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| Gazza |
 *****
THE STATE OF AMERICA, VIBRANT SEXUALITY, DEPRESSION-ERA JAZZ AND BLUES, AND SOME EXCELLENT JOKES ; ANOTHER CLASSIC FROM THE REVITALISED MASTER
Thunder On The Mountain *****
Spirit In The Water *****
Rollin' And Tumblin' *****
When The Deal Goes Down ****
Someday Baby ****
Workingman's Blues #2(Apologies to Merle) *****
Beyond The Horizon ***
Netty Moore ****
The Levee's Gonna Break ***
Ain't Talkin', Just Walkin' *****
Bob Dylan's records are so full of riddles, references and secrets, they often feel like puzzles which can never be solved. The title of his 44th record (including live releases) however, seems easier to parse than most. Surely it refers to the '36 Chaplin film Modern Times in which the Little Tramp confronts automation and the Great Depression. "(Chaplin) influences me, even in the way I sing", Dylan said to Robert Shelton, though he claimed to another biographer that he'd never seen a Chaplin film. Early observers, meanwhile, consistently noted Dylan's Chaplinesque qualities.
The Chaplin of Modern Times is certainly an apt model for the Dylan of this one. Both roam through a spiritually dead America, a country broken by economic misery. But both fight back with an anarchic, indomitable spirit. The obsession with his own mortality that dominated Time Out of Mind has gone. This time, Dylan is revelling in life and eager to get down to business on what may be , surprisingly, the funniest album he's ever made.
In the wake of Scorsese's No Direction Home and the first volume of Chronicles[i], of course, [i]Modern Times is his most widely anticipated LP since the '70's. But Dylan has been assiduously rebuilding his career since 1992's Good As I Been To You, a collection of folks and blues covers which reconnected him with his original inspirations. The acclaim - and the two million sales - afforded 1997's masterpiece Time Out of Mind , contrasted with Dylan's performance through much of the 80's, when he has been treated, even by some of his fans, as a shabby, redundant joke.
Such comnercial and critical crests and troughs don't really matter to his reputation in the long run. The larger question is : why did Dylan feel compelled to make us listen to him again? What more did he have to say? The answer started to become clearer with Love And Theft . Self-produced, it threw off it's predecessor's weariness for a vintage, antic spirit, channelling Huck Finn and Bing Crosby into a panoramic vision of America that applied equally to the Depression and to the day it was released : September 11, 2001. The moral certitude of his 80's born-again days remained, but it was now delivered with impish humanity. Love And Theft was quite unlike any other pop album - apart, that is, from Modern Times, its direct and audacious sequel.
With Dylan once more producing his road band (guitarists Stu Kimball and Denny Freeman, bassist Tony Garnier, multi-instrumentalist Donnie Herron and drummer George Recile), the quality of playing is assured. As with Love And Theft , they mix swingtime jazz with crunching blues, addressing current concerns through a lexicon that is seven decades old (Modern Times' other, semi-ironic meaning).
The first song, "Thunder On The Mountain", rolls in with a crash of drums and contains all the themes that will follow, as Dylan declares, 'feel like my soul is beginning to expand'. Its a new spirit of generosity and optimism reiterated on "When The Deal Goes Down", which states 'we learn to live and then we forgive'. His resurgent confidence even sees him, in "Spirit In The Water" throw down a gauntlet to critics; "you think I'm past my prime/let me see what you got/We can have a whoppin' good time" . Forget Blind Willie McTell, this is Bob as Big Joe Turner, strutting to the whorehouse.
"Thunder On The Mountain" also seethes with moral disgust. 'She ain't no angel, and neither am I', Dylan declares, 'Shame on your greed, shame on your wicked schemes/I'll say this, I don't give a damn about your dreams. It's the sort of language you can find in his late friend Hunter S. Thompson's final, Bush-excoriating book, Kingdom of Fear. But Dylan doesn't limit his contempt to the president. The long final track, "Ain't Talkin', Just Walkin" , which, with it's ominous, portentous strings, is clearly intended as a major statement, sees a vengeful Dylan stalking 'through the cities of the plague' to kill enemies who will 'crush you with wealth and power . He doesn't name the neocons - just as he never directly named Vietnam - but he plainly despises them.
