch of what each one means.
At times I think there are no words
But these to tell what's true --
And there are no truths outside the Gates of Eden."
Part II of our motorpsycho nightmare continues Monday night, 7:00 pmEST on Rick's Acoustic Workshop (CIUT-FM).... Any continuing thoughts appreciated, esp. about Dylan's later styles -- they were very helpful last time, and we may wedge some in before we are done.

yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: Rick F. and Peter T. do Dylan, Part II
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 17 Feb 01 - 11:36 AM

And I promise not to jump into this thread with silly jokes. I mean it. I promise.

This part of our series may be the most difficult in terms of choosing "what to leave out". "Ballad of the Thin Man" simply blew me away. Likewise "Like a Rolling Stone".

By then I was a super-dedicated traddish folkie, but I also LOVED the Beatles and a lot of Rock and Roll as well, so I never felt the sense of betrayal that a lot did when Dylan became "electrified" both in his accompaniments AND his lyrics. I simply saw him as a vital part of rock music.

If Peter and I had the time, I'd love to delve into his relationships with Phil Ochs, Paul Clayton, Albert Grossman (especially Albert Grossman!) and Pete Seeger....but we don't have the time...bummer.

I'll bring the guitar into the studio this time though and try to do a pretty quick overview of how his accompaniment style dictated many of the (even electric) arrangements.

Rick

Subject: RE: Rick F. and Peter T. do Dylan, Part II
From: Peter T.
Date: 17 Feb 01 - 01:38 PM

Ewan MacColl, Sing Out, 1965:
"At their best, our traditional songs and ballads are the creations of extraordinarily talented artists, working inside disciplines formulated over an extended period of time. It seems to me that the present crop of contemporary American songs has been made by writers who are either (a) unaware of these disciplines; (b) incapable of working inside these disciplines; or (c) are at pains to destroy them.
"'But what of Bobby Dylan?" scream the outraged teenagers of all ages. Well, I have watched with fascination the meteoric rise of this American idol and I am still unable to see in him anything other than a youth of mediocre talent. Only a completely non-critical audience, nourished on the watery pap of pop music, could have fallen for such 10th rate drivel. "But the poetry!" What poetry? The cultivated illiteracy of his topical songs or the embarrassing 4th grade schoolboy attempts at free verse?
I have dealt with Dylan at some length since, for, me, he exemplifies contemporary American song writing, a movement where journalism is more important than art, where flabby sentimentality and shrill self-pity take the place of passion."

"Folk music is a word I can't use. Folk music is a bunch of fat people." -- Bob Dylan, interview with Nat Hentoff, 1966.

Subject: RE: Rick F. and Peter T. do Dylan, Part II
From: Little Hawk
Date: 17 Feb 01 - 03:44 PM

I love reading that Ewan McColl stuff now. Very amusing!

Which period of Dylan and which albums will you be focusing on in Part II?

- LH

Subject: RE: Rick F. and Peter T. do Dylan, Part II
From: Peter T.
Date: 17 Feb 01 - 04:58 PM

Depending on who knows what, we are going to try and get from Another Side to JWHarding and/or Nashville Skyline. Ha.
yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: Rick F. and Peter T. do Dylan, Part II
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 17 Feb 01 - 08:53 PM

Ewan MacColl is one of my true heroes. I wonder if he ever realized how (indirectly) HE was influenced by Dylan in the late sixties and after? He did have his reputation as a curmudgeon to protect though.

Rick

Subject: RE: Rick F. and Peter T. do Dylan, Part II
From: GUEST,notdylanfan
Date: 18 Feb 01 - 07:19 PM

I liked the first one but Blond on Blond was where he started to get interesting for me. Will you be playing anything from that?

Subject: RE: Rick F. and Peter T. do Dylan, Part II
From: Little Hawk
Date: 18 Feb 01 - 08:13 PM

"Blonde on Blonde" forms the acronym BOB, interestingly enough, and it is probably his most influential album of all time since it formed the climax to his most legendary period of work. There's no way they won't play something from it, I'd figure.

My favourites are "Visions of Johanna" and "Just Like a Woman".

