The Dean Posted April 12, 2020 Posted April 12, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, Rico said: So if David Palmer sang all of Steely Dan's songs instead of the incredibly weak Donald Fagen, would the band be respected more than being just a footnote in music history? No because while Palmer has a stronger (and probably technically better) voice than Donald, Fagen is by far the better singer. Dylan never had a good voice, but he was a good singer nonetheless. Alas his voice as deteriorated a bit, and he also seems to be less interested in his singing these days, from what I've heard from him in recent years. Compare that to a guy like Prine. Another guy with a marginal voice, but who knows how sing. Even though his voice was ravaged by cancer and surgery, he seemed to become even more interested in his singing. Mostly though, I find this tune is just boring. It's funny because it sounds just like a song a friend of mine many wrote many years ago about our yearly cottage vacation in Canada. But my friend is a doctor, not a songwriter. The song is about our group of friends, so we tend to like it a bit. And quite honestly, there is more going on musically in my buddy's tune. This just doesn't seem like a great Dylan tune to me. I'm sure it's making him some cash, so good for him. For the record, I don't think it would be a good tune even if Van Morrison sang it. It might make a decent poem, though. Edited April 12, 2020 by The Dean
Buftex Posted April 14, 2020 Posted April 14, 2020 The song is a masterpiece...an (good) American Pie for the end-times. You can never count Dylan out. 1 1
Simon Posted April 14, 2020 Posted April 14, 2020 Only heard about 4-5 minutes in the truck and thought it was so bad that I turned it off. 1
Buftex Posted April 14, 2020 Posted April 14, 2020 1 hour ago, Simon said: Only heard about 4-5 minutes in the truck and thought it was so bad that I turned it off. Good art isn't for everyone! 1
Simon Posted April 14, 2020 Posted April 14, 2020 1 minute ago, Buftex said: Good art isn't for everyone! Yeah, it's all subjective. I like Dylan up through about Slow Train Coming but after that it just hasn't clicked for me.
Buftex Posted April 14, 2020 Posted April 14, 2020 24 minutes ago, Simon said: Yeah, it's all subjective. I like Dylan up through about Slow Train Coming but after that it just hasn't clicked for me. He is very hit and miss at this point, I agree.
The Dean Posted April 14, 2020 Posted April 14, 2020 24 minutes ago, Buftex said: Good art isn't for everyone! Neither is bad art. I'm a Dylan fan. So I gave the song a few more listens. Still think it's a lousy song, and nowhere near Dylan standards. But I may have been a bit too harsh on his singing. Don't get me wrong, Dylan's voice has deteriorated badly in recent years. But I now actually think he is trying to sing on this one. It's just a brutally boring tune, IMO. I'm also wondering if Bob just found out about the JFK assassination. The 60's were a wild time. He could have simply forgotten. (And obviously I'm only kidding. Every tune doesn't have to be about current events.)
Buftex Posted April 15, 2020 Posted April 15, 2020 14 hours ago, The Dean said: Neither is bad art. I'm a Dylan fan. So I gave the song a few more listens. Still think it's a lousy song, and nowhere near Dylan standards. But I may have been a bit too harsh on his singing. Don't get me wrong, Dylan's voice has deteriorated badly in recent years. But I now actually think he is trying to sing on this one. It's just a brutally boring tune, IMO. I'm also wondering if Bob just found out about the JFK assassination. The 60's were a wild time. He could have simply forgotten. (And obviously I'm only kidding. Every tune doesn't have to be about current events.) I think the song is extremely relevant to the current state of the world. I think that is part of the reason it was released now, in the middle of this global event.
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