backroad bohemia.
sound + vision
'Don't Follow Leaders, and Watch the Parking Meters . . . ;
At 66, singer and songwriter Bob Dylan continues to fascinate
filmmakers and intrigue fans. His classic Nashville Skyline tracks
got the nod from fans who selected 51 Dylan songs for a new
multi-disc anthology.
Dylan. (Columbia/Legacy)
I'm Not There.
(Todd Haynes, director)
The Other Side of the Mirror: Bob Dylan Live at the Newport Folk Festival, 1963-1965 (Columbia/Legacy)
"I see nothing to
be gained by any explanation," Bob Dylan sang on "Standing in the Doorway," from 1997's Time Out of Mind. "There are no words that need to
be said."
Of course, this enigmatic rock icon is
a walking contradiction. Sometimes his soul is laid bare in his songs; other times he cloaks his meaning in layers
of allusion. But curiosity about the "real" Bob has persisted for decades. And surely, words don't really convey the soul of this artist, though Griel Marcus and others have tried. These days, fans
and curious onlookers are being treated to
several new Dylan-related escapades: Dylan,
a three-CD career retrospective, with 51 digitally remastered tracks, many of which helped to define the past four decades; The Other Side of the Mirror: Bob Dylan Live at the Newport Folk Festival, 1963-1965,
a new DVD release of documentary filmmaker Murray Lerner's captivating film that chronicles the troubadour's pivotal 1965 unplugged concert; Todd Haynes' ambitious film portrait I'm Not There, in which six actors, including Cate Blanchett, portray the elusive troubadour
(it's slated for Nov. 21 release); and the film's soundtrack, featuring Dylan covers performed by the likes of Cat Power, John Doe, Iron & Wine, Sonic Youth, and Eddie Vedder, among others.
The centerpiece of this latest Dylan deluge is the three-disc box set. Surely, folks will squabble about
the song selection,
all selected through
an online poll of Dylan fans—you can't possibly capture the depth
of Dylan's ouevre
in a handful of discs. And this is no Biograph, which brought together rarities, outtake, and B-sides. But, still, it's
a fine collection, due, in part, to the inclusion of "Blind Willie McTell," from the Official Bootleg series, an alternate version of "Dignity," and a mercifully light sprinkling of weaker '70s material.
—Greg Cahill
