Reviews by nofaithmed11

I wish it was a bit more consistent, but the best moments are REALLY damn good.

3.5/5

This has convinced me on Scott more than anything so far. I dig some of the subversiveness.

3.5/5

I might like this even better than Dummy??

4/5

Sometimes I want a little more Iggy and a little less Bowie, but it’s still great.

4/5

Blood on the Tracks is the most focused collection of songs in Dylan’s catalog, and his greatest artistic achievement in terms of crafting a structured, thematic piece of work. In the throes of a major life shift, Bob accurately conveys every emotion and coping mechanism that comes with the dissolution of a long-term relationship. Throughout these ten songs, he expresses bitterness (both understandable and irrational), replays multiple scenarios with a seemingly impossible balance of confusion and clarity, admits fault while not being afraid to place blame on other parties, resigns himself to mournfulness, and occasionally offers the glimmer of hope or optimism that you can only believe so much coming from a damaged lover.

Conceptually, it’s a total success, but what elevates this record to its rarefied brilliance is the astonishing execution of the material. For as great as the lyrics are across the board, Bob graces every single song with a melody that’s just as good, and furthermore, delivers a cogent, passionate vocal on each one. Regardless of which tracks derive from the original New York sessions (shoutout to Tony Brown’s exceptional bass work on these songs in particular) or the last-minute Minneapolis sessions, the soundscapes provide the right amount of musicality and tunefulness without detracting from the lyrics’ emotional impact.

I suppose each statement in the last two paragraphs should have the obligatory “in my opinion” attached to it, given the subjectivity of art in general. This has been a subjective ranking, after all. More so than any other Dylan record, though, the heights of Blood on the Tracks feel about as close to objective or undeniable as possible. For me, it’s apparent right from the opening of “Tangled Up in Blue”; I’m completely hooked even before Bob’s flawless lyric, vocal, and melody enter. The blend of acoustic and electric guitars with Gregg Inhofer’s subtle keyboard pad is a sound as glorious as anything ever committed to tape, and anchors the nearly-six-minute journey with sheer elegance. After all these years, it’s still a top 20 Dylan track for me.

“Simple Twist of Fate” and “Shelter from the Storm”, both from the New York sessions, also rank among my top 20, and deserve every bit of praise they’ve received over the last 50 years. Bob’s storytelling and imagery are as effective as they’ve ever been on these two tracks, with both receiving an added boost of distinct, dynamic emotionalism. “You’re a Big Girl Now” and “If You See Her, Say Hello” are equally stunning and particularly devastating, featuring two of the most impressive vocal performances on the record. And with all due respect to the numerous instances of first-class songwriting between John Wesley Harding and Planet Waves, “Idiot Wind” is Bob’s most ambitious, industrious accomplishment since Blonde on Blonde, and for my money, an absolute triumph. To this day, the last verse never fails to make me shake my head in awe (“You’ll never know the hurt I’ve suffered/Nor the pain I rise above/And I’ll never know the same about you/Your holiness or your kind of love/And it makes me feel so sorry”).

Hell, I even love the occasionally-maligned “Meet Me in the Morning”. The blues have been a large part of Bob’s musical DNA from day one, so it seems fitting to me that he would include a blues number on an album centered around heartbreak. I dig everything about it, especially Bob’s soaring vocal and the perfect tones of each electric guitar. It’s never felt out of place to me, and regardless of how much love is given to the outtake “Up to Me”, I wouldn’t trade this track for anything.

I must admit that I gravitate towards a few alternate takes of these songs. Give me take two from the New York sessions of “Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts”, featured on More Blood, More Tracks. As much as I love the album cut of “You’re a Big Girl Now”, I return even more to the outtake originally issued on Biograph. It’s even a close call on “Idiot Wind”; the album version is a top 30 Dylan track for me, due in part to his fiery delivery and excellent band performance, but I like the acoustic version from The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 at least just as much.

But really, it’s basically irrelevant at this point. We’re talking about Blood on the Tracks here. I could sit here and attempt to further delineate the majesty of these songs, but there’s nothing I could say to do any of them justice, and most anyone reading this understands the overwhelming power of this album anyway. I feel truly lucky to live in a world where Blood on the Tracks exists. I’ll never take it for granted.

