The Jukebox Rebel

In the good old fashioned tradition of the rough and ready folk singer, the second Dylan LP of 1964 was recorded in a single sitting, all over the course of one evening – June 9th, 1964. Of course it’s always that bit easier when you only have to rely on yourself – this is his fourth set as a bona-fide solo performer, including a wee go on the piano on one selection, “Black Crow Blues”, to stir things up a bit. There’s a new direction here – gone is the topical troubadour, and the social observations are now from a non-specific worldly perspective – speaking of his new album at the time Dylan told Nat Hentoff in The New Yorker, “there aren’t any finger-pointin’ songs”. I’m holding up the perfect 10 board all over this release. Straight from the off, “All I Really Want To Do” has me singing along like a goofball – the ol’ bit yodelling is good for the soul. It’s a very light relief from the preceding LP as Bob reverts back to the love song – boy or girl, who could resist that opening gambit: “I ain’t lookin’ to compete with you, beat or cheat or mistreat you, simplify you, classify you, deny, defy or crucify you, all I really want to do, is, baby, be friends with you.” And, boy oh boy, what about that mid-stretch 1-2-3? The influence of 19th century French symbolist poet Arthur Rimbaud on “Chimes Of Freedom” is acknowledged by Bob, and is beautifully highlighted in the song’s metaphorically chiming bells heard in the thunderstorm “As majestic bells of bolts struck shadows in the sounds, seeming to be the chimes of freedom flashing.” The lightning chimes are “tolling for the rebel, tolling for the rake, tolling for the luckless, the abandoned an’ forsaked, tolling for the outcast, burnin’ constantly at stake, an’ we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.” All 7 minutes are full of this stunning imagery. In typical Bob fashion he immediately breaks up the heavyweight poetry with “I Shall Be Free No. 10”, a self-deprecating laugh-a-minute: “It ain’t no use a-talking to me, it’s just the same as talking to you.” The boy’s a weird monkey, but very funky. The gorgeous “To Ramona” immediately follows, thought to be an earnest open letter to Joan Baez, even coming slightly seasoned in Mexicana flavour for added spice. At this stage I’m only at the end of side one. Side two’s got “Motorpsycho Nitemare”, “My Back Pages” and “It Ain’t Me Babe”. There is no weakness. For the third year in a row, Bob Dylan has served up one of the very best albums of the year. It’s almost becoming the King’s annual address to all nations…

The Jukebox Rebel
14–Apr–2006

A1	[04:04] Bob Dylan - All I Really Want To Do (Robert Zimmerman) Folk
A2	[03:14] Bob Dylan - Black Crow Blues (Robert Zimmerman) Blues / Rhythm n Blues
A3	[02:24] Bob Dylan - Spanish Harlem Incident (Robert Zimmerman) Folk
A4	[07:10] Bob Dylan - Chimes Of Freedom (Robert Zimmerman) Folk
A5	[04:47] Bob Dylan - I Shall Be Free No. 10 (Robert Zimmerman) Folk
A6	[03:52] Bob Dylan - To Ramona (Robert Zimmerman) Folk
B1	[04:33] Bob Dylan - Motorpsycho Nitemare (Robert Zimmerman) Blues / Rhythm n Blues
B2	[04:22] Bob Dylan - My Back Pages (Robert Zimmerman) Folk
B3	[04:22] Bob Dylan - I Don’t Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met) (Robert Zimmerman) Folk
B4	[08:16] Bob Dylan - Ballad In Plain D (Robert Zimmerman) Folk
B5	[03:33] Bob Dylan - It Ain’t Me Babe (Robert Zimmerman) Folk

ratings by TJR