Records

T. Larsen

Bob Dylan - Tarantula

Getting out of the cities is a recurring theme in the album, out of the cities to the country, to the mountains. 'Sign in the window' is a song of lost love which ends in a vision of a pastoral life. The opening to the track is probably my favourite part of the whole album.

"Sign in the window says lonely,
Sign on the door says no company allowed,
Sign on the street says you don't want me,
Sign on the porch says three's a crowd."

Three Angels' and 'Father at night' both have elements of religion.

'Three Angels' is a cry for better communication between people. It paints a picture of a quiet lonely morning after Christmas where everybody goes about their business, 'the whole earth in progression seems to pass by' but nobody hears their message 'Does anyone even try'. 'Father of the Night' is a hymn to the Creator, simple and uncluttered, perhaps a look back to Dylan's younger days.

"Father of Night, Father of Day
Father who taketh the darkness away
Father who teacheth the bird to fly
Builder of rainbows up in the sky
Father of loneliness and pain
Father of love and Father of rain."

Musically the album is quite a change from previous things he's done. Of greatest note is the fact that he plays piano, and well, on seven of the twelve tracks. Al Kooper appears once again as a backing musician, and gets 'special thanks' in the credits. Other musicians of note are Harvey Brookes, Dave Bromberg, Charlie Daniels and Billy Mundi. Apart from Daniels, who played on 'Blonde on Blonde', and Kooper who has worked with Dylan on and off since 'Highway 61' (possibly even 'Bringing it all Back home' anyone know for sure?) the musicians are a fairly radical change from the country musicians (Drake, Buttrey, Meloy and Co) that Dylan's been using on the last few albums.

Some tracks are musically similar to things he's done before. But others, like the jazz mood on 'Dogs run free' break new ground. 'Father of Night too is unlike anything that Dylan has done before.

One minor fault is the fact that the credits are somewhat incomplete, in that there is no credit for the mandolin in 'Winterlude' and the fiddle on 'New Morning'.

"Hi y'all not much happening
sang at the vegetarian convention
My new song against meat, everybody
dug it except the plumbers neath
the stage, this one little girl,
fresh out of college I believe
president of the Dont Stomp out the
cows division of the society. She tried
to push me into one of the plumbers.
Starts a little chaos going, but you
know me.
I didn't go for that not one little bit
i say look baby i'll sing for you
and all that but just dont go pushing
me y 'hear" I understand
that they 're not gonna invite me back
cause they didn't like the say i came on
the master of ceremony; old lady, all
in all, I'm making it tho got a new song
against cigarette lighters, this matchbook
company offered me free matches for the
rest of my life, plus my picture on all the
match books.
but you know me, it'd take a helluva
lot more'n that before id sell out
see you around nomination time
your fellow rebel
kid tiger"

Dylan Tarantula

For anyone who considered Dylan's last two albums as a sell out, New Morning should restore faith, it's Dylan back with his same old force and power, and with a slightly different angle on things.

"Can't you hear that rooster crowing
Rabbit running down across the road
Underneath the bridge where the water flowed
So happy just to see your smile
Underneath this sky of blue
On this new Morning with you."

Bob Dylan - New Morning