Review: Bob Dylan's latest!: 'Modern Times'

Subject: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: erinmaidin
Date: 27 Aug 06 - 06:41 AM

Am listening to, for the third time since purchased yesterday, Bob Dylan's latest release. Love it! Band sounds great, solid, fluid, steady..Dylan's voice sounds better than ever (altho'...ya know...)and the lyrics are crystal clear, poignant, sensitive and direct.
Anxious to hear other opinions...

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Aug 06 - 03:17 PM

how did you get it? I thought it wasn't available until 28th 29th?

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: Amos
Date: 27 Aug 06 - 03:25 PM

That's a surprise -- are you sure he didn't hire a stunt-larynx? Last time I heard him sing, about a year and a half ago, he sounded like a gravel truck copulating with a Quonset hut.

And don't get me wrong--I actually enjoy his recordings.


A

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: erinmaidin
Date: 27 Aug 06 - 06:57 PM

We picked it up in DunLaoghaire, here in Dublin, yesterday. Maybe it was released over here earlier? Honest to God, Amos...he's quite mellow, at times sounding much like Willie Nelson (altho' many would say that's not a vocal aspiration either). I quite like your analogy tho'. It reminds me of something a Dub fella said years ago when hearing a friend of mine playing hammered dulcimer. He said it sounded like two skeletons er..."making love" (use your Dublinese here) on a tin roof during a thunderstorm.

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 27 Aug 06 - 07:09 PM

Like Bob sez, awful.

~S~
(just kidding)

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Aug 06 - 05:09 AM

can't wait

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: GUEST,woodsie
Date: 28 Aug 06 - 08:46 AM

I've listened to it several times now - awful. He should retired gracefully. His last decent release was Oh Mercy.

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: GUEST,johnmc
Date: 28 Aug 06 - 08:59 AM

Is it true that "Rolling and Tumbling" is attributed to His Bobness?
Read this in a review.

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: the one
Date: 28 Aug 06 - 10:10 AM

even dylan must some day have to stand naked,but dont fear if you hear an awful sound to your ears ie [modern times]

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: GUEST,woodsie
Date: 28 Aug 06 - 10:36 AM

Well to be fair "Rollin & Tumblin'" has, apart from the first verse a completely new lyric by Dylan.

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: David C. Carter
Date: 28 Aug 06 - 06:50 PM

Bought it today,nothing outstanding.The band don't get to do very much.It's too contained,nobody cuts loose.It sounds too predictable,no surprises.Dylan's words,as usual are great,but nothing happens.But then again,others have done far less and been praised better.There is some good music"Rolling&Tumblin'" is brilliant,and a couple of other things too,but,well,what are we expecting.Maybe too much!
I don't know. Yes, the last song is good,makes you want to start again.Was hoping for more,but then again!

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: GUEST,bluemountainbluebird
Date: 28 Aug 06 - 06:53 PM

Haven't heard it yet but reviews were glowing. He seems to have been on a roll since Time Out Of Mind and has always been my creative hero. I expect it will be a great CD, are they playing it on WFUV yet???

If Dylan had never written anything after Blonde on Blonde he still would be my hero, but this 'mid life' renaissance he's had just makes me feel proud.

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 28 Aug 06 - 07:59 PM

XM just presented the world broadcast premiere of the entire CD.

It is fun!!   Great songs!!!   Dylan sounds fine, and happy.

I love the Hawaiian tinged "Beyond the Horizon" - Dylan channeling the spirit of Rudy Vallee! "Nettie Moore" sounds like the old Bob we know and love. "Workingman's Blues 2" is another song that grabbed me. "The Levee's Gonna Break" has a nice rockabilly beat, and "Ain't Talkin" may be my favorite song on the CD - although I've only had this one chance to listen to it so far.

I was expecting another rocking CD, based on the hot performance he gave with the latest version of his backup band last year, but this was different. Dylan is exploring roots music, again, and it really works this time.

