I first discovered Robert Zimmerman when I was about 10 or 11 years old. I happened to be up late at night when my mom and brother were in bed, and I saw a video for a song called Jokerman. I'm not even sure why the video was on. I just remember that when I saw the video and the man in it, there was something I really connected to. I liked the video, the words, and the crazy haired man with the raspy voice. I sat there until the end to see what the man's name was. I knew that information would be very important to me. I wrote down the name "Bob Dylan" on a piece of paper. I kept it for a while.
A few years later, when I was old enough to buy CDs (or more accurately had money for CDs), I bought Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. I was blown away by "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right." I remember listening to it on repeat, and especially loving the part that goes, "I once loved a woman, a child I'm told. I gave her my heart but she wanted my soul.." Since then, Bob Dylan's music has been there for me when I needed it most. When I'm sad, I listen to Desolation Row, or Not Dark Yet. When I'm feeling good, it's Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues, Hwy 61, Or Just Like Tom Thumbs Blues. Heck, I just listen to Hwy 61 Revisited in its entirety as often as I can. When I want to hear Bob talk about love (or lack thereof), I listen to Girl of the North Country, Visions of Johanna, Love Minus Zero/No Limit, Farewell, Angelina, Don't Think Twice, She Belongs to Me, etc. He's got a song for my every mood. I try to spread the Dylan love whenever I can. If he's not your cup of tea, that is fine. But if he is, then there is a whole treasure chest of songs to discover. One of my favorite things about the internet is that I get to talk with Dylan fans like myself. Sadly, I don't know many of them in "real life".
It's nice to come across people who enjoy the same kind of music I like. Even though the internet can sometimes be a cheesy place filled with half dressed porn bots and spam comments, it can also be a place to discover good music or discuss it with people who actually know what you are talking about. I've met many new Dylan fans here. They tend to come to me for advice on what Dylan item to get, which songs listen to, or what documentary to buy. Chances are, I've got a good answer. I love a new Dylan fan. There is a meaningful transformation a person can go through (if they want to) when they discover his music. It begins when a young, bright eyed, intelligent dreamer unearths the music of Bob Dylan. When I encounter one of these folks, it makes me very happy.
Being a Dylan "fan" is such a wonderful thing, and I'm happy for the person who has decided to give Dylan's music a try. If someone asks me which Dylan album to get, I suggest that they first check out Hwy 61 Revisited. Why? Because that is my personal favorite. Hwy 61 has some amazing songs on it. Like a Rolling Stone, Tombstone Blues, It Takes a Lot To Laugh (It Takes a Train To Cry), Ballad of a Thin Man, etc. The imagery on this album will allow you to sit in the dark and listen to it and be entertained. When it ends, I can easily start it over again. It strikes you like a surreal painting.
Hwy 61 includes Desolation Row, which is one of the most magnificent songs of all time. Another album I'd suggest after a person has acquired Hwy 61 Revisited is Blonde on Blonde. A gorgeous song called "Visions of Johanna" is on that album. The lyrics to that song are just gorgeous. The song starts off with, "Ain't it just like the night to play tricks when you're trying to be so quiet?" From then on, you are spell bound by his story about Louise and Johanna. Another song I really love is on that album as well. Stuck Inside of Mobile (With The Memphis Blues Again). I remember the first time I heard that song, I decided I would buy everything Dylan ever made. For him to write a song like that--well, I had to get to know his music better. That song stirs something inside of me that I can't quite explain. Sometimes I can listen to it and get a little teary eyed. Why? It's not a sad song. It's just a beautiful song. "Well, Shakespeare, he's in the alley with his pointed shoes and his bells, speaking to some French girl, who says she knows me well..." I just love it.
The album Blood on the Tracks deserves a mention. I discovered that one a little later. You almost can't beat that one. Tangled Up In Blue, Idiot Wind, Meet Me in the Morning, Shelter from the Storm, Buckets of Rain, Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts...Wow! This album was made in 1975, and was still as fresh and original as his first albums. Of course, the first Bob Dylan album I bought was "Freewheelin' Bob Dylan". That album is almost perfect. Girl of the North Country, Masters of War, Talkin WW3 Blues, A Hard Rain's A Gonna Fall, Don't Think Twice, It's All Right. Freewheelin' featured the Bob Dylan who had the nerve to say what no one else was saying about the war and the civil rights movement. This album made him the so-called "voice of a generation". It was a title he never really wanted. The album is fantastic, though, and shows a young Bob Dylan in all his glory. Desire is another one that comes to you when you have reached a certain level. It took me a while to discover Desire.
He's got a lot of stuff, so it can take years to find the hidden gems. Isis is a song that makes me want to do cartwheels. I'm not sure why. It's an adventure story, a love story, a tall tale. It starts out, "I married Isis on the 5th day of May.." and takes you all the way to another land--to pyramids ("all embedded in icccee"). I love the way he says that. Hurricane, Mozambique, Romance in Durango. I listened to it on repeat for days. I only have the record, or else I'd listen to it constantly. After a person has discovered Bob Dylan's albums, there are still plenty of bootlegs to find. The Basement Tapes are like hidden treasures. The bootleg series Volumes 1-3 was one of the best things that ever happened to me. Let Me Die In My Footsteps, When The Ship Comes In, I'll Keep It With Mine, Blind Willie Mctell, Every Grain of Sand, etc. Then there are the live albums, and the other random bootlegs, and the modern Bob stuff. It just boggles the mind that someone could be as amazing as Bob Dylan.
I've seen him on concert two times, and felt so honored just to be in the same room as Dylan. He's done so much for me. Dylan's music is the soundtrack of my life. I love his music. I don't care if it's the young Bob straight out of Hibbing, or the Woody Guthrie Bob, or the New York Bob, or the Bob in the shades who smart mouths the press, or the Nashville Skyline Bob, or the Rolling Thunder Bob, or the Modern Bob who does commercials and hosts a radio show. I love so many bits and pieces of Bob Dylan and I'm so glad that he exists and continues to make music. Long live Bob Dylan. And thank you, Bob, for the music.
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