Modern Times is also a love album. Possibly some new woman in Dylan's life is the source of his renewed lust, though hopefully not the 'young crazy slut' who 'charmed away my brains' on "Rollin' and Tumblin' , one of several songs to cut romance with the raw sexuality of the blues. Such emotional breadth is helped by one of Dylan's strongest singing performances ; Sony sources claim that he took uncharacteristic care over recording his vocals. Crooning one line, catching his breath consumptively the next, he exploits the frailties of his voice with an artfulness that's positively Sinatraesque. Against this, the relatively banal "Beyond The Horizon" takes his '30's swingtime fetish too far, sounding like a tea dance at the Ritz. Some lazy lyrics, probably products of automatic writing, also creep in.
Such flaws seems insignificant, though , when you hear the greatest song here, "Workingman's Blues". Referencing recent tourmate Merle Haggard's 1969 blue-collar tribute "Workin' Man Blues", its a story of love on the dole, and an anthemic rallying cry of resistance, the like of which he hasn't tried since the 60's. The point where the honkytonk country keyboard unmistakably echoes 'Like A Rolling Stone' is a resonant, heart-stopping moment. Whenever his post-'66 has raised expectations of a complete renaissance, he has tended to torpedo them. But there's no nervous perversity here from a Dyan who finally feels comfortable, and is ready to take this thing as far as it'll go.
- NICK HASTED
("Uncut", September 2006. Available from today)
[Edited by Gazza] |
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| PartyDoll MEG |
Thanks for the "Hot off the Press" review, Gazza. Can't wait to get this album and hear more than the 30 second clips. The review reaffirms my initial reaction.. |
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| pdog |
I will buy this album!
It warms me the same as these two do...
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| Lazy Bones |
thanks, Gary!
now I bet you're really anxious to hear workingman's blues in it's entirety! it does sound like a great song. fingers crossed for a live rendition and some tour dates in MY neck of the woods... |
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| Lethargy |
quote:
Gazza wrote:
*****
The Chaplin of Modern Times is certainly an apt model for the Dylan of this one. Both roam through a spiritually dead America, a country broken by economic misery. But both
[Edited by Gazza]
Good review. The only sentence that makes me think the author is a moron is the "economic" misery part. What country does he live in during 2006? Last time I checked, the U.S. isn't broken by economic misery at the moment, certainly not at any level comparable to the depression era. What a dope!
Nit-picky and irrelevant perhaps, but I notice these things. |
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| Martha |
"surprisingly, the funniest album he's ever made."
No this is not at all suprising! |
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| Martha |
quote:
Lethargy wrote:
Good review. The only sentence that makes me think the author is a moron is the "economic" misery part. What country does he live in during 2006? Last time I checked, the U.S. isn't broken by economic misery at the moment, certainly not at any level comparable to the depression era. What a dope!
Nit-picky and irrelevant perhaps, but I notice these things.
I notice things too and from my vantage point the author is tptally right-on. You must not yet be affected by the onslaught of economic misery that is upon us. I am. |
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| Martha |
quote:
PartyDoll MEG wrote:
Thanks for the "Hot off the Press" review, Gazza. Can't wait to get this album and hear more than the 30 second clips. The review reaffirms my initial reaction..
I want to HEAR those 30 second clips and cannot make them work!
Sister....tell me how good is it?!
:-)
PS Do you have your tix for the Columbus show? Are you ticketed for the FIELD or the STANDS? |
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| Factory Girl |
When available in US? |
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| PartyDoll MEG |
quote:
Martha wrote:
I want to HEAR those 30 second clips and cannot make them work!
