Album: Bringing it All Back Home
Recorded Jan 13-15, 1965
Released March 22, 1965
After the memorable sessions of the precedent album Bob Dylan is back in studio with a bunch of songs that will almost all be included in the final track-listing which frustrated the bootlegers. "Bringing it All Back Home" is rightly considered as an important Dylan album. On vinyl one side is electric just to show that he had changed and the other side is acoustic to calm eventual critics. However - and without trying to break the myth - initially the album wasn't planned that way: the album first recorded version was almost entirely acoustic and the second version was almost entirely electric. With all this material where each song offers a different ambiance depending on their orchestration the sorting will be done to present the album as we know it: conceptual precursor and magnificent.
Yet Dylan didn't invent anything his electric versions of the songs have been rearranged because of his admiration for bands like The Byrds and The Beatles. For him this album must have been one opportunity to clearly take his distance from the folk scene. And yet even if he shows all his talents here the folk people's wrath that was being expressed towards him for going electric didn't leave him poker-faced and paradoxically the songs from the acoustic side of the album are more famous that the ones from the electric side.
Note that not one single version from the first acoustic session is on the album the acoustic side that we know was recorded during the third session the same day as "On The Road Again" and "Maggie's Farm" that is to say there was one band for only 2 of the 3 sessions. I don't think that Dylan was "scared" to release one album completely electric he just wanted his songs to sound as good as possible and for some of them the "solo/acoustic" treatment was a necessity.
This album is the volume one of what will later be known as the "Electric Trilogy" (and I really don't know why this should be the first volume of an "Electric trilogy" since it has an acoustic side) is one of my favorites because of the judicious choice of style and also for it's "rock" orchestration which from my perspective was brilliant. The only outtake was: "If You Gotta Go, Go Now".
A quick track-by-track review: "Subterranean Homesick Blues": you don't even have the time to realize what is happening it's already over this 3 chords song is packed with slogans: "don't follow leaders and watch the parking meters" "you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows" ect. "She Belongs To Me": "She’s got everything she needs / She’s an artist, she don’t look back" here you go: 2 lines and you're already in it you have a past a story a character. "Maggies’s Farm": has a fantastic rhythm. The Newport 65 legendary version marks the very moment Bob Dylan went publicly electric. "Love Minus Zero / No Limit": quite beautiful and despite it's title it's not a love song. "Outlaw Blues": "Don't ask me nothin' about nothin' I just might tell you the truth." "On The Road Again": Funny. "Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream": yet another Bob's dream. "Mr Tambourine Man": a true classic. The Byrds version was cool but they didn't really know what Dylan was talking about I guess. "Gates Of Eden': just come and tell me if you understand the meaning of this song. I don't. "It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)": beautiful piece of poetry puts to music. "It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue": the goodbye song that closes this masterpiece. "Bringing it All Back Home" is the perfect album to get introduced to Bob Dylan if you don't know him.
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Side A
Subterranean Homesick Blues
She Belongs to Me
Maggie's Farm
Love Minus Zero / No Limit
Outlaw Blues
On the Road Again
Bob Dylan's 115th Dream
Side B
Mr Tambourine Man
Gates of Eden
It's Alright, Ma (I'm only bleeding)
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
