Comments for Dylan, Bob, John Wesley Harding

Dylan responds to 1967's luscious studio sonic overload with a quiet, stark, winter wind, in both song and production.

This is a nice return to form for Dylan after the excesses of "Blonde on Blonde," etc.

This album shows Dylan was serious when, assaulted by the overproduced self-indulgence of the Beatles "Sgt. Pepper", he barked out "Turn that crap off!" To figure out the lyrics, you need to pick up a copy of the 1611 King James Bible and start flipping through. No matter where you turn, you'll find something that connects to the songs. Bob probably read the Bible more during his Woodstock days than when he was born again. The liner notes are a riot, too. One of his best albums, surely.

using a language both poetic & archaic, dylan has created his most inscrutable album. a beautifully understated work of art that challenges as it defies you to decipher it's code. just when it seems that you've got it flutters away again. sounds like a hero from a tall tale has retuned home with a legendary collection of tales to tell his grandchildren.

John Wesley Harding was once considered one of Dylan''s great works but it sometimes seems forgotten in recent years. After a two year absence, it was a very radical shift after the overflowing, verbal outpurings of his three previous releases. Instrumentally it is also very spare, this all the more striking in the era of Sgt. Pepper, Jefferson Airplane, and newcomer Jimi Hendrix. The tone of the album is an even more radical shift, away from angry denunciation, and double-edged, perhaps druggy allusions toward a severe moralistic tone, almost Biblical in feeling. It''s not a joyous album, but there is a sense of sobriety and maturity that wasn''t there before. "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine" alludes to the Christian philosopher of radical dualism, the one whose Confessions was a high water literary benchmark in the literature of repentance. There are some strange lyrics here- St. Augustine was never martyred, but Dylan talks about being among those "who put him out to death", maybe a reference to Dylan''s earlier, disolute lifestyle. The album is simple , on the surface, but full of puzzles and riddles like that above. One of the classics is, of course, "All Along the Watchtower" with its relentless, riding drumbeat and its hints at end times and judgment. It''s a great song for what it suggests. Each listener must fill in the blanks. In a way, the whole album is like that until you come to that telling line, "If you cannot bring good news then don''t bring any." Then the album switches into a cozy romantic vein for the final two songs, signalling Dylan''s new direction played out over his next few albums.

Following a period of seclusion while performing with members of The Band in Woodstock, N.Y., this reflective albumstood out among the psychedelia of the times.