John Wesley Harding - Bob Dylan (1967)

ideated from: a favorite album that starts with “J”

A biographical note: within a few weeks in 1988, I heard two different versions of a song called All Along The Watchtower (U2’s on Rattle & Hum, and Hendrix’s from a comp I got that summer). I recognized the name Bob Dylan but didn’t know much about him. So, like we did before all the music was on Youtube, I bought the record with the original recording of Watchtower. I was taken aback at first, because i’d expected an epic rock song like the U2 and Hendrix ones were. This was spare and acoustic. But this record grabbed me by the ears, and really sparked an interest in Dylan that would last a lifetime.

This is from the time after Dylan ran away from the rock star life and retreated to more rustic topics and arrangements. He was still an insightful songwriter with a great ear for a turn of phrase, but it was filtered through more folk and country lenses. The arrangements here are acoustic guitar and harmonica with just a whiff of bass and drums. And yet it really does sound epic in an understated way. Mysterious, esoteric, funny, and affecting.

Tracks I Liked

Drifter’s Escape - kind of a personal theme song for me over the years. The outsider who doesn’t understand what’s happening around him, who both gets himself in trouble and also survives by skirting around everyone else’s orthodoxy.

As I Went Out One Morning - spooky and elegant

I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight - a favorite Dylan tune, covered by so many people over the years. But this version is still one of the best.