Bob Dylan's "John Wesley Harding" and "Nashville Skyline" - what's the background?

[Taverner]

They seem a hard departure from his past (Blonde on Blonde) and his future (Self Portrait)

Can someone explain?

[fishwax]

1. John Wesley Harding followed a 19-month hiatus that included the nearly-fatal motorcycle accident

Before that Dylan had recorded at a fierce pace. The three albums prior (Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited, and Blonde on Blonde) came out within a span of about 16 months. So a 19-month layoff was huge. He recorded some during that time (especially the stuff with the Hawks that would be released as The Basement Tapes), but nothing that was intended to be released publicly as a record.

Dylan never liked to be pinned down to one space musically, as evidenced by the hard-fought departure from his earlier acoustic days to electric music just a few years before. So stripping that new sound down and feeling out more of the Nashville influences (which were also present on Blonde on Blonde, though not as pronounced since Dylan was still new to Nashville at the time). I think there's plenty of continuity between Nashville Skyline and Self Portrait, though--a lot of his vocal style is similar, and he melds some his more recent country stylings with the process of reinterpretation of the work of others that marked his very early career.

[Taverner]

2. Makes perfect sense

I like 'Self Portrait' personally

He does both the 'sand and glue' and the 'smoky bob hope' styles.

[solara]

3. Very informative and interesting, thank you

:hi:

[lovemydog]

4. also he got married and had kids

and was tired of all the psychedelic one-upsmanship going on in mainstream rock music. So he went back to basics. This helped launch a whole country rock movement, Flying Burrito Brothers, the Byrds, the Band, the Mamas and the Poppas and many more. Eric Clapton quit Cream after hearing the first Band album. The Beatles did the Get Back project (later titled Let It Be). Dylan was pretty tired of the self indulgence of much of the hippie movement. Especially the ones who invaded the Woodstock area for that festival. A few hippies even invaded his home and tried sleeping in his bed. That really infuriated him. He writes about it in Chronicles Volume 1. Which is a fascinating read.

[Taverner]

5. That would piss me off if hippies invaded my home

Brings a little clarity on one of his quotes: "Just because you like my music doesn't mean I owe you anything."

[lovemydog]

6. Yeah, me too

He describes it well in Chronicles.

Pete Townsend describes the same type thing at his home in England in a documentary movie. I think it was The Kids are All Right.

They were both really pissed off. They talk about how they wanted to protect their families.

[Taverner]

7. It happened to Paul McCartney too afterwhich he wrote...

She Came in through the Window

[lovemydog]

8. haha!

:toast:

[mattvermont]

10. Bathroom window..right?

And where are the next volumes of the wonderful trilogy "Chronicles"?
It was a great read, and others were soon to follow.......nothing.

[Taverner]

11. Actually it was 'she came in through the window function

:)

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

9. That reminds me of the Leon Russell song.

"If the shoe fits" :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI_u_xuMmEc