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Bob Dylan — Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
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Lazarus
(Bethany)
Posted: Apr 27, 2013 - 09:43
 

Everybody in my church loves this song...
 

birdland
Posted: Apr 27, 2013 - 09:42
 
allow me to cross post (please)

Some context;


Quoted from "The Saturday Evening Post" July 30, 1966

"This is Bob Dylan's year to be mobbed. Next year it will probably be somebody else. But this year Bob Dylan is the king of rock 'n' roll, and he is the least likely king popular music has ever seen. With a bony, nervous face covered with skin the color of sour milk, a fright-wig of curly brown hair teased into a bramble of stand-up tangles, and dark circled hazel eyses usually hidden by large sunglasses, Dylan is less like Elvis or Frankie than like some crippled saint or resurrected Beethoven.
The songs he writes and sings, unlike the usual young-love pap of the airwaves, are full of dark and, many insist, important meaning; they are peopled with freaks, clowns, tramps, artists and mad scientists, dancing and tumbling in progressions of visionary images mobilized to the massive beat of rock 'n' roll. They often make very little logical sense, but almost always they make very good poetic sense. According to a recent poll, college students call him the most important contemporary poet in America."


And no-one can ram context down anothers throat, but nonetheless there is a reason for all this "Dylan Worship". It comes from appreciation of his unique talent, then and now.

kcar
Posted: Mar 26, 2013 - 22:05
 
 Misterfixit wrote:

An old Hohner Pianet (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hohner_Pianet) in the studio, scars, cigarette and dooby burns; it had character.  I was there with my cameras.  The backups stayed around and practised for Highway 61.  I left with a groupy girl waiting outside who gave me the clap.

 
{#Roflol}

Man, I wanna party with you!

No doubt she inspired you to write "Always Something There to Remind Me." 

I think Al Kooper confessed in an interview with Terry Gross that he had no fuckin' idea what he was doing on the organ and everybody but Dylan wanted him out. IIRC he showed up hoping to play guitar for the album, but Mike Bloomfield's playing put that idea on the shelf toot sweet. 

leafmold
Posted: Mar 11, 2013 - 13:09
 
 casey1024 wrote:
Poet and storyteller extraordinare.  I can understand why many do not enjoy hearing him sing, but I, for one, do.  Thank you, Mr. Zimmerman.
 
I echo this sentiment. He's always worth listening to, IMO.  Not sure why there is such hatred of Dylan on RP.

casey1024
(Here and Now)
Posted: Mar 11, 2013 - 13:03
 
Poet and storyteller extraordinare.  I can understand why many do not enjoy hearing him sing, but I, for one, do.  Thank you, Mr. Zimmerman.

k_trout
(Dream State)
Posted: Feb 23, 2013 - 11:07
 
 I think he describes Easter time in Juarez very well
now get back to your Bay City Rollers collection

richlister wrote:
Bob, how you ever got to prominence is beyond even God's knowledge.

This... is shite.
 



Lazarus
(Bethany)
Posted: Feb 23, 2013 - 11:06
 
 cShaggy wrote:

..i'm pretty sure romeotuma was a Dylan-o-phile..anyone know where he went off to? (uh, tuma..not Bob)..
 

I be here!  Hope you are having a great time right this minute!

Everybody in my church be dancing to this most excellent song...  love it...
 

richlister
(Here, there, pretty much everywhere.)
Posted: Jan 23, 2013 - 03:34
 
Bob, how you ever got to prominence is beyond even God's knowledge.

This... is shite.

enkay
(Vancouver Island)
Posted: Jan 07, 2013 - 20:15
 
 lemmoth wrote:
One of Bob's brilliant best.  From AllMusic.com:

"Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" has six verses but no chorus. The song's lyrics describe a nightmare vision of the narrator's experience in Juarez, Mexico, in which he encounters sickness, despair, prostitutes, saints, shady women, corrupt authorities, alcohol and drugs, before finally deciding to return to New York City. The lyrics incorporate literary references to Malcolm Lowry's Under the Volcano, Edgar Allan Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" and Jack Kerouac's Desolation Angels, while the song's title references Arthur Rimbaud's "My Bohemian Life (Fantasy)".
 



