Great post. I don't think his post 1964 work is not as good as you posit. Part of what might have influenced his trajectory was the motorcycle accident and perhaps he became aware of the transient nature of art. "Nashville Skyline" is one of my favorite Dylan albums and I don't tire of listening to it. "Hurricane", recorded in 1975 is certainly a protest song and one that has aged well. There are others.
You ask the question of what blew up pop, post 1965. I was never keen on the Beatles, though they had a measurable impact. I think the growing rock movement in San Francisco was a key moment, coupled with the merging of blues and rock by both English and American bands. I was an undergrad at UC Santa Barbara at that time and we got all the groups coming down to play (Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Canned Heat, and even Jimi Hendrix popped in on a Sunday night) at very affordable prices. In addition to the San Francisco based bands we had Cream, Electric Flag (very underrated but they had a very short time together), Blood Sweat and Tears & others. Also one cannot discount the rise to black recording artists from a niche afterthought to mainstream (Motown & Stax).
BTW, I saw Dylan and The Band in concert when I was in grad school on what was I think their 1974 tour and it was wonderful. IMO, Dylan deserved the Nobel Prize. Also, his book "the Philosophy of the Modern Song" is well worth reading. The choice of songs, as one might expect, are eclectic.
I agree about that book. (He has one of the songs I cited, The Who's My Generation.). And yes, black recording artists had a huge impact. Pop music is cultural appropriation on steroids.
I've gone through three phases with the Beatles. Loved them as a child in 1964. Drifted away when I got more interested in blues rocks (the Stones, etc.), but have rediscovered them later in life. I'm more a Lennon fan, as I like music that is more negative. McCartney's a bit too happy for my taste (although he's obviously super talented as a songwriter.)
For me, Dylan's peak was 1964-66, but I agree that there's lots of great stuff in other periods, including the ones you cite.
I'm one of those rare people who actually like his singing style (which as you may know is by design; it's not his natural singing voice.) Nashville Skyline is a good album to give to people who don't like his mid-1960s singing style.
The Confidence Man is such a mind-bender to me. Do you think the book is really cynical at its core? I came away from it thinking that it's okay to be a trusting victim in a world of cynical sociopaths, but I have never read another take that agrees. Perhaps I violently missed the point of the book, but at some point if the readers don't get it, it's on the author.
I'm the last person you'd want to have explain a book to you. At the end, I felt as if I should read it a second time. I got the feeling that Melville had thought "Now that I've already written my masterpiece, it's time to experiment with the form of the novel."
When Dylan performed Mr. Tambourine Man at the Newport Folk Festival in 1964, he left out the third verse you quote above. That makes the song seem more disillusioned to me. Maybe the best song ever written about insomnia?
Scott, how are you so smart. You've been expanding my mind since 2009. I wish Substack had some kind of annotation function where I could highlight and "like" sections of your text wherever there are remarkable insights. Your writing is full of them. Thank you.
"In 1965, you have musicians starting to adopt the attitude that would eventually lead to punk (in songs like My Generation, Satisfaction, Get Off of My Cloud, Maggie’s Farm, Highway 61)."
What about All Day and All of the Night, You Really Got Me, and House of the Rising Sun? (1964)
Of course did those songs influence punk, or did punk modify our conception of them?
"The fact is that each writer creates his precursors. His work modifies our conception of the past, as it will modify the future."
For what it’s worth, Scott, I’ve only ever read you for your non-economic takes. There’s something in the way you balance the work, the artist, and yourself that I find compelling. At times, I’ll spend the rest of the day musing on what you wrote, making notes, and wondering if I can squeeze my baggy thoughts into a coherent comment. Great stuff! I suspect that I’ll be listening to Dylan this evening. It’s been a while.
"Someone age 21 when that album came out is now 80, and presumably no longer writing articles for that magazine. How much time must go by before young people abandon the view that interest in Dylan and the Beatles is just boomer nostalgia?"
Counting from VE day, the absolute oldest boomers, born prematurely, will be turning 79 in January. Kamala Harris is on the cusp in the other direction. But some day they may call it early GenX nostalgia.
If you are looking for great music commentary, A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs is amazing - I can't recommend it too highly. And Cocaine and Rhinestones is a superb take on country music. Both are social histories through music.
No, I felt the same. When rap first appeared it reminded me of that song. And when music videos first appeared in the 1980s, it reminded me of that video. Dylan is a great deadpan comic, reminds me of Buster Keaton.
Every man carries within himself a world made up of all that he has seen and loved; and it is to this world that he returns, incessantly, though he may pass through and seem to inhabit a world quite foreign to it.—Chateaubriand
They didn’t come for the culture, but they’ll stay for it. Great post!
Thanks James.
Great post. I don't think his post 1964 work is not as good as you posit. Part of what might have influenced his trajectory was the motorcycle accident and perhaps he became aware of the transient nature of art. "Nashville Skyline" is one of my favorite Dylan albums and I don't tire of listening to it. "Hurricane", recorded in 1975 is certainly a protest song and one that has aged well. There are others.
