Bringing It All Back Home - Bob Dylan

Bringing It All Back Home is often seen as the transitional album for Dylan in the sixties, marking the change from simply acoustic guitar and voice to Dylan backed by an electric group. This in all truth is quite a profound change of direction at the time, but the previous album Another Side showed that Dylan was moving in a new direction and was turning his back on the folk purists and turning on to a style of music that had been his original childhood ...
...side of electric songs and a side of electric tracks. Apparently there were electric versions of all the songs, but I am a yet to hear either an electric Gates Of Eden or It's Alright Ma, but then they are perfect just as they are. The main influence for the electric side is the blues, as would be for his next two outings, with the acoustic side taking on a much darker and lyrically probing journey compared to his folk songs of the past. Many people ... more

Bringing It All Back Home is often seen as the transitional album for Dylan in the sixties, marking the change from simply acoustic guitar and voice to Dylan backed by an electric group. This in all truth is quite a profound change of direction at the time, but the previous album Another Side showed that Dylan was moving in a new direction and was turning his back on the folk purists and turning on to a style of music that had been his original childhood passion. But this is purely transitional as it contains a side of electric songs and a side of electric tracks. Apparently there were electric versions of all the songs, but I am a yet to hear either an electric Gates Of Eden or It's Alright Ma, but then they are perfect just as they are. The main influence for the electric side is the blues, as would be for his next two outings, with the acoustic side taking on a much darker and lyrically probing journey compared to his folk songs of the past. Many people will speak of the general disgust at Dylan moving to the electric guitar, but I often think that this is over emphasised, and that truly the vast majority supported the change, as seen by the sales of the albums, but it of course makes a more interesting story to talk about a backlash. This is definitely the beginning of one of the best Dylan trilogies and although perhaps the electric side still needing some refinement, the acoustic side is one of the greatest sides of a record you will hear.

1. Subterranean Homesick Blues *****

Often seen as a 'rap' song, this driving song features some rather muddled lyrics that look to dispel rumour and the dependence on the authorities. This starts the album off well and provides a powerful opener, with its driving guitar and bass line. The vocals themselves could be considered slightly rap orientated and the lines of the song are fast and furious, with the rhymes perhaps less evident than some modern rap songs. This combines Dylan's youthful enthusiasm with a political unrest in the hard guitar part and the intimidating speed with which the lines are spoken. An acoustic version of this song can be found on the Bootleg Series Volume 2 for anyone interested in a different perspective of this song.

2. She Belongs To Me *****

A lower key track that is still electric but may as well be acoustic as it is quite calm and flowing and allows the vocals to become the main instrument in the song. This is about perhaps the insane demands of the artist and the insanity of the people complying with their wishes. This may not be a fully accurate analysis, as there does seem to be a bit of a relationship feel to the song, and does remind me of some of the tracks off Another Side in their lyrical style.

3. Maggie's Farm *****

This track picks up the pace again and provides a harsh attack at Dylan's manager that also serves to react against the civil rights movement leaders and the folk scene. He is often hear to say that at this point in his career, that he was sick of the folk scene and the people in it, and perhaps that is the main subject of this song, but other theories do arise and seem just as plausible as the last, but then that is the beauty of the lyrics as they are non-specific, and yet still contain a degree of personal injustice in them.

4. Love Minus Zero/ No Limit *****

One of his best and most endearing love song, but for me the best version of this is the hotel room recording found on No Direction home, which is done on an acoustic guitar and is much more emotional and meaningful. But despite that, the electric arrangement on this version is good and the upbeat manner in which it is played contrasts with the lyrics and helps to put them in a lighter note when perhaps the vocals do otherwise.

5. Outlaw Blues ****

A good blues piece that for me, along with the next track; provide the reason for my feeling that the electric half of this album still needed some more refinement. But this is a nice blues piece, which hints at some of the songs to be found on his net album, which is basically straight blues. A nice track with some very bluesy instrumentation and lyrics that go together well.

6. On the Road Again ****

For me the weakest tracks on the album, but despite this rebut, this is still a good track, albeit not a highlight on the album. A song that it is comic but lacks some of the humour found on the likes of Another Side and Freewheelin'. The instrumentation is probably the highlight of the song, with a bluesy feel and nice progression through the track.

7. Bob Dylan's 115th Dream *****

The final electric song on the album is a gem, with a comic style and lyrics that are far and away from the previous track and shows Dylan's ability to wind a long traversing song with a humorous slant. This in truth is a jibe at American society, with its constant references to it, but it still retains a feel more of the comic than the serious. The start is good and includes a brief exert with a false start and then comes in together really nicely.

8. Mr Tambourine Man *****

A classic Bob Dylan track opens the acoustic half of this album, and most of you will probably know this already, although probably as a cover song more than the original. But this is a great track with some nice almost surreal lyrics and guitar that sets this song off nicely. I myself have always liked the version found on the Bootleg Series Volume 7, which was done in the Another Side Of sessions and is a duet with rambling' Jack Elliot. But then this song can be found in a huge number of versions, and I myself have 12 different versions of this song in my collection.

9. Gates of Eden *****

This is surely one of Dylan's most surreal and lyrically powerful songs ever, with lyrics that seem to swirl around and go nowhere than come back and hit you, with the meaning all so clear. This is really a gripe at modern society again, but then he was a young man, and the sixties were turbulent times for a young man. I love this song, it sits as one of my favourite acoustic tracks by him and the lyrics always get me with their underlying power and meaning, a classic.

10. It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) *****

Following on from the lyrical journey of the Gates of Eden comes this track which is even more encapsulating and will take in anyone who listens, as this is such a poignant and lyrically powerful track. The song itself deals with the ills in the world and how bad it has become, which is quite a heavy subject for a man only just into his twenties. The guitar is very dark and seems to create almost a vortex for the swirling lyrics, which just ride around in your mind and your soul and will absorb you. One of the greatest songs ever written, no one else but Dylan could write a song like this.

11. It's All Over Now Baby Blue *****

This album closes ends an astonishing acoustic side that marks one of the crowing achievements in a glittering career and in music itself. The song seems to be about the break up of a relationship, but I have always felt that it is about more than that, and is instead Dylan's remarks at leaving the folk community and his movement away from his peers. This was his closing number at the Newport Folk Festival 1965, and it definitely meant that then, with the audience seeming to reject his electric material, one of the best goodbyes ever written. It is powerful emotional, and yet still retains a more sinister edge, as if he wants it to end, yet still yearns for some of the past and is truly sorry for any mistakes he has made. A great song to end an incredible album.

This is one of the gems in my collection and is the first instalment in Dylan's electric trilogy of the sixties, which goes together with Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde. A couple of the electric tracks obviously need some more refinement, and this would be sorted out on the next album, but the acoustic side is unmatchable, and for me is one of the greatest halves of an album ever. If you want to begin your collection of Dylan albums, then I would say go for the classic Highway 61, but if you want to get a bit further into this era then give this a go, along with some of his other highlights of the sixties, but don't overlook the later albums, as there is just as many gems on them as this. But surely any Dylan fan should have this in their collection as it is such an incredible album and deserves a listen. 

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