Good grief. I bet the prostitutes, saints, shady women and corrupt authorities could all of written about their nightmare vision of meeting the whiny narrator and how he just droned on and on, and on, and on...

lemmoth
(NYC)
Posted: Dec 22, 2012 - 19:12
 
One of Bob's brilliant best.  From AllMusic.com:

"Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" has six verses but no chorus. The song's lyrics describe a nightmare vision of the narrator's experience in Juarez, Mexico, in which he encounters sickness, despair, prostitutes, saints, shady women, corrupt authorities, alcohol and drugs, before finally deciding to return to New York City. The lyrics incorporate literary references to Malcolm Lowry's Under the Volcano, Edgar Allan Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" and Jack Kerouac's Desolation Angels, while the song's title references Arthur Rimbaud's "My Bohemian Life (Fantasy)".

gypsyman
(just passing through....)
Posted: Dec 07, 2012 - 11:07
 
 Poacher wrote:

His hotel account was closed for abusing the rules of the house. Apparently, he was found sitting alone in the middle of a trashed room, naked apart from a pair of desert goggles and a single rubber glove. 
 
Poacher, you apparently don't know shit.

ziakut
(Slightly North of Obvlivion)
Posted: Dec 07, 2012 - 11:07
 
Painful. Should have just stuck with poetry and left the cacophony voice out of it.

Poacher
(Brighton, UK)
Posted: Nov 21, 2012 - 10:04
 
 cShaggy wrote:
..i'm pretty sure romeotuma was a Dylan-o-phile..anyone know where he went off to? (uh, tuma..not Bob)..
 
His hotel account was closed for abusing the rules of the house. Apparently, he was found sitting alone in the middle of a trashed room, naked apart from a pair of desert goggles and a single rubber glove. 

raga
(Italy - Como)
Posted: Nov 06, 2012 - 01:47
 
 Dinges,_the_Dude wrote:

Please, somebody, STOP this man!!!

 

Or at least shoot the piano player...

richlister
Posted: Nov 06, 2012 - 01:45
 
Just like Tom Thumbs blues, this is also shit.


cShaggy
(..in the general vicinity..)
Posted: Oct 21, 2012 - 01:46
 
 (former member) wrote:


love this song...

Bob Dylan has a new album out called Tempest...  for details about the album, look here...


 



..i'm pretty sure romeotuma was a Dylan-o-phile..anyone know where he went off to? (uh, tuma..not Bob)..

On_The_Beach
(The Blue Planet)
Posted: Oct 05, 2012 - 20:37
 
 Proclivities wrote:
{#Yes}  I try not to go back more than 18 months on post-responses, but I got a little zealous and "literal" there.  Yes, they surely were influenced by Bob's work.  I admire the work of both artists too.
 
Cheers, Proclivities!   {#Cheers}

Proclivities
(Carrboro, NC)
Posted: Sep 28, 2012 - 07:58
 
 On_The_Beach wrote:

I see you have dredged up a 2+ year-old post that was a somewhat flip response to a troll. Having said that, John, Paul & George were in awe of, and heavily influenced by Dylan, certainly in their early work, as were most songwriters in the early/mid 60's. This ain't exactly a revelation. If you're gonna quibble over "#1", go with "a major" influence. As for Ringo, he was marching to the beat of a different drummer.
(And yes, I love the Beatles!)
 
{#Yes}  I try not to go back more than 18 months on post-responses, but I got a little zealous and "literal" there.  Yes, they surely were influenced by Bob's work.  I admire the work of both artists too.