Most people his age seem to be ready to hang it up and resign themselves to sitting around and making crotchity comments on Mudcat, but Dylan is still out there having fun. His radio show is a hoot, he is enjoying himself, his love of music is obvious and he honestly doesn't give a rats patootie what anyone thinks.

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: erinmaidin
Date: 29 Aug 06 - 08:36 AM

David Carter, I'm trying to come to grips with "nothing outstanding" and then later on "brilliant"....is there something more outstanding than brilliance?

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: David C. Carter
Date: 29 Aug 06 - 08:37 AM

I take back just about everything I said yesterday.Just took it out in the car for a long drive,it's beautiful.Yes,he's having a good time,so was I!

David

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: erinmaidin
Date: 29 Aug 06 - 08:40 AM

:)

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Aug 06 - 04:20 AM

Bob is trying to reintroduce himself through some good lyrics and predictable music. there are few musical miniatures in almost every song, adding some spice to the modest tune. He is a deeply troubled individual, flactuating between his love for God and doubt. Hopefully he will finally make up his mind and come wih a clear message on the next album. His voice is a bit better.
philosopher

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: erinmaidin
Date: 30 Aug 06 - 05:00 AM

I don't think Dylan is alone in his confusion and doubt about a higher existence. Again, I find his voice represents "everyman". I think it would be hard to reach an age, particularly with people in the same generation as himself, without accumulating a lot of questions.

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: Peter T.
Date: 30 Aug 06 - 07:18 AM

I think it is interesting that Dylan is reworking these older forms that were, in a large sense, "read out" of the music scene for many years, but I for one don't find his reworkings that compelling. The energy (if there is any) is in the originals. It is a strange kind of parasitism: the first time around (when Dylan did this trick with folk music) Dylan took the originals and made something absolutely new and energetic with them. Here Dylan seems to be coasting on the energy of the originals. The originals are just so much more interesting.

yours,

Peter T.

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 30 Aug 06 - 09:25 AM

"He is a deeply troubled individual, flactuating between his love for God and doubt"

I'm not sure if I could possibly read such messages into his music. From what I've seen, publicly, he seems to be having a good time and not letting himself be bothered with such thoughts. I'm not sure where our guest is getting these interpretations, but I don't think anyone should try to guess what Dylan "meant". The songs speak for themselves. His radio show speaks for itself.

As he said on one of his shows a few weeks ago "I never trust a man that doesn't get choked up watching Old Yeller".   Words to live by!

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: donovan
Date: 30 Aug 06 - 10:37 AM

I'm the same

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Aug 06 - 03:17 PM

To incontrovertible disputers,
Iconoclastics, like the persona of Bob Dylan, seem to cement their fame on controversy, no matter what message they are trying to convey, whether they are appealing to the public conscience or to an indicisive indvidual. The only things that matter to critics is that he has made himself a name, but now carried on his old glory he is reeling and tumbling on the merits of his old glory. Dylan a poet? How do we define a prophet? A self-sufficent bard that is conscious only of himself and elevates himself above the rest of the people thinking he is on some exulted plato, untouchable, moralizing and setting dogmas in the things he knows nothing about. His lirics for my does not hold any poetic value, they are rather vague, desultory and lead to nowhere. Only he can interpret his own songs but sometimes I wonder even that, he rambles and talks about milion events in one single song. About his apparent, flip-flopping, It was seen throughout his whole carries. Supposedly takes his own course but actually embraces what is pupular. The albums I like the most, Shot of love, Saved and Slow train comming are for me his greates work in his career, he was never so clear and defined, nor before nor after. When i said he is a troubled individual that's exactly what he is, and this is not necesarily something negative, just hope he will find an embrace of a clear philosophy, that leads into eternity. He is master musician, no doubt about it, but his last album does not affirm that,
Philosopher

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 30 Aug 06 - 03:24 PM

Let's cut the philosophy and get to your point.   Are you saying that because he has not embraced religion he is troubled? If I have not embraced a religious philosphy then I am troubled???   If we question religion, we are flip-flopping?

