Customer Reviews

John Wesley Harding

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After Bob Dylan had a severe motorcycle accident in Woodstock, 1966, he spent almost two years recouperating. During that time only his first Greatest Hits album was released. When he did finally release an album of new material in late 1968, it moved away from the electrified sounds of Bringing It Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde On Blonde and returned to his quieter folk roots. On John Wesley Harding, there is no electric guitar, just Dylan's acoustic guitar and harmonica backed with bass, drums and piano. The accident probably made Dylan more reflective on life and death and those themes lyrically permeate this great work. Of course everyone is familiar with "All Along The Watchtower", but there are other songs that deserve high standing in the expansive Dylan catalog. "The Ballad Of Frankie Lee & Judas Priest" has a classic Dylan narrative with cryptic lyrics and is one of his best. "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine" finds him in fine vocal form and "I Pity The Poor Immigrant", "I Am A Lonesome Hobo" & "Dear Landlord" has him again singing about the trouble and travails of the little man. There is a country music feel running through the album and it laid the groundwork for his next release, the full blown country album Nashville Skyline.

JWH's draw is its simplicity: just three or four guys playing simple instruments simply while Dylan sings simple, powerful, moral tunes evoking Old Testament judgment and irony. Released in 1968 it was thought by some to be a response to the technological one-upmanship of the endless tape-loops of the just-then released Beatles' Sergeant Pepper and the Stones' Satanic Majesty's Request. In truth, Dylan's 1966 near-death experience - which resulted in an almost two-year absence from the recording scene - seems to have caused Bob to "bring it all back home" to both his rural and Jewish roots. (The evidence of Dylan's slowdown first appear in his [and the Band's] 1975 release, The Basement Tapes, which was actually recorded immediately after the motorcycle accident, bootlegged for years, and then released by Columbia.) The result of Dylan's introspection is stark background music with Dylan's voice leading the way through stories with lessons such as "The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest's'" "If you see your neighbor carrying something, help him with his load/and don't go mistaking Paradise for that home across the road." While the album is not more or less concerned with morality than any othe Dylan work, it is profund in its concern for personal repentance; there is a noticeable absence of Dylan's "You got a lot of nerve" finger-pointing. Indeed, "The Drifter's Escape" is a warning to the self-righteousness of a narrow society, a reminder that personal repentance does not include Puritanical purges of own's neighbor's conscience. JWH, while musically simple, does not suffer the way Springsteen's Nebraska does from its spare arrangements. Unfortunately, Springsteen's successful imitation of the dusty monotony of life on the plains does not make for interesting music; JWH, on the other hand, is a great piece of work because simplicity is inherently valuable while boring is, well, boring. Evocative of the Biblical books of Ecclesiastes and Proverbs, JWH is one of rock's great works, a moral retreat set to music, something to make one close the Wall Street Journal and consider the lilies of the field, the mate and children of one's heart and home.

Look at it in the right light, and you could say that John Wesley Harding is Dylan's best album: maybe nowhere else did the intimacy & the style or the mysterious lyrics & the powerful meaning come together so well. The songs are typically enigmatic, but they obey their own internal logic (a real rarity, actually, in the work of Dylan or anyone else who aspires to surrealism). The songs are all short, and almost all are three stanzas with barebones rhyme schemes and no chorus. The effect achieved is something like weird, understated, powerful dreams. "I Dreamed I saw St. Augustine": a brief and harrowing vision, unclear in meaning but, "I awoke in anger / So alone and terrified. / I put my fingers against the glass / And bowed my head and cried."

The album is all the weirder for coming out of nowhere and vanishing just as fast: before was Blonde on Blonde, after was Nashville Skyline. The Basement Tapes are supposed to offer a sort of transition, but the styles are really quite different. Even when you listen to the five-album original basement tapes, there is very little that presages John Wesley Harding--maybe songs like Bonnie Ship the Diamond and Too Much of Nothing.