Least favorite track: “Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts”. To my ears, this one has always felt more out of place than “Meet Me in the Morning”. I don’t dislike it; it’s an intriguing story (one that honestly still confounds me) and another solid vocal from Bob. After living with this album for decades, it’s continued to grow on me. But every now and then, the organ still feels over-prominent to me, especially given the song’s length (one of the main reasons I much prefer the acoustic take). It’s the only track that wouldn’t land in my top 100 Dylan songs.

Favorite track: “Buckets of Rain”. From a compositional standpoint, my answer would be “Tangled Up in Blue”, “Simple Twist of Fate”, “Idiot Wind”, or “Shelter from the Storm”, all of which are among my top 30 favorite Bob songs. But there’s a magic to this song, both on its own and in context of the record, that deeply affects me every single time I listen to it. The musical conversation taking place between Dylan’s magnificent guitar work and Brown’s dancing bass line is simply one of the most serene sounds ever captured. Bob’s vocal is as wistful and splendidly straightforward as the lyrics, and each line, no matter how simple, packs such a strong emotional punch. It’s the perfect closing track for this record, and often closes out any Dylan playlist I make. A top 10 personal favorite for me. Pure greatness.

5+/5

The music is about as good as the artwork.

1/5

I really don't have any issues with the title track, and I think "Vincent" is a brilliant piece of writing. The rest of it is pleasant enough, mostly solid early 70's folk, but I certainly don't think it's as essential or enjoyable as many other albums from this era of singer-songwriters.

3.5/5

Fifth Dimension and The Notorious Byrd Brothers have grown on me a decent bit, but I still feel pretty similarly about this one. Some very good stuff, especially “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better”, but I’m not the biggest McGuinn fan and this one is particularly McGuinn-heavy. I think Side B is also a bit of a drag, especially the awful “All I Really Want to Do” cover. “Chimes of Freedom” redeems it a bit, though, even though I’ll still take the version with all the words over this one any day.

3.5/5

Enjoyed this a bit more on second listen. Still not all the way there with it, but perhaps I will be one day.

3/5

With all due respect to Gram Parsons, *this* is the cosmic country I like best.

4/5

"Cars" is a great tune, but the rest is a bit middling and the overall style isn't my favorite.

3/5

I definitely dig this more than the debut. The more new wave influences work much better for him.

3.5/5

The music and backstory are equally interesting.

4/5

The first four songs honestly had me floored - I couldn't believe I was enjoying a Madonna album that much! It unfortunately fell off hard for me after that, but perhaps there will be some revisiting value here.

2.5/5

Baggy goodness.

4/5

Fuck Rush and all the other overblown prog bands. *This* is perfect rock and roll. Long live Jack and Meg.

5+/5

Up until this moment in her discography, there have been certain PJ songs that I’ve loved for their killer guitar sounds. Others, her incredible vocals. Some for her songwriting, melodically and/or lyrically. Some for solid arrangements and production. Literally every single one of those aspects is on full display on “Big Exit”, continuing her streak of outstanding opening tracks. The soundscape is wonderfully big without ever feeling bombastic (I especially love the textural piano), and everything sounds appropriately clear without feeling overly sheen.

It’s the perfect opening to what I think is a pretty perfect album. Not only do I think it’s consistently her strongest record yet as a lyricist, I also think it’s her most musically rewarding. The way she’s able to juxtapose the jangly guitars on “Big Exit” and “Good Fortune” with their overall darker soundscapes and subject matters is so damn cool; I also love her channeling of Patti Smith’s vocals on the latter. I love the melodica on “A Place Called Home”, the vibraphone on “One Line”, Thom Yorke’s effective backing vocals on “Beautiful Feeling”, the relationship between the acoustic guitar and piano on “Horses in My Dreams”…everything just *sounds* perfect. And the balance of rockers - “The Whores Hustle and the Hustlers Whore”, “This Is Love”, and the extremely frenetic “Kamikaze” are my favorites - and mid-tempo songs/ballads is also solid. Practically every song is a highlight; I can’t not mention “You Said Something”, which features one of my all-time favorite melodies and set of lyrics from her. Her vocals at the end of “The Whores Hustle…” are just otherworldly. “We Float” is a solid closer. No matter how many times I hear this record, I end up noticing another musical element or lyrical nugget that blows me away. There’s no doubt in my mind that this is her best album.

5/5

I would not want them as visitors.

2/5

Not a huge fan of this style, but some of her songwriting chops definitely made me perk up.

2.5/5

Very light 3 stars. There are enough cool moments to justify it. But this is definitely no essential record.

3/5