Sister....tell me how good is it?!
:-)
PS Do you have your tix for the Columbus show? Are you ticketed for the FIELD or the STANDS?
On the FIELD, Sister.
The album is gonna rock your world Sway Sister-guarenteed!! |
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| Martha |
quote:
Factory Girl wrote:
When available in US?
Hey FG!
Bob's newest will be ready bright and early Tuesday, August 29th! |
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| Martha |
quote:
PartyDoll MEG wrote:
On the FIELD, Sister.
The album is gonna rock your world Sway Sister-guarenteed!!
I am reading the review and friggin' CRYING!!!!! I LOVE tha man.
Can't make it to OH but we are going to catch Bob in Sioux Falls and Fargo! Fuck YUP!
Glad to know you've secured FIELD tickies!
I miss you Sway Sister!
Hugs,
Martha |
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| Soldatti |
Can't wait, Bob's last two albums were awesome and I have high hopes on this one. |
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| Lethargy |
quote:
Martha wrote:
I notice things too and from my vantage point the author is tptally right-on. You must not yet be affected by the onslaught of economic misery that is upon us. I am.
Sorry to hear that. If you're in a bad stretch I hope things improve for you soon (really). |
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| Martha |
quote:
Lethargy wrote:
Sorry to hear that. If you're in a bad stretch I hope things improve for you soon (really).
Thank you for the kind words Lethargy. I am glad you do not know personally that things are realy bad. That means you have more money than I ever have. I want things to improve too, but know it would literally take a miracle. I have a roof over my head and food on the table right now for which I am grateful. It's been worse than it is at the moment, (by far) but I never lose sight of the fact we live paycheck to paycheck and if something fucks up we would be in a disaster that we have no means of getting ourselves out of. I now suffer from PTSD and acute anxiety disorder in part due to the money stress that has always been looming in my life. It takes a huge toll, believe me.
We own no property or have anything of value that matters. But, this is to be expected ( although I didn't realize this most of my life) I grew up poor. My Father just passed away and left my Mother on the verge of poverty. I do not have any money to help her and my 45 year old brother cannot get a loan to buy her house that is listed at 50,000.
I do not have a second car and have student loans that are kicking my ass (paid 33K and did not touch the principle, total amount of these loans are 90K). I do not ever expect to be able to have my own home, I've finally started working my way out of clinging to that lifelong dream. We have no savings no retirement no nothing.
If my husband lost his job we at this moment we are in over 125,000 of debt (includes the 90K student loans which were originally 49K but accured interest and rose to 90K in less than 5 years). And we would be fried. When he talks to me about his work I sometimes begin to have a panic attack as I fear something has or will happen and we will be destitute.
We lived in Athens OH where there are no jobs and where they have the highest poverty rate in OH during the beginning of our marriage. The best year we had in 6 that we lived there (after we werer married, I lived there a total of 15 years) financially speaking combined income we made just $15,000. Try to live on that or less and then you will know what economic misery feels like. I will never be the same having lived through this and other similar experiences. I could not afford to see a Dr. This is not fun and no one wants to be poor.
We go to shows with the little amount of disposable income we do have at this time...and that has been my one saving grace. It is music that brings me hope, joy, peace, friendship, laughter, tears, love and knowledge. I would have already checked out of this planetary ride if it wasn't for that connection.
I know I am not alone though. But as long as we have capitalism we will have poverty. There is no way to have one without the other.
"Got no privacy got no liberty
Cos the twentieth century people
Took it all away from me." Kinks "20th Century Man"
BTW, Bob's last broadcast was on the topic; rich man/poor man. He knows we are living in economic misery and he doesn't have to know. :-)
Today...in a few minutes in fact he is doing his show on; devil. That should be interesting! :-)
peace out to you all and may you be blessed,
Martha |
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| F505 |
I predict this will THE album of 2006.
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| MrPleasant |
According to Orson Welles, Chaplin had a small dick. |
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