Bob’s Makeout Album
A long time ago I said when Bob Dylan turned 50 he'd go back and make an acoustic Lp & effectively start over and have since thought I should have written a letter stating that, sent it to myself and never opened it because I don't expect anyone to believe I said it in the first place.
Lo and behold, at 50 he did just that and a year later followed up with an even better one & 2 years after that was the electric return with the single of "Dignity" - which carried on his tradition of once in a great while releasing something (usually the b-side of some Lp song picked to be a single) that let you know not to give up on him. That was/is a great single - I couldn't stop playing it and wondering what was coming. True to form nothing did for 3 years until "Time Out Of Mind" which was better than anything since 'John Wesley Harding' & especially cool since it came out when everyone else was embracing the low-fi ethic, Bob went hi-fi - he said "I wanted to make a record that sounded like a record being played on a record player"…..I liked that Lp but it still wasn't the knocked out loaded punch hoped for.
Then in the summer of 2001 'Love And Theft' was announced & something told me this would be it. His initial pre-release comment was "It's like a hits Lp that doesn't have any hits - yet". I got it the night before release & like always couldn't wait to hear it while simultaneously being apprehensive hoping for the best tho' expecting maybe to be let down but after the first listen through my initial response was "Finally." He'd done it & it didn't take me long to realize it rivaled 'Blonde On Blonde'. It was ok now if he never made another record - before this one, if continuing on as he'd been, his epitaph would have been one big "If only…" and now he'd set the record straight. And now we have 'Modern Times'. When announced 2 or 3 months ago, sure, I was excited but also thought "It's ok if it's not as good as 'Love And Theft' - he'd proved he could do it when he was ready - what more could you ask for? Weeeelllllllll, it's better! You can dance to it - twist, jitterbug & slow close romantic - on a Bob Lp! The band is the best in the world right now plus he's playing harmonica again and real good too and I've no credence with anyone who says his voice is spent. Lyrically? It's there - forget the 'critics' & 'intellectuals' who gripe about him writing exclusively in the first person - he's moved beyond detached observations to personal reflection and the 8 originals here are incredible plus a pair of rockin' 40's blues covers. The night I initially heard 'Love And Theft' was 9/10/01 and it was released the following day. He said later "I sure picked that one didn't I?" What was so uncanny were all the references to that day in the songs. After 5 more years of a world gone wrong it's all here in 10 songs. What's going to happen tomorrow? Old Weird America lives on…tho its' population has dwindled, what an inhabitant he makes. The 40's cover photograph met with pre-release disdain from all the Dylanites but it's so fitting - those are the Modern Times he lives in & I thank him so much for it. If 'Love & Theft' rivaled 'Blonde On Blonde' & this one's better does it mean he's just released his best LP? You bet'cha. The only way this Lp could be improved on would be to release it as a hardbound 5 record set of 78's like those from the time it's from were.
You should make it a point to buy this tomorrow. From The Beatles to now every band/solo artist is on 1 side of the fence & he's on the other. He's outlived lotz, never stops & when on like this Lp there's no-one better….
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That was written in late August & now it's the night before year's end….nothing dreadful occured the day of release & after countless spins still gives me goosebumps. "Thunder on the Mountain" is an apocalustic mastepiece & the crystallized realization of what all those early rock & roll outlaws were chasing. "Spirit On The Water" proves he's sincere & sweet with its' genuinely romantic delivery plus his sense of humor that lay dormant for ages is given free reign and concocts jewels like "I've been in a brawl, now I'm feelin' the wall" & "You think I'm over the hill, Think I'm past my prime, Let me see what you got, We can have a whompin' good time". His first harmonica playing in decades fills in for the final verses' vocals poignantly, laying to rest any criticism of his primitive ability with graceful finesse. This record is so out of touch with anything else going on it could only have come from someone with a long history of not giving a hoot what anyone thinks. As he said upon its' release, "I'm in a cowboy band". Yes you are Senor, yes you are…..