Bob Dylan - New Morning

 

I randomly pulled out this CD from our collection to take to work with me this morning and didn't realize that I hadn't written about it for some reason, which is certainly odd as I definitely picked it up well after I started this blog, on one of my Dylan binges. In any case...

While this is not one of his most iconic offerings, it certainly is a solid one, with plenty of incredible talent from the likes of David Bromberg, Al Kooper, Charlie Daniels and many more and it does include his terrific "If Not For You", as well as other numbers that predicted some of his future work.

"If Not For You" is certainly one of Bob's lovelier numbers, with a fine melody and excellent backing here (and George Harrison did an incredible take on All Things Must Pass), "Day of the Locusts" was, oddly, inspired by receiving an honorary degree, and has a resemblance to some of his tunes on Desire, while "Time Passes Slowly" is a piano-driven ballad that is not overly memorable and tho "Went To See the Gypsy" is a little bouncier'n'stronger, it is also not one of his best, although certainly not bad. "Winterlude" is certainly a silly throwaway with a waltz beat, but "If Dogs Run Free" has a terrific jazz backing (excellent piano by Al Kooper and scat singing from Maeretha Stewart with some jazz guitar vamping) with Bob's satirical Beat "poetry" spoken over it.

The title piece is actually a mid-tempo Dylan almost-rocker, again similar to his Desire-era with some clever chord changes and melodies, "Sign on the Window" is another piano-based ballad, but "One More Weekend" is a nice, basic blues number in the vein of "It Takes a Lot To Laugh" (kinda/sorta) with some tasty slide guitar. "The Man in Me" is another simple, fairly unremarkable but pleasant track, "Three Angels" has Bob reciting the words over a organ/gospel-tinged backing and the closer, Father of Night" is even more religious as an interpretation of a Jewish prayer.

Nothing especially unlistenable or anything here, but other than "If Not For You", nothing especially great either. I guess even Dylan wasn't on 100% of the time!