Customer Reviews

New Morning

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have always had a soft spot for New Morning, since hearing "Went to See the Gypsy" on a college radio station one night shortly after the record was first released. Dylan is in fine voice on this album; his unique and eloquent style of piano playing dominates many of the songs, giving it a unique vibe; and it may be his "happiest" record, celebrating the joys of domesticity, family life, and country living. "Gypsy," "Day of the Locusts," "Sign on a Window," "Time Passes Slowly," "If Dogs Run Free" are all examples of Dylan contentedly working on miniatures in the light. Fans of The Big Lebowski will have a Dude-dream flashback when "The Man in Me" rolls along. At the time of its release this album was hailed as a return to form by a counterculture intelligentsia worried by the inscrutable mess that was Self-Portrait, following hard upon the MOR countrypolitan smoothness of Nashville Skyline. "New Morning" marks the beginning of the peak period of his mature singing voice; he sounds gritty, with a manlier edge to his voice, and for better or worse the "velvet sneer" of the mid-60s masterpieces is gone forever. For all the variety of his material in the 70s, he went from strength to strength vocally; after "New Morning," there came "Planet Waves," "Blood on the Tracks," the overrated "Desire," the underrated "Street Legal," and "Slow Train Coming" all of which feature some of Dylan's most powerful singing. "New Morning" was never his best-produced album, being rather ramshackle sonically with sometimes slapdash arrangements, but this superb remaster lets you hear it all more clearly and in greater detail. Highly recommended.

I agree strongly with the positive comments on the sound of this remaster. Although New Morning was well-received at the time and has generally been considered a strong effort by the fans, the remaster was somehow skipped over when the SACD remasters came out in 03. That was a crime, because the old CD version was one of the worst in the catalogue, muddy, muddled, and almost unlistenable (the original vinyl was no great shakes either). Well guess what, this sounds as good as any of the SACDs, even though it is standard 16 bit redbook. The great music is like bird released from its cage, and now it really sings.

New Morning is a forgotten treasure which I gladly review here. This remastered version was long overdue since it clearly marks a renaissance in Dylan's career and life.

He'd been roughly 10 years in the public eye and all around things had changed. He'd changed. Nowhere else will we find Dylan so sure of being married, living in the country, trying to raise a family. This is where you get the impression of a happy frozen moment in his life as he wouldn't be this sure a mere three years later with Planet Waves.

Bob was definitely immersed in his life with Sara and most songs serve as a fitting tribute to his marriage and kids. His heartfelt lyrics on Sign On The Window go on like this: "Build me a cabin in Utah/marry me a wife/catch rainbow trout/have a bunch of kids who call me 'Pa'/that must be what it's all about/that must be what it's all about", he sings enthusiastically.
On Time Passes Slowly, he states: "Ain't no reason to go in a wagon to town/Ain't no reason to go to the fair/Ain't no reason to go up, ain't no reason to go down/Ain't no reason to go anywhere".
And on New Morning, he opens his heart: "So happy just to be alive/Underneath the sky of blue/On this new morning, new morning...with you".
If Not For You and The Man In Me are also obvious favourites.

Dylan plays quite a lot of piano on New Morning, seven tracks in total, which also helps to give it quite a distinctive flavour. All adds up to a set of strong songs, all belonging to each other just like the music on Blood On The Tracks does. It appears he'd found a new way which eventually took him to all the anger, frustration and beauty of his aforementioned 1974 masterpiece. This alone is a reason to dive into these tracks of love - this ode to raising a family fitting as a counterpoint to his infamous broken marriage a few years later.

It also seems he just felt lucky to be alive and well after his years of turbulence in the sixties and that feeling of a new beginning is very much alive on this album. I'd place this as a unique gem in Dylan's career so - if you're curious - grab it with no hesitation.

It is also worthy of mention that Father Of Night even ended up covered by Manfred Mann's Earth Band on Solar Fire in 1973 as a great progressive rock opus!

Wow, I am pleasantly surprised by this 2009 remastered edition. From the pleasant album opener "If Not for You," I knew I was in for something special. The sound quality reveals layers I hadn't noticed before -- most noticeable to my ears was the crispness and clarity of the acoustic guitars, as well as Al Kooper's great organ accompaniment. The songs vary in style from the romantic waltz of "Winterlude," the jazzy "If Dogs Run Free" (complete with scat-style vocals by Maeretha Stewart), the soulful "The Man in Me," the spoken word spirituality of "Three Angels" and the brief gospel-tinged "Father of Night." What the songs have in common is the sheer quality of writing and a lot of heart. Dylan is backed here by a fine group of Nashville session players, who add much to the arrangements. This album has a laid-back feel, but never comes across as lazy or half-hearted. Also, the packaging is nice as well, featuring some in-studio photographs and musician credits. In short, I have new respect for this recording after hearing the remaster. Defintely recommended. Just make sure you're getting the 2009 remaster, not the inferior earlier version.

