Recent Dylan

January 13, 2005 2:41 PM

I've always been a fan of classic Bob Dylan. Recently, I picked up Time Out of Mind in a combo-pack of CDs that I bought; it's the first recent Dylan I've listened to, and I flat-out love it. Now I want more. [MI]

I really love the sparse, bluesy feel of this, and the almost ominous production of a number of the songs. I'm also completely in love Love Sick, Million Miles, and Make You Feel My Love, lyrically, because of my life situation right now.

Is there any other recent Dylan I should check out? Are there other artists in a simular musical style to this album, with lyrics suitable for someone who's in a long-distance relationship and dealing with the problems unique to that? I'd love to know!

posted by jammer to Media & Arts (21 answers total)

As far as Dylan goes (this from a fellow fan), consider looking at bootleg/field recording trading sites (like Dylantree.com. You can get a lot of concerts and performances from time periods that he wasn't necessarily recording. You can find good reviews of boots at places like Bobsboots.

Keep in mind that Dylan has tons of albums; but many of them aren't well known. It's hard to recommend one that's just like TOM, but the theme of love (and rarely a totally positive take on it) is prevalent throughout. I assume you've listened to Blood on the Tracks? You also might like Oh Mercy, specifically the song Most of the Time.
posted by handful of rain at 2:53 PM on January 13, 2005

Well.. the only official album of NEW material after TOoM was Love and Theft. It's got a similar unearthly atmosphere in the production, and some good songwriting too, but all in all I'd say it's not album that Time Out of Mind was. It's not as morose, for one thing. It's quite a bit jumpier, and it replaces the last album's fixation on death with a dark and dopey sense of humor. Worth checking out, though.

And nobody else that I know of is really doing the same thing that Dylan was doing with those albums, though I'm not really up on my modern blues, so I guess I shouldn't talk.

Also, since Time Out of Mind was basically another in Dylan's chain of spontaneous reincarnations--you know how he just all of a sudden completely changes his musical style every fifteen years or so--there's not really anything like it in his own catalog, either. You may be out of luck, in other words.
posted by Hildago at 2:55 PM on January 13, 2005

Response by poster: Yeah, I love Blood on the Tracks, and it was one of the albums that got me through my breakup with my long-term SO last year. I'll check out some of your other links; haven't heard Oh Mercy.
posted by jammer at 2:57 PM on January 13, 2005

I agree with what Hildago says about L&T, but if you're just browsing on iTunes you might like the song Mississippi. If you like Mississippi by Dylan (he wrote it), try listening to Sheryl Crow's version--totally different take on the same song.
posted by handful of rain at 2:58 PM on January 13, 2005

Although it's not at all similar, one of my favorite Dylan albums is 1992' Good As I Been To You, a collection of acoustic versions of old traditional folk songs and ballads.
posted by skwm at 3:14 PM on January 13, 2005

And its darker cousin: World Gone Wrong.

Which, not so oddly, has several of the same covers as Nick Cave's Murder Ballads.
posted by hackly_fracture at 3:39 PM on January 13, 2005

As a huge Dylan fan, I'd recommend the MTV Unplugged cd if you haven't heard it. Many classic tunes, jammed out in a live setting. I also love World Gone Wrong and Good As I Been To You, and if you like his real early stuff, you're very like to like them too.

Daniel Lanois produced Time Out Of Mind, and produced an album that sounds somewhat similar for Emmy Lou Harris around the same time.

If you like sparse, bluesy music, I'd recommend Chris Smither's Live As I'll Ever Be. Sample "Can't Shake These Blues" or "The Devil's Real".
posted by McGuillicuddy at 4:10 PM on January 13, 2005

In addition to Emmylou Harris' Wrecking Ball, Lanois also produced Willie Nelson's Teatro which, like Time out of Mind, an excellent album with the same feel. Lanois rules.
posted by jgee at 4:22 PM on January 13, 2005

You may enjoy the work of Will Oldham, aka Bonnie "Prince" Billy.

Try Bonnie "Prince" Billy's I See A Darkness on for size.
posted by Sticherbeast at 4:33 PM on January 13, 2005

If you like the simplicity of Dylan with just a guitar and a harmonica, all by his lonesome, I recommend Bob Dylan. It is my favorite Dylan album, full of both spirituals and Woody Guthrie type homages to life on the road or life as a songwriter, etc. See That My Grave Is Kept Clean is one of my all time favorite songs by anyone. And hey, name another album by a legend that you can get new for $6.99! It's a no brainer.
posted by spicynuts at 5:23 PM on January 13, 2005

Greg Keelor from Blue Rodeo has an extremely sparse solo album called "Gone" that touches on themes of life, death, family, love and more. It also features Sarah McLachlan on a few of the songs.

