Hi Mazzy, the singers on „All the tired horses“ aren‘t black gospel singers but white country singers - look at the pictures! - The great thing about this song is the line: How am I supposed to get any riding done? Riding can be heard as WRITING. So he‘s talking openly about a creative crisis. Isn‘t this great? Crisis? What crisis! - Greetings from Berlin, Harry
Thanks for the Heart, Mazzy! This wonderful opener has always been the key to the whole album for me. Bob seems to say: Folks, I‘m burnt out now. You can‘t expect great songs for a while. Let‘s take a rest and relax together with some easy going music, nice covers with great musicians. Here’s a whole bunch of it. After a while the horses will run again. - This album is no sh!t at all, but deeply human. For Greil Marcus Bob seemed to be a music machine. I can‘t understand that someone calling himself an expert can be so - deaf! - Thanks for your great channel!!
I'm kind of new to Bob Dylan and just bought the Self Potrait 4cd with two expensive books. I agree the pictures alone are stunning, but that first two cds with rare tracks and alternate versions, are among the best I've heard. Albums like Freewheelin' and Blonde on Blonde made me a fan, however - as with Neil Young - it's the rare tracks that really make you realize the full greatness of this artist. So, the choice of Mazzy showing this episode in the bootleg series is well deserved. That vinyl version does look great aswell. Sadly, it's difficult to get nowadays. I was lucky to get the cd set of Self Portait and the More Blood box. Life changing stuff. - Marjet
I’ve always loved All the Tired Horses. Such a great song… Great video. I read somewhere that they told Dylan they needed an album cover for Self Portrait and Dylan took 5 minutes and slapped some paint on a canvas or whatever it was and said, fuck it, there’s the album cover. Which is sure what it looks like…
Great stuff, Mazzy! I too cycle through an annual Dylan deep-dive phase, always discovering and appreciating stuff that may be 30, 40, 50 years old. I think it’s proof of Dylan’s deserved status of the…greatest. Just can’t get enough! Thank you, sir, for ALL the great stuff you share!✌🏼
Mazzy, a few more 1970 albums I can add to your excellent choices: 1- The self-titled debut by Emitt Rhodes, a master class in songwriting, singing, and musicianship. By the way, when I recorded in his home studio in 1998, he told me the best musician he ever worked with was.....drummer Jim Gordon. I own one of Jim's Camco drumsets, left in a storage locker when he was sent up the river. 2- Kiln House by Fleetwood Mac, my favorite of theirs. It has a healthy dose of 1950's Rock 'n' Roll mixed in with the Blues. 3- Stage Fright by The Band. No, it's not nearly as good as their first two, but even their lesser albums are better than most other band's best. IMO, of course.
Nice video! So glad you talked about Ringos Beaucoups Of Blues record You’re right about it being underrated! Ringos voice is perfect for the music! Wish he’d do another one!!!
What I really like about Dylan is that he has made my life richer. And he has made it clear that he doesn't work for anyone but himself. So there, Marcus.
Glad to see the recognition, of which there can never be a sufficient amount, focused on BOB This is a greatly appreciated Video and is very representative of your dedication to MUSIC in all of its forms Much thanks Mazzy!
I love the Dylan album and Mr Bojangles. So fab ❤. Thanks for this video Mazzy. One of your best. At a record fair tomorrow (in the UK) I’ll be seeking some of these.
Dan loves you too Mazzy! What a beautiful musing on 1970 Dylan. Love these records. All deep in my heart. I am also learning more and more about Randy Newman thanks to you. You are the only person I know who I can talk at length about Uncle Bobby😊
My favorite Dylan period in retrospect, as I turn 75. For me, 1970 was the beginning of university studies away from home in Ottawa, so it was a happy, joyful, promise of the future type of time. So Dylan fit in perfectly, the soundtrack both to the good days and the melancholy ones. Time of reconstruction. The shock of change turned out in the long run to be a blessing.
Some of them are Dylan blackmail album material, where the record company wouldn't let Bob sign elsewhere. Their threat was that they'd release his garbage practice tracks of current tunes, which they eventually did.
