From: dispoto@hplabsz.hpl.hp.com (Gary Dispoto)
Subject: Re: Irritating Songs
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 21:44:44 GMT
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Laboratories Palo Alto,CA

OK, my turn.

First I want to comment on some of the choices others have mentioned.
I actually like most of the stuff you folk out there find "irritating."
Specifically:

Covenant Woman: My favorite off "Saved," I was shocked when people
started talking about it as one of Dylan's worst.  Shortly thereafter,
it got some postive comments from John Howells and someone else.
Beautiful melody and arrangment, wonderful heartfelt singing.

The Man in Me:  Not great by any means, but one of the best from
one of the weakest albums.  The "La la's" are pretty lame.  I've
heard live versions which are much better than the studio one.
I guess I'm getting ahead of myself here, but I have a hard time
with alot of the stuff from "New Morning," especially Three Angels,
Father of Night, Winterlude, and If Dogs Run Free.  Ditto for "Self
Portrait."

Under the Red Sky:  Love it.  OK the some of the lyrics aren't the
best (baked in a pie, indeed!), but what a great melody, and love
that Al Kooper organ.  The first few bars of this song send chills
up and down my spine.  I know there's an allegory here, I just can't
figure out what he's trying to say.  I _really_ like just about
everything off "Under the Red Sky" (the album, that is).

On a Night Like This: Again not one of my faves, but I do like it.
Kicks off the album nicely.

Man Gave Names to All the Animals: Definitely agree here, very irritating.
Silly, silly, silly.  What's odd is: Wasn't this song a big (#1?) hit in
France??

Disease of Conceit:  I know I'm wildy in the minority here, but I 
actually like it.  Granted, its got some inane lyrics (Conceit is
a disease, but the doctors got no cure, They done a whole lot a research
on it, but what it is they're still not even sure), but I do like the
sparse melody, the singing, and the haunting guitar solo.

Joey: Yeah, it plods along a bit.  But to my ears Bob has really
captured a feeling of the New York Italian family scene here (a
scene I grew up in.).  Some of the last verses really do it for me :
	Sister Jaqueline and Carmella and Mother Marion did weep
	I heard his best friend Frankie say "He ain't did, he's just asleep."
	The I saw the old man's limosine pull up to the grave
	I guess he had to say one last good bye to the son 
                                               that he could not save.
	The sun went down over President St. and the town of Brooklyn mourned
	They said a mass at the old church near the house where he was born
	One day the gods in heaven, overlooking his preserve
	I know the men who shot him down will get what they deserve.
Pardon any screwed up lyrics in the above.  Anyways, I got shivers
just typing that "last good-bye" line and I love the scorn with which
last line is sung.

Union Sundown:  The version on Empire Burlesque really suffers from the
over-production.  Way too much echo on the vocal.  I do like the very
much rearranged version on the Dead-Dylan rehearsal tapes.

Clean-Cut Kid:  Not one the the worlds greatest melodies, but it does
have some clever lyrics.  One question: Is this song serious or sarcastic?

Trust Yourself: Again, suffers from that EB over-production, and it is
a bit repetitive.  But I like the message.

Heart of Mine: The live version from "Biograph" is fantastic!

And now, what you've all been waiting for, my list of Dylan's most
irriating tunes:

Maggie's Farm (but given how much he plays it, I assume Bob likes it.)
Man Gave Names to All The Animals
Do Right To Me Baby
Four Angels
Father of Night
Winterlude
If Dogs Run Free
Belle Isle
Woogie Boogie
Wigwam
All the Tired Horses
(Most of the rest of "Self Portrait," but excluding the live stuff and
a few others)

A few additional items:

Someone mentioned something along the lines of "we all listen to Dylan
for the lyrics."  Well, for me that is only one of several reasons to
listen.  For one thing, to my ears the man is the greatest singer I've
ever heard.

I agree that this is the best newsgroup I've ever participated in.  No
flame wars, all opinions tolerated.  Perhaps that has something to do
with the fact that we've all had to defend our love of Dylan-music
once or twice?  Nowadays, rec.music.gdead looks like it could be aliased
to alt.flame.

And finally,


      W  E  L  C  O  M  E      B  A  C  K     R  E  B  E  C  C  A  !!!

A warm welcome back to one of the most knowledgable, imformative, and
enjoyable r.m.d personalities this net has seen.

And that's the end,
Gary
dispoto@hpjstraw.hpl.hp.com