Bob Dylan--The Times They Are A-Changin (1964)

     There is not a lot to add here about Bob Dylan that has not already been said. It is important to note however, that if you are under the age of 40, many of you might wonder what the fuss was really all about. After all, in all of his years he only had four songs in the top 10. His voice has been parodied to the point of exhaustion, and in interviews (like the latest one in Rolling Stone), he comes as a cross between a curmudgeon and a religious zealot.
     Let me put it as succinctly as I can. There has been no one, over this enormous span of a career (now over 50 years) who writes like he can. Almost all of the songwriters in the rock era that we look to as great, has been influenced either directly or indirectly by Dylan's craft. You can take his voice or leave it (am not a great fan of his vocals overall), but you cannot challenge his way with a lyric. By the time The Beatles met him, he had already redefined folk music, written anthems that spoke to a generation, became disillusioned with folk music religiosity and with politics and had begun to turn inward.
     If you hear a singer/songwriter who sings in an introspective manner, you can thank Dylan for that. John Lennon would remark years later that it was Bob's music which taught him that you could write songs that were personal. As strange as it seems, it was not conventional for songwriters to write directly about themselves. Dylan broke the mold for that.
     Together, Dylan and The Beatles led music into the modern Rock era. The Beatles' music came from a fresh take on the Rhythm and Blues filtered Rock and Roll of the middle/late 50's. Dylan's rock came directly from Folk, which shocked many followers, but gained many more fans as the quality of his output never wavered.
     And what an output that was! "The Freewheeling Bob Dylan" (1963), "The Times They Are A-Changing" (1964), "Another Side of Bob Dylan" (1964), "Bringing It All Back Home" (1965), "Highway 61 Revisited" (1965), "Blonde on Blonde" (1966), "John Wesley Harding" (1967), "Nashville Skyline" (1969). Most artists would give anything to have ONE album that was as good as any of these. Instead he gave us an entire decade's worth.
     That is not to say that he sloughed off after that, however it is fair to say that he has had peaks and valleys over the last 40 years. For those who stopped paying attention after Nashville Skyline, it's worth noting (and listening to), his middle 70's output, including, "After the Flood" (1974), "Blood on the Tracks" (1975), and "Desire" (1976). I could list another ten albums that are essential listening after that. It's not like he's been coasting, but after a decade like the 60's...it's a hard act to follow....ask any of the Beatles.

     

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Donovan--Jennifer Juniper (1968)

     Jenny Boyd was the younger sister of Patti Boyd who was the first wife of George Harrison. She lived the life of a swinging London single. She began an on again/off again with drummer Mick Fleetwood beginning in 1965 when she was only 18, it would eventually lead to them being married, divorced and married again during the 1970's. But in 1967 she was a successful model and business woman owning a boutique called, "Juniper" in downtown London.
     Despite her success however, she felt a restlessness spiritually which had been heightened further by her experimentation with  LSD. She followed along with sister Patti and George to India to study under the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. It was there she met a guy who had a secret crush on her.
     Donovan Leitch had become one of England's most popular folk singer who had been riding on a wave of popularity which had lasted over two years at the time he came along this trip to India. It was this trip that had substantial consequences for many. Harrison and Love began a lifelong devotion to Eastern religion. Donovan taught Paul McCartney and John Lennon several different finger picking style which included the clawhammer style which showed up in five songs on the the White Album.
Then there was, "Jennifer Juniper".
     In his autobiography, "The Hurdy Gurdy Man", Donovan denied any romance between him and Boyd, although it had been rumored for years. Either way...it made for a great song which reached number 28 on the charts in the late winter/early spring of 1968.