Class is ALWAYS in session with your videos, Mazzy. I'm really learning a lot... and THANK YOU!! On a personal note: I distinctly remember the bass player of a band I like standing next to me looking at my FIlmore poster for the band (Rogue Wave) and saying "What the fuck is this shit?!" (He didn't know I did the art... I just happened to be standing next to him after the show.) I was mortified... but I learned that day, that not everyone is going to like everything. Gave me a thicker skin... and now I'm okay with people not liking something I've done. (I still like the poster from that show... lol.) So your anecdote made me feel better! ha ha... Cheers!
Love all the selections. Randy Newman’s musicianship, character development and sardonic sense of humor can’t be beat. John Sebastian’s solo debut is still in regular rotation around my house. Painting rainbows all over my blues. Both Dylan Self Portrait albums show that he is still the master of modern song phrasing. Love the eclectic selections. What else would you expect? Also, you can’t get enough David Bromberg on guitar. New Morning is also among my favorite Dylan albums. What a great batch of new originals! If Dogs Run Free Than Why Not We. Great show!
Love "Self Portrait" - one of the best albums ever. I just wish I had discovered it in 1970 instead of much later. Back then, I was a very broke college student, and my album collection consisted mainly of Mississippi country blues artists and a few Rolling Stones records.
Excellent post Mazzy, my favorite of all you've done! "It's The Songs, Stupid". I too very much liked Self Portrait at the time of it's release, and Planet Waves is one of my favorite Dylan albums (I'm amongst the world's biggest Band fans). I discovered the first Randy Newman album (it was released with two different covers) through Van Dyke Parks' Song Cycle album, in which Van includes his very odd (I mean that in a good way) version of Randy's song "Vine Street". Though I love his debut album, as well as the 12 Songs, Live, and Sail Away albums, Good Old Boys is my favorite of his. I find it to be similar in a way to Planet Waves, The Band's "brown" album, and Neil Young's Harvest. Very rootsy. Plus, it was through the GOB album that I became aware of Jim Keltner's superb drumming. I've seen Keltner live only once, at the Little Village record release event held in a sound stage somewhere in Van Nuys, I believe (though it may have been Burbank).
Great Shout about Ringo's Beaucoups of Blues - such a lovely Country album👍 In fact it's one of my favourite past Beatles Solo Albums along with the Traveling Wilburys and Band on the Run😊
love that period of Dylan, had just spent a bunch of time relistening to Self-Portrait. I have the cd box of that Another Self Portrait. Will be revisiting
this was a wonderful video,love the 1970 take on albums,i too loved that era,country seemed an odd choice for that bridge from the Beatles,Psych,blues rock period,but that generation of the 60'swas growing up,graduating college,leaving homes and going into the work force and country kind of calmed things down,the bands,The dead ,Dylan and so fourth reflected that moving on generation period,1970 was the beginning of a lot that would come before the decade closed.i also loved Ringos country album ,i bought it in the day and often wondered why it was never bigger than it was---the self portrait album i also loved ,i bought it read at the time what is this shit comment,still i liked it ,Dylan took the opportunity to cover songs he liked growing up,i actually wish he would cover songs that as a kid he liked,50,s the kailyn twins,marvin and johnny,travis and bob,thomas wayne (tragedy) ect Hes done so much (even a christmas album) so i feel he could pull it off.anyway nice video and i agree with you john Sebastian does not get enough love (???).1970 was wonderful ,thanks so much-stay safe always👍
Last year I crafted an alternate version of Self Portrait using only tracks featured on the Another Self Portrait box set: Side 1 Tattle O'Day Alberta #3 Pretty Saro Days of '49 Annie's Going To Sing Her Song In Search of Little Sadie Side 2 Thirsty Boots Little Sadie Belle Isle This Evening So Soon Working on a Guru Side 3 (Live at Isle of Wight) She Belongs To Me I Threw It All Away Maggie's Farm Quinn The Eskimo Minstrel Boy Like a Rolling Stone Side 4 Copper Kettle Railroad Bill House Carpenter Wigwam These Hands Most of the other cover songs not included could be repurposed for the Dylan 1973 album. Almost all of the studio tracks included here were not written by Dylan but still feature Dylan-esque lyrics. In fact, the original labels gave songwriting credits to Dylan without mentioning "Traditional," so unless you were well-versed in old music, you'd just assume Dylan wrote them. This album also features what are arguably Dylan's best vocals of his whole career (Pretty Saro could be the best overall).