In a way, of course, it's silly to compare JWH to Highway 61, Blonde on Blonde, Blood on the Tracks, Freewheelin', etc. and try to figure out which is the best. All have a exquisitely realized style. What can I say? I like this album. It's one of the best. Hendrix is supposed to have recorded "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine," but pulled off releasing it because he felt it was too intimate a song to publicly cover, opting instead for "All Along the Watchtower." Man, it sure would be great to have his version of "St. Augustine."

My candidates for the perfect tracks on the album: Dear Landlord, I Pity the Poor Immigrant, Frankie Lee & Judas Priest, As I Went Out One Morning, Wicked Messenger, I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine, All Along the Watchtower.

After hearing NOTHING good about the remastered version of this CD, I decided to stick with my original copy. But all remasters aside, this album from 1967 (less than a week from 1968) now stands as one of Dylan's greats. Some consider it his last GREAT work ("Nashville Skyline" followed it, and then "Self-Portrait" and "New Morning"). At the time his core fans must have thought something was a little off. The monumental "Blonde on Blonde" preceded it in 1966 with its raucous mood, catchy incredibly Dylan-drawled melodies, and burgeoning instrumentation that lashes out like solar prominence from speakers and headphones. Juxtaposed with the full frontal attack of "Blonde On Blonde", "John Wesley Harding" seems introverted, introspective, and exceedingly pared down. Of course Dylan was just being the never repetitive Dylan. And of course he was also in a horrific motorcycle accident following the release of "Blonde On Blonde". Nonetheless, according to Dylan's amazing "Chronicles Vol. 1" he was still seeking escape from his reputation as a "prophet" and "savior" in 1967. Many big names at the time, including Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, and Phil Ochs, were publicly calling on Dylan to stop flirting with the mainstream and "lead them". Dylan didn't have the same calling. He withdrew. Maybe "John Wesley Harding" is a manifestation of this withdrawal and introversion?

The album is pared down. It is laid back. It is anything but raucous. It even feels lonely. Dylan's voice is very different than on "Blonde On Blonde". The lyrics focus on the down-and-out, the have-nots, and the deprived. They glisten with Dylan's usual lyrical brilliance. The instrumentation is minimal: acoustic guitars, bass, harmonica, piano here and there, understated drums, and Dylan crooning over the mix. Dylan produced nothing else like it before or after. It isn't quite country, but it presages "Nashville Skyline". It is, in the end, a transitional album, and one of Dylan's many. Like "Another Side of Bob Dylan" and "Bringing It All Back Home" it points to the future and has almost nothing to do with the past. The last song, "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight", supports this, and provides an open door to Dylan's full blown country phase (it could have fit very well onto "Nashville Skyline").

After "John Wesley Harding" Dylan never went back. He kept on developing and changing, leaving his works behind him like a massive treasure trail. He never reappropriated them for artistic or commercial gain. He even said that he never could play "All Along the Watchtower" the same again after hearing Jimi Hendrix's 1968 version. So the version here was very short lived. In retrospect, "John Wesley Harding" fills out Dylan's 1960's output appropriately. And it remains one of his best. Hopefully he'll write about it in "Chronicles, Vol. 2".

One last thing: the cover. It's probably one of Dylan's strangest and most cryptic. Dylan wears the same jacket from the cover of "Blonde On Blonde". And legend has it that on the original British pressing one can clearly see the faces of the Beatles upside-down in the tree under the letters "le" (the CD obscures this, unfortunately). Rolling Stone supposedly stated "Dylan Record Puts Beatles up a Tree". The photo was taken in Woodstock (supposedly Sally Grossman's backyard) with two men from Bengal (called "The Bauls of Bengal") and a local carpenter who happened to be there. Why Dylan used it for an album cover who knows? Something more for "Chronicles, Vol. 2", I guess.

