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72 of 76 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dylan's most challenging album..., July 25, 2003
The first time I heard this album I nearly laughed myself unconscious. I had recently seen "Don't Look Back" in which Dylan gives surrealistic and absurd press conferences, makes fun of Donovan, and pretty much shows he's not your conventional performer. Then I heard the opening notes of "All the Tired Horses" and I was pretty sure that this album was in the same league as the "Oh! I though you'd ask me about the lightbulb" or "I consider myself a song and dance man" press conference clips from "Don't Look Back." I laughed and laughed, played it for friends, who usually didn't understand what I found funny, and more or less made up my mind that this album represented Dylan giving the middle finger to his fans. For some strange reason that belief endeared the album to me.Years later, when I finally opened enough musically to appreciate Dylan's "country phase" (beginning with, roughly, "John Wesley Harding" and roughly ending with this album) I now think about this album very differently, and I actually enjoy listening to it, with the exception of a few tracks. Dylan's first decade was spent continually changing styles. The "protest singers" hugged him to their bosoms until "Another Side of Bob Dylan" and then became violently offended when he completely ditched the protest scene, went electric and didn't seem to care what they thought. Simultaneously, an entire new scene opened up to him with "Like A Rolling Stone." Now Dylan was cool, and cooler than could ever be imagined. He was on the pop charts and in the spotlight. The fans at the time probably thought that Dylan had found himself and looked forward to years and years of the same kind of thing. But he unexpectedly turned coat on the "cool rock" scene as well and dove head first into its seeming "uncool" antithesis: country music. The rock fans must have felt a similar betrayal that the "folkies" did when Dylan went electric. On top of it, Dylan didn't seem to care what they thought, and he again put his career on the line. Looking back at over 30 albums it's a little clearer what Dylan was up to. He refused to be typecast or set into one musical genre to die a slow musical death of sameness. Most of his fans probably didn't appreciate this, but it makes Dylan one of the most challenging musical figures of the 20th century. This spirit is alive and well in "Self-Portrait." "Self-Portrait" has some very good songs on it: "Alberta", "Little Sadie", "I Forgot More than You'll Ever Know", "Early Mornin' Rain", etc. If you appreciate Dylan's "country phase" you will like this album. It is uneven and confusing at times, but it was supposedly meant to be an "official bootleg" - Dylan was tired of hearing his unreleased songs on unofficial bootlegs, so he thought he'd do one of his own. The feel of the album in general is completely consistent with this concept. There are a few confusing numbers: the live version of "Like A Rolling Stone" is sloppy and taken from an obvious "off" night(Dylan even forgets the lyrics). "The Boxer" (a song apparently about Dylan) is hilarious, as well as "Blue Moon" and "Wigwam." These could be the result of either Dylan's sense of humor (he may have wanted to slap Paul Simon back for "The Boxer") or of experimentation (he had to have experimented a lot when changing musical styles). By far the most confusing (and hilarious) part of the album is the cover and sleeve art (which is lost somewhat in the CD booklet - the original LP had a full color gatefold sleeve): Dylan looking up in the sky like a bird just defecated on him, Dylan kneeling down beside a chicken, Dylan posing by a road sign with strong emphasis on the road sign. Are these pictures even worth analyzing? The answer to the question: "Is this album a joke?" is probably both yes and no. In some ways it is, and in others it is not. It is definitely challenging (because there are so many ways to interpret what Dylan may have been up to). It contains very good and underrated music. It also contains the spirit of the Albert Hall concert of 1966, though fans who liked that concert probably hated "Self Portrait." Dylan was again changing, and he didn't care what we all thought about it. "Self Portrait" is further evidence of Dylan's unrelenting mission to remain undefined or pigeon-holed into being a one-trick pony.
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34 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another Fantastic "Worst Album Ever Made", December 20, 2003
It's ironic that most of the albums the public chooses to label as the "worst ever recorded" are often made by those who are acclaimed giants in the music world; examples include John Lennon and Yoko Ono's blind, pathetic pair of sound collages "Unfinished Music" (1 and 2), and Creedence Clearwater Revival's underrated "Mardi Gras." And like a majority of albums critics hate, Bob Dylan's "Self Portrait" actually turns out to be a very respectable effort.
Released as a double album in 1970, "Self Portrait" was condemned by both reviewers and fans, who were shocked that their musical genius had not lived up to their "standards." But if a performer can release a record that is regarded as a pitiful disappointment after a decade of publicly-embraced masterpieces, but with a grin on his face while doing it, it's not such a bad thing--the album saw critics claiming Dylan had somehow turned his back on his principles and was indulging a "commercialization" of his music; critic Ralph Gleason even called for a boycott of Dylan's albums. But the bottom line was that Dylan was fed up with being hailed as a leader; in a biography by Anthony Scaduto, he said, "I wasn't going to fall for that, for being any kind of leader...and because I wanted out, they all started to rap me." And that's the goal that makes this album so enjoyable.
The title suggests that "Self Portrait" will resemble some kind of personal diary, but rather it's more of a curio, featuring some lesser known original material, a few live cuts, and covers of songs by the likes of the Everly Brothers, Simon & Garfunkel, and the equally brilliant singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. The album often finds Dylan in a musical limbo--there's pieces of his folk period, his rock period and even his country period; it's almost like he can't decide which style would be best to use, so he employs them all. Strings, overdubbed vocals, and funky conga-like drums tread through the album. There's a certain honky-tonk voice Dylan resorts to several times that comes straight from the nasal tones--it sounds like a mix of the voices of Warren Zevon, Hank Williams Jr., and Supertramp's Rick Davies. But it's an enjoyable voice nonetheless, and Dylan offers some very good music; songs that resemble the "Basement Tapes" like 'Woogie Boogie' or 'Little Sadie' add a loose feeling that suggests Dylan wanted to have as much fun as he could, knowing "Self-Portrait" would be despised, and the album is packed full of fine moments like 'Days of 49,' 'Bell Isle,' 'Early Morning Rain,' and the overlooked 'I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know,' to only name a few.
Consider it as Bob Dylan's own experience of "Stage Fright;" his former backing group The Band released the album of that name the same year, their reaction to the dregs of being made a public figure.
Nevermind the awful cover art; "Self Portrait" may always be recognized only as an infamously disappointing release, but it's actually one more reason to ignore the widely accepted opinion. "Self Portrait" is more of a statement than most people choose not to recognize; Bob Dylan wanted desperately to discourage those who saw him as some kind of songwriting god. And that's not a bad reason to make an album.
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27 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Unusual album, May 28, 2006
This record differs from other Dylan ones in that, sadly, it is boring. Some of his records are great. Some of them very good. There are some mediocre ones. And only a few turkeys. Among the latter, most of them are just bad ones (weak songs, lousy musicians, poor production values). This is his only boring one.
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Bob Dylan: "'Ruby, My Dear' by Monk was another one. Monk played at the Blue Note on 3rd Street...I dropped in there once in the afternoon, just to listen--told him that I played folk music up the street. 'We all play folk music,' he said." Read more musical excerpts from Chronicles, Vol. 1 on our Music You Should Hear page.
Interact With Your Music: Discover, listen to, and buy new music, all from the pages of SPIN's digital edition, free to Amazon customers.
by Bob Dylan 
