message from Bob Dylan

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chuckrh
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message from Bob Dylan

Post by chuckrh »

Greetings to my fans and followers with gratitude for all your support and loyalty across the years. This is an unreleased song we recorded a while back that you might find interesting. Stay safe, stay observant and may God be with you. - Bob Dylan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NbQkyv ... pp=desktop

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Clams
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Re: message from Bob Dylan

Post by Clams »

chuckrh wrote:Greetings to my fans and followers with gratitude for all your support and loyalty across the years. This is an unreleased song we recorded a while back that you might find interesting. Stay safe, stay observant and may God be with you. - Bob Dylan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NbQkyv ... pp=desktop
Good lord. That 17 minutes is more like 17 hours.
Everyone needs a friend, everyone needs a fuck

beantownbubba
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Re: message from Bob Dylan

Post by beantownbubba »

Clams wrote:
chuckrh wrote:Greetings to my fans and followers with gratitude for all your support and loyalty across the years. This is an unreleased song we recorded a while back that you might find interesting. Stay safe, stay observant and may God be with you. - Bob Dylan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NbQkyv ... pp=desktop
Good lord. That 17 minutes is more like 17 hours.
Based on the internet traffic I've seen so far, yours is the minority view, though who knows how representative that sampling is.

I personally don't know how anyone can make up their mind based on one hearing of a 17 minute song by a heavyweight like Dylan (not that there are many like him). On first listen, my impressions were (a) his vocals are crystal clear for the first time in ages; no lyric sheet needed; (b) some of the couplets are cringe worthy; (c) some of the couplets/verses are brilliant and evoke not just a time and place but a range of emotions that are hard to express at all much less in 2 or 4 lines; and (d) the timing of the release of this song is presumably meant as a commentary on current times and tribulations and will hit hard and deep for many people while glancing off others. The emotional stuff I referred to above is in part this mixing of past and present and can get quite complicated.

The 2 most obvious non-Dylan references are Don McLean's "American Pie" and Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire." There are lots of ways to spin those comparisons.
What used to be is gone and what ought to be ought not to be so hard

chuckrh
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Re: message from Bob Dylan

Post by chuckrh »

Murder Most Foul
Bob Dylan

Twas a dark day in Dallas, November '63
A day that will live on in infamy
President Kennedy was a-ridin’ high
Good day to be livin' and a good day to die
Being led to the slaughter like a sacrificial lamb
He said, "Wait a minute, boys, you know who I am "
"Of course we do. We know who you are."
Then they blew off his head while he was still in the car
Shot down like a dog in broad daylight
Was a matter of timing and the timing was right
You got unpaid debts; we've come to collect
We're gonna kill you with hatred; without any respect
We'll mock you and shock you and we'll put it in your face
We've already got someone here to take your place

The day they blew out the brains of the king
Thousands were watching; no one saw a thing
It happened so quickly, so quick, by surprise
Right there in front of everyone's eyes
Greatest magic trick ever under the sun
Perfectly executed, skillfully done
Wolfman, oh wolfman, oh wolfman howl
Rub-a-dub-dub, it's a murder most foul

Hush, little children. You'll understand
The Beatles are comin'; they're gonna hold your hand
Slide down the banister, go get your coat
Ferry 'cross the Mersey and go for the throat
There's three bums comin' all dressed in rags
Pick up the pieces and lower the flags
I'm going to Woodstock; it's the Aquarian Age
Then I'll go to Altamont and sit near the stage
Put your head out the window; let the good times roll
There's a party going on behind the Grassy Knoll

Stack up the bricks, pour the cement
Don't say Dallas don't love you, Mr. President
Put your foot in the tank and step on the gas
Try to make it to the triple underpass
Blackface singer, whiteface clown
Better not show your faces after the sun goes down
Up in the red light district, they've got cop on the beat
Living in a nightmare on Elm Street

When you're down in Deep Ellum, put your money in your shoe
Don't ask what your country can do for you
Cash on the ballot, money to burn
Dealey Plaza, make left-hand turn
I'm going down to the crossroads; gonna flag a ride
The place where faith, hope, and charity died
Shoot him while he runs, boy. Shoot him while you can
See if you can shoot the invisible man
Goodbye, Charlie. Goodbye, Uncle Sam
Frankly, Miss Scarlett, I don't give a damn

What is the truth, and where did it go
Ask Oswald and Ruby; they oughta know
"Shut your mouth," said the wise old owl
Business is business, and it's a murder most foul

Tommy, can you hear me I'm the Acid Queen
I'm riding in a long, black limousine
Riding in the backseat next to my wife
Heading straight on in to the afterlife
I'm leaning to the left; got my head in her lap
Hold on, I've been led into some kind of a trap
Where we ask no quarter, and no quarter do we give
We're right down the street from the street where you live
They mutilated his body, and they took out his brain
What more could they do? They piled on the pain
But his soul's not there where it was supposed to be at
For the last fifty years they've been searchin' for that