 

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Donovan--Sunshine Superman (1966)

     Over the years, Donovan has been considered a lightweight, but as opposed to "heaver" psychedelic bands his music would stand up much better over 40 years later. The music however, was truly a product of the "flower power" era.  Early in his career he had been unfairly compared to Dylan, mainly because of the same influences. (Woody Guthrie, Ramblin' Jack Elliott) Although the early style was similar, there was really nothing the same about them as far as content went.
     He had some success in the US by 1965, but it was his collaboration with producer Mickie Most who had been doing work with Lulu, The Animals, and Herman's Hermits. Donovan's first collaboration with his new producer brought him the song, "Sunshine Superman". Which became a number one song for him in the states.
     "Superman" was inspired by Linda Lawrence,  who became his muse throughout his late 60's output, and later became his wife. It was full of the trippy, psychedelic folk sound that became a trademark of his music. It began a string of top 40 hits that would lead him to the end of the decade. 

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Joan Baez--Diamonds and Rust (1975)

     Joan Baez is a treasure in the music world that should never be forgotten. Her beauty and distinctive vocal talents was accompanied with a passion for social justice that has never wavered in the over 50 years since her first album in 1960. However, it seems as if she had been overshadowed musically (at least in the decades since the 60's) by Bob Dylan, and then by other artists such as Joni Mitchell and Judy Collins.  

     In fact, it was Baez who, in covering one of Dylan/s songs brought him to prominence (they were a romantic couple for the better part of 3 years). As Dylan went way beyond traditional songs, his popularity began to soar. Joan continued to do well throughout the 60's and of course had her biggest commercial success on the charts with a cover of The Band's, "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down". The first time I heard Baez was in the mid-70's with this song. Her folk music might have been influential politically in the 60's, but this was one of her finest moments as a songwriter as she sings about her relationship with Dylan in the 60's. It's a clear look at a relationship in loving, but unsentimental terms.    

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Joni Mitchell--Both Sides Now (1969)

     Joni Mitchell had made the rounds as an artist. From her roots in Western Canada, to the streets and clubs of Toronto, Detroit,  New York City, and finally to California, her popularity among other musicians was growing. While in New York, her songwriting had come to the attention of Tom Rush and Buffy Saint-Marie and Judy Collins who made, "Both Sides Now" a hit.

     David Crosby was visiting when after hearing her in a club in Florida, convinced her to travel to Los Angeles with him, where she was introduced to many of Crosby's friends. David produced her first album, "Song to a Seagull" in 1968. She continued to tour regularly and a year later recorded, "Clouds" which included several of her covered hits, with newer ones as well. Although the album would do well on the charts, it wouldn't be until 1973 where she would have a top 20 hit, but by then had established herself as one of the top singer/songwriters of her generation.

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Peter, Paul and Mary--Blowin' In the Wind (1963)

     In the early 60's there had been a revival of folk music in America. Led by Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and the Kingston Trio, the airwaves could be filled with traditional music along with the more strident, social conscious music being made from a new generation of songwriters.

      Manager Albert Grossman had his finger on the pulse of this movement and it's commercial possibilities. At one time he had Dylan, Odetta, Phil Ochs, Gordon Lightfoot, Richie Havens and many others. He brought Peter, Paul and Mary together in 1961 after holding auditions among several singers in the New York folk scene. Their debut album, "Peter, Paul, and Mary" was released the following year and was an immediate hit on the strength of the singles, "Lemon Tree", and "If I Had a Hammer". The next album was 1963's, "Moving" which contained the trio's first top 5 hit, "Puff, the Magic Dragon".

     That same year, Bob Dylan released the song, "Blowin' in the Wind" to wide acclaim within the music community although it never charted (the B side was, "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"....a pretty cool combo). The Chad Mitchell Trio recorded it next, but there were problems with the record company releasing it because of the word, "death" in the song. This gave Grossman the opportunity to have Peter, Paul and Mary record and release it. Not only was it became their signature song (Dylan's too), but was adopted by both the civil rights and anti-war movements.

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Zager and Evans--In the Year 2525 (1969)

     In the almost 8 full months I've been writing this blog we have covered a lot of different songs and a lot of different types of music. Of course music, along with every art form is a very subjective thing. What is one person's favorite song, will be someone else's pile of poo. Which brings me to this song.

