Possibly the most important poll you'll ever answer....

A place to discuss casual topics amongst spiritual friends.

Who is your favourite Traveling Wilbury?

Jeff Lynne
2
6%
Tom Petty
8
24%
Roy Orbison
3
9%
Bob Dylan
12
35%
George Harrison
9
26%
Jim Keltner
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 34

danieLion
Posts: 1947
Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 4:49 am

Re: Possibly the most important poll you'll ever answer....

Post by danieLion »

Oh no I'm in a majority opinion for once. :rolleye: Petty second, Orbison third. Without Bob there'd prolly be no Harrison or Petty--Orbison could prolly stand alone though.
User avatar
retrofuturist
Posts: 27839
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2008 9:52 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Contact:

Re: Possibly the most important poll you'll ever answer....

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings,
danieLion wrote:Without Bob there'd prolly be no Harrison
That's a pretty big call... have you ever heard of George's old band?

They were called The Beatles. 8-)

Metta,
Retro. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
User avatar
manas
Posts: 2678
Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2010 3:04 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: Possibly the most important poll you'll ever answer....

Post by manas »

This is probably the only opportunity I will ever get to ask this question, as I don't frequent musical forums, so... to die hard fans of Bob Dylan: does the fact that he could not hold pitch, not bother you at all? I mean, I agree that he had a rare and outstanding gift for writing lyrics, he was and is indeed a great poet. But his voice doesn't seem to match that greatness, do people know what I mean?

metta
To the Buddha-refuge i go; to the Dhamma-refuge i go; to the Sangha-refuge i go.
User avatar
SDC
Posts: 9058
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2009 11:08 pm

Re: Possibly the most important poll you'll ever answer....

Post by SDC »

He sang that way as a form of style. He adopted it from the folk scene, most notably from Roscoe Holcomb. He could hit notes just fine but it was the style of hitting the note that caused some to assume he lacked the ability. It's not for everyone but he hit the notes.
“Life is swept along, short is the life span; no shelters exist for one who has reached old age. Seeing clearly this danger in death, a seeker of peace should drop the world’s bait.” SN 1.3
User avatar
retrofuturist
Posts: 27839
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2008 9:52 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Contact:

Re: Possibly the most important poll you'll ever answer....

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings Manas,
manas wrote:But his voice doesn't seem to match that greatness, do people know what I mean?
Well as a non-Bob fan, I know exactly what you mean, and it's the reason I don't like his music.... which isn't to say that he doesn't write good songs. The Mighty Quinn is an awesome song, for example... it's just best when performed by Manfred Mann as opposed to by Bob himself.

Metta,
Retro. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
User avatar
manas
Posts: 2678
Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2010 3:04 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: Possibly the most important poll you'll ever answer....

Post by manas »

retrofuturist wrote:Greetings Manas,
manas wrote:But his voice doesn't seem to match that greatness, do people know what I mean?
Well as a non-Bob fan, I know exactly what you mean, and it's the reason I don't like his music.... which isn't to say that he doesn't write good songs. The Mighty Quinn is an awesome song, for example... it's just best when performed by Manfred Mann as opposed to by Bob himself.

Metta,
Retro. :)
Yep that's how I see it also. Agree about The Mighty Quinn, which is a gem of a song. Anyway I guess it's a matter of personal taste.
SDC wrote:He sang that way as a form of style. He adopted it from the folk scene, most notably from Roscoe Holcomb. He could hit notes just fine but it was the style of hitting the note that caused some to assume he lacked the ability. It's not for everyone but he hit the notes.
Thank you for explaining that. I did wonder if it was intentional or not.

I think I might find it difficult partly because I come from the classical tradition, where sound quality is very important. For example, if anyone has heard of Maria Callas, I mean her voice was virtually like an earthbound Goddess when at her peak. After listening to singers like that over the years, it was hard when starting to also explore popular and folk styles, to appreciate a voice like Dylan's. Believe it or not I did try! And I liked his lyrics, and what he stood for. All of that, awesome. Just could not handle the vocal style, but 'each to his own'...

:anjali:
To the Buddha-refuge i go; to the Dhamma-refuge i go; to the Sangha-refuge i go.
danieLion
Posts: 1947
Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 4:49 am

Re: Possibly the most important poll you'll ever answer....

