Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gritty, Course, Driving and Stark, with a Bit of Country, April 21, 2005
When this record came out a lot of Dylan's fans were upset, because that singer of songs so complex with images that stayed with you long after the song had end, seemed to have gone country. But it didn't long before they realized that the complexity was still here, even thought the backing musicians had changed. The stories, those incredible stories were still here. Just give a listen to "The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest" and you'll see what I mean. And the word weaver is still doing his magic here as well, again listen to "Frankie & Judas."
Yes, gone are the rock musicians, replaced by country guys, Charlie McCoy on bass, Kenny Buttrey on drums and they help Dylan deliver a kind of haunting sound that has lasted through the years, making this record sort timeless, holding up as well now as it did way back then.
My personal favorite on this masterpiece of music is "As I Went Out One Morning." To me it seems like Dylan is singing about America and how Tom Paine would be so disappointed if he were alive today. And what would Rock have been like had Jimi not been able to cover the excellent "All Along the Watchtower." Then there is that landlord, that wicked messenger, that lonesome hobo and that escaping drifter. Mr. Dylan conjures images with words the way Van Gogh did with a brush. This album, though a change, is one of the best.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Moving towards country, April 7, 2006
Dylan's move into country was wise and apt, just right for the times. The title track is a legend allegedly about a famous ancestor of the obscure singer-songwriter Tim Hardin. The awesome I Dreamt I Saw St. Augustine is spiritual and moving, All Along The Watchtower has a surreal edge to it and The Drifter's Escape is an interesting story song.
Dear Landlord fits the country style well, I Pity The Poor Immigrant is a touching protest song and I'll Be Your Baby Tonight is catchy country-pop, as proved by the many cover versions. Speaking of which, I first heard many of these classics via other artists' interpretations, e.g. Jimi Hendrix who made a psychedelic anthem of All Along The Watchtower and Joan Baez' splendid versions of St Augustine and I Pity The Poor Immigrant.
It's risky to try rating Dylan's individual albums, but John Wesley Harding is certainly amongst his five best as it is so consistently great as regards the quality of the compositions, the performance and the mastery of the country style. This memorable work with its haunting songs has stood the test of time very well.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Overlooked, Understated Gem, November 3, 2006
This album often gets lost in the shuffle of Dylan idolatry. And while it's often said of this album that it was a transition to the country of "Nashville Skyline," that shorts the achievement of this work. Which is a shame. Some of Dylan's most striking and enigmatic images are in the lyrics from this album.
"The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest" tells the story of a friendship that feels doomed from the opening verse when, over the strumming of a lonely accoustic guitar, Dylan announces that Frankie and Judas were the "best of friends." And, over the next five and a half minutes, he spins out the story of their undoing, wrapped in the double entendres and sharp images that are so prevalent in his earlier albums from the 1960's. Some of the strongest examples of those images are here.
What makes this album sharply different from "Blonde on Blonde" and "Highway 61 Revisited" is the spareness of the instrumentation. It is basically an accoustic album. But beyond that, the instrumentation is never given over to anything soaring, like the organ on "Like a Rolling Stone." And there is beauty in the simplicity.
This album will probably never be considered in the top tier of Dylan's work, but it is strong, and it stands on its own without being seen as a transition towards "Nashville Skyline."
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Bob Dylan: "The sound of Hank Williams's voice went through me like an electric rod and I managed to get a hold of a few of his 78s... I played them endlessly... When I hear Hank sing, all movement ceases. The slightest whisper seems sacrilege." Read more musical excerpts from Chronicles, Vol. 1 on our Music You Should Hear page.
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