On_The_Beach
(The Blue Planet)
Posted: Sep 19, 2012 - 17:46
 
 Proclivities wrote:
At no time did any member of The Beatles ever cite Bob Dylan as their "#1 influence".  Good tune here.
 
I see you have dredged up a 2+ year-old post that was a somewhat flip response to a troll. Having said that, John, Paul & George were in awe of, and heavily influenced by Dylan, certainly in their early work, as were most songwriters in the early/mid 60's. This ain't exactly a revelation. If you're gonna quibble over "#1", go with "a major" influence. As for Ringo, he was marching to the beat of a different drummer.
(And yes, I love the Beatles!)

(former member)
(hotel in Las Vegas)
Posted: Sep 19, 2012 - 13:41
 


love this song...

Bob Dylan has a new album out called Tempest...  for details about the album, look here...



Misterfixit
(Nashville)
Posted: Sep 19, 2012 - 13:04
 
 WonderLizard wrote:

That's Kooper on piano, right? What kind of piano? An old upright? Anybody?
 
An old Hohner Pianet (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hohner_Pianet) in the studio, scars, cigarette and dooby burns; it had character.  I was there with my cameras.  The backups stayed around and practised for Highway 61.  I left with a groupy girl waiting outside who gave me the clap.


Proclivities
(Carrboro, NC)
Posted: Sep 19, 2012 - 13:04
 
 On_The_Beach wrote:

All of the Beatles cited Dylan as their #1 influence. Without Dylan, the Beatles would have stalled out at "I wanna hold your hand". You may not like it, or even believe it, but the lads from Liverpool would be the first ones to set you straight.

 
At no time did any member of The Beatles ever cite Bob Dylan as their "#1 influence".  Good tune here.

Ouachita
Posted: Jul 18, 2012 - 14:51
 
He's a poet.  And poetry is often not so accessible. 

RoelantSiekman
(Rotterdam, The Netherlands)
Posted: Jun 17, 2012 - 01:41
 
So last year I went to a concert of this brilliant songwriter. It was a pleasure to see this living legend perform, even though it wasn't very pleasant on the ears.. 'cause I hadn't realized it until then that Sir Bob is just that: an utterly brilliant songwriter. When interviewed even his answers are poetic.

But he can't sing (not live anyway), play the organ nor harmonica... but he does it.. all of it..

It took a while to get used to it, and halfway into the concert I got to enjoy this mumbling man that seemingly randomly pressed the keys of the keyboard and just as precisely blew into the harmonica..

A memorable night it was.. ;)

(former member)
(hotel in Las Vegas)
Posted: Jun 01, 2012 - 09:16
 


Everybody in my hotel room loves this song...

 

trailhub
(St Louis)
Posted: Jun 01, 2012 - 09:14
 
I would crank it up, but that would cause all the neighborhood dogs to start howling.

CCinSB
(the west coast)
Posted: Jun 01, 2012 - 09:13
 
{#Daisy}

d-don
(Oregon)
Posted: Apr 30, 2012 - 15:47
 
I'm ready to hit the harder stuff.

sirdroseph
(Yes)
Posted: Apr 14, 2012 - 13:03
 
I love Dylan, but understand perfectly why there are a lot that don't. His voice along with Neil Young (who I also love) is definitely an acquired taste. Unlike some people, I understand that music is subjective and just because you love something does not mean that someone else's opinion to the contrary is not valid.

Byronape
("post-capitalist wreckageville")
Posted: Mar 13, 2012 - 21:26
 
 Dinges,_the_Dude wrote:

Please, somebody, STOP this man!!!

 
Why?  Does all the awesomeness bother you?

Dinges,_the_Dude
(below sea-level, N52°22', E4°52')
Posted: Feb 27, 2012 - 05:52
 

Please, somebody, STOP this man!!!



thais
Posted: Jan 26, 2012 - 12:57
 
Nina Simone did a wonderful (IMHO) version.
Could be good have this version on RP only to compare.
(Maybe then, hearing this beautiful lyrics by someone who can "sing", some people start to pay attention on what Dylan has to say and not only on his voice...)


