#467 - Bob Dylan - Love and Theft

I’ve been dreading Dylan’s first appearance on the list. While I respect his songwriting, his typically terrible performing of those same songs ruins it for me. No, it’s not the nasal voice or inability to hold a pitch. It’s his poor timing and questionable melodic choices. To reference our last review, he’s more Bernie Taupin than Elton John. No one can question his ability as a poet, though. He’s had some pretty rotten lines, but anyone with his volume of output has to be expected to miss every now and then. So then, how much time was I going to spend with a seemingly permanent wince on my face while listening to “Love and Theft”?

Not too much. Released in 2001 (9-11 actually, in an ironic twist for an album that was practically a love letter to America) by a then sixty year old Robert Zimmerman, this record is a history lesson through music. Touches of swing, ragtime, jazz and Appalachian folk spell out an obsession with all the genres born in the middle states. I’m usually pretty harsh on artists that borrow to heavily from their forbearers, but in this case, Bob is at his best when trying to sound like his inspirations. “High Water” is the highlight for me. A traditional folk song with the group riffing of bluegrass, I love the mix of fingerpicked banjo, steel guitar and accordion. Aside from the ominous blasts of thunderous tympani, one could hear the Carter Family harmonizing this.

“Po’ Boy” is another favorite. It sounds like it could have been played just like this in a bar in New Orleans eighty years ago. Great attention is paid to structure, every part leads perfectly into the next and nothing seems out of place. Personally, I would have replaced the bass with tuba, but otherwise I can’t complain. “Cry A While” follows that with a unique twist on the familiar country blues structure, bouncing back and forth from the laid back brushstroke drumming to an offbeat-heavy jump rhythm. At first it’s jarring, but once it settles in and the band seems to loosen up a bit it becomes a comfortable and natural play on conventions.

Generally, the best songs on this record are the softer and darker ones. Possibly because Dylan’s voice is best suited to the more macabre. I think it’s also because he’s always been a pessimist and a fatalist, it’s only natural for him to convey the morbid side of life more believably. “Sugar Baby” follows that rule with the most sparse arrangement featured here. Acoustic guitar, accordion, a bit of electric guitar and maybe a smidgen of upright bass. I love the lyrics to this one. It’s impossible to pigeonhole them with one clear meaning. It struck me as advice to anyone who chose to listen close enough.

I’m not a big fan of the attempts at swing, jump blues and rock. It’s just not a world that Dylan is comfortable in, and the tempo is too quick for him. The guy that caused a million tongue cramps with “Subterranean Homesick Blues” just can’t keep up and ends up spitting out the words a tad too far behind. Even that can’t ruin the entire thing. I’m a little surprised at some of the praise it received, with one magazine recently naming it the best album of the decade. But it certainly earns a solid amount of glory, and I think this is a pretty good place for it to sit on the list.

Here’s one of the greats of modern reggae, Sizzla, reinterpreting “Subterranean Homesick Blues.”

-tfm

So, Bob Dylan’s Love and Theft, eh? Released on September 4^th, 2001, this album is an ode to American music, ranging from steady Southern blues to 50’s era rock n’ roll. Everywhere in between, we get the same old Bob Dylan except for one glaring addition: Dylan’s voice seems to have broken. Luckily for him (and us), the weary growl he brings to this album is much welcome, providing his listeners with an age old voice to go with his wisdom. He sounds like one who sings songs of “love and theft” should sound. Tired, at times. Upbeat, at other. Whichever song you look at though, Dylan seems to be having fun the entire time.

Mike does a wonderful job of dissecting particular songs in concerns to their respective genre and influences, so I will spare our listeners more of the same. Also, kudos to the big man for leaving his preconceived notions at the door and giving this album a fair chance. I was expecting a diatribe of animosity and hatred. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised at a glowing critique (despite its’ backhanded jabs). Supposedly, this is Bob Dylan’s 43^rd album (studio, live, etc.). Upon reading any review I could find on this album, I came across the same opinions. First, how great this album is. Secondly, how happy and alive Dylan seems to be after a string of performances that came off as lackluster or bored. One might expect this from a person who survived a heart condition scare. What this means to us is that we, as listeners, get the same Dylanesque characters while getting to enjoy an artist who is thoroughly enjoying himself. As the Village Voice review stated, “the poet of his generation is once again prophet of his age.”

I enjoyed this album as I enjoy most great blues albums. I tap my feet to the beat and wish I was at some dive watching it live. This is my greatest love of blues albums as well as my greatest disappointment towards them. I just feel that blues is so much better in person where one can smell the sweat, beer, and heartache. Now, admittedly, Dylan’s foray isn’t as depressed as some of my most beloved blues pieces, but he offers up the same sentiment in his characters. Personally, as someone who considers himself a writer of words, I love lyricists and find few even close to Dylan’s ability and delivery. That being said, I don’t feel overwhelmingly confident about recommending this album to everyone. Instead, I believe its’ greatness lies not in the appeal to millions, but instead those that enjoy reflection and feeling. While not containing such hits as “Like a Rolling Stone,” “Hurricane,” “Mr. Tambourine Man,” etc., this album is a tribute to the music deeply rooted in Americana and a testament of the strength of a great artist. Approval granted.

This kid loves three things: Bob Dylan, the blues, and hammocks???

-d.