Customer Reviews

Bringing It All Back Home (180 gm Vinyl)

5 star:		(63)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The historical significance of BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME has been discussed ad nauseum: It was Dylan making a strong break away from his folk roots. Its rock sound reshaped the music of the Beatles and just about everyone else who picked up a guitar forever after its 1965 release. It featured five of Dylan's most often covered and replayed classics -- "Subterranean Homesick Blues," "Maggie's Farm," "Mr. Tambourine Man," "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" and "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" -- as well as three more favorites of Dylan's core group of fans -- "She Belongs to Me," "Love Minus Zero/No Limit" and "Gates of Eden." It melded rock, folk and beatnik poetry for the first time in a major album. It was the start of the phase of Dylan's career that would soon include his two most lauded albums, HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED and BLONDE ON BLONDE.

But what is often not mentioned is how much FUN this album is to listen to.

Granted, "Mr. Tambourine Man," "It's Alright Ma" and "Gates of Eden" are classic Dylan epics -- long, complex, packed with striking imagery and poetic wordplays in each line. But this album also features rocking pop hits that leave the listener bouncing in his seat ("Subterranean Homesick Blues," "Maggie's Farm"), beautiful and melancholy love or love-gone-wrong songs ("Love Minus Zero/No Limit," "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue") and even shaggy dog stories showcasing the impish sense of humor that would later bring Dylan to mind when interpreters were attempting to identify the man behind the jester character in Don McLean's "American Pie" ("On the Road Again," "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream").

In other words, there's something on this album for every mood. Which may be why it's even more beloved for its singles than the future album epics HIGHWAY 61 and BLONDE ON BLONDE. And, in fact, BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME doesn't hang together as well as the succeeding two releases, and certainly not as well as JOHN WESLEY HARDING or NEW MORNING. But it's more versatile than any of those other albums. On the one hand, you can sit down and really LISTEN to it, catching all the nuances of Dylan's lyrics, admiring his musical fireworks, laughing at his jokes. Or you can play it in your car, at work, as background music while you write or clean or work out, and it's not distracting.

Best of all, you can take advantage of an aspect of CD's not available to the original vinyl audience. Simply press the "Shuffle" button, and this becomes a whole new album to be rediscovered.

Shhh, don't tell your folkie aunt, but this is THE rock album of the mid 60's. Dylan stunned folk audiences all over the world with his electric debut, and not everyone dug it. If I had lived in the 60's, I would most likely have been a folk purist, so I would have been mad at Bob too for plugging in. But looking back objectively at this album as a 20 year old, I realize that this rocks the pants off any of his previous work, and anything and everything after 1969. His folk sound is astonishing, but his electric sound is mind blowing. Classics like "Subterrainian Homesick Blues," "Maggie's Farm," and " It's Alright Ma...." are imprinted in my mind as the antithesis of all electric rock in the mid 60's. This album is a main source of John Lennon's intellectual developement as a songwriter. Check the Beatles 1965 album "Help," and then compare it with 1965's "Rubber Soul" which was recorded after John and Bob met personally, and you may hear Dylan's influence. Dylan drove the Beatles from pop to intelli-rock with this barnstormer. Good move, Bob. "Bringing It All Back Home" is essential.

Long having denied the implication that he created the folk-rock genre, rather giving the credit to Gene Clark of The Byrds, this release by the Bard from Hibbing would undoubtedly serve as the cornerstone of folk-rock through the ages! "Bringing It All Back Home" continues Dylan's introspection from "Another Side Of Bob Dylan" while adding electric instruments to the mix (a fact that, for some reason, would be acceptable to fans on record but not live at Newport). Here, Dylan can be at his most romantic one minute, with the Baez-inspired "Love Minus Zero / No Limit" or "She Belongs To Me," and simultaneously prophetic and surreal the next!

Introducing classics like "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" and "Maggie's Farm" alongside concert stalwarts "Gates Of Eden" and "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)," this release would be the first of a trilogy ended all too soon by Dylan's supposed "motorpsycho nitemare." The other two albums in this trilogy are, of course, "Highway 61 Revisited" and the double-disc "Blonde On Blonde."

Many will say that this is Dylan at his finest, placing the artist into an uncomfortable categorization or time capsule, but he would continue to produce highly creative and innovative work both with The Band and The Traveling Wilburys, as well as via his solo career throughout the 1970's and 80's. "Bringing It All Back Home" merely brings folk-rock to the forefront, introduces his audience to "Another Side Of Bob Dylan," and provides some excellent entertainment for the unsuspecting yet open-minded listener.

I rented "Don't Look Back" this weekend and it was just so interesting to see Bob Dylan's frame of mind during the time of "Bringing It All Back Home." You rarely hear critics mention this one, but I think this is Dylan's best. This shows his rawest (and best) rock & roll sides. It also has the most brilliant acoustic songs he would ever do. This really is the beginning of rock's new ethics & swagger. I'm 17 and it's finally clicked how important Dylan was. I doubt you'll ever "get" Bob Dylan without this. There would be no "Rubber Soul" without it. (which means no pet sounds, which means no sgt. pepper, which means no...you get the point.)

P.S. Allen Ginsburg once said this was his favorite rock & roll record. That's just about the best compliment anyone could ask for.

By the time of this 1965 release, Dylan had already proven himself a lyrical master and a new legend in the folk universe. With his electrified performance at the Newport Folk Festival, and this half-electric/half-acoustic LP, he showed that he was not only far from done with pushing the envelope, but that he'd really only begun. In particular, his music and subject matter were now catching up to his revolutionary words and lyrical structures.