Speaking of, "Surfacing" by Ms. McLachlan is another album I would recommend.

Also check out "Automatic For The People" by REM (although "Ignoreland" is completely out of place on an otherwise perfect album.)

And to bring it full circle, Blue Rodeo's "Five Days In May" is another CD worth checking out.
posted by Jaybo at 5:25 PM on January 13, 2005

I second the recommendations for "World Gone Wrong" and "Good As I Been to You," which are absolutely my favorite Dylan.
posted by mwhybark at 5:35 PM on January 13, 2005

IMO, pretty much all Dylan is good Dylan except some weird stuff from the 80s when he got all Christian and really couldn't sing at all... I mean, worse than usual. Definitely check out the live and rare stuff. Some of my favorite Dylan songs are from the Dylan & The Band Basement Tapes (rare) as well as Dylan and The Dead (live).
posted by maniactown at 5:48 PM on January 13, 2005

Second Oh Mercy...

For me, there are no bad Dylan albums, but if you've only gotten as far Blood On The Tracks and are rediscovering this Zeus of musical/poetic gods with the much later issued Time Out Of Mind, you need to fill the gap and can start with Infidels, Empire Berlesque, and Oh Mercy.

Dylan also did a film about a year ago called Masked and Anonymous. The film wasn't great (although this enigma we call Bob was in it!), but the soundtrack includes various artists covering his songs (very well too), and also him either rearranging or perfoming live some select tracks. I highly recommend it as well.

Be always blessed by His genius, my brother in Bob. :)
posted by LouReedsSon at 6:06 PM on January 13, 2005

Also take a look into Kelly Joe Phelps, especially his album 'Shine Eyed Mister Zen'.
posted by skwm at 6:39 PM on January 13, 2005

I think Masked & Anonymous was awfully underrated. Second that recommendation.
posted by muckster at 7:10 PM on January 13, 2005

Hah! I knew it... See I'd never really like Dylan all that much even as I recognized the brilliance of his songwriting (I know, Heretic!).

Anyway, ToOM was the first Dylan record I really liked and I attributed that to Lanois' production. So I'll add to those that recommend Oh Mercy in addition to Lanois' work with Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, Robbie Robertson and Lanois' solo albums.

Also, if you like this kind of songwriting/production I also thought of Crooked Fingers. The first Amazon page I looked at was filled with Dylan comparisons so I must be on the right track...
posted by Heminator at 7:41 PM on January 13, 2005

Check out this book.
posted by cribcage at 8:14 PM on January 13, 2005

Well, if you are looking for a CD that deals with some long distance relationship issues, check out Car Wheels On A Gravel Road by Lucinda Williams. I could go on and on about this CD, but like BOTT, you just have to live in it for a while. (Try to find the Horse Whisperer s/t for a stellar version of Still I Long for your Kiss.)
I've been a major Bob fan since I was 8 (really) and BOTT has always been the one for me. Oh Mercy gets a lot of flack, but that's just an amazing CD to me...as I look behind me, I see Danny Lanois on bunches of CDs (U2, Bob, Emmylou, Willie and even his own underrated solo work). He has a certain feel, and sometimes his songs feel like they are basking a little too much in the atmospherics of studio wizardry, but I'll take him over Mitchell Froom, Tchad Blake and Jeff Lynne (my evil trinity of music over-production) any day of the week. (But like Johnny, I think Bob could use some Rick Rubin's mojo.)
One other recommendation for a bluesy, sonic sound: Chris Whitley's Living With The Law.
posted by TomSophieIvy at 11:19 PM on January 13, 2005

I'd also recommend Oh Mercy. I bought it when it first came out and recently threw it on again. The production is by Daniel Lanois, and has some of his U2-sounding mixes on there, which is really cool and adds an atmospheric element to the album that isn't really typical of Dylan's stuff but works in spades.
posted by jimmythefish at 12:29 AM on January 14, 2005

Love and Theft is vintage Dylan... get it!! (I like it better than TOoM).
posted by MotorNeuron at 6:55 PM on January 15, 2005