Review Summary: A mighty fantastic effort by Dylan that, despite some weaker moments, displays his endless lyrical imagination and tremendous melodic abilities.
Bringing It All Back Home stands as a milestone record in Bob Dylan's long-winded career. Coming after four albums of pure folk recordings, it became one of the most controversial albums of the 60's as it was the first album that broke the boundaries of folk and rock by merging both genres.
The Byrds were inspired by this and went on to define the folk-rock genre with their own groundbreaking releases.
Fifty years after its release, it stands not only as a historical, influential document, but also as a record of the highest quality.
Let's start with the 'controversial' (for the 60's) side of the record; the rockers. The band sounds fantastic on these tracks, whether they play a stomp-rocker in the vein of
Outlaw Blues, a rhythmically looser blues like
On The Road Again or a furious rock-meets-rap delirium as
Subterranean Homesick Blues. The latter is by far the best rocker on the album, with an infectious one-note rhythmic melody on the verses that will stick with you for the rest of your life; the lyrics are plain and simple surreal perfection with lots of humor and the backing band is ferocious with terrific guitar flourishes on the foreground. It's easy to understand, with a smashing opener like this, the reaction of folk purists at the time, but they were all wrong as time shows us now.
Maggie's Farm is my vote for the second best rock song here; the melody is great, the band settles for a slower but still captivating rhythm and Dylan's vocal delivery is at its laid-back best.
Bob Dylan's 115th Dream is another series of hallucinatory images with Captain Arab in jail and Bob wishing good luck to Colombus and all that stuff, boosted by the band's tight groove and Dylan's catchy melody. The song is definitely overlong, but the lyrics compensate for it fully; just make sure you have a lyrics sheet with you the first times you listen to it. The other two rockers are very good, sure, but not that inspired melodically; they have good hooks, but the attention lies more on the playing and the lyrics. On the next album, Dylan would improve the 'psyched-out rocker' formula a bit by writing more focused melodies and having an even more frenzied band to back him up; here, though, they are short and thus don't interrupt the pace of the record a bit. This is actually my only criticism of
Bringing It All Back Home; the rest of the material is fantastic.
How could it not be, anyway, when there is a terrific segue of songs after Bob's trippy dreams? Starting from
Mr.Tambourine Man and finishing with
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue, this is one of the most flawless track segues in rock history and returns to the familiar role of Bob, the folk troubadour. The former is one of the most famous and celebrated songs in Dylan's entire career, with a terrific, touching melody set to incredible lyrical imagery that is bound to dig into your soul instantly. The latter can be interpreted both as a warm goodbye to loved ones and as Bob's farewell to the folk culture he was so ingrained in; the melody is gorgeous and the simple strumming even more compelling than before. Both songs also share some fabulous bass lines that color each track accordingly.
Gates Of Eden boasts even more majestic lyrics and mature-sounding vocals that rise the sophisticated melody to excellence. Lyrics like:
And on their promises of paradise
You will not hear a laugh
All except inside the Gates of Eden
ridicule the idea of a 'divine kingdom' with such prowess that I bow my head in amazement.
It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) is a fascinating and bleak look at politics, social life, inner freedom and self appreciation as well as consumerism made all the more fantastic by the expertly played and subtle acoustic riff that permeates the song. The melody is utterly fantastic, as always and Dylan sings it with conviction and bite. Beyond that thematic, though, Dylan idealizes the 'lover' in his and everyone's lives with sincere gems like
She Belongs To Me and
Love Minus Zero/No Limit. On the former, Dylan insists that
She can take the dark out of nightime and paint the daytime black with clear affection towards the person he speaks of, while on the latter he is sure that
she's true like ice, like fire. The backing ensemble on these songs is very delicate and relaxed and the hooks have never been better, to be frank with you.
Overall, this is an almost perfect record. Featuring a wide emotional spectrum that includes trippy excursions, downright rocking moments, cynicism, affection, lust for freedom and majesty , a tight and imaginative ensemble as well as a terrific set of melodies, this album has it all. It's not as perfect as
Highway 61 Revisited because of some of the rockers, but the rest is of the same quality and you should purchase them both anyway.