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: pdq
Date: 30 Aug 06 - 03:43 PM

Bob Dylan has "sucked all the air out of the room" for over 40 years. Thousands of fine singer-songwriters and neo-folksingers have been ignored while learned people hold their breaths waiting for Bobby's latest work. They study and debate him as if he were a prophet.

Do yourself a favor and spend that 'CD mad money' on "Picnic" by Robert Earl Keen, Jr., or anything by Laurie Lewis or Mike Cross. Come to think of it, how about....

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Aug 06 - 03:51 PM

If you have never considered religion as an option you may not be a wafler. If you have considered pragmatism, for instance and then find your self to be half pragmatic, half atheist then you vaccilate between two different philosophies, contrasting and opposing. So with the religion. dylan is not necesarily devoid of religious believes as he seems to implement ecclesiasticism in almost every album ever after Shot of love. But what a Dylan we see later,he defines deity through his vague eyes colored by his experience, and I am scared to think about the divinity that way. We might all have our own divinity then, if the divine is to be measured according to our standards. Isn't that scary? With this let noone understand that I am trying to say he is not known by the Divine. But only, he is different that Dylan lately describes it, not because I think so (that would be me doing the same, reducing Divinity to my own experience and the imperfect faculties of my brain) but because everything in nature suggest so.
Philosopher

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Aug 06 - 03:53 PM

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Aug 06 - 04:01 PM

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 30 Aug 06 - 04:21 PM

Maybe it is just me, but I have no clue what you are talking about. Sorry. I appreciate your efforts.

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 30 Aug 06 - 04:26 PM

PDQ, I think you are making too many generalizations. Frankly, I don't think the singer-songwriters you mention have been ignored. I listen to them and I think many others listen as well. I have not spent the last five years waiting for a new Dylan CD, nor do I study and debate him (except for this thread).

Many people are interested in his music as they are the music of others. While you are certainly entitled to have an opinion, there are others out there.   He is not a prophet, and I do feel sorry for people of the older generation that started that crap. He is a wonderful songwriter, innovative, and interesting.   I am guessing you listened to the new CD since you made such definitive statements.

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: IrishDave
Date: 30 Aug 06 - 04:31 PM

Havent heard the album yet but really lookin forward to it.
2 great reviews on it from the New York Times and USA Today on http://expectingrain.com

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: pdq
Date: 30 Aug 06 - 04:32 PM

Sorry Ron, but your post has nothing to do with what I said, but "I appreciate your efforts".

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 30 Aug 06 - 04:35 PM

What are you talking about PDQ? My response at 4:21 was to the guest, my response at 4:23 was to you and it had everthing to do with what you said.

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: Peter T.
Date: 30 Aug 06 - 06:39 PM

(1) How are pragmatism and atheism opposed? You may just decide to get on with life in a godless world.
(2) I am not sure what "ecclesiasticism" means -- in my church it means supporting churches, bishops, institutional structures ,whatever.   I doubt if Dylan has ever supported any of that: as far as I can tell he is/was a classic "lightning struck me and I saw God" kind of guy.   

yours,

Peter T.

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 30 Aug 06 - 06:40 PM

I heard a couple of clips on the radio today, and I liked what I heard.
G.

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 30 Aug 06 - 07:14 PM

You can listen to the whole CD here.



I like what I have heard, but I haven't heard all of the tracks yet.

Modern Times

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Aug 06 - 07:55 PM

Answer to Peter T.
1) To answer to your first question, even though pragmatism and atheism has many things in common, and attempt to assimilate many ideas, they are still incompatible in essence, atheism is exclusive in its claim that God does not exist, not only a Christian God but all implications and definitions of God. God is according to atheism a non existant being.
pramatism, on the other hand, is not necesarily opossed to such an idea, but posses many obsticles, which, by the way, aren't insurmontable. Pragmatism is based on following proofs and science, deductive thoughts and postulations,inveterated patterns, which I said earlier, the nature proves the existance of such a Supernatural being, the nature eliminates both pragmatism and atheism. Pragmatism includes many atheistic theories in the mind of pragmatic interpretors but in the semantics this is not necesary nor self inclusive.

