Anyone who had any sense had already left town

Continuing my trip up Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time...

...with surely (please!) the last Bob Dylan album on this list.

#9: Blood On The Tracks - Bob Dylan (1975) 

Bob Dylan once introduced this album’s opening song, “Tangled Up in Blue,” onstage as taking him 10 years to live and two years to write. It was, for him, a pointed reference to the personal crisis — the collapse of his marriage to Sara Lowndes — that at least partly inspired this album, Dylan’s best of the 1970s.

In fact, he wrote all of these lyrically piercing, gingerly majestic folk-pop songs in two months, in mid-1974. He was so proud of them that he privately auditioned almost all of the album, from start to finish, for pals and peers, including Mike Bloomfield, David Crosby, and Graham Nash, before cutting them in September — in just a week, with members of the bluegrass band Deliverance.

But in December, Dylan played the record for his brother, David, in Minneapolis, who suggested recutting some songs with local musicians. The final Blood was a mix of New York and Minneapolis tapes; the New York versions are slower, more pensive, while the Minneapolis versions are faster and wilder. Together, they frame the gritty anguish in Dylan’s vocals, as he rages through some of his most passionate, confessional songs — from adult breakup ballads like “You’re a Big Girl Now” and “If You See Her, Say Hello” to the sharp-tongued opprobrium of “Idiot Wind,” his greatest put-down song since “Like a Rolling Stone.”

And so, eight albums in, we finally reach the end of our time with Robert Zimmerman on this list.  It's fair to say he's not been an artist that I've always anticipated our visits with enthusiasm, but I do get the impression he's slowly ground me down and has, at times, produced music good enough to be described as "almost bearable" (and no, that's not fair in the slightest - but where's the fun in being fair?).  I would say there's been a general uptick in quality as we've headed up the list (with the exception of The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, which has probably been my favourite so far but was stuck down at #255) and I was interested to listen to this to see if it really was his best.  And, I could tell you now, but it seems more amusing to leave the overall verdict until after the track-by-track breakdown...

1. "Tangled Up On The Blue"
Yeah, he's got his annoying Dylan voice on, but this is a hopeful opener - I like the thing.  It's got  a good tune, a fine chorus and a jangly guitar - what more do you want?
2. "Simple Twist Of Fate"
This is mysterious Dylan - sounding a bit like Van Morrison.  Again, I quite like it - what's going on?
3. "You're A Big Girl Now"
Although he's still got his annoying voice on, he seems to employing a different cadence on this album than I've noticed on others - slightly more flowing.  And so far, I'm liking it.
4. "Idiot Wind"
More like the "classic" Dylan I've come to know and hate - it's bearable, but it's used up some of the goodwill generated by the previous tracks.
5. "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go"
Far too much mouth organ to start the track, but it settles down and is fine thereafter.
6. "Meet Me In The Morning"
He's got a different annoying voice on here - quite like Neil Young and it's a very country-ish style, but (somehow) I didn't mind it at all.
7. "Lily, Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts"
Somehow, you can tell from the opening verse that this is going to be one of those Dylan songs that goes on for years and includes a million cryptic references to a huge cast of characters.  And, guess what - you're not wrong!  But I liked it - even though it's (again) quite country.
8. "If You See Her, Say Hello"
I can hear the anguish coming through here - and yeah, it's surprisingly enjoyable.
9. "Shelter From The Storm"
Another perfectly fine song - what is going on with this album?
10. "Buckets Of Rain"
And shades of Van again on a nice smooth closing track.

Well, well, well - a Dylan album I would go as far as saying I liked.  FINALLY!  And I might even listen to it again - it feels like I'd find out more from repeat visits.  All in all, a very pleasant surprise.

Wikipedia doesn't have a great deal to say about the album other than stating several times that it's nothing to the breakdown of his marriage and the songs are in no way autobiographical.  OK, if you say so, Bob.  Initial critical views of the album were mixed - with most of the criticism relating to the musicianship on the album, which I must admit wasn't something I paid a lot of attention to (either because my expectations were so low or because I was distracted by the fact that I was enjoying it).  Obviously they all agree now it's a masterpiece though - you wouldn't expect anything less, would you?  The public liked it - #1 in the US and #4 in the UK - and it's one of his best selling albums.  And that's pretty much all Wikipedia has to say on the matter, which is unusual for a Dylan album.

So, given this is our last visit with the man, I should really make an effort and read his Wikipedia entry, shouldn't I?  It reminded me that he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016 - which was something I have mixed feelings on because I do believe the best song lyrics are worthy of the title "literature" but I imagine there are plenty of authors who were slightly put out.  However, having read the Wikipedia entry for the prize, he's a perfectly sensible selection compared to some of the other previous winners.  Whatever my thoughts on the matter, it would be remiss of me not to offer up Irvine Welsh's opinion - "I'm a Dylan fan, but this is an ill conceived nostalgia award wrenched from the rancid prostates of senile, gibbering hippies".  Bob has also won an Academy Award - Best Song for "Things Have Changed" which was written for Wonder Boys (which I've somehow missed seeing, so I've no idea how worthy he is of the award)

I was also amazed to read about his second marriage from 1986-1992 which resulted in at least one child - and nobody knew anything about it until his biographer revealed it in a book released in 2001.  Which is an impressive level of secrecy for anyone, but even more so for one of the best known artists out there with some somewhat obsessive fans.  "Customers also listened to" Reed, Young, Crosby, Stills and Nash - all people we've met more than a few times down the list.  But not as much as our Bob.

So, does he deserve eight albums on the list.  Does he bollocks!  However, despite my rudeness about him, there is no denying he is a talented lad and he has churned out a number of decent songs over the years.  And I even like some of them and I also liked this album, which was my favourite of his along with The Freewheelin'...  - both of which I will make an effort to revisit.  I'd allow him another couple on the list because I'm gracious like that - probably Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde On Blonde - and that would be it for me.  The rest of them are merely tolerable, with the exception of Love and Theft, which is quite dreadful.  However, I admire the man for plugging away through the years and he's still at it with Rough And Rowdy Ways, his 39th album issued last year being not bad at all (which as we know, is high praise from me) so I probably won't be quite so scared of listening to his next one.  Lordy - the next thing you know, I'll be declaring myself a Dylan fan!

#10 - A very fine album indeed
#8 - Whose life isn't improved by the addition of some purple?