The album opens full-bore with the blistering word-puzzle "Subterranean Homesick Blues." Backed by a vamping electric blues band Dylan is at once a protesting outsider, a sardonic social critic, and a free-associating poet. It stands on it's own as an incredible piece of rock music, but as the introduction to Dylan's fifth LP it was something of a warning shot. The electric blues return for the near-rockabilly arrangement of "Maggie's Blues" and a Chuck Berry (ala "Memphis") styled "Outlaw Blues." In between, Dylan crafted extraordinary ballads, including the acidic "She Belongs to Me" and one of his best-ever love songs, "Love Minus Zero/No Limit."

Side two (tracks 7-11) retreats to mostly acoustic presentations, but even here Dylan expanded upon his earlier work with surreal stories like "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream" and the poetic folk-rock standard "Mr. Tambourine Man." The latter stretches to over 5-1/2 minutes and includes a trio of verses dropped by The Byrds in their hit cover. One of the album's most effective cuts is the 7-1/2 minute "It's Alright Ma, I'm Only Bleeding," a song Dylan had been performing live for several months before recording it. Though recorded with only an acoustic guitar, the venomous lyrics spare no target in their criticism, providing as much fire as any of the electric tunes on side one.

All in all, this is as good a portrait of Dylan's inventions as can be found. It's a showcase for his brilliant writing, his evolving musical exposition and his ability to parlay his unconventional voice into some of the world's most expressive and effective vocals.

This album is wonderfully surreal. The imagery is gorgeous, smoky and cold. The title of this review is a quote from "Gates of Eden" which is in my opinion one of the best songs on the album. This album fits words together seamlessly. Sometimes the songs make sense and other times they almost make sense.... but that's the point isn't it? It allows you to make what you will of the meaning.
The album is half electric and half acoustic. This is the transition album! I could never pick my favorite Dylan album but this is surely one of them. Other great songs include "It's alright ma (I'm Only Bleeding)", "It's All Over Now Baby Blue", the hilarious and almost sensical "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream" - e.g. every song is a winner. The liner notes which were written by Dylan are hilarious and also almost sensical. If you're a Dylan fan and don't already have this, shame on you. If you're a literature buff, you should have it also. You can't go wrong!

Shhhh! Don't tell your folkie aunt, but this is THE rock album of the mid 60's. Dylan created quite a disturbance among his Greenwich Village type folk following at the '65 Newport Folk Festival, accompanied by the highly amplified Paul Butterfield Blues Band. This album followed, capturing electric Dylan for all to agree with, or disagree with.

The first half of the album is acoustic, solo Dylan, the second half is electrified band arrangements.

One thing is for certain, whether you are down with Dylan's voltage (everyone is now) or not, these songs have bounce. Dylan's lyrics are often more personal as opposed to social on this album, thus turning off more of the folk movement to his music. But tunes such as "Subterranean Homesick Blues," "It's All Over Now Baby Blue," and "Mr. Tambourine Man" are undeniably classic. Even the lesser knowns such as "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream" (ingenious) and "No Limit" hold up among Dylan's best.

Dylan first met John Lennon around this period. Lennon was dumbfounded at the fact that Dylan had no prophesies or social commentary to chat upon. Notice the influence of Dylan on such Beatles albums as Help! and Rubber Soul.

My all around favorite single album of Bob's electric output.

My favorite Dylan reviewer has called the opening song on this album, "Subterranean Homesick Blues," the first rap song, and in a way it is like a rap song. There is a great Dylan video that was taken from, I believe, "Don't Look Back" where Dyaln is flipping cards with words from the song as it plays, very surrelistic. This album also that two of my favorite Dylan songs on it. "She Belongs to Me" and "Love Minus Zero/No Limit", haunting, moving portraits painted in words. "Baby Blue" is another of those, but the crowning Jewel of this Album is "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding). When he sang this on the '74 tour, when he got to the part where he screamed out, "Even the President of the United States, sometimes has to stand naked," the audience stood, applauding and cheering. Loud, real loud. Not good news for Mr. Nixon who had to resign soon after. This is also the first album where Dylan plugged it in. Ah yes, Dylan went electric, but then his words had always had the juice in 'em, the power of a lightning strike.

Dylan really must have had a blast writing the songs for this album because he seems to be beside himself with joy during all of the performances. In fact, on one track you get to hear him and the engineer laughing their heads off before beginning the tune properly. Anyway, "It's Alright Ma" is my favorite song, and I think it's safe to say that it is the best version of it ever (McGuinn did pretty good on the EASY RIDER soundtrack, but Dylan's is even more intense). And with songs that range from fantasy ("Mr. Tambourine Man") and madness ("She Belongs to Me") to mystery ("It's All Over Now, Baby Blue"), the album starts off running at top speed and breaks the speed barrier by its finish. It may not be the best album ever made, but if you don't own it yet, this is one adventure that you really should take and be rewarded for.

I first listened to this album on my Dad's old vinyl copy on my cheap little record player when I was about 14. Not surpisingly, I didn't get it at frst. But, with a little more maturity (and I still don't have much in that area) the album started to make sense. Even before I understood any of the album, I could feel that it was good. Pretty soon it all made sense to me. Dylan's ideas are so brilliant that you can't help but adopt them. I was brainwashed by this album. It's so good, I think of a line from this album everyday for one reason or another. It's a key part of my life, along, obviously, with the rest of Bob's work. This album is worth buying simply for the musicianship, and on top of that is Dylan's lyrics. You can't go wrong with the album. It establishes itself as a great album just by its liner notes.
"statues made of matchsticks
crumble into one another
my love winks, she does not bother
she knows too much to argue or top judge"
-Love Minus Zero / No Limit
People say that Dylan is indecipharable. I disagree. That quote is simple direct, beautiful and meaningful. and just picked it off the top of my head. The whole album's that good. Every line is perfect. I consider this the best album ever.