You're invisible now; you got no secrets to conceal...

#4 - Highway 61 Revisited

Bob Dylan

While Bob Dylan has been in the backdrop of my musical awareness for my entire life, but I've never taken time to deliberately give him a listen.  I've never been a huge fan of folksy/blues stuff -- my father is fond of blues, but a lot of the stuff I've heard him playing over the years are... er... not really my cup of tea.  (Sorry Dad!)

I was surprised, then, that I enjoyed this album so much.

Dylan's lyrics are fantastic.  He doesn't have the greatest singing voice in the world, but what he has to say is so interesting that it just pulls you in to listen.  He combines different instruments and musical elements to bring variety to his songs.  Though I do like the first few tracks backed by the band better than the solo acoustics, the entire album is very good.

I'm hard-pressed to pick a favorite here, but it's probably between "Tombstone Blues" and "Ballad of a Thin Man".  While "Tombstone Blues" is, at its heart, an absurdist illustration of the state of the country at the time... I like it just on face value alone.  It's got a catchy, fast pace and very solid guitar.

"Ballad of a Thin Man" is anchored by a somber, nearly funereal piano that lends gravity to the sneering sarcasm of the song.  This is the most musically complex track on the album, and the organ counterpart to the contributes to the mix in an interesting way -- it acts as a second voice backing up Dylan's as he mocks "Mr. Jones".

This is one album I had to borrow, but I'm thinking of buying it for my own collection.  A very good listen.  Next up is another from The Beatles -- Rubber Soul.

And in her eyes you see nothing; no sign of love behind her tears...

#3 - Revolver

The Beatles

Revolver was The Beatles' seventh album, and marked a pronounced shift in the band's sound as a whole.  Revolver was released nearly on the heels of Rubber Soul, but the two albums have very different sounds -- we hear here the introduction of a much stronger electric guitar sound vs. the more prevalent acoustic guitar on all of their previous albums.  Some psychedelic influence is here as well -- Revolver's chief achievement is bringing what we now consider the classic '60's sound to the forefront of popular attention.  The album is a landmark for The Beatles.  From there on out, they would transform their legacy into one of a group that relentlessly experimented and innovated in the studio.

"Taxman", the lead track, featuring a wonderfully rhythmic bass line and an energetic guitar solo that immediately hooks the listener.  The album then segues into the deceptively simple, "Eleanor Rigby", my personal favorite track.  The lyrics are rife with imagery, and the string backing is wonderfully executed.  "For No One" is a bittersweet melody about the end of a relationship, and is also an excellent track.  The plucky piano on "I Want to Tell You" is catchy and has a tendency to get stuck in your brain -- in a good way.

I am not a fan of "Here, There and Everywhere".  The lyrics are sweet, but the song is far too sleepy for my tastes.  I was unsurprised to learn that this was one of the tracks where McCartney was deliberately trying to emulate the Beach Boys.  "I'm Only Sleeping" is also sub-par... it feels like a song about nothing, penned by Lennon to extend the length of the album.

Overall, Revolver has a nice cohesiveness to it that was absent on The Beatles' earlier albums.  It's a very easy listen -- probably the best album for someone unfamiliar with the band to pick up to get into them, because we hear a solid display of the range of what they are capable of producing.  A very solid album.

Next up is Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited.

We could live forever tonight...

#2 - Pet Sounds

The Beach Boys

I've really delayed writing this one up because I get inexplicably tired every time I listen to the Beach Boys.  No matter how interesting the background music is, for some reason I find the vocals soporific.  The lyrics are bland and boring.  I wanted to do justice to what really is an influential album -- but I'm just not feeling it.

I really tried to listen actively.  It's nice that the entire album is a nice, cohesive package... it's something that is written to be a cohesive listening experience, not something that was necessarily written to crank out singles.  There are some neat baselines, and even though it doesn't always work, I admire Brian Wilson's quest to find new an unusual sound elements to complement the more traditional instruments and vocals.  But I told myself I wouldn't force myself to write huge posts if I just wasn't in to the album... so, there you have it.  I've read that diehard fans say this album is "an acquired taste", but honestly, after a couple listens, I don't hear anything here amazing enough to press me to keep listening to develop a more refined Beach Boys friendly palate.

Next up is Revolver, by The Beatles... another album I've got on my computer, so I should be quicker to post.  Now if you'll excuse me, I re-listened to Pet Sounds while writing, so it's time to take a nap.