Concert #16:2011.10.27, Arena Leipzig, Leipzig, DE, # SPOILER AHEAD #

[MarkB]

Oh Bob's voice, surely was never good. But it wasn't that bad in his recordings and they were always fitting for his songs. But as most people mention, it is close to unbearable live, lately. Maybe a better sound check, maybe smaller venues, maybe different arrangements. I don't get it, he have to understand that  people who just go to see a living legend for the first time, will be greatly disappointed and won't come back. Fans are fans they will buy almost anything, but sometimes I feel that he is mocking the audience deliberately. You don't have to make artistic sacrifices in order to please your audience, but in this very case he surely sacrifices his audience for no apparent artistic reasons. 

Dylan isn't sacrificing his audience though, he is arguably more popular/successful now than at any time in his career. His albums go to number one in the charts and he has no problems attracting an audience to his gigs year after year even though he plays more shows year after year than any other major artist. Dylan's live shows have always divided opinion, the critical remarks about this tour could have been made at any time since-at least-1965. I completely understand why some people will not enjoy Bob's live gigs but it's always been that way.

[vgonis]

Dylan isn't sacrificing his audience though, he is arguably more popular/successful now than at any time in his career. His albums go to number one in the charts and he has no problems attracting an audience to his gigs year after year even though he plays more shows year after year than any other major artist. Dylan's live shows have always divided opinion, the critical remarks about this tour could have been made at any time since-at least-1965. I completely understand why some people will not enjoy Bob's live gigs but it's always been that way.
[/quote]

MarkB, thank you for playing, I really enjoy these debates. But really, instead of giving me all these statistics, why don't you share your personal feelings. Is Bob's latest voice, songs and recordings better that the high points of the 60ies, 70ies even 80ies?
The more popular/successful part I can easily explain: Dylan was always ahead of his time and at the same time he wasn't recording easy to buy pop music and the audience was slow to catch up. All his past catalog even his weaker works sells steadily and young people discover his recorded work. Proof of it, never ever have I witnessed a Dylan shortage.  Of course it is unique, extremely good body of work and time only adds up to the appeal. But believe me when I say that many new comers just go to his concerts to see him just once before he dies. And they are pretty disappointed.
About the boom in the sales I can only attribute them to two factors: firstly the amazingly big promotion he was given from Sony (for any standards, so for Dylan standards it was humongous). Secondly it is only fare to consider that very few old names make good music nowadays. Dylan has a certain quality, and old timers that have the money to buy and the ears to like his sound, prefer the physical object of CD and vinyl, that influence the charts. It is no secret that after 3 months you could find BD's latest CD in half price. That surely affects the charts, as well.
Last but not least the critical remarks are very different in the context of thing.Back in 1965 he was making a break through, he was expected to do something different, be the voice of a generation, be a folk singer, be something else. Now we know what to expect, he has nothing to prove and the only thing anybody can complain about is his voice. 
And imagine that I adore BD's music...   

[MarkB]

My opinion is that Dylan is every bit as good now as at any stage in his career,he has always provoked strong opinions, one thing I've noticed about Bob's fans is there's so much disagreement about his music, for example a friend of mine who is a big fan has never liked the Love & Theft album whereas I think it's one of his greatest records. For me Modern Times is also one of his greatest albums but loads of people would disagree with me about that as well!
I've just been listening/watching to this youtube video of Bob singing Not Dark Yet. One of his greatest songs imo and one that he could not have written when he was a young man, the studio version on Time Out Of Mind from 1997 is magnificent but this live version from a couple of weeks ago is just about perfect, his voice is gorgeous in my opinion however I do understand why some people will not like it.
 

[Love Expresso]

I read one of the rare interviews back in 1997 with him stating that his serious illness he had suffered in that year might have influenced some of the songs on "Time Out Of Mind", and I always thought that "Not Dark Yet" was surely one of them. One of my all-time-favourites from Mr. Bob. The whole album is highly recommendable, especially when you're heartbroken!

