Last night, his singing was reduced to high, pinched whines and hoarse, phlegmatic notes that sounded less vocal than terminal. Pitch was a relative concept. His once-vaunted phrasing was rushed....Wait. Let's be fair. The harmonica playing was always awful.
He knows that people will always cheer when he wheezes into a harmonica - and that it doesn't matter that it's awful.
August 19, 2006
"The eccentricities are no longer funny. His voice is shot."
Bob Dylan gets a terrible review:
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No, you're wrong about the harmonica playing. It's always been musically interesting and often very creative. Dylan's first job in music was playing harmonica on a Harry Belafonte record. You think they'd hire a lousy harmonica player?
Yeah, I concur with emc - a lot of his harmonica playing is haunting and disciplined. It doesn't usually strive for technical amazingness, but he's more than capable of single-note discipline and interest. (It's hard to hit single notes well in harmonica playing; it involves use of the tongue.) And I could give a rat's ass about technical amazingness in harmonica playing, or whiz-bang solo harmonica like Toots Thielmans', I think that's the guy's name. (There's an 's' at the end of the guy's name, I think. hence the apostrophe placement.)
It's all about emotiveness and complementing the song. Listen to the harmonica on the break in "It Takes A Lot to Laugh, it Takes a Train to Cry." Great energy, great match with the guitar.
That said, the current voice is why I don't listen to Love and Death much.
Not that anyone's said it, but anyone who says Dylan couldn't ever sing should give a listen to "Moonshiner," on The Bootleg Series Vol 1-3.
Tough crowd. How about a little appreciation for a well executed punchline?
Great job, Ann.
You're very right, bill. It was quite well-done. I apologize, Ann. Put out an opinion, people jump down your throat. And not just "people" - Dylan people.
joe, it's perfectly understandable to not like his voice. Although when people say that I always wonder if they have actually heard/listened to the early years especially.
Dylan people don't just tolerate his voice.
EMC, there was a reason they were only paying him "a dollar a day", as the song has it. A very good reason.
Dylan's talent was always writing and what Germans call a singspiel delivery of his distinctive material.
He is one of the great entertainers of his generation. In essence more a popular poet than a singer.
"Sorry in advance, but I have never enjoyed hearing the man sign."
But the deaf appreciate it.
Bob Dylan's concerts might be unlistenable -- the only one of his I attended in 1986 was pretty bad -- but his albums have been on a distinct upswing. "Time Out of Mind" and "'Love and Theft'" are significant works. In addition to the excellent songs, the musicianship on both these disks are of a much higher order than the usual slapdash Dylan approach. On 'Love and Theft,' his voice is pretty goopy, but he writes for it and it works. I'm looking forward to the new album due out soon. It might be terrible, but recent trends suggests it won't be.
(I mean, would you rather have to listen to Bright Eyes? That guy makes "Eve of Destruction" sound subtle!)
So perfect pitch is a curse? I'm sorry.
I note that in a post above I referred to "Love and Theft" as "Love and Death." That's my mistake for the year.
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