This is Bob Dylan's 32nd album. I have heard some good songs from him in the 60's and 70's but I think most of he's music is really overrated. This album went straight to nr.1 in many countries and has sold over 4 million copies. Talk about living on the past! There has been some dabate about the songs on the album because in almost all songs there are parts of other artists songs and lyrics which Dylan has rearranged and made he's own.

Tony Garnier on bass has played with Dylan since 1989 and has recorded with Tom Waits, Paul Simon and more. Denny Freeman has worked with Stevie Ray Vaughan, James Cotton, Taj Mahal, Percy Sledge among others. He has also released 5 soloalbums with instumental music.

1)Thunder on the mountain (6,0) Uptempo countrylike tune with Bob singing too much and the same tempo continues all through the song. The song sound like The Band.

2)Spirit on the water (5,0) A jazzy mellow song that suits Bob's dark and low singing but it goes on and on for 7 minutes, why? This song would have suited Chris Rea.

3)Rollin' and tumblin' (5,5) Have heard many better versions of this blues standard. Uptempo and nice guitarriff but not much happens.

4)When the deal goes down (4.0) Another boring slow tune.

5)Someday baby (6,0) Uptempo and bluesy. A little better.

6)Workingman's blues (7,0) A nice kind-of a ballad with good singing and good melody.

7)Beyond the horizon (3,5) Jazzy slow tune. Boring.

8)Nettie Moore (6,5) A good Dire Straits-like song. Very simple and low-key.

9)The levee's gonna break (5,5) Uptempo and bluesy and again it just goes on and on and on... I just don't get it.

10)Ain't talking (7,5) 8 minute ending to the album and it's a good acoustic song with very nice celloplaying!

Score: 5,65

Bob Dylan (Robert Allen Zimmerman)-vocals, guitars, piano and harmonica (b.1941)

Stu Kimball-guitars

Denny Freeman-guitars (b.1944)

Donnie Herron-steel guitar, mandolin, violin and viola

Tony Garnier-bass and cello (b.1956)

George G. Receli-drums

This is the first whole album I have heard by Tom Jones. He has released music since 1964 and has been in the business ever since and has had worldwide hits every decade. I was really surprised over the quality of this recording that consists partly of old american sprituals. He mixes different styles of rock, pop and blues which makes for an intresting album with good songs. The mellower ones like Nobody's fault but mine are really sung with a lot of feeling.

Can't find any information on who is playing on the album. Tom was born in Wales in 1940 and he's real name is Sir Thomas John Woodward.

1)What good am I? (7,5) (Bob Dylan) An unusual song with low, dark and sensitive singing, a bass-drum and acoustic guitar. Kind of a ballad.

2)Lord help (7,5) A strange sounding guitarriff in this blues with organ and big gospel-kind-of drumming with a big sound.

3)Did trouble me (8,0) A wonderful song with banjo.

4)Strange things (7,5) Sounds much like B.B King. Kind of a mix of rockabillyblues and pianobarmusic. Nice.

5)Burning hell (7,0) (John Lee Hooker) A simple blues with a simple riff, talked vocals and drumstomping the John Lee-way.

6)If I gave my soul (7,5) Same as 3 but without banjo.

7)Don't knock (6,5) A rocker with same kind of guitarsound as in 2, female vocals and strange rhythm.

8)Nobody's fault but mine (7,5) A slow blues with Tom singing dark and low at firsts but then high and clear. Good song.

9)Didn't it rain (7,5) Uptempo gospel with nice pianoplaying.

10)Ain't no grave (8,5) Absolutely wonderful song and great singing.

11)Run on (7,5) Very simple uptempo blues with a ZZ Top-La Grange-feel to it.

Score: 7,50

www.tomjones.com  

Mick Taylor is mostly known for his stint with The Rolling Stones but he became famous replacing Peter Green in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers in 1967. In 1969 he replaced Brian Jones in The Rolling Stones and played in the band until 1974. In 1979 he released his first solo album and in the beginning of the 80's he toured with Alvin Lee and recorded and played with Bob Dylan.

This album is basicly an bluesalbum but could as well be filed under "rock". It's not a flirt at wild rock'n'roll, it's more of a mellower bluesrockalbum that focuses on melody, melodic guitarplaying and feeling. It's an good album to listen to in the car or on a quiet sunday evening.

1)Secret affair (7,5) A slow and heavy blues that reminds me of The Allman Brothers Band. Mick doesn't have the best of voices but here it suits fine.

2)Twisted sister (7,0) Very nice guitarplaying in this medtempo bluesrocker but not much else happens.

3)Never fall in love again (5,5) Almost a ballad, very melodic and laidback.

4)Losing my faith (7,5) The singing here reminds me a lot of The Band and actually the whole song does. It switches between slow and mellow, and heavy blues, very good indeed! A song with feeling.

5)Morning comes (8,0) A slow slow jazzy blues with a great pianointro wich should have been longer than 3.30

6)Lost in the desert (6,0) Midtempo, nothing special. Some Allman-like calypso rhythms thrown in.

7)Blues in the morning (7,5) Soulful blues and again, almost a copy of the mighty Allmans, but it's good and I like it. What could go wrong when it sounds like them? The guitarplaying makes me play airguitar!

8)Late at night (6,5) An okey blues but like some other songs on the album it gets a little boring with the same slow pace althrough the song.

9)Here comes the rain (6,0) Just another song.

10)Blind Willie McTell (Bob Dylan) (7,0) 8.30 long version of the Bob Dylan-song. It's okey and sounds similar to The Band's version of the song.

Score: 6,85

Mick Taylor-vocals, guitar (b.1949)

Robert Ahwai-guitar
Michael Bailey-bass

Kuma Harada-bass

Jeff Allen-drums
Richard Bailey-drums
Hillary Briggs-synthesizer, hammond organ
John "Rabbit" Bundrick-hammond organ
Lisa Daniel-background vocals
Martin Ditcham-percussion
Andy Macintosh-saxophone
Max Middleton-piano, clavinet

www.micktaylor.net