You ask the question of what blew up pop, post 1965. I was never keen on the Beatles, though they had a measurable impact. I think the growing rock movement in San Francisco was a key moment, coupled with the merging of blues and rock by both English and American bands. I was an undergrad at UC Santa Barbara at that time and we got all the groups coming down to play (Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Canned Heat, and even Jimi Hendrix popped in on a Sunday night) at very affordable prices. In addition to the San Francisco based bands we had Cream, Electric Flag (very underrated but they had a very short time together), Blood Sweat and Tears & others. Also one cannot discount the rise to black recording artists from a niche afterthought to mainstream (Motown & Stax).
BTW, I saw Dylan and The Band in concert when I was in grad school on what was I think their 1974 tour and it was wonderful. IMO, Dylan deserved the Nobel Prize. Also, his book "the Philosophy of the Modern Song" is well worth reading. The choice of songs, as one might expect, are eclectic.
I agree about that book. (He has one of the songs I cited, The Who's My Generation.). And yes, black recording artists had a huge impact. Pop music is cultural appropriation on steroids.
I've gone through three phases with the Beatles. Loved them as a child in 1964. Drifted away when I got more interested in blues rocks (the Stones, etc.), but have rediscovered them later in life. I'm more a Lennon fan, as I like music that is more negative. McCartney's a bit too happy for my taste (although he's obviously super talented as a songwriter.)
For me, Dylan's peak was 1964-66, but I agree that there's lots of great stuff in other periods, including the ones you cite.
I'm one of those rare people who actually like his singing style (which as you may know is by design; it's not his natural singing voice.) Nashville Skyline is a good album to give to people who don't like his mid-1960s singing style.
The Confidence Man is such a mind-bender to me. Do you think the book is really cynical at its core? I came away from it thinking that it's okay to be a trusting victim in a world of cynical sociopaths, but I have never read another take that agrees. Perhaps I violently missed the point of the book, but at some point if the readers don't get it, it's on the author.
I'm the last person you'd want to have explain a book to you. At the end, I felt as if I should read it a second time. I got the feeling that Melville had thought "Now that I've already written my masterpiece, it's time to experiment with the form of the novel."
Could be Hanania. You also got a shoutout by Zvi a couple days ago https://thezvi.substack.com/p/housing-roundup-10
Thanks Garrett.
When Dylan performed Mr. Tambourine Man at the Newport Folk Festival in 1964, he left out the third verse you quote above. That makes the song seem more disillusioned to me. Maybe the best song ever written about insomnia?
One of the best songs written about anything.
Scott, how are you so smart. You've been expanding my mind since 2009. I wish Substack had some kind of annotation function where I could highlight and "like" sections of your text wherever there are remarkable insights. Your writing is full of them. Thank you.
Thanks, but if you read my more recent political posts you might lower your opinion of my intelligence.
"In 1965, you have musicians starting to adopt the attitude that would eventually lead to punk (in songs like My Generation, Satisfaction, Get Off of My Cloud, Maggie’s Farm, Highway 61)."
What about All Day and All of the Night, You Really Got Me, and House of the Rising Sun? (1964)
Of course did those songs influence punk, or did punk modify our conception of them?
"The fact is that each writer creates his precursors. His work modifies our conception of the past, as it will modify the future."
https://gwern.net/doc/borges/1951-borges-kafkaandhisprecursors.pdf
I think the Brit punks were all big reggae or dub fans.
https://archive.org/details/johnny-rotten-show
Good points. I'm a big fan of Borges.
For what it’s worth, Scott, I’ve only ever read you for your non-economic takes. There’s something in the way you balance the work, the artist, and yourself that I find compelling. At times, I’ll spend the rest of the day musing on what you wrote, making notes, and wondering if I can squeeze my baggy thoughts into a coherent comment. Great stuff! I suspect that I’ll be listening to Dylan this evening. It’s been a while.
"Someone age 21 when that album came out is now 80, and presumably no longer writing articles for that magazine. How much time must go by before young people abandon the view that interest in Dylan and the Beatles is just boomer nostalgia?"
Counting from VE day, the absolute oldest boomers, born prematurely, will be turning 79 in January. Kamala Harris is on the cusp in the other direction. But some day they may call it early GenX nostalgia.
If you are looking for great music commentary, A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs is amazing - I can't recommend it too highly. And Cocaine and Rhinestones is a superb take on country music. Both are social histories through music.
Thanks, I'll take a look.
Great post, Scott!
Don't know if it's true, but many attribute the change in music post 1965 to the sudden popularity of LSD.
Good observation. I think that especially applies to psychedelic rock (the Beatles, etc.)
Interesting comment on "Subterranean Homesick Blues." I think of it as a proto-rap piece. I thought it was just me.
No, I felt the same. When rap first appeared it reminded me of that song. And when music videos first appeared in the 1980s, it reminded me of that video. Dylan is a great deadpan comic, reminds me of Buster Keaton.
Scott,
Another great post. What else can you show me?
"What else can you show me?"
Some people are always thinking about the Roman Empire. With me, I can't go one day without something reminding me of a Dylan lyric.
Every man carries within himself a world made up of all that he has seen and loved; and it is to this world that he returns, incessantly, though he may pass through and seem to inhabit a world quite foreign to it.—Chateaubriand
A good quote from a great writer.