jeff_wilder78's Full Review: Blood on the Tracks by Bob Dylan
The conventional wisdom on Blood On The Tracks, Bob Dylan's 1975 masterpiece is that the album is "Dylan's breakup album". That wisdom might imply to some that the album is a "my baby left me" whine fest on the level of much of the cheese whiz that James Taylor has put out. However, the truth of the matter is that while Blood has its roots in Dylan's divorce from wife Sara Lowndes, calling it a breakup album is just plain wrong. The album can be more accurately described as Dylan's angry confessional album.
The other bit of conventional wisdom on Blood is that it is Dylan's best album. While I do not know if that wisdom is exactly true, I must say that Blood On The Tracks is the album that encompasses all of Dylan's sides. And it is a great album.
One thing that is noteworthy about Blood On The Tracks is that it is one album from which countless other singers and bands swipe lyrics. Hootie And The Blowfish took the title line from "Tangled Up In Blue" and one of the opening verses from "Idiot Wind" for their "Only Wanna Be With You" and David Gray (who is basically a Dylan imitator himself) makes reference to "time out on the running boards" in his song "Freedom" (another reference to "Idiot Wind").
"Tangled Up In Blue" is the opening track on Blood and it is probably the song most people associate with this album. The song is an acoustic folk-rocker that basically tries to tell two stories at once. Dylan traces his relationship with Sara from first meeting her and interjects bits from his own life like working in the Great North Woods and on a fishing boat right outside of Delacroix. There's a part in the final verse where he relates what happened to many of his friends from the New York City folk scene in a way that could also apply to many of my high school and college friends as well as those friends of pretty much any listener. "All those people I used to know/They're an illusion to me now/Some are mathematicians/Some are carpenter's wives/Don't know how it all got started/Don't know what they're doing with their lives".
"A Simple Twist Of Fate" is an acoustic song that relates the tale of a one-day romance of sorts. The song shows Dylan's talent as an observer of life who can get into the minds of those he observes and relate how they feel. This is demonstrated by the final verse: "People tell me it's a sin/To know and feel too much within/I still believe she was my twin/but I lost the ring/She was born in spring/but I was born too late/Blame it on a simple twist of fate".
"You're A Big Girl Now" is another slow song that tells of a breakup in post-mortem terms. The song represents a turn away from Dylan's vindictive nature to one where he encourages the girl in question to move on, even as the sadness is apparent. "Love is so simple/to quote a phrase/You've known it all the time/I'm learnin' it these days/Oh I know where I can find you oh oh/In somebody's room/It's a price I have to pay/You're a big girl all the way".
For those who like the acid-tongued Dylan, don't fret. That side is apparent on "Idiot Wind". The song has an angry tone to it musically as Dylan fires off acerbic lyrics at unnamed accusers. "I woke up on the roadside/daydreamin' 'bout the way things sometimes are/Visions of your chestnut mare shoot through my head and are makin' me see stars/You hurt the ones that I love best and cover up the truth with lies/One day you'll be in the ditch, flies buzzin' around your eyes/Blood on your saddle." Should we expect less from the man who wrote "Positively 4th Street", probably the definitive put down song of all time?
"You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" is one of Dylan's more typical love song, yet even a typical Dylan love song sounds better than a generic one by fill in the blank. "Meet Me In The Morning" on the other hand is "Don't Think Twice It's All Right" re-written as a plea to a lover. The song's bluesy sound is excellent and works well with the lyrics.
"Lily Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts" is an epic story song with an up tempo groove to it. It's pretty good, albeit a bit too long.
"If you See Her Say Hello" is an account of a breakup that is outright heart-wrenching. The acoustic guitar sound on here is perfect and Dylan's singing evokes the pain quite well. The reason why it works so well is that Dylan isn't singing in an operatic style, just going by his emotions. Just imagine "If You See Her" sung by Barry Manilow. Now get that horrible image out of your head right now!
"Shelter From The Storm has a rootsy feel to it musically. Lyrically the song features Dylan using obscure imagery to tell of a brief love affair with a woman who offers the narrator shelter from the aforementioned storm.
"Buckets Of Rain" is a slow, acoustic song that on the surface seems to be another failed romance ode. But listen carefully. In this song, Dylan drives home poignant truths about life. Especially true is the closing verse "Life is sad/Life is a bust/All you can do is do what you must/You do what you must do and you do it well". That line in fact sums up the whole point of Blood On The Tracks: that the album is not as much about Dylan's divorce as it is a tribute to all the unlucky ones in the world, be they unlucky in love or unlucky in life itself.
That is what makes Blood On The Tracks the classic that it is. That also helps make it a good listen for all people, even those who aren't hardcore Dylan fans (I'm more of a casual fan myself). Blood On The Tracks is a classic in the truest sense of the word.
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