      The danger for any "message" song is that people will tire of the message before it has a chance to actually reach it's audience. Many folk singers have turned messages and/or protest into an art form. Sometimes when the message goes beyond the "now" and takes on a universal tone, it becomes a classic.  "In the Year 2525" is certainly a product of it's era more than a lot of songs, although it uses a sledge hammer to get it's point across rather than a scalpel, nonetheless the song endures to this day.  It came out during the time that Neil Armstrong was walking on the moon....it was also the summer of Woodstock. Both events had many of every generation wondering what was to become of us as a people.I think that had a lot to do with galvanizing of the song in the consciousnesses of that generation.  

      The interesting thing about the song was that it was written in 1964! Denny Zager and Rick Evans met at Nebraska Wesleyan University and formed a musical duo. It was originally released in 1968 on a local label and had received a lot of airplay on local stations in Omaha and Lincoln. It was picked up by RCA and given nationwide release in 1969, with it reaching #1 for six weeks that summer. Evans is still writing and performing, Zager makes custom guitars and although not performing together, are still good friends.

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Happy Belated Birthday to Bob Dylan.....

    Yes, yes, I realize that his birthday was several days ago, but time got away from me....

     Dylan's influence in modern music is almost incalculable. His role in the folk, electric folk, country rock, and singer/songwriter genres is groundbreaking. He proved (which was an impossible notion at the time) that you didn't need a great voice to be successful. Much of the introspective writing that the Beatles were given credit for would have never happened without Dylan. For a child of the 70's however, he never seemed to :"click" like he does for a child of the 60's. It's not the music because many of his albums from the 70's were among his best. He had a bit of an up and down decade in the 80's, but since 1993's, "World Gone Wrong" he has consistently been on his game. So for me and many others who's formative musical years was not in the 60's the question has been, "what was the fuss?"

     As one looks back it's clear that by the mid 70's all of the groundbreaking had been done. Everything I mentioned at the beginning of this article had been accomplished by 1975, which is why I believe he went through a bit of a downturn in the 15 years after that. He had done it all and more...and it was obvious he was a bit without direction. Thankfully that has changed and he is not only considered the accolades for his groundbreaking work in the past, but also given credit for the wonderful songwriter that he continues to be......

     Here are three classics and one new one from the great Bob Dylan

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Simon & Garfunkel: Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970)

In the history of rock and pop, there are watershed moments that one can look back on and say, "this was important". That also happened in year long blocks as well...stretches of time that a series of events occurred that shaped history. 1970 was one of those years, where between break-ups and death, the face of music
changed forever. It was not a surprise that Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel were having problems and were going in totally different directions artistically. They had split once already when the song "Sounds of Silence" had been remastered and shot up the charts. This time it was evident that the end was near. Am not sure if these things were on his mind as Simon wrote these words, but nevertheless, "Bridge Over Troubled Water" became one of the biggest sellers of the decade and has become one greatest songs of the Rock/Pop era. Interestingly enough, Paul and Art both have commented that thought the vocals suited Simon's voice much better. For my money....I'm glad it turned out the way it did....

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The Rooftop Singers: Walk Right In (1963)

In the summer of 1962, Erik Darling put together a trio specifically to record an new version of the 1929 Gus Cannon blues song "Walk Right In". He recruited singer/guitarist Bill Svanoe and former jazz singer Lynne Taylor. The result was that on this day (Jan. 26), it reached #1 for two weeks on the top 100. 1963 turned out to be a very good year for them as they landed two more hits, "Tom Cat" (March #20) and "Mama Don't Allow" (July #55). In the era before the Beatles, folk music was at it's peak in popularity and the Rooftop Singers were considered a folk trio, however the music was more jazzy in flavor. The album "Walk Right In" was nominated for a Grammy and reached #15 for 20 weeks in the late winter/spring of 63. Taylor left the group the next year, and after two changes at vocals and another album, they folded in 1967.

Here are all three of the hits...hope you have a great day, and don't forget to listen to us on the Rock and Roll Omnibus at live365.

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