MiracleDrug
(Earth)
Posted: Jan 26, 2012 - 12:51
 
 GrooVy wrote:
Terry, not to worry. Not everyone has the capacity to understand the depth of Bob Dylan but then, the world is full of fools. If you need proof of that, just look at facebook... if you can tolerate that rubbish. It will be gone in under 8 years but Dylan will still have more loyal followers in the next 100 years then facebook ever will with all its foolish simpletons & the like. =) 

 TerryS wrote:
"Now: Is there anything we can do to adjust the minds of the folks who constantly complain about Bob's (and Neil's) voices?"

It's not those folk who need their minds adjusted, tuneful singing in time with the music is otherwise unversally appreciated. Much as I am amazed by the wordsmithing, the vocals are aberrant and distracting.
 
besides, if you listen to early Dylan before he got really famous, chicks used to describe his voice as the voice of an angel. i have some of that stuff but i like the rough guttzie Bob Dylan much better. I even have a rolling stone mag where he got the cover and was listed as the musician who has done the most to change the face of music!

While i have respect for Jakob Dylan of the wallflowers, i was a little peeved that he won't answer any questions about Bob Dylan, other then his typical "Next question" response. I just wanted to know what was it like growing up with this legend for your dad! =)

 

sure...

WonderLizard
(2,755.46 mi. due east of Paradise)
Posted: Jan 10, 2012 - 08:02
 
 fretman wrote:
Gotta dig the outta-tunedness of the ol' Piano...

 
That's Kooper on piano, right? What kind of piano? An old upright? Anybody?



GrooVy
(Planet Earth, Mainly...)
Posted: Jan 10, 2012 - 07:58
 
Terry, not to worry. Not everyone has the capacity to understand the depth of Bob Dylan but then, the world is full of fools. If you need proof of that, just look at facebook... if you can tolerate that rubbish. It will be gone in under 8 years but Dylan will still have more loyal followers in the next 100 years then facebook ever will with all its foolish simpletons & the like. =) 

 TerryS wrote:
"Now: Is there anything we can do to adjust the minds of the folks who constantly complain about Bob's (and Neil's) voices?"

It's not those folk who need their minds adjusted, tuneful singing in time with the music is otherwise unversally appreciated. Much as I am amazed by the wordsmithing, the vocals are aberrant and distracting.
 
besides, if you listen to early Dylan before he got really famous, chicks used to describe his voice as the voice of an angel. i have some of that stuff but i like the rough guttzie Bob Dylan much better. I even have a rolling stone mag where he got the cover and was listed as the musician who has done the most to change the face of music!

While i have respect for Jakob Dylan of the wallflowers, i was a little peeved that he won't answer any questions about Bob Dylan, other then his typical "Next question" response. I just wanted to know what was it like growing up with this legend for your dad! =)


GrooVy
(Planet Earth, Mainly...)
Posted: Jan 10, 2012 - 07:56
 
=) Cuz it can't get much better then this! Love that harpin' 2!


kurtster
(Back in Ohiya, for now ...)
Posted: Dec 25, 2011 - 18:58
 
It was 1965 fer cryin out loud.

Color TV was still coming and we were justing starting to explore space and get off this planet for moments rather than days at a time.

Not bad considering how primitive, raw and imperfect things were back then.  A valid snapshot of then. 

The message was more important than the messenger.

My how jaded we have become.

MiracleDrug
(Earth)
Posted: Dec 09, 2011 - 12:49
 
 gemtag wrote:

I wish he'd stop singing while holding his nose.

well, make that just stop, period.
 
{#Yes}


gemtag
(Texas)
Posted: Dec 09, 2011 - 12:35
 
 justsomeone wrote:
I wish he'd stop holding his nose while singing...
 