- LH

Subject: RE: Rick F. and Peter T. do Dylan, Part II
From: Peter T.
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 08:34 AM

Hard to know what the ghost of electricity will do. (We sort of decide as we go, though we do preplan some).
yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: Rick F. and Peter T. do Dylan, Part II
From: GUEST,Steve Latimer
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 01:56 PM

The vagabond who's rapping at your door, is standing in the clothes that you once wore, Strike another match, go, start anew, It's all over now, Baby Blue.

www.ciut.fm

89.5 FM in Toronto.

Subject: RE: Rick F. and Peter T. do Dylan, Part II
From: Peter T.
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 02:12 PM

Are you coming tonight, Steve? (That could ease us and cool us and cease the pain of our useless and pointless knowledge)
yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: Rick F. and Peter T. do Dylan, Part II
From: GUEST,Steve Latimer
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 03:02 PM

Peter T.,

I know that I had mentioned that I might make it tonight, but it turns out that I can't, had a hockey practice crop up at the last minute. Maybe next week. I have to get Biograph to you sometime.

Steve

Subject: RE: Rick F. and Peter T. do Dylan, Part II
From: Little Hawk
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 03:32 PM

"your debutante just knows what you need, but I know what you want"

- LH

Subject: RE: Rick F. and Peter T. do Dylan, Part II
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 04:50 PM

Hey Peter, WHO'S useless knowledge?! (must I say "big grin"?)

Actually, speaking of "useless Knowledge", I've done quite a bit of reading about what Ewan MacColl and a few others said about "oor Bobby". My, my, Their opinions seem firmly based on about five of his songs, and the fact that he was unpleasantly drunk for virtually all of his first visit to Old Blighty.

Don't see why we can't get "Just Like a Woman" on tonight.

Rick

Subject: RE: Rick F. and Peter T. do Dylan, Part II
From: JenEllen
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 06:23 PM

Mona tried to tell me
To stay away from the train line.
She said that all the railroad men
Just drink up your blood like wine.
An' I said, "Oh, I didn't know that,
But then again, there's only one I've met
An' he just smoked my eyelids
An' punched my cigarette."
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.

Have a good show,
Jen

Subject: RE: Rick F. and Peter T. do Dylan, Part II
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 07:58 AM

Well guys, from the sound of it, you might just approach Ken Burns in number of episodes. I knew you couldn't do Bob justice in two episodes, three would be barely possible. From the pace you're going I'm betting five minimum. What a body of work he's had over forty years.

I enjoyed hearing from the Orillia connection. I may have missed it elsewhere, but how did things go in Newmarket on Friday?

Subject: RE: Rick F. and Peter T. do Dylan, Part II
From: Little Hawk
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 11:29 PM

The Newmarket gig was great! Check out the Dylanomania thread.

- LH

Subject: RE: Rick F. and Peter T. do Dylan, Part II
From: GUEST,Steve Latimer
Date: 21 Feb 01 - 01:19 PM

Little Hawk,

I saw it in the Dylanomania thread. Sounds like a great night.

Anyone going to the Tranzac on the 4th? I'm going to try to make that one. I've seen these three together before and it's a wonderful evening. Their banter between songs is quite funny and they sure play and sing well together.

Steve

Subject: RE: Rick F. and Peter T. do Dylan, Part II
From: Little Hawk
Date: 21 Feb 01 - 01:24 PM

Yeah, Steve...

I'm going and so are flattop and CarolC as far as I know. I hope we get to see you there.

George

Subject: RE: Rick F. and Peter T. do Dylan, Part II
From: GUEST,Steve Latimer
Date: 21 Feb 01 - 01:30 PM

Little Hawk,

I'm really wrestling with this one. I want to see the show, meet some 'catters, but I also live in Whitby and have to be at work at 9:00 a.m. on Monday. I used to go to a Sunday Jam regularly but stopped as I found Mondays too tough to deal with.

I do believe I will allow myself this indulgence though.

Steve

Subject: RE: Rick F. and Peter T. do Dylan, Part II
From: LR Mole
Date: 21 Feb 01 - 04:28 PM

Don't forget the "Baby Let Me Follow You Down" and "She Acts Like We Never Have Met" medley off the Last Waltz soundtrack CD. The fire's still there, and since the filming, the road, as Robbie says, has taken a lot (more) of the great ones.