LE

[superval99]

Just listening to the BD Leipzig concert and Mark's playing is fantastic on "The Levee's Going to Break"!   

[Tally]

Just listening to the BD Leipzig concert and Mark's playing is fantastic on "The Levee's Going to Break"!   

It is. Very good overall it seems, Things Have Changed is brilliant and the guitar weaving on Girl from the North Country works too.

[Pottel]

dude, indeed, listening to it now....THC is brilliant throughout this tour....mark...is ...god.....

[Love Expresso]

Pottel, have a look at the Munich show thread. Brilliant YT clip of Things Have Changed. Spectacular quality!

LE

[MarkB]

I read one of the rare interviews back in 1997 with him stating that his serious illness he had suffered in that year might have influenced some of the songs on "Time Out Of Mind", and I always thought that "Not Dark Yet" was surely one of them. One of my all-time-favourites from Mr. Bob. The whole album is highly recommendable, especially when you're heartbroken!

LE

The strange thing about his illness is that so many of the songs on Time Out Of Mind seem to refer to it but the entire album was actually written and recorded before he took ill. I remember the reviews for the album were mostly ecstatic but Make You Feel My Love attracted a lot of criticism and it just shows how wrong critics can be-they attacked Dylan for including what they described as a sentimental ballad with overly simple/cliched lyrics. Of course the song turned out to be one of Bob's most covered tunes! No wonder he doesn't like critics-they seem to think that it's 'easy' to write a simple, heartfelt, melodic song but it most certainly is not. One so-called Dylan 'expert' even went as far as to say it was one of the worst songs Dylan had ever written No wonder he is not a fan of critics or people who regard themselves as experts on his music.

[dannyjun]

Dear AMITiers,

here is my recording,MK

[superval99]

Thank you Danny!   

[dmg]

Thank-you very much.  I've been looking forward to this one.

[shangri la 1]

  Cheers Danny!! Much appreciated. 

[twm]

I did a note on TIME OUT OF MIND in something I wrote for ISIS magazine when the album came out and, as I recall, ended by saying that the album contained a couple of songs that could become standards. One I had in mind was definitely "Make You Feel My Love". The other, I think, was "Trying To Get To Heaven". Some critics seem to think that Dylan should only write one "type" of song. They're wrong, of course.

The fact that "Not Dark Yet" was written and recorded before Dylan's bout of serious illness was seen by some (and I guess I'm one of them) who sense that Dylan writes in a way that can often seem to prefigure actual events. I suppose the most famous instance of this is the line (from 1965) that goes "even the President of the United States some times must have to stand naked" which, during the 1974 tour (after Watergate and the subsequent events of 1972 and 1973), got a huge reaction. Nixon resigned later in 1974.

[vgonis]

I did a note on TIME OUT OF MIND in something I wrote for ISIS magazine when the album came out and, as I recall, ended by saying that the album contained a couple of songs that could become standards. One I had in mind was definitely "Make You Feel My Love". The other, I think, was "Trying To Get To Heaven". Some critics seem to think that Dylan should only write one "type" of song. They're wrong, of course.

The fact that "Not Dark Yet" was written and recorded before Dylan's bout of serious illness was seen by some (and I guess I'm one of them) who sense that Dylan writes in a way that can often seem to prefigure actual events. I suppose the most famous instance of this is the line (from 1965) that goes "even the President of the United States some times must have to stand naked" which, during the 1974 tour (after Watergate and the subsequent events of 1972 and 1973), got a huge reaction. Nixon resigned later in 1974.

twm, the prophets can say many things, and we realize they are prophets when their words check out, but then it is too late to do anything!
My guess is that the big "disease" that Dylan had in mind was old age and the acceptance that death is near. And feeling young at heart made such a contrast.
And the other reference is probably a re-writing of the King's clothes, for the USA society.
But my interpretation, do not make them less good songs. They are great, and even these coincidences linger in my mind.