The Official Bob Dylan Thread

[HungryHippo]

Courtesy of expectingrain.com (and a very cool audience member) the Beijing show is up and available for download in mp3 format. Beijing 04-08-2011 mp3

 

Bob's vocals are fairly clear on this one. It's def. no soundboard but makes for a nice listen regardless. This version of Simple Twist of Fate makes the download worthwhile in itself.

 

On a slightly related note, seems like China made a big fuss about Dylan not playing any songs that will cause any issues. I find it ironic that they let him open with Gonna Change My Way of Thinking

[froggie]

he's down in melbourne in less than 2 weeks for 2 shows. $195 each. i'm glad i held off on buying tickets. first time since 1998

[Analogman]

Another article about the Brandeis folk festival release:

 

Long-forgotten recording of Bob Dylan's Brandeis folk festival performance to be released

 

Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings will release that recently-discovered recording, "Bob Dylan in Concert–Brandeis University 1963," on April 12. A limited edition was first made available last year with Amazon purchases of "The Bootleg Series, Vol. 9: The Witmark Demos."

[HungryHippo]

This may sound completely crazy, but I have been thumbing through my copy of The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics and drew a connection between Candyman and the Bob Dylan/ Robert Hunter song, If You Ever Go To Houston and feel like these songs may share the same narrator. That narrator being the Candyman. Here's my reasoning behind this.

 

Robert Hunter was inspired to write Candyman in part by the old song, Midnight Special. That song contains the lines:

 

"If you ever go to Houston

You know you better walk right

You know you better not stagger

You know you better not fight

Because the sheriff will just arrest you

You know he'll carry you down

And you can bet your bottom dollar

Oh Lord, you're penitentiary bound"

 

In other versions of this song, the sheriff is referred to as Sheriff Benson. And we all know the famous lyric in Candyman:

 

"Good Mornin Mr. Benson

I see you're doin well

If I had me a shotgun

I'd blow you straight to Hell"

 

After drawing these comparisons, I looked at Candyman and If You Ever Go To Houston on their own and it appears that they are telling similar stories. Perhaps the narrator of If You Ever Go To Houston is in fact the Candyman? And for those wondering what a "candyman" is, here's what the dictionary says:

 

"Candyman n. 1. CANDY KID 2.Narc. a seller of illicit drugs, esp. in capsule form.

 

Candy kid 2.a. a fellow who is lucky, successful, or held in high favor, esp. with women."

 

It is also interesting to note that Midnight Special contains lines VERY similar to If You Ever Go To Houston. We know that Hunter "borrowed" and lent Mr. Benson out as the villain in Candyman and we also know how much Dylan likes to "borrow" lines, imagery and melodies from old folk/ blues songs.

 

Could all of this be a coincidence? Who knows. I would not put something like this past Robert Hunter or Bob Dylan. The majority of Hunter's lyrics are nods to old songs, poems, nursery rhymes, etc. If anything, it's cool being able to at least imagine that this may be the case!

[mjpuczko]

wow. that is quite interesting.

[calvino]

In the Dylan/Hunter Houston tune, there is the below line:

 

I know these streets

I've been here before

I nearly got killed here

During the Mexican war

Something always

Keeps me coming back for more

I know these streets

I've been here before

 

The Mexican War was between 1846-48. Benson was county sheriff of Harris County, Texas, from Dec. 1918 to Jan. 1, 1937.

This would make the Candyman character in his 80s, if he was at least 10 years old during the war, which is possible, I guess.

[Vacant Horizon]

In the Dylan/Hunter Houston tune, there is the below line:

 

 

 

The Mexican War was between 1846-48. Benson was county sheriff of Harris County, Texas, from Dec. 1918 to Jan. 1, 1937.

This would make the Candyman character in his 80s, if he was at least 10 years old during the war, which is possible, I guess.

 

candyman, stagger lee, riders, etc. they all show up in Hunter's work as well as studied folk musicians from the last century. great stuff.

[HungryHippo]

In the Dylan/Hunter Houston tune, there is the below line:

 

 

 

The Mexican War was between 1846-48. Benson was county sheriff of Harris County, Texas, from Dec. 1918 to Jan. 1, 1937.

This would make the Candyman character in his 80s, if he was at least 10 years old during the war, which is possible, I guess.

Good point! I overlooked this fact. Unless Hunter intended on using Mr. Benford for his own purposes (similar to the way he used Jack Straw.) Now that you mentioned this, perhaps IYEGTH is narrated by an older, elderly Candyman. It sounds like a reflective song. While this song has always been my favorite song on Together Through Life, it doesn't really feel like a complete Hunter/ Dylan song, rather an extension of something else. Even if these songs are not connected, it's kind of fun to look at them as a linear progression

[calvino]

Even if these songs are not connected, it's kind of fun to look at them as a linear progression

 

Yep, definitely.

[Analogman]

It's not everyday the man himself issues a press release:

 

To my fans and followers

 

Allow me to clarify a couple of things about this so-called China controversy which has been going on for over a year. First of all, we were never denied permission to play in China. This was all drummed up by a Chinese promoter who was trying to get me to come there after playing Japan and Korea. My guess is that the guy printed up tickets and made promises to certain groups without any agreements being made. We had no intention of playing China at that time, and when it didn't happen most likely the promoter had to save face by issuing statements that the Chinese Ministry had refused permission for me to play there to get himself off the hook. If anybody had bothered to check with the Chinese authorities, it would have been clear that the Chinese authorities were unaware of the whole thing.

