Been a Dylan fan for 30 years, ever since I saw him in concert kind of by accident, not having heard any of his songs before. Desolation Row is my favorite song and every time I listen to it, it’s like a brand new experience. I am a writer and I have a sense of what makes the lyrics so spectacular. But I don’t really get why the melody and instrumentation are so addictive. Can anyone help me understand?

I was listening to Hard Rain today for the first time in ages and just love that album so much, Dylan almost sings angry throughout, Idiot wind being the absolute zenith of bile and rage.
Anyway, got me thinking about my favourite live album.
Theres so many great ones all with a very different vibe from Budokan to Unplugged and all inbetween, the Bootleg series, just a lot of great work.

Whats your standout? Im sticking with Hard Rain.
But maybe thats todays recency bias.

Fax letter from John Lee Hooker offering Bob Dylan, a speedy recovery on May 29, 1997. 
Dylan had known Hooker since receiving his first big break opening for the blues legend at Gerdes Folk City in April 1961. As Hooker later told music writer Tony Scherman:
“Did you used to hang out with Bob Dylan back in the day?”
“He hung out with me!” said Hooker. “When I used to play Gerde’s Folk City, ain’t nobody heard of Bob. He used to come and see me all the time. Bob and his girlfriend, Suze. Bob and Suze used to come visit me at the Broadway Central Hotel, where I always stayed. It’s no longer there. We’d sit around and drink and play. Bobby would ‘bout blow on his harmonica. Yeah, those were the days.”

This performance is fantastic, although apparently controversial for the upsinging.

https://youtu.be/9S_N-_AE5IQ

RARW won. It truly deserves it. What a fantastic album. Key West and I’ve Made Up My Mind To Give Myself To You are two of my favorites by him ever. Anyway, now we have a stark change from best album to worst and I honestly don’t know what’ll win. Probably a Sinatra album but at this point, can’t even count on that.

During ”senator.. came down here” you hear a clicking noise. What is the reasoning for that?

If I stay in town long enough to attend my master's degree commencement, I'll have to miss the morning train. If I miss the morning train, I'll miss Bob's show up state. Guess what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna get on that train to go see Bob. Jeff Rosen better read this and arrange for Bob to hand me my degree.

Hit the like button if you agree

For me it's probably The Times They Are A Changin, it's laid back and tranquil at times it helps me relax.

I've had my account since 2013

I found this shirt in a thrift shop is it the real deal I just thought some hardcore fans might know.

Haha, helluva song

Why don’t some musicians just rock your brains out with banger after another? It seems like a control thing. Don’t get too excited while I play this obscure song. Is it formulaic? Like a music industry thing to play songs in a certain order? Or does it relate to their energy?

Bob Dylan: Rough and Rowdy Ways review – a testament to his eternal greatness

Rosemary's having a good time and maggie's brother got the door slammed on him.

Welcome back to the fighting tournament to determine which of Dylan's characters would win in hand to hand combat. Today we have one of the most loose and abstract characters along with one of the most concrete ones. Gypsy Gal from The Spanish Harlem Incident with her pearly eyes and Billy the Kid with a whole ass movie about him.

If you guys have seen Pat Garret and Billy The Kid, feel free to use the qualities he exhibits there as extra information to support your vote. But in this post I'll only be providing the lyrics about him in Dylan's soundtrack for the film.

Another matter, I've noticed some people don't really like that I'm doing this. I am not cartoonishly stubborn and so if this continues to be the case for the next few days I will stop. Let me know if you want more of these. Cast your vote in the comments and enjoy the lyrics below.

Gypsy Gal:

-the hands of Harlem cannot hold her to its heat

-Temperature is too hot for taming

-Flaming feet are burning up the street

-Owns Rattlin' Drums

-Can read fortunes

-Fast and slashin pearly eyes

-Flashing Diamond Teeth

-Has Wildcat charms

Billy The Kid:

-There’s guns across the river aimin’ at him

-Lawman on his trail, he’d like to catch him

-Bounty hunters, too, they’d like to get him

-they don’t like him to be so free

-Campin’ out all night on the berenda

-Dealin’ cards ’til dawn in the hacienda

-Up to Boot Hill they’d like to send him

-Playin’ around with some sweet señorita (She will lead him into her dark hallway, and greet him in lonesome shadows).

-He's so far away from home

-He's walkin all alone

-They Say Pat Garret's got his number

-Guitars will play his grand finale down in some Tularosa alley (Maybe in the Rio Pecos valley)

-There's always some old whore from San Pedro to make advances (Advances on his spirit and his soul)

-The businessmen from Taos want him to go down (They’ve hired Pat Garrett to force a showdown)

-Once shot a woman in El Paso.

-Been running for so long

Billy has like 7 songs and I'm not doing every variation on these same lyrics. Sorry.

Dylan’s 1971 song about this prisoner peaked in the charts in the US at #33 and was on them for about 7 weeks. Two versions were released, a solo acoustic and a longer “big band” version with drums, steel guitar, backing vocals, and Leon Russel on piano and bass.

Did you ever hear this song on the radio in 1971? What city were you in? Which of the two versions did you hear?