I love 'Blonde On Blonde' by Bob Dylan- it truly is an exceptional album.
You get some albums that are a collection of great songs, but those sort of albums are most likely to fit snugly into a play list and be shuffled into other music, but a 'great' album has a sound to it that is distinctly that album and I think 'Blonde on Blonde' fits this category. Even Bob Dy;an himself has said the album is the closest he's ever got to the 'thin, wild mercury sound' that his music makes in his head. It's no surprise the next album he released was a stripped down, quieter affair- after two previous albums Dylan finally gets the electric guitar/harmonica/organ combination just right.
The songs themselves are mostly brilliant, listen to this (or listen to it as you read the rest of this review)- 'I Want You', a song that always makes my toes tap.
I love that jangly guitar sound. 'Blonde on Blonde' contains several classic songs, opening with the infectious 'Rainy Day Women #12 &35', but from that raucous opening the songs get increasingly sober to the quiet and reflective final track 'Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands' (which I shall discuss later). There's the classic 'Just Like A Woman', and lesser known but still great songs like 'Temporary Like Achilles' There's a clear blues-y influence on a lot of tracks like 'Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat' and 'Pledging My Time', and these slot perfectly against the more poetic songs 'Visions of Johanna' and 'Stuck Inside A Mobile With Those Memphis Blues Again'.
Speaking of poetry- Dylan once again proves he is the poet laureate of the 60's. The lyrics to this album are among the finest and strongest in his career, often the lyrics aren't straight forward at all but cryptic and highly symbolic, but retaining his sly humour. The final track on the album is the epic 'Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands' which clocking in at 11:32 took up a whole side of an LP upon it's initial release. This has to be one of the most beautiful and unconventional love songs ever recorded, it takes my breath away each time I hear it. Even though the lyrics are symbolic references to the relationship with his wife, Sara, the listener can tell this is a heart-felt affair. The affection that appears in his voice is unmistakably.
You get some albums that are a collection of great songs, but those sort of albums are most likely to fit snugly into a play list and be shuffled into other music, but a 'great' album has a sound to it that is distinctly that album and I think 'Blonde on Blonde' fits this category. Even Bob Dy;an himself has said the album is the closest he's ever got to the 'thin, wild mercury sound' that his music makes in his head. It's no surprise the next album he released was a stripped down, quieter affair- after two previous albums Dylan finally gets the electric guitar/harmonica/organ combination just right.
The songs themselves are mostly brilliant, listen to this (or listen to it as you read the rest of this review)- 'I Want You', a song that always makes my toes tap.
I love that jangly guitar sound. 'Blonde on Blonde' contains several classic songs, opening with the infectious 'Rainy Day Women #12 &35', but from that raucous opening the songs get increasingly sober to the quiet and reflective final track 'Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands' (which I shall discuss later). There's the classic 'Just Like A Woman', and lesser known but still great songs like 'Temporary Like Achilles' There's a clear blues-y influence on a lot of tracks like 'Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat' and 'Pledging My Time', and these slot perfectly against the more poetic songs 'Visions of Johanna' and 'Stuck Inside A Mobile With Those Memphis Blues Again'.
Speaking of poetry- Dylan once again proves he is the poet laureate of the 60's. The lyrics to this album are among the finest and strongest in his career, often the lyrics aren't straight forward at all but cryptic and highly symbolic, but retaining his sly humour. The final track on the album is the epic 'Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands' which clocking in at 11:32 took up a whole side of an LP upon it's initial release. This has to be one of the most beautiful and unconventional love songs ever recorded, it takes my breath away each time I hear it. Even though the lyrics are symbolic references to the relationship with his wife, Sara, the listener can tell this is a heart-felt affair. The affection that appears in his voice is unmistakably.
I would not recommend this though, as a starting point to Bob Dylan and his work. To a none Dylan fan unused to his work it's likely to come off as a strange and confusing record. I'd tell a beginner to start elsewhere and build up to 'Blonde on Blonde', but once you reach it you can appreciate what a stunning album it is.
Masterpiece? Perhaps.
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