Bob Dylan - Santa Fe

Oh Bob. What can you do with this guy. The myth of Bob Dylan is so ingrained in the musical conscience it is hard to separate the music from the man. I am sure that if I was alive in the sixties my perception of Bob would have been completely different, but that was over forty years ago. The politics and atmosphere of the sixties have long since receded, so all that is left now is the music.

Hey, I think Bob has made some great music, but there is a lot of great music out there. Only Bob has people going through his trash, a library of books about him and several CD box sets of his leftovers. I think politically and socially Bob deserves all this attention. He had a dramatic impact on society sixties and the course of history in America. Hearing Bob's music in the sixties must have been an amazing experience that I will never have. He must have been the closest thing to an oracle you could have in modern times.

But listening to Bob now is a different experience. He writes some great songs and he writes songs I don't enjoy so much. It is interesting to see how much modern music is influenced by Bob, but sometimes I get more out of the music he influences than his music.

One thing I love about Bob's music is that he writes so many different types of songs. that it may as well be different singers. So I have picked a song by Bob that reminds me of driving across the country to live in northern New Mexico. My future wife and I would belt this song out as we drove through the wide expanse of middle America. We were not even sure what the heck the lyrics were but that did not stop us from singing along with gusto. From what I can gleam there is no deeper meaning in this song, take that AJ Weberman.

Lyrics of Note (As I heard them):

Santa Fe
Do Do Do Do Do Do Do
Santa Fe

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Future Bob Reading: (I have read way too much about Bob and most of it was not very rewarding, here are a few I liked)

1) Paul Williams three volume Performing Artist books are some of my favorite music criticism ever. Made me love Bob's music even more.

2) There is also an insightful essay by Ian MacDonald called "Wild Mercury: A Tale of Two Dylans". It is reprinted in _The People's Music_ essay collection.

3) Bob Dylan: The Early Years: A Restrospective edited by Craig McGregor. For what it is worth this is the first book I read about Bob, before the shelves seemed to be clogged with books about Bob. It is 35 years old but has a great collection of articles about Bob in his heyday. Not as comprehensive as some Bob books but a nice overview.

The Bats - Take It

The Bats are a wonderful band that fall into a horrible niche. Granted these folks aren't the Beatles or the Clash breaking down musical boundaries with astronomical record sales. What I am confused by is how it is possible for music as wonderful as Daddy's Highway to be out of print. This 17 song CD is chock full of soaring melodies soaked in melancholy. The internet is frustratingly sparse with information about this band. There are some discussions about The Bats beautiful lyrics, but strangely no lyrics listed. I am not someone ranting that Paul Westerberg should sell as many records as Justin Timberlake, but music as wonderful as The Bats should at least be in print for purchase. (note: You can download five Bats CDs via iTunes, but in my musical purist world that does not count as being in print.)

The Bats use the same formula for every song I have heard by them. The same performers playing the same instruments. The same two vocalists harmonizing. Also throw into that mix beautiful engaging melodies that haunt your mind long after you've turned the music off.

I picked this song, "Take It" because it is as good as any other in Bats song catalog. It is also the first song where I fell in love with The Bats. The first few times I played Daddy's Highway I didn't get it at all. Then one day I found myself humming this song so persistently I had to play the CD right away. And the rest is history.

Lyrics of Note (As I heard them):

And I've been here waiting in the wings
Like a little lost soul trying on your things

LCD Soundsystem - Losing My Edge

I enjoy "bands" that consist of one person. It ranks right up there with records where one artist plays every instrument (See: Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder). James Murphy is that rare artist who makes the listener feel stupid and the listener loves him for it. My sister claims she met him once in NYC and that he was a real jerk. That sounds about right. His music might have suffered in my eyes if he was gracious and signed autographs with comments like "To my biggest fan, Truly, James"

I love this record because you are so proud of yourself for recognizing the obscure music references even though there is a good chance that he is making fun of you for doing it. Music obsessives may argue that only of our own could make such a skewering satire but I'm not so sure.

I also enjoy Murphy employing the seldom successful verse-verse-verse-chorus song structure. It works for him but I'm not sure how. Be cool this year and put Sound of Silver on your top ten records of 2007. It's what James Murphy wants you to do.

Lyrics of Note (As I heard them):

But I'm losing my edge to better-looking people
With better ideas and more talent.
And they're actually really, really nice.

Guy Clark - Randall Knife

I'll be honest I have no clue exactly what Guy is singing about here and what the knife represents but my gut seems to know. Again my father was not a lawyer, did not serve in WWII or own hand-crafted knives, but I still "feel" the song.

It is a dark song that sends shivers down my spine. It grabs me by my collar and shoves me into a time when my father was a strong mysterious figure in my life. This song is not simple enough to be a eulogy there is a mystery here that I cannot decipher.

Lyric of Note (As I heard them):

My hand burned for the Randall knife 

There in the bottom drawer 

And I found a tear for my father's life

And all that it stood for