2) ecclesiasticims is a term that denotes the church as institution and its practicies but also a personal faith circumscribed by dogmas and personal believes. As you well said it can pertain to your church practicies but it is much more than that, Dylan abounds in personal motives about God and also reflects on religion in many songs, "ring them bells" even on the new album he mentions some saint.

Personal note,
the world is godless because of the choice of the mortal people, but the world is not without God for God is alive and well, coegsisting with us and giving us clear differentiation between right and God. Dylan knows this but he is not sure wheter he want to capsulate an absolute God, instead he tries to fix himself a path where his opinion about Divinity is an appropriate one. It is a distorted view and irreconcilable with a compeling truth. My hope is that behavior is corrigible.
God is God just as he is, whether that be a simple faith of an elderly, naive woman or a scooled philosopher, if you find him in your heart he will show himself to all of us despite our ignorance, fatuity or regardless of our education. To summarize this elucidation- God is love,
Philosopher

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: Little Hawk
Date: 30 Aug 06 - 08:03 PM

Hmmmm. Thanks for posting the link, Steve. Have listened to the first 2 tracks now, and they sound great. This is way more enjoyable to me than Bob's last 2 records. It could be the best work he's done in a long time if the rest of the album is up to the same level as the first 2 songs.

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: Little Hawk
Date: 30 Aug 06 - 08:08 PM

And, yeah...God is love...unfolding and expressing endlessly. You surrender to love or you don't. You surrender to God or you don't.

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: GUEST,Guest-Philosopher
Date: 30 Aug 06 - 08:25 PM

Appreciate the comment of the little hawk, keep believing and you will become a big eagle,
philosopher

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: erinmaidin
Date: 30 Aug 06 - 08:41 PM

Philosopher,
And this is true because???? You say so? Are you extra-human? I'm not strictly a non-believer however I'm still waiting for a personal epiphany...something that comes not from a book written by another mere mortal...not from some organized religion that was designed to control humanity and keep the unwashed in check...not from an "evangelist" who insists he's been chosen to reveal truths again to "the great unwashed". I keep my eyes open and I'm ....
still waiting.

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: GUEST,philosopher
Date: 30 Aug 06 - 09:04 PM

erinmaidin. I think you blink to much despite having your eyes opened,it is then when you miss him. You don't need to go any further than yourself. If i asked you how you came to be you might answer, "well, in the moment of copulation." Very well, I won't dispute that, but if I asked you where is your conscience or even better, cognitive differentiation coming from, what will you tell me? From a priest, Rabbi, evangelist, book writen by mortals?I am sure not, you might say, it came in a package with the body. But again why not givi it a try to a mortal, just like me and you, maybe he had an epiphany, a real one, not a mere speculation. would you believe him. I believe the knowledge of the Supreme Being might come by mortals, why not, otherwise how could we understand the Immortal One. By mortal words namely. I have two dogs. They understand each other better than I. they are same species.But, fortunately, God is not only limited to mortals, he has many ways of showing his ways to us.
Final note: by the way erinmaidin, you already had an epiphany, didn't you? If you didn't you wouldn't still kept your eyes opened. Despite the blinking.
Philosopher.

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: Peter T.
Date: 30 Aug 06 - 10:18 PM

I am a spellist and a grammist, so have difficulty continuing this discussion.

Returning to the Bobster, I have heard one of his shows -- who knew the guy would talk your ear off?

yours,

Peter T.

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: erinmaidin
Date: 31 Aug 06 - 06:53 AM

I would hate to risk, further boring conversations tied into this topic, discussing whether or not there is a God and an hereafter (Peter T....note the proper usage of "an"). Would love, however, to continue if you like, via PMs,(unless,of course, others are interested in my response). As far as the epiphany mentioned I can only respond with "hope springs eternal", another basic human element.

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: Peter T.
Date: 31 Aug 06 - 08:33 AM

I am sure that if there is an hereafter, you will be there, erinmaiden -- in an heavenly way of course.

yours,

Peter T.