Five years before composing the soundtrack for "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid," Bob Dylan had another outlaw on his mind in the title track of this album, but the real outlaw was Dylan himself. After the 1966 motorcycle accident that gave him an excuse to disappear from the spotlight, Dylan returned to a music scene that was louder, harder, and increasingly psychedelic. But no matter what the weatherman said about the direction of the wind, Dylan defied it. Ignoring expectations and trends, he produced this beauty of an album. More country and folk than rock, the influence of Woody Guthrie is very much in evidence here, especially in "I Am a Lonesome Hobo" and "I Pity the Poor Immigrant," but a lot of these songs also sound tailor made for Johnny Cash. But in the end, it's all uniquely Dylan. Listen to the way he pronounces "house" and "home" in "The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest" to see what people mean when they praise his phrasing, and listen to "Dear Landlord" and "The Wicked Messenger" before proclaiming "All Along the Watchtower" the best song on this album. The overall mood is one of sanity and calm, a definite contrast to the often chaotic world of 1968. Something of an anamoly then, "John Wesley Harding" remains a uniquely intimate album that richly deserves its lofty reputation.

John Wesley Harding sneaks up on you. I bet a lot of people ignore it because the most anthologized track, "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" is not particularly representative of the rest of the album (for example, it's the only track with any "country" touches like pedal steel). The rest of it is an enigmatic series of dream-like encounters, some of which take on the qualities of tall tales, others metaphysical dialogues, others seem like pivotal, shattering experiences.

There is an intimacy to this record that is somewhat akin to the more celebrated Blood on the Tracks, but on this album, Dylan is being completely allusive, leading you at times into thickets of imagery that stretch your mind toward revelations that come slowly if at all. In context with the other music he was producing at the time (i.e. The Basement Tapes), it's clear to see that his isolation and recovery provided strong creative inspiration, leading him to develop a kind of backwoods sense of humor, and a backwoods sense of mystery.

What caps this album off for me as Dylan's best and maybe my favorite album of all time, is his performance. His singing is flawless--I love especially "Drifter's Escape" but the whole album's great. The musicianship is of the highest order, not something you can always count on with a Dylan record; the bassist and the drummer give Dylan solid but subtle support, and Dylan's harmonica playing is liquid. It is recorded guilelessly--he is literally singing in your ear.

Look, I also do love Blood on the Tracks, Blonde on Blonde, Bringing it All Back Home, Love and Theft, Desire; but whereas all those albums feature Dylan defiantly at center stage, demanding to be heard, John Wesley Harding (and the Basement Tapes) give you a Dylan who is in deep, private contemplation of the mysteries about which, elsewhere, he is so sure about what he has to say. This is a more attractive Dylan to me--no less brilliant, but someone who's taking us along for the ride.

An enigmatic album in Dylan's catalog, this is an especially interesting work if put into historical context. Coming on the heels of his first three electric albums and his subsequent retreat from the public eye after his motorcycle accident, John Wesley Harding was understandably something of a shock to listeners when it appeared on the scene in late 1967 (at the height of the psychedelic movement that Dylan helped start), completly unexpected, with its rustic acoustic instrumentation, country stylings, and allusional lyrics. This was completely different from anything Dylan had done before, and certainly different from anything he'd done recently. Electric instruments are not abound on this album; instead, Dylan's backing band is stripped down to the bare minimum of bass and drums, and each song is driven by his smooth acoustic guitar, harmonica, and occasional piano (Peter Drake also provides acoustic guitar on the two closing country songs.) The songs are all stripped down and basic musically as well as lyrically, employing a simple and direct approach that was in definite contrast to the sprawling canvas of his previous album - rock's first double-record set, the masterpiece Blonde On Blonde. Although names and things pop up throughout the songs, these aren't the wild, dense, drug imagery-infused lyrics of previous albums; the lyrics here have a somewhat mythological base. Taking on rustic imagery, urban myths, and a spoonful of bibilical references, John Wesley Harding has a set of deftly allusional lyrics that appear very simple at first, but that reveal new layers of meaning with repeated listens. From the cowboy fable of the title track, to the bibilical allegory I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine, to the apolyptica of All Along The Watchtower, to classic-tinged old style ballads like Frankie Lee and Judas Priest, Drifter's Escape, and The Wicked Messenger, JWH is a Bob Dylan album unlike any other. The last two tracks are also full-blown country songs (and very good ones at that) that showed what Dylan would be moving toward with his next album, Nashville Skyline. This is a classic and very interesting Bob Dylan album that adds substantial worth to his legend and is also an anamoly in his catalog that makes it essential for any fan.

