Rough and Rowdy Ways: the preview

By mr tambourine

Finally.

A new album announced. June 19 is the day to wait for.   10 tracks, including “Murder Most Foul”, “I Contain Multitudes” and the newly released “False Prophet”.

Looks good to me.

My take so far on these three songs is – they’re all different. They don’t have anything similar. Which means we could expect a very well rounded album, with very different themes.

There are some similarities of course – the many similar references and some similar phrases here and there – but all in all, so far I’m very impressed.

I have already announced on multiple occasions that if Bob releases a new album this year, we need to be careful – ’cause it’s gonna be good. So far, I still stand by that.

Two songs have a lot of humor in them and very well could be Dylan playing with his own persona which we’re really not that used to – “I Contain Multitudes” and “False Prophet” – while the only other song so far released (and known) is “Murder Most Foul” – a sad song about a very tragic event.

So far , I have seen Bob reflecting on his entire career – “Murder Most Foul” lyrically resembles his material from his most famous sixties period, “I Contain Multitudes” musically is Bob writing his own “American standard” after three albums of mostly Sinatra covers and “False Prophet” musically is everything Bob Dylan was doing between Time Out Of Mind and Tempest, in fact, musically, it’s Time Out Of Mind 2.0 with some hint of Together Through Life.

I won’t talk about these songs yet. As singles they are good, but with Bob, it’s always about listening to the entire album and seeing how the story in the songs progresses. I think all three would be amazing live, but that’s not important now.

This is my preliminary review of the album.    I hope to write two more parts of it after this.

The next one, I will write after June 19. (What’s interesting to me, June 19 reminds me of Covid-19 for some reason…).

I recommend this album already, no matter what it turns out to be. We have seen many sides of Bob in just three songs. And these are just singles. The other 7 songs must be hiding something amazing as well. And knowing Bob, he’s gonna put the songs very well together.

The only negative review I can give so far is the cover. If it’s the cover around the internet surfacing… I don’t know what to say.

It kind of reminds me of Together Through Life and Bob’s official video for “Unbelievable”. Although, those two have some much brighter colors.

I really hope they give it a different cover than that. The cover that’s on the video of “False Prophet” is very interesting. It could’ve been similar to that.

But don’t mind me.

Bob is turning 79 soon.  I hope he lives to be a hundred, just like Allen Ginsberg said.

• False Prophet: the opening review; the meaning of life
• “Stay observant!” – Bob Dylan´s dirge for America
• Murder Most Foul: Teasing Meanings from Dylan’s song
• I contain multitudes – where does it start where do we end?

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