Highway 61 Revisited: 4/5 stars. Ranked 4th on Rolling Stones Top 500 Album List.
Now, I know what you're all thinking. But Omar, but Omar, didn't you write this a mere six months ago, after listening to the same exact album in its entirety?
Yes, asshole who brings up comments from half a year ago like a girl, I did write that after listening to Highway 61 Revisited in totality. But I wrote it after one listen, probably while I was watching the Phillies or something. That is no way to listen to a Bob Dylan masterpiece.
I've listened to this album at least 8 or 9 times in its totality over the past two weeks; probably each song even more on an individual listen. I've been meaning to review it for the past couple of days, but I couldn't come to a consensus on the rating it deserved (I was leaning towards 3.5/5 stars for the longest time). Today, I decided to give it one last run through, in order, of the whole thing while sobering up from a lot of Evan Williams on the rocks with the help of Zenzedi and Vyvanse. Here are my final thoughts.
This song has one bad song ("Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues"), two mediocre songs ("Tombstone Blues" and the titular "Highway 61 Revisited," whose high-pitched harmonica or whatever fucking instrument it is pisses me the fuck off), and two masterpieces ("Ballad of a Thin Man" and one of the greatest songs of all time "Like a Rolling Stone". Ironically, The Rolling Stones' live cover of LARS might be the best version of the song, which is saying a lot, considering Hendrix covered it, not to mention the original for fucks' sake). Every other song ranges from good to great.
On first listen, this album was sound awful. There's a thing called "accessibility;" Bob Dylan in general, but especially this album, may have the worst accessibility of any top-selling artist of all time. He deviates so far from the rock n roll/pop formula we're all so accustomed to that you just want to shut the album off by "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry." But given successive listens, you start to become accustomed to the melody of each song, such that you can ignore it- which is the best thing you can do at first. When you can shut off the melodies and the instruments, you can focus on the lyrics- then you're in for a fucking treat. I still don't know what half the lyrics mean on the album, but that's part of the fucking beauty of it. I usually like knowing that a song is about the "Invisible Touch" a woman has on the very first listen, and not having to scratch my head throughout the song. But, listening to this album and wondering what the hell Mr. Jones represents (I assume the elitist society that was opposed to the counterculture of the 1960's) was awesome on this album.
The most esoteric lyrics may just appear on "Desolation Row." Clocking in at over 11 minutes, just lay down and listen to this song multiple times in a row. You may not know what the fuck Dylan is talking about, outside of the concept of Desolation Row, but it doesn't matter. The song is great.
"Like a Rolling Stone," which I first heard over three years ago, is such a masterpiece that I feel in no way qualified to talk about it. I just want to point out, as weird as this sounds, that this song may have paved the way for hip-hop to develop in The Bronx 10 years later.
I am sorry if I rambled throughout this review, like I said, still sobering up. But this album is great. If you haven't heard it in a while, or ever, please go give it a listen tonight; wait a night, give it a listen again; give it a night; and then a third listen. If you still don't like, it I'll give you all my vCash or blow you or something.
Kudos to @Sir Robin Of Camelot and @beardown07 for their vision of my enjoyment of this album long before it came to fruition.
Waz, is that your daughter? Just need to know if I should feel weird or bad for jacking off to her.
Highway 61 Revisited: 4/5 stars. Ranked 4th on Rolling Stones Top 500 Album List.
Now, I know what you're all thinking. But Omar, but Omar, didn't you write this a mere six months ago, after listening to the same exact album in its entirety?
Yes, asshole who brings up comments from half a year ago like a girl, I did write that after listening to Highway 61 Revisited in totality. But I wrote it after one listen, probably while I was watching the Phillies or something. That is no way to listen to a Bob Dylan masterpiece.
I've listened to this album at least 8 or 9 times in its totality over the past two weeks; probably each song even more on an individual listen. I've been meaning to review it for the past couple of days, but I couldn't come to a consensus on the rating it deserved (I was leaning towards 3.5/5 stars for the longest time). Today, I decided to give it one last run through, in order, of the whole thing while sobering up from a lot of Evan Williams on the rocks with the help of Zenzedi and Vyvanse. Here are my final thoughts.
