Do Believe The Hype is a series where a writer introduces a beloved artist to another writer who has yet to be convinced by their legend.
For the second time, it’s Fran Slater introducing someone to Bob Dylan. Will Tom Burrows become a Dylan stan?
As I prepare to type these words, I look up from my laptop to meet Bob Dylan’s withering stare. He may be gazing down from a monochrome photograph on the wall of Bury’s Wax and Beans coffee and vinyl shop, but I still feel like he knows what I’m about to say. I’m 34 years old, I’m a music fan with a particular affection for songwriters… and I’ve never really listened to Bob Dylan. Don’t look at me like that Bob! Allow me to explain myself.
When I was a teenager in the mid-noughties, I was focused on the discovery of new bands. Alt rock and indie. Bloc Party, The Libertines, The Strokes. The critically acclaimed music of now. Sometimes I looked into who the music magazines revered from further back, and Bob Dylan came into this category. But this folky guy from the 1960s seemed kinda boring, compared to the slickly produced music of varying quality from the new millennium. I didn’t know any fans. So I didn’t bother.
In my twenties, I was still discovering new stuff, but I started looking backwards as well. While working a particularly boring office job, I listened to the entire discography of The Beatles. But when it came to Dylan (and Bowie and Prince for that matter) their discographies were too vast. Once again, I couldn’t be bothered.
But recently I noticed that all my favourite songs from last year were by artists that I already liked. New recommendations increasingly sound like things I’ve heard before. I fear I’m falling into that period where discovering new music feels like effort, and it’s easier to reach for the familiar. But maybe I can turn to the past to find something original. I’m entering my Dylan era.
So that’s a very long intro to contextualise this playlist in my life. Matt took on the Bob Dylan challenge back in 2021, so if you feel like you’ve heard some of this before, you probably have. Fran has gone for a nice cross section of classic Dylan over these 11 tracks, and there is stuff that I’m vaguely aware of here.
The playlist
(Spotify link)
- Visions of Johanna
- Masters of War
- Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
- It Ain’t Me Babe
- Shelter From The Storm
- Subterranean Homesick Blues
- The Times They Are A-Changin’
- Tangled Up In Blue
- Hurricane
- Like A Rolling Stone
- All Along The Watchtower
I’ve picked up an awareness of Bob Dylan along the way. Protest music. The video where he throws all the cards away. ‘Dylan goes electric’. The names of the classic albums. I suppose my reticence when it comes to Bob Dylan, is that the things I love about my favourite songwriters is how they combine great writing with great music. And aside from the electric stuff, I’ve never sensed enough about Dylan the musician to pull me in.
Which is something I think is relevant when it comes to ‘Visions of Johanna’, the opening song on this playlist. Even after half a dozen listens, this does not hook me. It’s 7 and a half minutes of vivid writing, and while it would be an exaggeration to say it dragged, to me it didn’t feel musically interesting enough to sustain its length. I like long, epic songs, but I got a bit bored with this. On looking it up, I see that this is considered one of the greatest songs ever written, so it’s good to see that I’ve started with total sacrilege – but I’ve got to be honest, it didn’t grab me. (I’ll just pause to check that Bob isn’t somehow shaking his head from that picture on the wall.)
This isn’t something I’d say about ‘Masters of War’ or ‘Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright’, both from his breakthrough The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. ‘Masters of War’ is one of my favourites on this list, so I’m not completely tone deaf to his charms. I love the way that Dylan castigates the cowards of the song’s title, with barbs like “you ain’t worth the blood that runs in your veins”. You don’t hear such damning criticism in music like this these days, and there are plenty who would deserve it. ‘Don’t Think Twice…’ is very different in tone as he reassures himself after a breakup, and you can feel his pain even in the notes of acceptance in the song. In its latter stages as he places some blame at his former lover’s door, I’d like to hear the other side of the story. But it’s a well put together composition where I can hear the appeal.
‘It Ain’t Me Babe’ made me do a double take. Because though I’m sure I haven’t heard it before, he sounds so much like Hamilton Leithauser of The Walkmen on this, I literally had to check that they hadn’t previously released this as a cover. Here in a nutshell is evidence of Dylan’s influence. There are so many bands and artists I like who have been influenced by him, that when you hear the real thing, it’s almost shocking how much some wear his influence on their sleeve. Unlike somebody who heard this song before the New York band’s existence, I cannot hear it now without hearing this imaginary cover. That’s not a bad thing for me, though I kind of understand why Fran has no time for The Walkmen now.
I’ll dart ahead to ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ now, which is basically, a 60s banger. It’s relatively brief and it hits the mark as a protest song. It’s not my favourite on the list, but I can certainly see why it’s so renowned. It’s a smash hit. The same goes for the more restrained ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’. This feels like the textbook definition of a torch song; an anthem for a moment in time. Again, very few notes here. Yep, I understand.
So going back slightly, because ‘Shelter From The Storm’ is one of two songs from Blood On The Tracks here, from his slightly later mid-70s period. I feel a similar way about ‘Shelter From The Storm’ to ‘Visions of Johanna’ – it’s 5 minutes long but drags for me, with not enough to grab me musically across its runtime. I have the feeling that in context on the album, the effect would be very different. ‘Tangled Up In Blue’ however, is loads more interesting. I love that this is the first song on this album, because it feels like a real mission statement of sorts. It feels like a properly reflective, slightly abstract look at relationships on a grand scale, and I enjoyed it each time it came on this playlist. There’s enough here to make me want to dig into this album properly.
‘Hurricane’ stood out for Matt in his previous piece, and it’s easy to see why: it’s the longest, most musically modern, and most compelling song on this list. I think it works on a playlist like this because of how complete the story is in isolation; it doesn’t feel like an album track at all really. I remember speaking to a guy at a party a couple of years ago who was extolling the genius of this song in the early hours of the morning, and now I get it. This was the highlight for me.
And the playlist ends with a classic double bill of ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ and ‘All Along The Watchtower’. These are both songs I’ve heard before, and there’s no disputing their quality. I prefer Hendrix’s version of ‘Watchtower’ and ‘Rolling Stone’ kind of washes over me – it’s another one I’m not sure needs to be 6 minutes long, but minor quibbles – they’re good songs.
Do I believe the hype?
There’s no question that I believe it. These are songs about something. Sticking your neck out about things that really matter is something that I have huge respect for, and I can see why he’s held in such esteem. But I must admit that I haven’t been fully swept up in Dylan fever.
I’m an album guy, so that was probably not going to happen on a playlist anyway. But I still struggle with the musicality of the folkier stuff. While it’s a vessel for good storytelling, it doesn’t grab me when isolated from the rest of Dylan’s mythos. When he doesn’t grab me, I find him a little dull – ‘Visions of Johanna’ and ‘Shelter From The Storm’ were songs I never looked forward to listening to.
Yet when he does strike a chord, I do enjoy his music. I can see why the hits are hits. I really liked the punchiness of ‘Masters of War’ and ‘Hurricane’, and the personal nature of ‘Don’t Think Twice..’ and ‘Tangled Up In Blue’ resonated with me. Finally, I can say that there are some Bob Dylan tunes that I do like. Maybe I’ll try one of those esteemed albums to really understand him.
Words by Tom Burrows
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