at a glance...

Hometown: Duluth, MN
First Recordings: 1962

Notes:
Born Robert Allen Zimmerman, raised from the age of six in Hibbing, MN. While studying art at the University of Minnesota, he began to perform folk music at local coffehouses as Bob Dylan, a name he reputedly borrowed from poet Dylan Thomas. In January 1961, he relocated to New York, quickly making a name for himself on the folk circuit as a disciple of his idol, Woodie Guthrie. An opening gig for John Lee Hooker brought him to the attention of Columbia Records talent scout John Hammond, who recorded Dylan's debut, which consisted of only two originals surrounded by folk and blues standards. In 1963, Dylan released his breakthrough collection of original compositions The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, the beginning of a career marked by a devotion to his own vision and craft that continues to this day, with an excellent new release, Time Out Of Mind.

For the uninitiated, Blonde On Blonde is both the perfect start-up record and the ultimate challenge in the Dylan catalog. He distills the expansive surrealism he pioneered on the two groundbreaking albums that preceded (Bringing It All Back Home and Highway 61 Revisited) down to a thematic thread that runs throughout the record. As befits Dylan, however, the identity and meaning of this thread are a matter of both speculation and disagreement. You know it's there, you just can't explain it.

The songs defy not only description but interpretation, despite inviting both at every turn. They burrow deep into the grey matter of the listener without detour; they are visceral rather than literal or even symbolic. The positively epic "Visions Of Johanna" has the effect of wrapping the listener in a warm, spangled word-veil of mystical psychedelia, the classic "Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again" is a startling initiation into a shadow world of Dylan's creation, while "Most Likely You Go Your Way And I'll Go Mine" chugs along like a magical train.

Blonde On Blonde was recorded at the peak of one of many controversial periods in Dylan's career. He had recently shocked and alienated the folk audience that claimed him as their messiah by playing with an electric band at the Newport Folk Festival. Although the booing of the crowd was probably greatly exaggerated, the rumors of the reaction proved more than enough inspiration for similar, yet more intense audience response all throughout the 1966 tour. The resulting conflict between performer and audience was physically and mentally taxing for Dylan, but had the effect of galvanizing both his live performances and his recordings.

Ironically, Dylan produced his most cohesive album to date in the midst of a musical power struggle between his artistic alter egos; the folk messiah is here reconciled with the prophet who brought forth the bastard son of his own creation, the folk rocker. The overall sound achieved on Blonde On Blonde is so original and enjoyable that it utterly defies the classification his "fans" attempted to foist upon him (see sidebar) Dylan himself, in a 1978 interview, described the sound of the record in typically mystical fashion as "that thin, that wild mercury sound. It's metallic and bright gold, with whatever that conjures up..." The "wild mercury sound" must be heard to be understood. You won't be sorry.

If you like Bob Dylan, check out:
Bob Dylan Blood on the Tracks
Bob Dylan The Bootleg Series
Bob Dylan Highway 61 Revisited
Bob Dylan The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan Infidels
Bob Dylan Desire
The Band Music From Big Pink
Woody Guthrie ...Sings Folk Songs
The Charlatans Tellin' Stories
Van Morrison Astral Weeks
The Byrds Sweetheart Of The Rodeo
Joe Henry Trampoline
Elvis Costello King Of America

-- Dave Rosen