Posted by KB on 1/31/2017 to
Opinions & Thoughts
Full disclosure; Bob Dylan and Neil Young are, and will always be, in my
Pantheon. I'm not a completist but I have a pretty full inventory of
both artists that are in my regular rotation. With that said, it's time
for me to debark from the Dylan train as I have from the Young train
prior.
When it comes to our music gods aging it gets tough deciphering our feelings about their later recordings. Do we like the new material just because it's from our gods? Do we dislike it if its different from when started our love affair with them? Do we disdain it because it doesn't hold up to past greatness in our minds? Are we left scratching our heads thinking why? There are other reasons too. But for me with Dylan it's the last one.
Dylan is releasing Triplicate. His first 3 LP release (whoopee) of American classics. Basically the same as the last two releases with no newly penned Dylan songs. Honestly, I have only listened to one song, but it was enough to influence my decision to hop off his wagon. I liked Shadows In the Night. It was different for him to do a Sinatra cove and he did it pretty well. Then came Fallen Angels (see previous sentence. Now with Triplicate it has become clear to me that Bobby is done writing like he is done playing guitar. I hope I am wrong, but I fear I am not. It just feels like coasting. Some fans are embracing the new cover crooning Dylan. I can't.
I jumped off Neil's train a few years back when it was apparent he wasn't going to stop writing songs. Sounds hypocritical but in Neil's case he is writing sub-par, unpolished, political songs and spitting them out feebly at a rapid rate. Neil has always done what Neil wants without caring about what anyone thinks. That's a reason he is one of my gods but there gets to be a point where enough is enough.
Ideally, we want our music heroes to continually release new stuff that lights our fire and keeps us excited. Few can do it and remain vital after age 60, after 30 years of service. I believe we all have jumping off points and they vary based on the artist. Some heroes we want releasing material no matter what, some we want retire so we can remember their great periods, some we are ok just to be special guests or an oldies act. For me I need my Dylan and Young to be relevant, creative, energized and vital songwriters and performers. Not shells of themselves or releasing music just to make a few more bucks.
When it comes to our music gods aging it gets tough deciphering our feelings about their later recordings. Do we like the new material just because it's from our gods? Do we dislike it if its different from when started our love affair with them? Do we disdain it because it doesn't hold up to past greatness in our minds? Are we left scratching our heads thinking why? There are other reasons too. But for me with Dylan it's the last one.
Dylan is releasing Triplicate. His first 3 LP release (whoopee) of American classics. Basically the same as the last two releases with no newly penned Dylan songs. Honestly, I have only listened to one song, but it was enough to influence my decision to hop off his wagon. I liked Shadows In the Night. It was different for him to do a Sinatra cove and he did it pretty well. Then came Fallen Angels (see previous sentence. Now with Triplicate it has become clear to me that Bobby is done writing like he is done playing guitar. I hope I am wrong, but I fear I am not. It just feels like coasting. Some fans are embracing the new cover crooning Dylan. I can't.
I jumped off Neil's train a few years back when it was apparent he wasn't going to stop writing songs. Sounds hypocritical but in Neil's case he is writing sub-par, unpolished, political songs and spitting them out feebly at a rapid rate. Neil has always done what Neil wants without caring about what anyone thinks. That's a reason he is one of my gods but there gets to be a point where enough is enough.
Ideally, we want our music heroes to continually release new stuff that lights our fire and keeps us excited. Few can do it and remain vital after age 60, after 30 years of service. I believe we all have jumping off points and they vary based on the artist. Some heroes we want releasing material no matter what, some we want retire so we can remember their great periods, some we are ok just to be special guests or an oldies act. For me I need my Dylan and Young to be relevant, creative, energized and vital songwriters and performers. Not shells of themselves or releasing music just to make a few more bucks.
1 Comments
Phil McCracken
Date
1/31/2017
I think that when an artist has been around 30+ years, its natural for them to try their hands at different things. Like you, I've pretty much bailed on Neil at this point. I still check everything he does out, because I feel like he's earned my attention for at least one spin. You never know when a "Psychedelic Pill" will pop up. I certainly wish the next Dylan release was going to be other than what it was, but truth be told I kind of like this phase and I'll pick this one up...
