Bob Dylan relaxing in the studio in Santa Monica in September 1980. © Arthur Rosato
Bob Dylan has undoubtedly made many great records in his time. From his 1960s heyday when he was channelling what he referred to as that “wild mercury sound” to his later albums like Time Out of Mind and Love and Theft. Even albums that were initially critically and commercially sniffed at—like his so-called Christian period—have now been reassessed as essential Dylan.
But one of his most celebrated and beloved albums—and one of his most accessible—for everyone from superfans, Dylanologists, casual listeners, those who hate his voice, and your newborn kid who you’re initiating into the Nobel-winner’s oeuvre, is Blood on the Tracks.
Bob Dylan hanging out on the streets of Portland, Orgeon prior to performing there as part of his Gospel Tour in January 1980. © Arthur Rosato
It was written when Dylan was going through a tough period with his wife Sara (she filed for divorce two years after its release in 1975), and as such is considered to be highly autobiographical (check out “Idiot Wind” for some savage put downs). Although, Dylan has typically obfuscated that idea writing in Chronicles, his memoir, “I would even record an entire album based on Chekhov short stories. Critics thought it was autobiographical – that was fine.”
It features as its opening track what could be considered Dylan’s greatest song, for those who like to consider such things, “Tangled Up in Blue”.
Bob Dylan performing onstage in 1980 during his US Gospel Tour. © Arthur Rosato
In the video below from YouTube channel Polyphonic they take this poetic, confounding, mesmerising and complex track and look at why it’s so highly considered. Polyphonic calls it “nothing short of a musical and lyrical masterpiece”, claiming that, not only is it one of the best songs in Dylan’s career, but “one of the greatest works of art in the modern age.”
That’s quite a claim, so what makes it such a classic? Well, firstly its use of time and structure is intricate and masterful. Because, while it’s partly a love story about a man and woman meeting—a somewhat conventional subject for a song—its use of time throughout the song’s narrative is anything but conventional. It jumps about, laying waste to chronology, turning it into what some consider a Cubist song.
Bob Dylan on stage in Montreal, Canada in April 1980 during Bob Dylan's Gospel Tour. © Arthur Rosato
What Picasso did for painting, “Tangled Up in Blue” does for songwriting. It changes from first to third person narration, twists from the present to a memory to the future, throwing in references and metaphor all while never deviating from the thrills of a good yarn.
The video notes how, when Dylan was writing the song he was studying under painter and philosopher Norman Raeben (in fact, Raeben’s influence supposedly had such a profound effect on Dylan’s outlook, that his wife Sara felt she no longer understood him, and it partly led to their marriage breakup).
Quoting the liner notes from Biograph the videos notes that Dylan wrote about the composition of “Tangled Up in Blue”, “I was just trying to make it like a painting where you can see the different parts but then you can also see the whole of it.”
And you could say he succeeded.
Bob Dylan in Portland during the second stage of his Gospel Tour in 1980. © Arthur Rosato
Along with the structure and twisting narrative, the song is also full of passages that conjure a kind of reverie, referencing 15th century poems, slavery, Rimbaud and delivering plenty of humour too. It’s a song that is full of myth and mystery, but can also just be listened to and enjoyed without having to dig too deep. It’s simply a great melody.
In his closing remarks, Polyphonic notes that there's plenty left still to untangle about the song, “‘Tangled Up in Blue’ is an astounding feat by Bob Dylan and I get the feeling that we’re only just starting to understand now how important it is as a work of art.” he states.
Watch the video below. You can check out more of Polyphonic’s videos on his YouTube channel.
Rockarchive is delighted to be able to offer these iconic Bob Dylan images along with many more as limited edition photographic prints which you can buy here.
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, artist & writer. He has been influential in popular music & culture for more than five decades.
Bob Dylan performing onstage at the Salzburgarena, Salzburg, Austria in July 2012 as part of his Never Ending Tour.
Bob Dylan performing live onstage at the Royal Albert Hall in London in November 2013.
Early set of contact sheet photos by Don Hunstein taken of Bob Dylan in his New York apartment on West 4th Street in 1963.
Bob Dylan during his recording sessions for 'Highway 61 Revisited' at Columbia Studios in June 1965
An alternative version to the cover of the Bob Dylan Free Wheelin' album, which was similar, but also in colour.
Bob Dylan sitting with his girlfriend Suze Rotolo in their apartment in New York in February 1963
"Bob Marley took a break from touring and came by my studio in Primrose Hill. He was in such a fantastic mode that day, really playful."
"This image of Bob Dylan and bass player Tony Garnier, snatched at an open air concert in Italy, sums up a beautiful partnership."
Bob Marley performing at his last ever London show on 7 June 1980 at the Crystal Palace Bowl.
Bob Dylan and his band at the end of the second of three shows in London at Royal Albert Hall on November 26, 2013.
Taken at the The Cattle Show Grounds, Roskilde Festival, Denmark in 1978, Bob Marley performs as part of the three-day festival.
Bob Dylan rehearsing for the recording of his BBC In Concert show at BBC Studios, Shepherds Bush in London in June 1965
Bob Dylan relaxing and having a pint during the recordings for his BBC concert at BBC Studios in June 1965
In the studio in Santa Monica, California in 1980, Bob Dylan is captured whilst leaning on his guitar case.
Bob Dylan looks out of the window of the Roxy Hearts Diner in Portland, Oregon whilst on the second leg of his Gospel Tour in January, 1980
Bob Dylan hanging out on the streets of Portland, Orgeon prior to performing there as part of his Gospel Tour in January 1980.
Onstage in Montreal, Canada in April 1980 during Bob Dylan's Gospel Tour
Bob Dylan onstage at the Ahoy, Rotterdam in the Netherlands in June 1984.
Bob Dylan shot while recording his 5th studio album, Bringing It All Back Home, in Columbia Recording Studios in New York City 1965.
At Columbia Studios, New York 1963 Bob Dylan crouching with his guitar during a recording session for his second studio album 'Freewheelin''
Bob Marley sitting on the bed of a rented apartment on Gloucester Road in London in February 1978
Bob Dylan recording the Freewheelin' album in Columbia Recording Studios, New York City in 1963.
Bob Dylan rehearsing to an empty house on the Carnegie Hall stage in New York city, 1963.
Arthur Rosato has worked with and photographed musicians throughout his career including Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton & The Who
Bob Dylan is the first musician to get the Nobel Prize for Literature, and now you can listen to his is excellent Nobel Lecture for winning.
Bob Dylan isn’t just a Nobel prize winning singer-songwriter, he’s also an artist. In the sense that he’s a painter and sculptor.
Bob Dylan has paid tribute to fellow Traveling Wilburys member Tom Petty by covering the musician’s 1991 single “Learning To Fly".
Bob Dylan recently revisited the UK for some live shows, the latest UK leg of his so-called Never Ending Tour.
