newcritics - Latest Comments in 2008 Year in Music: The Best of the Rest

Re: 2008 Year in Music: The Best of the Rest

Jason_Chervokas — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 12:43:55 -0000

Kit, yeah, that's a great performance. Dylan's definitely at home w/ the high lonesome sound and old time harmony singing. Fantastic track.

Re: 2008 Year in Music: The Best of the Rest

Kit Stolz — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 02:39:16 -0000

Thanks for the mention of the tune Dylan recorded with Ralph Stanley, "The Lonesome River," which is fortunately available for a single price, and well worth the ninety-nine cents. Somewhere around "I Shall Be Released" Dylan fully mastered the "high lonesome" sound that Ralph Stanley made famous; Dylan learned a lot from Stanley; it's wonderful to hear the blend of their voices -- and the mastery of the band.

Re: 2008 Year in Music: The Best of the Rest

Jason_Chervokas — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 10:36:01 -0000

What can I say guys, I AM a Dylan diehard and I think his shit is better than just about anyone else's diamonds. Hell, I think he's the best and most influential writer (not songwriter, writer) in English of my lifetime. I just think the latest collection was a mess. I'm also of the opinion that a) TOOM isn't a great Dylan album (good, a couple of cannonical songs, a return from the abyss for sure, but not great) and b) Modern Times is actually a fairly mediocre Dylan album so it's not surprising that I'd find the outtakes from that album less than inspiring. Sure, sometimes Dylan outtakes have outclassed stuff on released albums (think, "Blind Willie McTell"), but I don't think that's the case with anything here. I find nothing revelatory on the record at all. But beyond that, the real essence of my criticism is that the anthology is an incoherent jumble offering neither chronological, thematic, or aural unity and possessing nothing indespensible.

Re: 2008 Year in Music: The Best of the Rest

Dave E — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 17:27:42 -0000

Thats the problem with Dylan diehards, whatever he does they think is a work of genius and cant recognise good from bad. I speak as a recovering diehard who these days only consider most of his cannon to be a work of genius, I reckon you've got it just right about T.T.Signs.
p.s For my money the standout album this year is Little Jackie - The Stoop , truly superb should be on anyones top 10

Re: 2008 Year in Music: The Best of the Rest

Mark — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 13:53:37 -0000

Can't agree at all about the Dylan release. It has a great cohesiveness to me, particularly Disc One. I can't stop playing it... What can you say about "Red River Shore", a stone cold classic...

Re: 2008 Year in Music: The Best of the Rest

Ralph Sinapi — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 11:04:11 -0000

yes the Dylan record is brilliant- perhaps the listener was in a foul mood when he put it on??

Re: 2008 Year in Music: The Best of the Rest

Uriah Hamilton — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 09:36:47 -0000

Rolling Stone Magazind gave Bob Dylan's Tell Tale Signs 4 and 1/2 Stars out of Five and picked it as the second best album of the year!!
This review here is mindless!!!Not to mention senseless.
Uriah Hamilton