 

We did go there this year under a different promoter. According to Mojo magazine the concerts were attended mostly by ex-pats and there were a lot of empty seats. Not true. If anybody wants to check with any of the concert-goers they will see that it was mostly Chinese young people that came. Very few ex-pats if any. The ex-pats were mostly in Hong Kong not Beijing. Out of 13,000 seats we sold about 12,000 of them, and the rest of the tickets were given away to orphanages. The Chinese press did tout me as a sixties icon, however, and posted my picture all over the place with Joan Baez, Che Guevara, Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. The concert attendees probably wouldn't have known about any of those people. Regardless, they responded enthusiastically to the songs on my last 4 or 5 records. Ask anyone who was there. They were young and my feeling was that they wouldn't have known my early songs anyway.

 

As far as censorship goes, the Chinese government had asked for the names of the songs that I would be playing. There's no logical answer to that, so we sent them the set lists from the previous 3 months. If there were any songs, verses or lines censored, nobody ever told me about it and we played all the songs that we intended to play.

 

Everybody knows by now that there's a gazillion books on me either out or coming out in the near future. So I'm encouraging anybody who's ever met me, heard me or even seen me, to get in on the action and scribble their own book. You never know, somebody might have a great book in them.

[calvino]

That release seems a bit odd - probably not needed. I didn't understand all the flack he was getting from some of the people in the press. Nice to get some background on the tour, though.

[Wild Frank]

It's not everyday the man himself issues a press release:

 

To my fans and followers

Wow. Fair play Bob. I expecially like the last paragraph, although I won't be taking him up on it. Hopefully he is penning Chronicles 2 currently as the first was a riveting read.

[HungryHippo]

Hahaha, that last paragraph is classic Bob. 70 years into the game and he still has that sense of humor

[Analogman]

Hahaha, that last paragraph is classic Bob. 70 years into the game and he still has that sense of humor

 

That made me think of the Lennon line - he said everyone gets a book, the gardener, the chauffeur, the fan, etc.

[froggie]

when i read this earlier today, i thought the site might have been hacked. it doesnt seem like anything bob would do. plus, the style of writing doesnt seem like his. i thought he'd be busy getting together with family and friends for his big shebang next week

[Moss]

when i read this earlier today, i thought the site might have been hacked. it doesnt seem like anything bob would do. plus, the style of writing doesnt seem like his. i thought he'd be busy getting together with family and friends for his big shebang next week

 

Yeah, not sure why but it just doesn't seem to have his "voice". Maybe somebody ghost wrote it with his permission.

[calvino]

Yeah, not sure why but it just doesn't seem to have his "voice". Maybe somebody ghost wrote it with his permission.

 

Who knows who wrote it. At the end of the day I guess it doesn't matter, because your are right, Dylan did okay it. I would have left it alone. Fuck the people who were opposed.

[The High Heat]

when i read this earlier today, i thought the site might have been hacked. it doesnt seem like anything bob would do. plus, the style of writing doesnt seem like his. i thought he'd be busy getting together with family and friends for his big shebang next week

I had a hard time believing Dylan had written "Just ask anyone was there." Bob ain't the kind of guy looking for backup on his word (or much of anything else).

[HungryHippo]

when i read this earlier today, i thought the site might have been hacked. it doesnt seem like anything bob would do. plus, the style of writing doesnt seem like his. i thought he'd be busy getting together with family and friends for his big shebang next week

It does seem odd for Dylan to write something like this. Perhaps he was pressured by someone in the US government to explain, in his words, everything that went down regarding the gigs in China. I could see such an issue putting a strain on US/ China relations even if it is a slight strain. I'm sure China doesn't care for the entire western world to think that they forcibly censored a legend such as Dylan. So, perhaps Dylan is simply a pawn in their game (sorry, had to throw that in!)

[Analogman]

Dylan countdown, No. 16 - Jeff Tweedy and Wilco's Bob Dylan tributes

[Wild Frank]

I've bit listening to Dylan for all my adult life and have pretty much heard everything he's every released. Simple question.....if you could make a Dylan compilation album what would be the tracklist (I'm bored at work today!). It would have to be a 2 Disc set. He's coming up on his 70th birthday so..what is the ultimate Dylan collection? Doesn't have to the most commercially viable songs..just the 24 carrot gold material.

[froggie]

hey bob,

 

i know you're reading this - happy birthday old bean!

 

[uncool2pillow]

70 tomorrow!!! Or today where Froggie is.

[anthony]

I've bit listening to Dylan for all my adult life and have pretty much heard everything he's every released. Simple question.....if you could make a Dylan compilation album what would be the tracklist (I'm bored at work today!). It would have to be a 2 Disc set. He's coming up on his 70th birthday so..what is the ultimate Dylan collection? Doesn't have to the most commercially viable songs..just the 24 carrot gold material.

Too tough to do this. But let me just say that I think Blood on the Tracks is the perfect record (especially when compiled with the alternate New York version). This record really was a paradigm-shifter for me when I first heard it.

Happy B-Day, Bob. Thanks for BotT.

[Oil Can Boyd]

 

Happy birthday Bob!