Love the version of "New Morning" produced by Al Kooper with horn section. Agreed Mazzy "Self Portrait" is a masterpiece that flew over the heads and expectations of music fans in 70.
Your enthusiasm and knowledge bring these records and associated music to a high level. By the way, David Bromberg is someone I have followed and seen numerous times. Check out his catalog.
Absolutely astonishing how Dylan went from making Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde in a 15 month period of peak creativity in 65/66 to releasing this dreck of an album in 70. I think even Dylan was embarrassed by it as he quickly went back into the studio and made New Morning, a pretty good album and a quantum leap over Self-Portrait.
New Morning … another one of my favorite Dylan albums… I love the “ feel “… of it… Winterlude a Waltz … Sign On The Window… If Not For You… Went To See The Gypsy… great Dylan stuff… I never got Self Portrait… because of the reviews… but will look into it now… as you stated… screw and F**k the critics. Hahaha 😂 🌎🕊️. 🌜🌞🌛
I love Self Portrait. There's a song called Wallflower which I found on YT, I think I have three versions of it on my YT music playlist which is on one of the bootlegs from around the Self Portrait period. Fantastic song, all versions.
Nice summation of Bobs early 70s output. Yip, contentious and derided at the time but albums appreciated in retrospect. What folks didn't realise back then was how much a student of music history Bob happened to be (hence his propensity for cover versions). A small matter emphasised recently by his superb The Philosophy of Modern Song opus / song choices on the 'Outlaw' Summer shows (Alpharetta, GA to Hershey, PA). Couple that with an understanding that in Bob's world, the version of songs released are simply the arrangement that exists on the day he considers an album to be complete. Songs remain a work in progress for evermore, hence his continued re-working of tunes to something often unrecognisable from the version originally released. To make peace with those artistic traits is to understand the variances of his output. 👍🏼
Call me deranged, but I prefer to listen to Self Portrait more than the over-praised Blood on the Tracks or Oh Mercy. The grab-bag randomness and the added richness of his "Nashville" voice which some called syrupy, makes it one I return to more often than his more celebrated works, though Desire is still probably my fave.
I loved the Self Portrait album and bootleg cd's upon release. The music critics just blasted Dylan on the release of Self-Portrait. I purposely bought the album immediately after hearing All the Tired Horses. I used to listen on my Transistor Radio the Radio Station in Erie, PA. They played All the Tired Horses and James Taylor Fire and Rain months before the AM Radio Stations did little to promote. So, I just turned off Canadian stations for the summer of '69 and listened to groups like The Ides of March, Chicago, Blood Sweat and Tears, El Condo Pasa and then Cecilia was played way more the Canadian radio. The big one was Self-Portrait and as you say it sold millions and with other brilliant Country songs like Lay Lady Lay, was gigantic, nothing out there was as good. I taped a lot of songs from Erie, PA FM radio because the sound was fantastic and newer and better songs. That's my experience.
I never noticed the it’s the music stupid episodes were still so young in the scope of things. I would have thought it was 155 more than 55. Good for me I’m not as late as I thought
'The Boxer' never ceases to make me smile, Bob using his okie voice and his country crooner voice to "harmonize" with himself. But it's just him singing in 2 voices, out of sync. Too funny. I love "New Morning" and especially the title track on the bootleg album with the horn section. Blew me away.
Randy Newman's uncle was Alfred Newman who not only composed many filmscores but also the 20th Century Fox fanfare and he was the longtime head of music at Fox. Randy's cousins, the sons of Alfred Newman are David and Thomas Newman whore are also very succesful filmcomposers. Randy himself also composed many wonderful scores. My favorite of his are The Natural and the great 90s Western Score Maverick.
