Customer Reviews

Times They Are A-Changin

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

 

 

I owned this album until I wore it out, then played the tape until even it was falling apart.

Make no mistake - this is not Dylan singing. But Dylan, for me, never sounded sincere in his singing. There was always this sense that he was all too aware of his affect, of what he should be doing. Ives, on the other hand, had a lyric simplicity, that even with the big orchestral sound behind him, conveyed pathos and joy in a manner way more convincing than Dylan ever did. Both men made this kind of music their own music, but each in a very different way. Where Dylan goes for irony tinged with emotion, Ives goes for emotion tinged with irony. The difference is profound. I wouldn't give up either of their performances. Alas, the Dylan performances are easily come by; the Ives' is not.

1968 was not an easy year to come out with a "non-popular" album; this was the year of "The Beatles" (The White Album), Led Zeppelin I & II, Sly Stone's "Dance to the Music", Dr. John's "Gris Gris" and countless other classics. So Burl is seen as passe and Bob Johnston is no longer appreciated by then but by today's standard this album is an absolute masterpiece. Flawlessly gorgeous production with Burl's hauntingly deep take on what have now come to be folk song classics. If this album was "TERRIBLE", as one misguiding Amazon reviewer declared, why are the out-of-print used CD copies no less than $75?? And generally fetching between $299-$500? Trust me -- if you are a patient listener you will find this album to be as good, if not better, than any of Burl or Bob Johnston's great work.

I'm a fan of both Dylan and Ives, but this album is TERRIBLE. Burl Ives covering Dylan sounds like such a winning prospect. Alas, he talk-sings these numbers in a half-hearted, lifeless manner that makes you cringe and laugh. And make no mistake, you will be laughing AT him, not with him. He sounds like a genetic mutation between William Shatner and Santa Claus gone horribly awry.
Don't let this abomination turn you off to either Bob Dylan or Burl Ives.