Day 150: Bob Dylan – Nashville Skyline
By all accounts, based on everything I like, I probably should be a big fan of Bob Dylan, but unfortunately Dylan and I have passed each other like ships in the night. Obviously I’ve heard the hits but I’ve honestly probably never sat down to listen to a whole album. I am aware that admitting that in certain music fan circles would make them want to put me down like a rabid dog, but I’m doing it now, OK? Lay off me.
Album cover courtesy of Columbia Records
Today’s choice is Nashville Skyline, Dylan’s 1969 release that had him fully embrace the more country crooning sound. It features a less gravelly voice that’s replaced by a softer, more country appropriate singing style, credited to Dylan ditching his smoking habit. His singing voice occasionally reminds me of his future Traveling Wilbury’s bandmate George Harrison, which is about the highest compliment that I can give.
It’s a very happy, sweet album. Starting with the pleasant smile on the cover, everything about this album is warm and good-natured. It’s just a record that captures what seems like a happy time in Dylan’s life where he wanted to make a record that feels like sitting by a fire in the evening after a very nice day. Top song for me is the opener, a song he did with Johnny Cash, “Girl From the North Country,” a re-recording of his song from The Freewheelin Bob Dylan. There’s a charming anecdote in the Apple Music description that after the first time the pair met, Dylan had been jumping on a bed saying “I met Johnny Cash”.
It’s a tight 27 minutes, which I appreciated since I didn’t have the time or energy for much more today, and it’s about as good as a short album can get. I didn’t think I liked Dylan that much but it turns out I do, I like this albums way of portraying contentment or happiness in a way that isn’t saccharine but just plain nice – even when he’s accusing a woman of cheating, it’s just done in such a lovely way (“Darlin', I'm a-countin' on you / Tell me that it isn't true”).
I think my lack of liking Dylan comes from never really listening to his music in a setting where I pay too much mind to his writing, and while the writing on this one is simple and straightforward, it’s good enough to make me want to get into it a bit more. 9/10.