Speaking of Dylan , I just found an lp I’d never heard of Dylan’s Gospel, on ode , made by Lou Adler, gospel soul versions of Dylan’s music , done by the great session musicians of the the day(Merry Clayton ) , The Brothers and Sisters , Dylan’s Gospel , you likely know this lp , but if you don’t , check it out . Thanks for all you do .
The track selection process for Self Portrait was unlike any of his other albums, because he was drawing from three very different sources: two different studio sessions almost a year apart, plus the Isle of Wight show. The way he put the album together is best compared to the way he and Howard Alk put together their two movies, Eat the Document and Renaldo and Clara.
Nick Cave once said that he wanted to make an album that was perceived as a complete disaster, like ‘Self Portrait’. He also added that he loved that album.
Eric Burdon actually recorded “Mama Told Me Not to Come” in 1966 as an album track on “Eric Is Here.” Randy Newman specifically offered the song for Eric Burdon’s first solo album. Burdon also recorded “I Think It’s Gonna Rain Today” by Newman. Three Dog Night copied Burdon’s version almost verbatim (1970 Billboard #1) as Three Dog Night was apt to do with all of their many “chart hit covers.”
Love Ringo Starr’s Album “Beaucoups of Blues!” Highly Underrated. I Too Wish Ringo Would Have Returned to This Genre. Love the long version of “Coochy Coochy!”
Regardless of Griel Marcus’ headline, Dylan is not, and never has been, an artist you can predict. There’s periods where he’s released music that people hate (ex the Christian rock era), people will come around and give some of his music a second listen.
Though I'm a Dylan fan, there are many of his records I've never heard. Self Portrait is one of those. Like others, I've been leery of it because of that famous opening salvo in Greil Marcus' review - and by Robert Christgau's opinion too: he gave it a pretty mediocre rating (C+). I've always respected those two critics (and they are both Dylan fans, it should be said - especially Marcus), and I've always heard this was the beginning of an artistic downhill slide for Dylan, halted only with Blood on the Tracks in '75. Anyway, I guess I should listen for myself lol.
Hey Norman great video as always - did you read the David Hepworth book 1971? I think you would enjoy. I sent you over an email to your address on your site, not sure to got through but just in case its sitting in the spam folder ! cheers, Julian
Another winner Mazzy...for sure gotta pull out my Dylan albums and give a listen...it's been a while; he's got his own unique style and can make any song his own...what a talent!! And I think you're thinking of Alfred Newman, one of the all-time great movie composers who put his melodic signature on so many wonderful cinematic soundtracks...but my favorite have you seen my baby has to be the Flamin Groovies version..rock n roll at its best!!
Go back 5 years and later on several other videos where I’ve shared the story multiple times that in 1995 I sold 2000 records which was about a third of my collection at the time. You must be thinking of someone else. It’s no secret.
lets face it,dylan like neil young is the sort of artist that you never know what they will next, surely do critics really want musicians to play the same style over and over again,the old saying surey relevant here is ,variety is the spice of life.in peace......................jpj
I know I'm in the minority, but I really like the Dylan album. It's not great by any means, and was a cash grab by Columbia, It was the first time I'd heard The Ballad of Ira Hayes, and was really impressed by it.
I dunno man, some of the stuff on that Self Portrait album is just awful. The Boxer is astonishingly bad--he tries to overdub harmonies but the voices don't even sound synchronized. I guess he's trying to do it in a loose style (maybe like the Band) but it REALLY doesn't work. On the other hand, I've always liked the Dylan album, which is comprised mostly of outtakes that were done a bit earlier. His vocals sound much better on that and he does some great, creative covers like Big Yellow Taxi, Can't Help Falling in Love with You, and his absolutely wonderful version of Mr. Bojangles.
It's worth checking out the informative article about New Morning on Wikipedia. And a shout out should be given to the 2021 triple CD release Bob Dylan 1970 With Special Guest George Harrison. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Morning