Post by danieLion »

retrofuturist wrote:Greetings,
danieLion wrote:Without Bob there'd prolly be no Harrison
That's a pretty big call... have you ever heard of George's old band?

They were called The Beatles. 8-)

Metta,
Retro. :)
Never heard of 'em. :tongue:

The Beatles met Bob in '64 and their influence on him is well documented. The Beatles, IMO, made their best music ater this. So I guess I should have said we wouldn't have GH as we know him today (BTW, have you ever seen that footage of Bob and John sharing a taxi--the one where Bob Dylan by the end looks like he's having a bad trip or needs to vomit or something?).
danieLion
Posts: 1947
Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 4:49 am

Re: Possibly the most important poll you'll ever answer....

Post by danieLion »

manas wrote:This is probably the only opportunity I will ever get to ask this question, as I don't frequent musical forums, so... to die hard fans of Bob Dylan: does the fact that he could not hold pitch, not bother you at all? I mean, I agree that he had a rare and outstanding gift for writing lyrics, he was and is indeed a great poet. But his voice doesn't seem to match that greatness, do people know what I mean?

metta
He could hold a pitch. Several of his recordings and performances demnstrate this. I think he was just lazy or otherwise didn't care or had a bad night. It's also a matter of taste. Opera singers are supposed to be the best in the world at holding a picth but I can't stand Opera.
danieLion
Posts: 1947
Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 4:49 am

Re: Possibly the most important poll you'll ever answer....

Post by danieLion »

manas wrote:
I think I might find it difficult partly because I come from the classical tradition, where sound quality is very important. For example, if anyone has heard of Maria Callas, I mean her voice was virtually like an earthbound Goddess when at her peak. After listening to singers like that over the years, it was hard when starting to also explore popular and folk styles, to appreciate a voice like Dylan's. Believe it or not I did try! And I liked his lyrics, and what he stood for. All of that, awesome. Just could not handle the vocal style, but 'each to his own'...

:anjali:
art is very subjective for the creator and the receiver...i love classical music, but put an opera singer in their and i'm outta there...

the best live show i ever "saw" was the symphony for oregon ballet theatre performing prokofiev's romeo and juliet...i was on the front row and i swear i levitated when the sound waves from the first note hit my body....yes, i was sober ;) (i'm also a singer/songwriter/recording artist and quite a perfectionist--and i have some classical training, even in voice, so i get where you're coming from. IDK Bob does it for me, but he does. I also like Neil Young a lot, but i don't try to emulate him or Bob--my range is too tenor/baritone)
User avatar
manas
Posts: 2678
Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2010 3:04 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: Possibly the most important poll you'll ever answer....

Post by manas »

danieLion wrote:
manas wrote:This is probably the only opportunity I will ever get to ask this question, as I don't frequent musical forums, so... to die hard fans of Bob Dylan: does the fact that he could not hold pitch, not bother you at all? I mean, I agree that he had a rare and outstanding gift for writing lyrics, he was and is indeed a great poet. But his voice doesn't seem to match that greatness, do people know what I mean?

metta
He could hold a pitch. Several of his recordings and performances demnstrate this. I think he was just lazy or otherwise didn't care or had a bad night. It's also a matter of taste. Opera singers are supposed to be the best in the world at holding a picth but I can't stand Opera.
Same here, so far as your average opera singer goes. I hate a forced, overly belted out sound with excessive, wobbly vibrato. My mentioning of Callas was a bit out of place, because in the opinion of many, she outshone most other classical operatic singers. Her voice wasn't forced, and the vibrato was perfectly under her control (when she was at her best, that is). But yeah in general opera was never really my thing, I much preferred symphonies, sonatas and piano music, to people getting dressed up and belting it out.

Anyway I had better get :focus: and discuss the travelling wiburies lol

:anjali:
To the Buddha-refuge i go; to the Dhamma-refuge i go; to the Sangha-refuge i go.
User avatar
manas
Posts: 2678
Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2010 3:04 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: Possibly the most important poll you'll ever answer....

Post by manas »



Harrison's voice isn't perfect here, but it has sincerity, emotion and is perfect for this song. imho. So yeah I admit that substance is more important than style.

