Customer Reviews

Nashville Skyline/New Morning/John Wesley Harding

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

 

 

One great Dylan album ("John Wesley Harding"), one good one ("Nashville Skyline"), and one of his most eccentric ("New Morning"), all packaged together at an unbeatable low price (well, I suppose a lower price would be even more unbeatable but, hey, they're not gonna sell it for $5).

The rating applies to the cumulative reaction of listening to the whole collection as if they were one big production or something, which, as you well know, isn't really the case now, is it? Individually, well, it's a whole 'nother story, fellas. JWH deserves five stars, NS merits four, and NM makes do with three and a half. But, hey, that's only my opinion. It's not as though I'm God or anything. Bless you, anyway.

All three are great albums, even harder to pass up when you can get them like this. New Morning is my favourite of the three for demonstrating how versatile Dylan can be. Like Nashville Skyline's country flavor, it has a bluesy aspect and he handles it wonderfully. John Wesely Harding should not be overlooked either, as many of the tracks provide complicated stories to take apart or listen to as Dylan puts them out for you.

No, they are not as groundbreaking as his folk albums (Freewheelin, The Times..., Another Side...) were. They were not as emotional as "Blood on the Tracks", and they did not have the magnificent imagery of "Desire". And they are simply not as good as Highway 61/Blonde on Blonde/Bringin it Back Home. But these 3 albums ARE great albums, and they each have something special to offer the listener.

John Wesley Harding, right after Dylan's tremendous 60s electric trilogy, was immediately received far poorer than those 3 masterpieces. But today many Dylan fanatics place it right up there with them.

Nashville Skyline, Dylan's most "country" sounding album, was a shock to me at first. I hate country music, but I gave this album a couple listens and it has earned a place in my CD rotation. Very pleasant, very romantic.

New Morning was an experiment that is generally not viewed as very successful, but it is fun to listen to Bob try new things (If Dogs Ran Free/Winterlude are 2 of his most unusual tracks). Regardless, the album has great highs that cannot be denied (If Not For You/New Morning)

John Wesley Harding - Gritty, Course, Driving and Stark, with a Bit of Country

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.

Nashville Skyline - Country Bob, but Still Incredible

This record opens with a haunting version of "Girl from the North Country," which Dylan sings with Johnny Cash. Haunting to be sure, because any song sung by Mr. Cash was haunting, but this one, with Dylan using his new countrified voice was even more so, spooky. This song alone is worth buying the album for. "Girl" is followed by the instrumental "Nashville Skyline Rag," which I've heard said is a reworking of the instrumental "The Cough Song," which first appeared on the "Stealin'" bootleg. I don't know if that's true, but it's a doggone good guitar piece.

And, of course, everybody knows "Lay Lady Lay" which was kind of a top forty hit and is still played on classic rock stations all over the world. It's a good song, but I like "I Threw it All Away" and "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here with You," better. This is a country album. "John Wesley Harding" with its country musicians leaned that way, but "Nashville Skyline" got all the way there and Dylan would stay country for two more records (some would say three), then he'd burst back on the rock scene with a vengeance. Still, country or not, this is a five star piece of work. Yes, Dylan did country, but he did it very, very well.

New Morning - Like Dylan Himself, This Record is so Hard to Define

After JWH and Nashville Skyline (which I like a lot), Dylan came out with Self Portrait. There are a few gems on SP but a lot of it was considered pretty lackluster when it came out. However three decades later and I have to admit, I play it all the way through on occasion and I enjoy it, even that corny version of S & G's "The Boxer". Anyway it appears that Colombia was in a hurry to get something out after SP to buck up what they must have thought was Dylan's sagging career, so they came out with this excellent album.

For me New Morning works in every way possible. I love the music. I love Dylan's voice here. I really like the lyrics and the background singers just seem to add to the whole mix. Yeah, a few records down the road they might seem to get a little Motownish, but here they just add to the overall haunting, spooky, bluesy and maybe even a little jazzy feeling of this record. And you know what, there is even a little C & W here. Like Dylan himself, this record is so hard to define.

I'm mostly writing simply to concur with the Top 1000 reviewer below. As a "learning" Dylan fan, I was unfamiliar with much of the music on these albums. Now that I've listened to the albums for a while, I definitely find JWH to be phenomenal. And NS has grown on me more and more, especially the duet of Girl from the North Country with Johnny Cash. NM is weaker, but it's still Dylan and it's still a decent album worth owning. If you're reluctant to buy because you don't want to pay for NM, realize that this set essentially gives you 3 albums for the price of 2, and NM is free. A great deal, if you ask me.

Bob Dylan is one of the greatest song writers/musicians to have ever graced the world with his musical talent. These CDs are a great collection of his finest works. It is an excellent set that no Dylan fan should be left without.

What a great value to purchase 3 definitive works by Bob Dylan. All three albums have outstanding offerings. For example, New Morning's - One More Weekend is great testament to Dylan as a bluesman. Nashville Skyline is a different Dylan with perfect songs and country mood. JWH is unbelievable, fantastic... What can I say. BUY this!