Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks...

Westerly Wood

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I think I owned this album on vinyl. I remember some of the tunes. I am reading the Wiki and really enjoying some of the quotes from critics at the time of its release...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_on_the_Tracks

Released in early 1975, Blood on the Tracks initially received mixed reviews from critics. Rolling Stone published two assessments. The first, by Jonathan Cott, called it "Dylan's magnificent new album". The second reviewer, Jon Landau, wrote that "the record has been made with typical shoddiness." In the NME, Nick Kent described "the accompaniments often so trashy they sound like mere practice takes", while Crawdaddy magazine's Jim Cusimano found the instrumentation incompetent.

hilarious
 

twocorgis

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I've always thought that "Planet Waves", "Blood on the Tracks", "Desire", and "Street Legal" comprised a four album run that was unequalled by any artist, and the last one is almost criminally underrated.
 

Westerly Wood

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I've always thought that "Planet Waves", "Blood on the Tracks", "Desire", and "Street Legal" comprised a four album run that was unequalled by any artist, and the last one is almost criminally underrated.

well, there were plenty of other critics who think Blood on the Tracks was Dylan's best work ever. In that wiki article too. I found it interesting that he redid 5 of the songs at the last minute.
 

twocorgis

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well, there were plenty of other critics who think Blood on the Tracks was Dylan's best work ever. In that wiki article too. I found it interesting that he redid 5 of the songs at the last minute.

I have a hard time saying anything is Dylan's best, but I have heard that too about "Blood on the Tracks". After overlooking it for quite some time, maybe because of "Blood on the Tracks", I like "Desire" as much or more, even all 11 minutes of "Joey". I saw the Rolling Thunder tour as well, and it was the best Dylan show I've ever seen!
 

Westerly Wood

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I have a hard time saying anything is Dylan's best, but I have heard that too about "Blood on the Tracks". After overlooking it for quite some time, maybe because of "Blood on the Tracks", I like "Desire" as much or more, even all 11 minutes of "Joey". I saw the Rolling Thunder tour as well, and it was the best Dylan show I've ever seen!

i think his 2nd album is my fave, before the band stuff, just acoustic and him. freewheelin too i really like. and i used to listen to bring it all back home over and over in my car driving, recently even on disc.

my fave Dylan song? Subterranean Homesick Blues. I know most people probably hate it. I just think it is brilliant and fun.
 

adorshki

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my fave Dylan song? Subterranean Homesick Blues. I know most people probably hate it. I just think it is brilliant and fun.

And" Maggies Farm"
Tough call between the 2, for me.
Others (I like the early stuff the best, too, but I do own Blood On the Tracks):
"Ballad of a Thin Man"
"Lay Lady Lay"
"If Not For You"
"Memphis Blues Again"
"Highway 61 Revisited"
Actually bought Blood on the Tracks because I confused '"Shelter from the Storm" with "Hurricane": I'd heard it on the radio but didn't get the title, didn't know what album to look for...
Btw, did you know that when he was putting together the touring band for Street Legal, Peggy Bundy was one of he backing singers?:
"When rehearsal was held on December 30, the band now included Stoner, Mansfield, Soles, guitarist Jesse Ed Davis, and singers Katey Sagal, Debbie Dye Gibson, and Frannie Eisenberg."
Yep, that Katey Sagal.
From the usual source.
 

twocorgis

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And" Maggies Farm"
Tough call between the 2, for me.
Others (I like the early stuff the best, too, but I do own Blood On the Tracks):
"Ballad of a Thin Man"
"Lay Lady Lay"
"If Not For You"
"Memphis Blues Again"
"Highway 61 Revisited"
Actually bought Blood on the Tracks because I confused '"Shelter from the Storm" with "Hurricane": I'd heard it on the radio but didn't get the title, didn't know what album to look for...
Btw, did you know that when he was putting together the touring band for Street Legal, Peggy Bundy was one of he backing singers?:
"When rehearsal was held on December 30, the band now included Stoner, Mansfield, Soles, guitarist Jesse Ed Davis, and singers Katey Sagal, Debbie Dye Gibson, and Frannie Eisenberg."
Yep, that Katey Sagal.
From the usual source.

My relationship with Dylan is really complicated Al, but suffice it to say that I pretty much love it all, excepting maybe the Christmas album, and the standards. He's the greatest of the great, as far as I'm concerned.I even love the Christian (Dire Dylan) era!
 

Nuuska

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Hello

I checked that wikipedia article - there seems to be one mistake. Recording engineer in Sound 80 was Paul Martinson - not Markinson.
Leo called him Paul "Slater" Martinson on one album cover - on next he is Paul "Don´t call me Slater" Martinson.
He is nice guy - he showed me around Sound 80 in summer 1977 - later I would have gotten a job there - except I was in USA with tourist visa - so it was a no-go.

Sound 80 might well be where this happened - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2KoIWEAdaM
 

Quantum Strummer

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This thread comes at just the right time, 'cuz Dylan's organization has finally (it's been long awaited) announced a Bootleg Series release of the entire Blood On The Tracks sessions: More Blood, More Tracks. :) The hardcopy version will be a limited edition thing: six CDs, 80+ tracks, with an accompanying book featuring repro pages from Dylan's lyric notebook of the time. There'll also be a single disc "best of the alternate versions" release. Out in early November.

Edit: should've typed "the entire New York BOTT sessions" above. The later Minneapolis sessions stuff is long gone (tapes reused or thrown out) except for the takes actually used on the album.

-Dave-
 
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