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: GUEST
Date: 31 Aug 06 - 01:50 PM

what is PM?s

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: fat B****rd
Date: 31 Aug 06 - 03:30 PM

What is all this to do with the new Bob Dylan CD ?????

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: Little Hawk
Date: 31 Aug 06 - 03:31 PM

Bob clearly had a personal epiphany prior to doing those three religious albums "Slow Train", "Saved", and "Shot of Love". It made him much more certain of himself than he'd probably ever been before, and it produced some very intense and focused music (whether you love it or hate it or don't care...). I find it fascinating listening to him giving unruly audiences a tongue-lashing over their ungodliness and general moral corruption in those fiery days. ;-) Have heard that on a few bootlegs from the period.

What he experienced was for him personally...as such experiences always are. It would have been unrealistic to necessarily expect other people to relate to it. Some might, many would not.

Guest, a PM is a private message sent from one member of this forum to another...an in-forum email, so to speak. You cannot do that until you have become a member of Mudcat Cafe. It's one of the things that is handy when you are a member.

Philosopher, let me ask you what you think gets in the way of people knowing God personally. What do you think?

I think it's fear. And the sense of fear arises out of the sense of individuality and the feeling of separation (from everyone and everything else) that comes with it. When people love without any reserve at all, they no longer feel separate from the beloved. Since God loves everything and everyone without any reserve (by virtue of simply BEING everything), God is not separate from anyone....but that doesn't mean they know it! Not knowing it, not perceiving it, they feel separate, and they imagine a God that is separate...or they imagine that there is no God at all. In the first case, they feel very distant from God and at a great disadvantage...like some kind of miserable sinner who must struggle against all probable odds to gain acceptance from "the Allmighty". In the second case, they feel completely alone and vulnerable in an enormous, probably meaningless Universe, engaged in a struggle for survival and short-term pleasure which can only end in the final defeat they call "death".

In either case, tremendous fear arises...and it evidences itself almost continuously in all kinds of disturbed behaviour, conflict, and negative thought patterns. That's the human tragedy.

Dylan has written about it very eloquently throughout his career. My impression is that he normally sees God as distant...but for a short while between about '79 and '82 he felt like he was making direct contact. As such, he was very inspired at the time.

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: GUEST,philosopher
Date: 31 Aug 06 - 04:20 PM

To the Big Eagle (aka Little Hawk),
I see that you have rather methodicaly and intrinsically probed this philosophical question. I also commend you for taking time to didactically expone and expatiate your surmises or rather deductions on this page. Bob spoke about epiphany eloquently in that time, the most clear message from his lips but now rather dabbles in theism with trivial messages.
In my opinion, people are distanced from the Divinity for multifarious reasons. Some of them I would rather state than lucubrate upon it for its far to complex:
1) The course of the eon of this world. (Imposed ideas, secular notions.
2) carnality (mortality) of man. (in a self destructive trajectory, unable to rise above himself ad reach the higher light)
3) fear of losing own identity (which, ironically, what they think is their own are ideas of others assidiously drummed into their brains during their life in this tellurian experience.
4)fear of unknown ( whether that be an Omnipotent being (notice to Peter usage of "an")or an ida of an extraterestial life) But we should be afraid of the Divine for He is Love, means no harm but benediction of his creation.
5) choice of their own will.
6)misinterpretation of the Theos and misapplying certain attributes to the Divine one that do not belong to him, this is merely foisted upon humanity by organized ignorance of many influential brains.
&)wrong choice, g-o-d of their own, what I elaborated in my previous writings. There is only one God and a true one, philosophically incompatible is the notions that many divers interpratations of religions lead to the same Being.
Light is wat we need,
philosopher

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 31 Aug 06 - 04:24 PM

I have a friend who has a degree in Philosophy. He doesn't have a job, but at least he knows why.

We don't need light, we need better matches.

Subject: RE: Review: Bob Dylan's latest!
From: GUEST
Date: 31 Aug 06 - 04:25 PM

To Peter
sorry for many misspellings for I have no time no will to gramatically peruse my writings. I could, but this is not a publishing house,
philosopher