Freedom, oh freedom. Freedom cover me
I hate to tell you, mister, but only dead men are free
Send me some lovin'; tell me no lies
Throw the gun in the gutter and walk on by
Wake up, little Susie; let's go for a drive
Cross the Trinity River; let's keep hope alive
Turn the radio on; don't touch the dials
Parkland hospital, only six more miles

You got me dizzy, Miss Lizzy. You filled me with lead
That magic bullet of yours has gone to my head
I'm just a patsy like Patsy Cline
Never shot anyone from in front or behind
I've blood in my eye, got blood in my ear
I'm never gonna make it to the new frontier
Zapruder's film I seen night before
Seen it 33 times, maybe more
It's vile and deceitful. It's cruel and it's mean
Ugliest thing that you ever have seen
They killed him once and they killed him twice
Killed him like a human sacrifice

The day that they killed him, someone said to me, "Son
The age of the Antichrist has only begun."
Air Force One coming in through the gate
Johnson sworn in at 2:38
Let me know when you decide to thrown in the towel
It is what it is, and it's murder most foul

What's new, pussycat? What'd I say?
I said the soul of a nation been torn away
And it's beginning to go into a slow decay
And that it's 36 hours past Judgment Day

Wolfman Jack, speaking in tongues
He's going on and on at the top of his lungs
Play me a song, Mr. Wolfman Jack
Play it for me in my long Cadillac
Play me that "Only the Good Die Young"
Take me to the place Tom Dooley was hung
Play St. James Infirmary and the Court of King James
If you want to remember, you better write down the names
Play Etta James, too. Play "I'd Rather Go Blind"
Play it for the man with the telepathic mind
Play John Lee Hooker. Play "Scratch My Back."
Play it for that strip club owner named Jack
Guitar Slim going down slow
Play it for me and for Marilyn Monroe

Play "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"
Play it for the First Lady, she ain't feeling any good
Play Don Henley, play Glenn Frey
Take it to the limit and let it go by
Play it for Karl Wirsum, too
Looking far, far away at Down Gallow Avenue
Play tragedy, play "Twilight Time"
Take me back to Tulsa to the scene of the crime
Play another one and "Another One Bites the Dust"
Play "The Old Rugged Cross" and "In God We Trust"
Ride the pink horse down the long, lonesome road
Stand there and wait for his head to explode
Play "Mystery Train" for Mr. Mystery
The man who fell down dead like a rootless tree
Play it for the Reverend; play it for the Pastor
Play it for the dog that got no master
Play Oscar Peterson. Play Stan Getz
Play "Blue Sky"; play Dickey Betts
Play Art Pepper, Thelonious Monk
Charlie Parker and all that junk
All that junk and "All That Jazz"
Play something for the Birdman of Alcatraz
Play Buster Keaton, play Harold Lloyd
Play Bugsy Siegel, play Pretty Boy Floyd
Play the numbers, play the odds
Play "Cry Me A River" for the Lord of the gods
Play Number 9, play Number 6
Play it for Lindsey and Stevie Nicks
Play Nat King Cole, play "Nature Boy"
Play "Down In The Boondocks" for Terry Malloy
Play "It Happened One Night" and "One Night of Sin"
There's 12 Million souls that are listening in
Play "Merchant of Venice", play "Merchants of Death"
Play "Stella by Starlight" for Lady Macbeth

Don't worry, Mr. President. Help's on the way
Your brothers are coming; there'll be hell to pay
Brothers? What brothers? What's this about hell?
Tell them, "We're waiting. Keep coming." We'll get them as well

Love Field is where his plane touched down
But it never did get back up off the ground
Was a hard act to follow, second to none
They killed him on the altar of the rising sun
Play "Misty" for me and "That Old Devil Moon"
Play "Anything Goes" and "Memphis in June"
Play "Lonely At the Top" and "Lonely Are the Brave"
Play it for Houdini spinning around his grave
Play Jelly Roll Morton, play "Lucille"
Play "Deep In a Dream", and play "Driving Wheel"
Play "Moonlight Sonata" in F-sharp
And "A Key to the Highway" for the king on the harp
Play "Marching Through Georgia" and "Dumbarton's Drums"
Play darkness and death will come when it comes
Play "Love Me Or Leave Me" by the great Bud Powell
Play "The Blood-stained Banner", play "Murder Most Foul"

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scotto
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Re: message from Bob Dylan

Post by scotto »

A good take from Lawyers, Guns & Money blog: https://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/20 ... -most-foul

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Rocky
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Re: message from Bob Dylan

Post by Rocky »

^^^ Thanks so much for posting Scotto.