Bob Dylan's New Morning album always was one of my favorite Dylan albums although it seemed to be recorded on paper instead of professional tape. Now, with this super-remastered edition, I can finally enjoy the album as it was intended to sound. I recommend any Dylan fan: purchase this edition!

Tjibbe Spruit
Rotterdam
Netherlands

This album, one of Bob Dylan's quiet classics, has been given a much-needed sonic upgrade with this release. The former CD copy of this, by comparison, has a muffled sound: listening to this one is akin to having a bell jar removed from over your speakers.

Of the music, David Bromberg's guitar-fills are splendid, Dylan's voice, following the country croon of his previous two albums, is natural and affecting. The songs follow a general theme of domestic bliss, as exemplified in the lines "Build me a cabin in Utah / Marry me a wife, catch rainbow trout / Have a bunch of kids who call me 'Pa,' / That must be what it's all about." There is also beat poetry sung over a jazz backing, in the excellent "If Dogs Run Free." "One More Weekend" is the perfect bar jukebox song, and Dylan's happiness can barely be contained in the title song, or "The Man In Me."

If you don't have this album, then it's high time that you did. If you don't have this remastered version, then it's well-worth the money.

Frequently finding myself at odds with other Dylan devotees, I have loved this album from the start. And today, especially with this gorgeously remastered version, I love it more than ever. Few people I know have this in their collections, and it is rare to find it except at Amazon or other internet stores. I refer, affectionately, to this as Dylan's jazzy album. It is bound to lift one's spirit, no matter in what mood you are in to begin with. I certainly recommend this for the arbiter elegantiae.

This record came out only four months after what many considered to be the disaster that was Self Portrait and those fans who thought Dylan went south with that record were glad to have him back with this one. So much so, that they perhaps over praised the record. It is good, this record is, but it's no John Wesley Harding or Highway 61 Revisited. Still it's a five star recording of all original material that chronicles where Bob Dylan was in 1970.

"If Not for You", which was covered beautifully by George Harrison on "All Things Must Pass" and by Olivia Newton John, who had a huge hit with it, is a love song that I've played over and over again. It's just simply beautiful. " "The Day of the Locusts" is a four minute dirge about when Dylan had to put on a cap and gown (he didn't want to) and go to Princeton to accept an honorary diploma. "Time Passes Slowly" is a song about time passing. Duh. "Time passes slowly when you're lost in a dream." "Time Passes slowly when you're searching for love." "Time passes slowly when you're lost in the daylight." "Time Passes slowly, then fades away." Only Dylan could string ideas like that together in a little over two minute song.

"Went to See the Gypsy," is a nice song about Dylan's meeting with Elvis Presley and "The Man in Me," seems to be a song about how a man sees himself through his lover's eyes. But the real gem on this record is "Sign on the Window." "Sign on the porch says three's a crowd." Was Dylan talking about his fans and how they wouldn't leave him alone. Seems that way to me, but what do I know? Maybe it's about what my good friend Sophie says it is, a New Beginning for Bob Dylan. "That must be what it's all about." So says Dylan, So says Sophie. Either way, it's a great song. Actually the whole record is pretty good.

It sure took a long time for this remastered Dylan record but it was worth it. Anyone who likes this record will not be upset. There are some "in the studio" photographs inside. Nice touch. Buy it now.

This and Blood On The Tracks are my favorite two Dylan albums. For my money, New Morning has the best musicianship of any Dylan album, and also a unique spirit that combines both optimism and sadness -- it has brought both me and my wife to happy tears. It is a truly wonderful album.

I recall that when it first came out, as a total Dylan fan I was disappointed at first hearing, and at second hearing. It probably took four or five hearings before it finally reached me. And then it became my favorite, and was for many years, though over time my respect for Blood On The Tracks has grown.

So be sure to give this album a chance even if you don't immediately see why many people would love it! Its beauty is of a different kind any of Dylan's other work -- it's a quiet, reflective joy.