In peace :anjali:
Last edited by manas on Thu Mar 28, 2013 1:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
To the Buddha-refuge i go; to the Dhamma-refuge i go; to the Sangha-refuge i go.
User avatar
SDC
Posts: 9058
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2009 11:08 pm

Re: Possibly the most important poll you'll ever answer....

Post by SDC »

Oh, and Jeff Lynne btw. Dude was top notch.
“Life is swept along, short is the life span; no shelters exist for one who has reached old age. Seeing clearly this danger in death, a seeker of peace should drop the world’s bait.” SN 1.3
User avatar
mikenz66
Posts: 19932
Joined: Sat Jan 10, 2009 7:37 am
Location: Aotearoa, New Zealand

Re: Possibly the most important poll you'll ever answer....

Post by mikenz66 »

danieLion wrote:
manas wrote:This is probably the only opportunity I will ever get to ask this question, as I don't frequent musical forums, so... to die hard fans of Bob Dylan: does the fact that he could not hold pitch, not bother you at all? I mean, I agree that he had a rare and outstanding gift for writing lyrics, he was and is indeed a great poet. But his voice doesn't seem to match that greatness, do people know what I mean?

metta
He could hold a pitch. Several of his recordings and performances demnstrate this. I think he was just lazy or otherwise didn't care or had a bad night. It's also a matter of taste. Opera singers are supposed to be the best in the world at holding a picth but I can't stand Opera.
I don't think it's laziness. As others have said, he made/makes use of a variety of styles, and that ragged sound it part of the style. Blues-based singing is more about timing and tone than notes.

Personally, I find that most covers of Bob's songs completely miss the point. For example, covers of "Don't think twice" tend to miss the multidimensionality of the song, turning it into either a rant or a lament, losing the point that both protagonists are equally to blame... The exceptions are performers like Joan Baez, Johnny Cash, or Jack White, who actually understand the idioms, or those like Jimi Hendrix, Rage Against the Machine, or Patti Smith, who really added something.

I've always thought that Goenka must have been a Dylan fan:
Like a Rolling Stone wrote:How does it feel?
Speaking of which:
Dylan's contemporaries in 1965 were both startled and challenged by the single. Paul McCartney remembered going around to John Lennon's house in Weybridge to hear the song. According to McCartney, "It seemed to go on and on forever. It was just beautiful ... He showed all of us that it was possible to go a little further." Frank Zappa had a more extreme reaction: "When I heard 'Like a Rolling Stone', I wanted to quit the music business, because I felt: 'If this wins and it does what it's supposed to do, I don't need to do anything else ...' But it didn't do anything. It sold but nobody responded to it in the way that they should have."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Like_a_Rolling_Stone
Neil Young wrote:First time I heard 'Like A Rolling Stone'
I felt that magic and took it home
Gave it a twist and made it mine
But nothing was as good as the very first time
Poetry rolling off his tongue
Like Hank Williams chewing bubble gum
Asking me 'how does it feel'?


:anjali:
Mike
danieLion
Posts: 1947
Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 4:49 am

Re: Possibly the most important poll you'll ever answer....

Post by danieLion »

:goodpost: Mike

Some of Bob's live performances are pretty lazy--or unrehearsed. Still, I'd rather see him lazy unrehearsed than not at all.

I got into him when I was Christian.

Best Bob covers anyone? I really like the Dead's Tangled Up In Blue but I don't think I've ever heard a Bob cover better than the original.

I've covered Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts; Twist of Fate w/not so much success but some success with I'll Be Your Baby Tonight (it comes easy to me, unlike the other two).
User avatar
Anagarika
Posts: 915
Joined: Thu Sep 22, 2011 11:25 pm

Re: Possibly the most important poll you'll ever answer....

Post by Anagarika »

My vote went to the genius George Harrison.

Since I'm from Chicago, I can vote early and often....actually, I didn't hit the poll more than once, but if I could vote Chicago style, my other votes would be for Roy Orbison (this being one of my favorites http://youtu.be/m5N9IHqqGcA ) and finally, Jeff Lynne of ELO, whose songs and voice powered through the cassette deck of my high school years.
Post Reply