Expecting Rain

Just listened throught the whole record again, first time in a while. totaly unique
no one has ever captured that wild mercury sound before or after. not even dylan himself. it's like an alien recording. not of this world.

your thoughts?

I agree.

I concur!

Masterpiece!

meh









Just kidding!

many times, if i'm not in the proper mood, it strikes me oddly, but when I am ready for it, it hits me in all its splendor. The very nature of Rainy Day Woman 12 & 35 is otherworldly. the album starts on trampolines and then takes off to the stratosphere.

Terrific way to describe how the fun blues numbers on it blend into the more profound songs, I never thought of it that way before.

The Blonde on Blonde Sound



Oh God, please make that bad noise stop!

... but that sound will haunt you the rest of your life!!!.

same ... all your life ...

Get a bunch of musicians from the south, with some from the north (on up into Canada) all stoned on weed, with a leader / writer who doesn't really know from the outset what he's trying to to do and record what they come up with on four track tape. Then give it to the honchos of a giant record label that listens and says "What the hell, I guess this is what sells to the kids these days, just put it out." Cue instant (huge) market penetration and decades of mythologizing of the product.

Does "I Want You" represent a creative peak? Had he ever done anything so commercial sounding before?

I think I might like it while you don't, but I do question its singular sound. Meaning, is it such a unique thing as all that, or is it more that it's just a powerful album overall. Bob called it "thin wild mercury", but that's his story, and it isn't necessarily a thing. But it sure does sound good.

I do like it very much. There's times when certain special things are able to slip through and reach a wide audience, and this was one such thing.

I think he matched it on the second version of Forever Young on Planet Waves. I remember when I first heard it on that Pepsi commercial I was floored, it sounded just like Blonde on Blonde to me, not so much anymore.

Something is happening here but you don't know what it is, do you Mr. Jones?

I never "got it" until I heard the mono mixes, and then it all made sense.

Recorded in Nashville with sober and tight local musicians with added extra players. He may sound 'stoney'amphetamined, whatever, but the band isn't. By that time Dylan was a big shot and could do pretty much what he wanted. He, of course, also had John Hammond on his side, who signed him and cared for artists like no other.

I agree but I disagree.

meaning, yes, the wild thin mercury sound is beatiful and awesome and all that....
But the only sound really *unique* Dylan achieved in his career is the RTR sound.
That's really unreachable, unrepeatable and out of this world.

They get my vote too, Tippy

Never liked the album much. Bitsy, uneven, sometimes irritating.

I could have sworn Untroddie said he could enjoy this album aside from the opening track. Searching his posts for such a quote has yielded nothing but long story short, enjoy BoB at your leisure.

Opening track is the most irritating but there isn't anything appealing to me about the studio release... NET performances, on the other hand... Wow!!! These songs can really shine!

I too am not a major fan of the album or the sound. I have it at No 9 on my Musical Appreciation Chart so it's definitely up there, but I feel his other come electric albums are better. For me, BOB is a little too self assured and tongue in cheek. If I can use other common phrases, he's not going out on a limb with this album like with BIABH, BOTT, SL and LAT. I like these risk taking albums a lot more.

The "If You Gotta Go, Go Now" single qualifies even more so I'd say. It's the Blonde On Blonde sound before there was a BoB, owing mostly to the overdubs.