I would like to formally disown my criticisms of Dylan's Modern Times. There is, as the song has it, a thin line between love and hate. And over the last 35 years there are a handful of albums which I have, for one reason or another, started off hating but which have grown to be much loved, definitive, favourites - stronger than those I liked immediately. Modern Times is joining them. Somewhere over the last two weeks it crept under my skin and is now recognised as a work of beauty and genius....
Nostalgia reigns:
2 comments:
Curiously, I read this just before listening to the album for the first time, having the read the earlier review with some alarm. You said he sounded tired. I don't think he does. I think he sounds as though he's resolved things, maybe a bit resigned. The Dylan of 35 or 40 years ago or more would never have included the phrase "can't explain" in a song. He'd have given four or five explanations, richly laced with metaphors. Now he's come to terms with the fact he can't explain everything. Similarly, "some are sleeping, some are wide awake". All those years ago he would have set out to wake them all up and never doubted his ability to do so. But that was then and I don't think we can expect our heroes to continue being heroic forever or our angry young men to stay angry. He's moved on, he's changed, as we all do. Don't know whether it's a masterpiece yet but I'm going to have another listen.
It's the lyrics that finally got through to me. Spirit On The Water, Workingman's Blues and Aint Talkin in particular...currently it's permanently playing in this household....
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