Rock & Roll Feature: Dylan Brings Controversy Back Home
This is the fourth in a series of Rock & Roll articles I’m writing for this site. I’m a rock and roll and I love the blues, so this column is a way of featuring a different album I like from those genres each month.
By 1965, Bob Dylan had successfully revived folk music with his first 4 albums, but then he committed the ultimate sin of a folk singer – he picked up an electric guitar. bring it all back home it was Dylan’s first real foray into electric roots rock and there was considerable backlash with a flurry of booing in concert halls and negative press for his folk music that would grow substantially with all-electric music. Highway 61 Revised. Personally, I don’t see it as a big change in Dylan’s work. Sure the instrumentation changed and gained a more rock and roll feel, but the heart of Dylan’s songwriting remains apparent and taken to new heights.
Like most people who are familiar with rock music, I had heard of Bob Dylan over the years and even knew some of the songs he had written long before I actually heard his work. Also like most people, the first full length Dylan album I ever heard was the infamous carefree bob dylan album from 1963. I love that album, but the album that cemented Bob Dylan as one of my favorite musicians of all time was bring it all back home.
A unique blend of electric and folk songs, all of which have a distinct feel and vibe that makes this album one I can play endlessly and get the perfect mix of rock, folk, blues stomp and country. The album begins with a surprise for the folk community: a rock song. “Subterranean Homesick Blues” is southern blues at its finest. Dylan’s fast-paced cryptic yet whimsical lyrics are what really makes the song great. They glide through the song with a sense of social commentary so fast you really have to listen to take it all in. This rock feel continues on classic songs like “Maggie’s Farm” and “Outlaw Blues.” Both have this same blues with “Maggie’s Farm” taking the slower route with socially charged lyrics that talk about the ethical treatment of workers if you choose to interpret it that way. “Outlaw Blues” is one of my favorite Dylan songs of all time. With a riff reminiscent of Hound Dog Taylor’s “Give Me Back My Whig,” it creates the perfect bluesy groove you don’t hear anymore. Combined with Dylan’s honest and slightly whimsical lyrics, it makes for a truly memorable song. You just can’t be more honest than when Dylan sings, “Don’t ask me anything about anything,
I could tell you the truth.”
Perhaps most notable on this album is the play on the music, as overall it’s a pretty upbeat album that’s a lot of fun to listen to. “Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream” is probably the funniest with its weird and surreal dream of a story set to a roots rock dance beat. It’s a random collection of images that may be inaccessible to some, but the absurdity of the song is what makes it charming and makes for a very honest social commentary or just a fun dream song, depending on how you want to look at it.
The album also has a folk side to it with “Mr. Tambourine Man” being one of Dylan’s folk classics that could easily have been lifted from one of his earlier albums. However, my favorite song (if I have to choose just one) is “Gates of Eden”. A simple folk song with supremely symbolic lyrics, it has a unique feel that is rustic and authentic but also sad and full of wisdom. It’s a stark contrast to the fun of the album’s rock tracks and a different feel to any other Dylan folk work with hints of “Masters of War” without the anger, mysticism and songs like “All Along the Watchtower,” that would come 2 years later.
It wasn’t in 1965 when this album was first released so I really can’t understand why there was such a backlash against it initially. Now, Bob Dylan’s career spans multiple genres and I knew this when I started listening to his music, so I wasn’t surprised when I heard rock tracks or influences on one of his albums. Personally, I like when an artist or band evolves throughout his career. Showcase his changing influences and create snapshots of particular moments within his songs. I don’t see as dramatic a departure from Dylan’s earlier writing on these songs as some might suggest. They definitely show evolution and progress as he breaks new ground with surrealism, social commentary, and imagery in his songwriting, but they still sound like Bob Dylan with the same honesty and authenticity that comes through in his folky tunes. These country bluesy flavors seem like a logical progression for Dylan and definitely do justice to his songs. I’m not saying these songs wouldn’t have been just as good played on just an acoustic guitar, but they certainly wouldn’t have had the same upbeat feel. The album as a whole still has a very spontaneous and gritty feel, despite multiple instruments and recorded tracks, much like Dylan’s folk music.
If you’re just a fan of Bob Dylan folk music, you might not enjoy this album, but I’d give it a listen before making up my mind for sure. It is definitely one of the classic albums of the 1960s and serves as not only a good bridge between Dylan’s early folk and blues, rock and roll and country to come, but also a fun album to listen to.
It may have been a controversial move for him to get a backing band, an electric guitar, and play rock and roll, but the result, bring it all back homeis a must have album for any Bob Dylan fan or rock and roll enthusiast.