This song has one bad song ("Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues"), two mediocre songs ("Tombstone Blues" and the titular "Highway 61 Revisited," whose high-pitched harmonica or whatever fucking instrument it is pisses me the fuck off), and two masterpieces ("Ballad of a Thin Man" and one of the greatest songs of all time "Like a Rolling Stone". Ironically, The Rolling Stones' live cover of LARS might be the best version of the song, which is saying a lot, considering Hendrix covered it, not to mention the original for fucks' sake). Every other song ranges from good to great.
On first listen, this album was sound awful. There's a thing called "accessibility;" Bob Dylan in general, but especially this album, may have the worst accessibility of any top-selling artist of all time. He deviates so far from the rock n roll/pop formula we're all so accustomed to that you just want to shut the album off by "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry." But given successive listens, you start to become accustomed to the melody of each song, such that you can ignore it- which is the best thing you can do at first. When you can shut off the melodies and the instruments, you can focus on the lyrics- then you're in for a fucking treat. I still don't know what half the lyrics mean on the album, but that's part of the fucking beauty of it. I usually like knowing that a song is about the "Invisible Touch" a woman has on the very first listen, and not having to scratch my head throughout the song. But, listening to this album and wondering what the hell Mr. Jones represents (I assume the elitist society that was opposed to the counterculture of the 1960's) was awesome on this album.
The most esoteric lyrics may just appear on "Desolation Row." Clocking in at over 11 minutes, just lay down and listen to this song multiple times in a row. You may not know what the fuck Dylan is talking about, outside of the concept of Desolation Row, but it doesn't matter. The song is great.
"Like a Rolling Stone," which I first heard over three years ago, is such a masterpiece that I feel in no way qualified to talk about it. I just want to point out, as weird as this sounds, that this song may have paved the way for hip-hop to develop in The Bronx 10 years later.
I am sorry if I rambled throughout this review, like I said, still sobering up. But this album is great. If you haven't heard it in a while, or ever, please go give it a listen tonight; wait a night, give it a listen again; give it a night; and then a third listen. If you still don't like, it I'll give you all my vCash or blow you or something.
Kudos to @Sir Robin Of Camelot and @beardown07 for their vision of my enjoyment of this album long before it came to fruition.
Lol is it really your daughter? Well I’m that case, I’m sorry, I didn’t intend any disrespect. FWIW I didn’t jack off to her. In the least creepy way possible, she is beautiful- you should be proud. I assumed it was someone famous, like an actress.
The Notorious Byrd Brothers: 2.5/5 stars. Rank on the RS Top 500 Album List: 171.
To be clear, this is my first entrance into The Byrds and their music. I have heard some of their other earlier stuff, like "Mr. Tambourine Man," which is a great song, or the psychedelic "Eight Miles High," which was pretty inaccessible for me while not stoned.
This album has some bright spots, but it's just ok to me as a whole. The bright spots would be "Get To You," "Artificial Energy," and "Old John Robertson." While I like these songs, none of them are the "masterpieces" I sometimes refer to on different albums. Without a single song that I consider a masterpiece, and with a lot of the songs being pretty bland, I think 2.5/5 stars is pretty generous honestly.
I know that this was The Byrds' most experimental album they ever released. That's great and all, but an album isn't good just because it's experimental. You can release "music" that's never been heard before, but if it's not good, it's not good. The biggest problem with this album is its lack of any catchy choruses. Outside of "Get To You's" chorus ("Oh, that's a little better") there isn't a single chorus worth remembering off this album.
This album, and The Byrds in general, often get compared to Revolver (or Sgt. Pepper)/The Beatles and Pet Sounds/The Beach Boys. The difference, to me, is that those three albums were all very different from everything else released at the time, but they were great albums to listen to. They were experimental, but they had great lyrics and the instrumentation was pleasing to the ear. Whether you wanted to dance to it, or sit down and analyze the song; you enjoyed them. The same cannot be said (for me) for The Notorious Byrd Brothers.
I threw on Revolver (5/5 stars) after this album just to get the taste out of my mouth.
You tell me that you've heard every sound there is
And your bird can swing
But you can't hear me, you can't hear me
Now that's a fucking song!
That surprises me, considering you seem to like a lot of that era's music.