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 deceased singer Tim Hardin, 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 Augustne and I Pity The Poor Immigrant. It's risky to try rating Dylan's individual albums, but this is certainly amongst his five best as it is so consistently good as regards the quality of the compositions, the performance and the mastery of the country style.

This is an album I will always remember. I bought this album in early 1968 with some birthday money I had recieved. I had always liked Dylan but had not really got to into him. I just liked "Rainy Day Women" mostly. That day I bought "Magical Mystery Tour", some Vanilla Fudge Album, "Satanic Majesties Request", and "John Wesley Harding". Out of all these albums, "JWH" is the only one I replaced with a CD, a pretty big deal for me. The album was so different than other ones I bought that day, no psychedelic songs, no exotic instruments, no trippy album cover, just good "simple" songs. "John Wesley Harding" is one of the most unrecognized turning points in rock history. Many people dont realize how big of an effect this record had on popular music. From the Byrds country-rock masterpeice "Sweetheart of the Rodeo", to The Beatles rootsy "White Album", to the Stones back-to-basics "Beggars Banquet", Dylan did it first. He was the first to go back and ditch the organs, screaming guitars, loud drums to get back to his roots. The album starts of with the wonderful western tale of "John Wesley Harding", to the wicked "As I went out One morning" with its great bass line and drumming. One of the premium cuts is Dylan's reading of his own "All Along the Watchtower". My personal favorites on the album are the slow piano blues of "Dear Landlord" and the beautiful moral fable of "Frankie Lee and Judas Preist". "I am the Lonesome Hobo" is almost funky it has such good drums on it. "Wicked Messenger" is a very creative and a great listen. "Down Along the Cove" brings some fun to album before it closes, with Pete Drake's pedal steel guitar being added to the mix of guitar, bass, drums, and harmonica. The final song on the album was so far out of what was popular in '68, who would write a straight country tune and record, especially if you were already a legend like Bob Dylan. The song was probably the simplest song he had ever written, but it was genius and a great way to close this amazing album. This record was a breath of fresh air to me back then, no hidden meanings, no eastern mysticism, no drug induced songs, just great music, nothing more, nothing less.

Why is the way Bob Dylan's structured his career so damn important to the history and existence of rock music? For the answer to that question, I give you 1967's John Wesley Harding, not because of its quality (which is impeccable, I'll get there), but because its sound was such an about face to the climactic fullness of Blonde on Blonde that it appeared career suicide, because the world was on a sex-drugs-and-rock kick that summer and Dylan denied all three by releasing a record of spiritual asceticism, and because to this day it remains amongst the most inscrutably mercurial and fascinating records ever made. I'll give you my take - Dylan was recovering from his motorcycle accident at the time, and broke with his long-term manager Albert Grossman. The record reflects a deep turning inward for Dylan by reflecting on the state of society, being disgusted by everything he saw, and turning that hatred inward upon realizing he's guilty of all that he accuses. Listen to "I Dream I Saw St. Augustine" - "No martyr is among you now/ whom you can call your own/ but go on your way accordingly," he sings. All of the characters he fastens himself in and out of during the record make the same assessment, and Dylan himself feels on trial - he's the drifter of "Drifter's Escape," the hobo of "I Am a Lonesome Hobo," and the Judas of "The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest" doing time for everything except being true to who he is. The record, then, becomes stripped musically of everything in Dylan's quest to reemerge - he cocoons, if you will, and comes out singing "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight," a bit of a love song to himself, predicting safe, pastoral times ahead (see New Morning). Plus, it features a little song called "All Along the Watchtower," a song that redefined the word "ominous," and one that brilliantly wagered the idea that we may not deserve what waits for us, good or bad, but at all costs, we have to approach it. That may be the defining statement of Dylan's career.