I wish he'd stop singing while holding his nose.

well, make that just stop, period.

justsomeone
(Between a rock and a hard place)
Posted: Nov 07, 2011 - 20:33
 
I wish he'd stop holding his nose while singing...

Poacher
(Brighton, UK)
Posted: Oct 07, 2011 - 08:17
 
 crogers wrote:
When an animal howls like that, a caring soul will humanely put it out of its misery. 

Just sayin'.
 
I'm caring enough. . . 

TerryS
(Another SW)
Posted: Sep 21, 2011 - 19:16
 
"Now: Is there anything we can do to adjust the minds of the folks who constantly complain about Bob's (and Neil's) voices?"

It's not those folk who need their minds adjusted, tuneful singing in time with the music is otherwise unversally appreciated. Much as I am amazed by the wordsmithing, the vocals are aberrant and distracting.


mistabird
Posted: Aug 21, 2011 - 10:19
 
i like bob  The dylan{#Guitarist}

On_The_Beach
(Vancouver BC, Bud)
Posted: Aug 05, 2011 - 13:22
 
 lemmoth wrote:
Got you my friend, good back and forth from a man worthy of the On The Beach moniker
 
Cheers, lemmoth.  {#Cheers}


lemmoth
(NYC)
Posted: Aug 05, 2011 - 12:53
 
Got you my friend, good back and forth from a man worthy of the On The Beach moniker

 On_The_Beach wrote:

Mostly I was just reacting to tiggers moronic comments (of course I know they wouldn't have "stalled out at I wanna hold your hand" without Dylan). Having said that, there is no overstating Dylan's influence on the Beatles or pop/rock music in general. And yes, I'm a huge Beatles fan!
 

lemmoth wrote: Love Bob - but your point on his influence with the Beatles is a bit overstated.

He may have gotten them into pot.  John loved his wordplay and an older George just loved being with him.

But their musical stylistic depth and breadth went very far afield of anything Bob ever did and reflected the absorption of many many musical and .  er.. other influences.  

Now:  Is there anything we can do to adjust the minds of the folks who constantly complain about Bob's (and Neil's) voices?


On the Beach wrote:

All of the Beatles cited Dylan as their #1 influence. Without Dylan, the Beatles would have stalled out at "I wanna hold your hand". You may not like it, or even believe it, but the lads from Liverpool would be the first ones to set you straight.



dctrpunda
(the thin line of here)
Posted: Aug 05, 2011 - 12:53
 
 johnjconn wrote:
I love Bob, but it cracks me up when he tries to hold a tune for 2 or 3 seconds.
His voice goes places one shouldn't go.

{#Naughty}

 
yea, it cracks my mirrors up too. 


johnjconn
(chicago land)
Posted: Aug 05, 2011 - 12:50
 
I love Bob, but it cracks me up when he tries to hold a tune for 2 or 3 seconds.
His voice goes places one shouldn't go.

{#Naughty}


PopKombo
(a hipply obscure and slyly sarcastic comment about my location)
Posted: Aug 05, 2011 - 12:50
 
Who IS this guy???  I don't believe in Zimmerman!

crogers
(Sunny San Diego, California)
Posted: Jun 19, 2011 - 09:26
 
When an animal howls like that, a caring soul will humanely put it out of its misery. 

Just sayin'.


On_The_Beach
(Vancouver BC, Bud)
Posted: Jun 03, 2011 - 13:26
 
 lemmoth wrote:
Love Bob - but your point on his influence with the Beatles is a bit overstated.

He may have gotten them into pot.  John loved his wordplay and an older George just loved being with him.

But their musical stylistic depth and breadth went very far afield of anything Bob ever did and reflected the absorption of many many musical and .  er.. other influences.
 
Mostly I was just reacting to tiggers moronic comments (of course I know they wouldn't have "stalled out at I wanna hold your hand" without Dylan). Having said that, there is no overstating Dylan's influence on the Beatles or pop/rock music in general. And yes, I'm a huge Beatles fan!