Is Bob Dylan's Songwriting Enough to Justify His Status in Rock Music?

[gravenewworld]

Ok so he is a good writer, but he is nothing special on the guitar and can absolutely not sing. He is quite boring. He does not deserve to be a top 3 rock music artist of all time like you see on many lists.

 

[Integral]

Everyone has an opinion.

 

[Artman]

You pretty much nailed what makes him an important performer. He was one of the first, if not the first songwriter, who really did not have a great voice (a matter of opinion I realize, but he has many technical flaws as a singer), to sing/record/perform his own songs.

 

[dlgoff]

The uniqueness of his voice is what make Bobs music classic. IMO

 

[drankin]

Hendrix's version of "All Along the Watchtower", was Dylan's greatest contribution, IMO.

 

[dilletante]

Sinatra had a great voice but I wouldn't want to hear him sing a Dylan song. Just wouldn't have the same impact or expression. I can't imagine another singer doing a rendition of "Don't think twice, it's all right" or "The times they are a-changin" that I would prefer to Dylan.

 

[turbo]

Dylan was not/is not a technically good vocalist or guitarist and he was absolutely horrible on harmonica. His songwriting set him apart from the pack though, and many musicians have tried (with various degrees of success) to cover his music. His raw acoustic sound encouraged many young people to try their hand at writing and performing during a time when "folk" music was getting over-done.

When you see his name on a list, and the list says something like "most influential" or "best songwiters", he really belongs there.

Oh God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son"
Abe says, "Man, you must be puttin' me on"
God say, "No." Abe say, "What?"
God say, "You can do what you want Abe, but
The next time you see me comin' you better run"
Well Abe says, "Where do you want this killin' done?"
God says, "Out on Highway 61."

 

[Chi Meson]

Hendrix's version of "All Along the Watchtower", was Dylan's greatest contribution, IMO.

And I am part of the minority that prefers Dylan's version.

There is plenty of crap in the Dylan Discography, especially since the early 80s. But the quantity of profoundly great and influential music he has singularly created is far far beyond almost everyone else.

If you ask reg'lar folk, you might get different opinions, but if you ask musicians (singer/songwriters of "popular" music) you will get near unanimous consent. If you don't care for Dylan, chances are that some if not most of your favorite singers/songwriters revere him.

Also, if you ask singers of popular music about Dylan's voice (his classic 60s voice, that is, before he quit smoking for a while) you will hear how great his singing actually is.

There is a distinction between "good voice" and "good singing." What Dylan did with his gravelly tone far surpasses the "abilities" of a Mariah Carey, or a Rick Astley.

 

[Evo]

It wasn't until I saw a documentary on Dylan's early years that I became in awe of this man.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

Tom Waits does not have a great voice and I'm not sure if he is capable of even playing an instrument very well but he has produced some great songs that no one else could really recreate. I once heard a cover of one of his songs and could only laugh.

 

[lisab]

Tom Waits does not have a great voice and I'm not sure if he is capable of even playing an instrument very well but he has produced some great songs that no one else could really recreate. I once heard a cover of one of his songs and could only laugh.

I can't imagine anyone covering a Tom Waits song! But then again...I bet someone could do one of his ballads, like "Looking For the Heart of Saturday Night".

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

I can't imagine anyone covering a Tom Waits song! But then again...I bet someone could do one of his ballads, like "Looking For the Heart of Saturday Night".

His ballads are definitely another story. I bet Nick Cave could pull them off rather well.

 

[Loren Booda]

The "Bob Dylan" concert I went to had two hours of Ani DiFranco and a half-hour of jesting.

 

[Chi Meson]

Everyone has an opinion.

Looks like you are correct!

 

[Chi Meson]

The "Bob Dylan" concert I went to had two hours of Ani DiFranco and a half-hour of jesting.

You would need to pay me to:
1)see Ani DiFranco, ever*
2)see post-1980 Bob Dylan**

*No disrespect to "ah-nee," and her Righteous Babe enterprise, nor any of her efforts and causes, but I have tried to enjoy her music, and it's just not happening for me.

** After his vocal range shrank to three notes, the live performances I have heard sounded worse than comical imitations of Dylan.

And he did have a fine vocal range once. The live recording of "Most likely you go your way ( I'll go mine") that is on Biograph, recorded 1974 I think, shows how good it was. One of the occasions where the live version is better than the studio version. It also shows that he had a moment where he was totally electrifying in concert. I wish I could have been there.

 

[vaatc]

Dylan was not/is not a technically good vocalist or guitarist and he was absolutely horrible on harmonica. His songwriting set him apart from the pack though, and many musicians have tried (with various degrees of success) to cover his music. His raw acoustic sound encouraged many young people to try their hand at writing and performing during a time when "folk" music was getting over-done.

When you see his name on a list, and the list says something like "most influential" or "best songwiters", he really belongs there.

I agree with the sentiment of this post. I can not stand listening to him, but reading his lyrics is a whole other story. There is no arguing his influence.

I put him up there with Janis Joplin as most influential artiststs that I despise musically =;-)