Too Many Mornings

In an effort to balance out that last post, I'll talk about something that is probably of marginally more interest to people but still sort of galvanizing: Bob Dylan.

He's famous among his fans or rock fans or music fans or something for recording many (at times very) different versions of his songs, and I've had one of those songs that keeps popping up in his repertoire over the decades stuck in my head, so I thought I'd use that as an example. Here's the original, from The Times They Are A-Changin' (1964). It's got a nice simple melancholy to it, which is pretty much how most of the album feels. It's probably only his second best acoustic album, after The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, but still leagues better than Another Side, which is pretty weak in my opinion. This is probably one of the best tracks from the album, which says something for an album that contains THE LONESOME DEATH OF HATTIE CARROLL - a favorite track of IWU roommates.

Folk fans everywhere were saddened when Dylan abandoned this sound and started hanging out with the guys who would become The Band, but he didn't forget this number and mixed it up to fit their "thin, wild mercury" sound. You have to fast forward a bit to get to the song. I would have thought this would have been an easier version to find, since it is on The Bootleg Series, Vol. 4, but I guess not.

After the whole electric thing, he went back to recording acoustic stuff, famously making a short but sweet country album called Nashville Skyline, a favorite of Dan's if I recall correctly. While recording for that album, I believe, he ran into Johnny Cash, and they recorded duets of some of each of their songs as well as some others. This is one of them. It's got a very simple Johnny Cash sound to it, with Dylan using his country crooner voice. Not my favorite, but not terrible.

Just a few years later, we get a collaboration with another famous Dylan friend, George Harrison. I believe this was recorded around the time of New Morning, but I'm not sure. I kind of like it, but I've got a soft spot for that album. Overall it's not that good a version and seems highly out of character for the lyrics, but it's worth a listen, at least.

A few years later we get to painted face, cowboy hat wearing, going a bit crazy Rolling Thunder Revue Dylan, which is one of my favorite eras. This version is from Hard Rain, a live album much maligned for being listless and not as good as the first half of his tour with the RTR. I think that is part of the charm of it; the RTR was a big, energetic last push by Bob before he seems to have lost it all for a decade or so, and here we get to see Dylan rough around the edges, basically yelling into mic, breathing new life into the song.

Quite a far cry from this. Leather pants?

Alright, well, that's about it. You can dig up some more versions of it on YouTube if you want.

I Review a Movie I Have Not Seen

The Blind Side is terrible. My roommates are in love with it. I was so bored within the first fifteen minutes of it that I gave up and went to surf the internet instead. How did this movie succeed? It seems like it's just some sort of Hallmark Channel movie of the week. Does it make white people feel good about themselves, thinking that in the same situation they would do the same thing when they no doubt wouldn't? I don't get it.

Hidden Post

I had a new post, but it was rather lengthy, and due to extenuating circumstances, it didn't get done until after my last couple short posts. So, I put it up today, but I guess blogger puts things in order by when you start them, not when you finish them, so you'll have to scroll down if you want to get to it. WARNING: LOTS OF MATH.

Finally Done

To slow this blog's descent into nothingness, I thought I'd post an announcement that I finally finished my responsibilities for this quarter with a few hours of grading exams. It's very frustrating having to deal with people who lie to your face about turning things in that they didn't and people who cheat just cleverly enough not to get caught, and even worse, people who do both. Ah, well, good luck getting into med school with a C in what's basically a high school math course.

The weather was fantastic today, so after spending hours in a gray windowless office, I took the opportunity to read the internet and promptly fall asleep. Maybe I'll come up with something to put up to match Dan's bizarre short story-like post. Recombobulation indeed.

Update: Since apparently Sarah is in Milwaukee, she should be careful:

No Posts

I know I haven't posted anything in forever. I am working on that, but it is nearing the end of the quarter so it is unlikely I will have adequate time to type a bunch of stuff up because I am busy typing up other stuff when I do finally manage to figure it out. Also, grading. I just finished a marathon session of it and that was only half of the problems on half the exams. Fortunately I am only responsible for half the problems. Peace!!!!!!!