Bob Dylan finally makes sense....

I have never understood why Bob Dylan seems to be loved or hated only. Not to many, "whaterever" responses about him. I just love him and think his humble opinion of himself and his life is amazingly refreshing for a person so worshipped by so many people. He was Jimi Hendrix favorite musician and has written more great songs than anyone I can think of outside of Willie Nelson. Music is spiritual so I guess that explains Bob Dylan. You are either there with him or not.

Capt369 I like most of the Jazz artists you mention also.

However your comments on Dylan are based on some cliched terms referring to his fame or legend.
Your dismissal of what he did with music is crude and largely wrong.
If you have even a basic interest in songwriting you have to realise he turned that world on it's head, changed what a song could achieve (in an artistic sense)and operated lyrically on levels that your silly dismissal doesn't even begin to consider.

I'm no Dylan apologist he has made some terrible records and self destructed on numerous occassions but really how interesting is any debate on any musician based on throwaway criticisms with no depth-he's overrated, he can't sing, he isn't a good musician blah blah blah?

I've never read a single criticism of Dylan on Audiogon that went beyond that a child might make.
There are several above as well as yours.

He is actually very similar to Miles Davis in attitude and approach to music if in a totally different sphere.
The ability to take a musical form, analyse it,play it classically straight at times, take it apart to see how it worked and reform it in a new fashion , stretch the rules of that form, break the rules of that form, introduce aspects that baffle and enrage their audience, be a complete artistic maverick full of integrity only to look a human hypocrite a few steps further on.

Above all else they took their genres to the very peak of artistic achievement.

It's all in there................if you listen.

How can anyone say anything negative about Bob Dylan. He has done so much for music in America. When people were booing him on stage for going eletric back in the 60's, he played on. My favorite album is 1966 live. This was an awesome album just because he played his heart out and put on one hell of a show. I'll agree his voice may have lost some musicality but what he writes about and the way he says things is just so well put. He wrote some of the greatest music of a generation and I agree with him, there hasn't been anything great that has come out in a long time. For the most part, modern music sounds like a bunch of noise to me.

Ben...I`m not an expert on the evolution of music. My thoughts and analysis of Dylan`s work were based on observations made almost 40 yrs. ago.

Until now, I`ve been more interested in whether a trolled split-tail mullet would be almost as effective at fooling a sailfish as a live thread-fin in a 5 ft. chop, or whether, with the proper personnel, the 3/4 defense is more effective and versatile than the 4/3, or in disciplining myself enough to leave the driver in the bag and stick with the 3-wood.

I actually admire your passion and insight regarding Dylan`s influence on modern music. I`ll now re-visit his work and perhaps see it in a new light. I`ll let you know. At the very least, you`ve peaked my interest.

Now, if I could only pay attention to that little voice deep inside that says: leave the driver in the bag...leave the driver in the bag...