To answer Marakanetz query about Dylan and lead guitar.
Dylan was obviously a folk-based guitarist to start with despite returning to his rock n' roll roots circa'64 subsequently he always allowed his main guitarist of the time to play lead (Robbie Robertson in the main)until '76 during the Hard Rain era (Mick Ronson played guitar)when he started playing lead,which at the time he really couldn't do that well.
It's something that's never left him since then and despite having noticably better guitarists throughout the years-G.E Smith and now Charlie Sexton(awesome lead player)and Larry Campbell he still likes to play lead,sometimes a lot certainly the last few years have seen him play more than possibly ever before.
Whilst he has improved and can occassionaly do some brilliant stuff,it's fair to say he is not a top class player.
I saw him twice recently and he played lead a fair bit despite obviously being constantly outplayed by Sexton and Campbell.
If you wanted to analysis it,it could be said that '76 heralded a time when he felt he couldn't deal with the confusion he had in his life via words (totally at least)and tried using his own sonics although sonics had been part of his live sound since '66.
Of course Dylan's genius has never been on the technical level-I think he has an amazing voice but it's not a technical purist voice likewise he is often derided by fellow musicians as not being technically that great a musician and yet he has produced music in his field light years ahead of his contempories.....
I wouldn't have him on this list anymore than Springsteen and Springsteen's obviously a better guitarist.
Dylan was obviously a folk-based guitarist to start with despite returning to his rock n' roll roots circa'64 subsequently he always allowed his main guitarist of the time to play lead (Robbie Robertson in the main)until '76 during the Hard Rain era (Mick Ronson played guitar)when he started playing lead,which at the time he really couldn't do that well.
It's something that's never left him since then and despite having noticably better guitarists throughout the years-G.E Smith and now Charlie Sexton(awesome lead player)and Larry Campbell he still likes to play lead,sometimes a lot certainly the last few years have seen him play more than possibly ever before.
Whilst he has improved and can occassionaly do some brilliant stuff,it's fair to say he is not a top class player.
I saw him twice recently and he played lead a fair bit despite obviously being constantly outplayed by Sexton and Campbell.
If you wanted to analysis it,it could be said that '76 heralded a time when he felt he couldn't deal with the confusion he had in his life via words (totally at least)and tried using his own sonics although sonics had been part of his live sound since '66.
Of course Dylan's genius has never been on the technical level-I think he has an amazing voice but it's not a technical purist voice likewise he is often derided by fellow musicians as not being technically that great a musician and yet he has produced music in his field light years ahead of his contempories.....
I wouldn't have him on this list anymore than Springsteen and Springsteen's obviously a better guitarist.