Bob Dylan

[Krispy Kreme]

im really looking forward to this. his last 2 albums have been beauts and if its as strong as either of those 2, dylan fans are in for a treat

For those  of us out of the know but are curious, the titles of those 2 albums would be?

[Africa]

"Time out of mind" and "Love and theft".
Both strongly recommended.

[GeraldFord]

Is Bob Dylan overrated?

It is a heresy to say that, and one will lose all credibility among most music fans if one holds that opinion.

Personally though, I just don't see what the big deal is. I like his music and think he's a great songwriter, but that said, I've never really been that much into his music. While I like albums like Highway 61 Revisited etc., I could never really embrace a Dylan album and fall in love with it. His music just doesn't do a whole lot for me.

Anyone else feel the same way?

[Cornell]

I don't see what the big deal is either.  Hell, I can't understand anything he says. 

[dankrass]

I guess that depends.

Saying whether or not you like him or not or think he's a good singer or not has zero to do with if he's overrated or not.

First, you must establish how he is 'rated' before you can say he's over or under rated.

I think the big point people make about Bob Dylan is that he was the voice of his generation, the guy who made it cool to write deep songs instead of just catchy hooks, the guy who influenced just about everyone.

The Beatles were great admirers of Dylan and before Dylan hung out with them in '65 (and smoked them up), they were doing throwaway records. (Yes, the early Beatles work has historical importance, but the songs are less-than-impressive.) Dylan saw their musical and vocal talent and urged Lennon and McCartney to dig deeper with their songwriting.   We all know what happened after that.....

There are almost zero modern artists worth their salt that don't give credit to Dylan when asked about influences in interviews and such.  In fact, almost every artist has covered Bob on record or on the concert stage.

I don't think there is any way you can make a strong case for Dylan being overrated, in that sense, which is why he is so highly regarded.

You could make a case that you don't like his vocal style.
You could make a case that you think he's a jerk for being such a recluse.
You could make a case that you simply don't think he's any good!
Can you make a case that he ISN"T one of the most important figures in modern music and changed the way people think about and create music?  I dare ya!


NOTE: I am a -huge- Bob Dylan fan who has 90-95% of every concert he has ever performed in my archives and who has seen him over 175 times since 1997.   I tried to keep this as unbiased as I could, as I know some people simply don't like the guys tunes -which is fine.

[norway]

You need to look from it from a diferent perspective, from back then amongst the artist that were...I think was an outstanding songwriter

[von]

Bob Dylan sucks. Is he overrated? Big time. Magazines like Rolling Stone have been swinging from his nutsack for the past 40 years. His son's band The Wallflowers, however, I can kinda dig. Go figure.

[GeraldFord]

I guess that depends.

Saying whether or not you like him or not or think he's a good singer or not has zero to do with if he's overrated or not.

First, you must establish how he is 'rated' before you can say he's over or under rated.

I think the big point people make about Bob Dylan is that he was the voice of his generation, the guy who made it cool to write deep songs instead of just catchy hooks, the guy who influenced just about everyone.

The Beatles were great admirers of Dylan and before Dylan hung out with them in '65 (and smoked them up), they were doing throwaway records. (Yes, the early Beatles work has historical importance, but the songs are less-than-impressive.) Dylan saw their musical and vocal talent and urged Lennon and McCartney to dig deeper with their songwriting.? ?We all know what happened after that.....

There are almost zero modern artists worth their salt that don't give credit to Dylan when asked about influences in interviews and such.? In fact, almost every artist has covered Bob on record or on the concert stage.

I don't think there is any way you can make a strong case for Dylan being overrated, in that sense, which is why he is so highly regarded.

You could make a case that you don't like his vocal style.
You could make a case that you think he's a jerk for being such a recluse.
You could make a case that you simply don't think he's any good!
Can you make a case that he ISN"T one of the most important figures in modern music and changed the way people think about and create music?? I dare ya!


NOTE: I am a -huge- Bob Dylan fan who has 90-95% of every concert he has ever performed in my archives and who has seen him over 175 times since 1997.? ?I tried to keep this as unbiased as I could, as I know some people simply don't like the guys tunes -which is fine.

I agree with everything you say. I just really "get it" I guess.

[journey]

No way.

Can't believe somebody said he sucked. That's scary.

He's written so many great songs. It's almost like he's super human.

He derserves all the praise he gets.

If you hear a great song, Dylan probably wrote it.

[hellfirecan]

Hell of a songwriter

Can't sing for shit

[stolat]

Dylan is an icon of the 1960s. He was the voice of a generation.

[Genesis]

Hell of a songwriter

Can't sing for shit

Ditto. I prefer the covers of his songs done by other artists. KOHD by Guns, of course and AATW by Jimi Hendrix, for example.

[Bill 213]

Bob Dylan is the greatest songwriter to ever grace the face of this earth.  Simple as that.  If you don't like to hear him singing or if you don't like the STYLES of music he plays.....then just read the words.  Your answer lies right there.  His songs (even his most ludacris strewn together 5 minute pieces) tell stories that relate to so many people. 

Sure Dylan like any other artist suffered from a stale period during the late 70's to the mid 80's but he overcame that and to this day tours harder and more numerous than most acts out there.  He's constantly reinventing his own songs even at this stage in his career.  His voice may not be what it once was, but he still manages to bring out the magic somehow.

Highway 61 Revisted, Blonde on Blonde, Blood on the Tracks, Desire, New Morning, Planet Waves, Bringing It All Back Home....the list keeps going.  Those albums are mindblowing and there's truly something for everyone in one of his albums. 

[Chief]

No, i would say definitely not overrated.  He has a way of telling a story in song that is pretty much unparalleled! (IMO)

and as for the wallflowers, i think they are pretty bland and generic.

[Falcon]

Overrated?  Probably not.

Would I ever listen to him?  Probably not.

[Jizzo]

yes

[Mr Cowbell ?]

IYou could make a case that you think he's a jerk for being such a recluse

Heck yeah my buddy bought me a ticket and one for himself for his 2005 Ballpark series tour with Willie Nelson.  $150.  He didnt play his guitar that was tuned up and set next to his microphone at all all night, the set was short, and there was a 1 song encore, for a star with as much material as he had playing ojnly 70-80 minutes made it feel like being cheated out of $150.

[freedom78]

Of course he is.  He's a great songwriter, no doubt.  But, for example, RS ranks FOUR of his albums in the top 50 of all time.  And that's just silly. 

Coincidentally (and, no, I'm not making this up) their rankings of the 500 greatest songs ever include:

#1: Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone"

and

#2: "Satisfaction"...by The Rolling Stones

Talk about using others' work for self promotion!

[2NaFish]

no. he's a god.

[LunsJail]

You can't deny his impact on music, especially discussing social issues in music.  However, it's not something I want to pop in the stereo too often.