This part gave me a chill.
"But there is also something of the unspooling of memory, King Lear-like, as a suddenly and frankly geriatric sounding man attempts to reorder the furniture of his mind while the room keeps shifting and the lights glow more dim. He has some zingers, a bullseye shot at the vexingly enduring myth of the Hippie Dream: “I’m going to Woodstock/ It’s the Aquarian Age/ Then I’ll go to Altamont/ And sit near the stage.” But a lot of it feels like free-associating: grasping at half-remembered phantoms, attempting to stitch together a coherent psychological space from the detritus of endlessly disconnected culture. Dylan’s signature wryness is intact, but the undercurrent suggests infinite loss and unscalable confusion. It is, excruciatingly, a song about the end of his life as well. In Hamlet, the phrase “murder most foul” is spoken by a ghost. This is in no way coincidental."
By the time you drop them I'll be gone
And you'll be right where they fall the rest of your life

305 Engine
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Re: message from Bob Dylan

Post by 305 Engine »

chuckrh wrote:Greetings to my fans and followers with gratitude for all your support and loyalty across the years. This is an unreleased song we recorded a while back that you might find interesting. Stay safe, stay observant and may God be with you. - Bob Dylan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NbQkyv ... pp=desktop
This has to be the politest message Dylan has sent his fans since at least 1963.

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Clams
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Re: message from Bob Dylan

Post by Clams »

scotto wrote:A good take from Lawyers, Guns & Money blog: https://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/20 ... -most-foul
Elizabeth Nelson, who wrote the LG&M piece, is excellent! Fyi she's the one who wrote the excellent review of The Unraveling for The Ringer site earlier this year. She's also a great twitter follow - using the handle The Paranoid Style, which is the name of her band (which is also pretty good).
Everyone needs a friend, everyone needs a fuck

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Shakespeare
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Re: message from Bob Dylan

Post by Shakespeare »

his voice sounds great and the arrangement is pleasantly sparse but a song like this lives or dies on its lyrics and i thought it was really weak on that front. some truly lazy rhymes and the gimmick of listing off artists got really old fast. makes sense that hes been sitting on this for who knows how many years

i guess if you consider this in line with hurricane, joey, hattie carrol, etc im not surprised i dont care for it. dylan as narrative storyteller has never been my favorite guise

305 Engine
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Re: message from Bob Dylan

Post by 305 Engine »

To me, this feels like a much older man writing a follow up to Masters of War. The same simple couplets.

beantownbubba
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Re: message from Bob Dylan

Post by beantownbubba »

Rocky wrote:^^^ Thanks so much for posting Scotto.

This part gave me a chill.
"But there is also something of the unspooling of memory, King Lear-like, as a suddenly and frankly geriatric sounding man attempts to reorder the furniture of his mind while the room keeps shifting and the lights glow more dim. He has some zingers, a bullseye shot at the vexingly enduring myth of the Hippie Dream: “I’m going to Woodstock/ It’s the Aquarian Age/ Then I’ll go to Altamont/ And sit near the stage.” But a lot of it feels like free-associating: grasping at half-remembered phantoms, attempting to stitch together a coherent psychological space from the detritus of endlessly disconnected culture. Dylan’s signature wryness is intact, but the undercurrent suggests infinite loss and unscalable confusion. It is, excruciatingly, a song about the end of his life as well. In Hamlet, the phrase “murder most foul” is spoken by a ghost. This is in no way coincidental."
Agree.

But I think she goes astray, surprisingly so, with this:

"That Dylan is so closely associated with the youthquake convulsions of the late 1960s is a central irony of his career, as he has philosophically always been far closer to the Truman-Eisenhower ethos of the previous decade: collectively-minded, respectful in an awestruck manner of the lessons of the past, and intuitively humble in the face of forces far greater than man."
305 Engine wrote:This has to be the politest message Dylan has sent his fans since at least 1963.
I had the same thought.
What used to be is gone and what ought to be ought not to be so hard

John A Arkansawyer
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Re: message from Bob Dylan

Post by John A Arkansawyer »

beantownbubba wrote:But I think she goes astray, surprisingly so, with this:

"That Dylan is so closely associated with the youthquake convulsions of the late 1960s is a central irony of his career, as he has philosophically always been far closer to the Truman-Eisenhower ethos of the previous decade: collectively-minded, respectful in an awestruck manner of the lessons of the past, and intuitively humble in the face of forces far greater than man."
You may scoff, but who other than the great Bob Dylan could have written the immortal couplet "History shows again and again/How nature points up the follies of men"?
The sooner we put those assholes in the grave&piss on the dirt above it, the better off we'll be

chuckrh
Posts: 3000
Joined: Sat Oct 31, 2015 1:16 pm

Re: message from Bob Dylan

Post by chuckrh »

John A Arkansawyer wrote:
beantownbubba wrote:But I think she goes astray, surprisingly so, with this:

"That Dylan is so closely associated with the youthquake convulsions of the late 1960s is a central irony of his career, as he has philosophically always been far closer to the Truman-Eisenhower ethos of the previous decade: collectively-minded, respectful in an awestruck manner of the lessons of the past, and intuitively humble in the face of forces far greater than man."
You may scoff, but who other than the great Bob Dylan could have written the immortal couplet "History shows again and again/How nature points up the follies of men"?
Donald Roeser a.k.a. Buck Dharma of Blue Oyster Cult

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