Number 9: Blonde on Blonde, Pt. 1

Album: Blonde on Blonde

Artist: Bob Dylan

Year: 1966

Information: The last album released in Dylan's trilogy of acclaimed works, it is commonly regarded as his finest. Leaving behind his garage rock tendencies (Maggie's Farm, From a Buick 6) for a deeper, more complex record. The first album fully produced by Bob Johnston had many unfruitful sessions. For these early, unfruitful sessions, he used Ronnie Hawks backing-band, The Hawks (now known as The Band), Dylan was getting frustrated with the current situation of his recording sessions so far, which added up to about ten, none of which had satisfactory takes. He decided, after advice from Bob Johnston, to move down to Nashville to record further, leaving behind most of The Hawks. He then finally started to get things going with his new band. They frequently got satisfactory takes, opposed to the zero that were achieved in New York. Dylan was ultimately satisfied with the album stating “The closest I ever got to the sound I hear in my mind was on individual bands in the Blonde On Blonde album. It’s that thin, that wild mercury sound."

High Points: The best song, perhaps on this entire record, is Visions of Johanna. It tells the story of a man who has constant visions of a woman he lusts after, but is stuck with what is presumed to be his wife. Perhaps representing the struggle within most people of wanting something that is out of reach while finding yourself stuck with something that only makes you lust for the unreachable more. 

The opening verses also paint a picture as to his surroundings and it uses very subtle language throughout with great success.

Low Points: I have trouble finding fault with any of the songs on disc one. Each one is so unique and all the words are so excellently written. Even the music that accompanies Dylan's voice is consistently superb, which is surprising because Dylan wasn't necessarily as good as music as he was lyrics.

Is it Great? This is another record that I think is one of the greatest ever made, along with most of the albums I've reviewed so far.

I remember reading an article called something like "The Worst Songs by Great Artists" and in that article, many were obvious choices. However, one of the entries was "Rainy Day Women #12 & #35." I find much fault with that. It's one of my favorite Dylan songs and is one the more unique in his catalog. Outfitted with what sounds to be a Salvation Army band, Dylan sings about being stoned. The song itself has two different angles you can look at it from. One is from people throwing stones at you and the other is about being stoned.

If you look at from the angle of being hit by stones, you can get another insight to the criticism Dylan was facing at this time. The songs describe a person doing everyday things while people throw stones at him for no apparent reason (They'll stone you when you're walking on the floor, They'll stone you when you're walking through the door,) which probably sums up Dylan's feelings pretty well.

You could also pay attention to the chorus "Everybody must get stoned," which of course means exactly what you think it means, everyone has to get high. This was a pretty shocking song, considering the time it was released. Even Dylan's label didn't want it released, but Bob Johnston (his producer) and Bob Dylan rushed it through to make it a surprisingly well-charting single.

Also, it's a fun song. According to Dylan myth, he refused to perform this song "straight" (sober) and would pass around joints before recording this song. They gave Kenny Buttrey a large drum to hang around his neck and had him bang on it while marching around the studio. There's also prominent laughing and shouting in the background, which wasn't overdubbed later, but was actually happening at the same time of the recording. Great song.

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"I Want You" is another of my favorite Dylan songs and was even considered to be the title of the album. It is in general a very happy song with an upbeat tempo. Although, it's not without odd imagery "Now your dancing child with his Chinese suit, he spoke to me, I took his flute, no I wasn't very cute to him was I?" and, even though this song is upbeat, this being Dylan, there are always down points "I did it because you lied, and because he took you for a ride" which is a very intense point due to its contrast in relation to the rest of the song.

Reportedly, Dylan recorded this song last, due to how much Al Kooper loved it. Al told Dylan that he really liked this song and was looking forward to recording it, so Bob being Bob, decided to record it last.

Also, that part about the "dancing child in his Chinese suit" is thought to be about Brian Jones.

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"Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again" is just too large of a song for me to write about. It covers so much ground about topics such as Shakespeare, girls covering him in tape, the post office, building fires, punching cigarettes, a senator showing off a gun, stapling twenty pounds of headlights to your chest.. There's a lot.

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"Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat" is an unusual song.The song is a satire on materialism and fashionable clothing, which is exemplified by such lines "You make think he loves you for your money, but I know what he really loves you for, it's your brand new Leopard-Skin Pill-Box hat." The song starts off with an interesting guitar lick and goes into a very blues-y song. It's also quite funny, something that I never really find songs to be. "Honey, can I jump on it sometime? Yes, I just wanna see, if it's really the expensive kind. You know it balances on your head, just like a mattress balances on a bottle of wine." Also, "We'll both just sit there and stare. Me with my belt, wrapped around my head, and you just sittin' there, in your brand new Leopard-Skin Pill-Box hat."

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It then ends with "Just Like a Woman," which is similar to "I Want You." It could be interpreted as a sexist song due to the fact that Dylan regales us with the information that "She makes love just like a woman" and that "she breaks just like a little girl." 


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With all that praise being sung about this album, it would be worthy to note that this is one of the Dylan albums I listen to least. Perhaps because it is such a long album, or perhaps it's because it's so dense.