Author Archives: TonyAttwood

By Tony Attwood If there is one single song written by Bob Dylan that deserves an analysis of the lyrics and music together it is “Not Dark Yet,” because here Dylan uses a musical device to add to the mystery … Continue reading →

By Tony Attwood This is the second Randy Newman song in the series of Bob’s favourite songs – the first was Sail Away (there’s a link to all the previous articles at the foot of this piece). All Music contains … Continue reading →

by Larry Fyffe How Old The Tarantula Pilgrims on the way to NY meet up with a traveller who claims to be a Palaeontologist: (W)e sat in a room where Harold, who called himself ‘Lord of dead animals’, was climbing … Continue reading →

    Nashville Skyline Rag Nashville Skyline Rag (1969) part 1: “Do what you want to do” Nashville Skyline Rag (1969) part 2: Some of the names just didn’t seem to fit by Jochen Markhorst   III         The long-haired hippies … Continue reading →

An index to all the previous articles in this series can be found here. By Mike Johnson 2011 is a stand-out year in the history of Dylan’s live performances. It is a fitting climax to a five-year movement that began … Continue reading →

By Tony Attwood When I first heard the recording of Gates of Eden I felt it was a great, great song, and I fully appreciated the performance on the album.  But I thereafter always had this feeling that it was, … Continue reading →

by Aaron Galbraith and Tony Attwood Aaron: Early Morning Rain is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. The song appears on his 1966 debut album Lightfoot! Tony: It is amazing to hear the original version after all these years.  This … Continue reading →

Previously… How most analyses of Dylan’s songs mistake the essence of what the songs are by Tony Attwood Analyses of “Desolation Row” by and large focus on the lyrics.  And there are a lot of lyrics to analyse: 670 words … Continue reading →

  by Jochen Markhorst Nashville Skyline Rag (1969) part 1: “Do what you want to do” II          Some of the names just didn’t seem to fit On 9 April 2019, the trustees of the Al Clayton Photography estate post on … Continue reading →

  by Larry Fyffe Warren Zevon, a singer/singwriter greatly influenced by Bob Dylan. William Blakes’s “Marriage of Heaven and Hell” can be taken as a parody of Emanuel Swedenborg’s “Heaven And Hell”; in Blakean poetry, few are capable of escaping … Continue reading →

By Tony Attwood From what we know about Bob Dylan’s creativity in relation to the world of song writing, for him, songs just happen – they emerge as songs, and then are, as often as not, subject to change, sometimes … Continue reading →

By Tony Attwood This first version is by Dave & The Biscuit Rollers, a band whose style is known as “high-powered bluegrass music.”   And yes it is.  It’s a really fun mix of harmonies, excellent harmonies and just plain fun.  … Continue reading →

  A month ago, Jochen’s book on “Nashville Skyline” was released. In English, German and Dutch. It is available on Amazon: Nashville Skyline: Bob Dylan’s other type of music (The Songs Of Bob Dylan): Markhorst, Jochen: 9798377036241: Amazon.com: Books Here … Continue reading →

  Silvio is one of those songs Bob wrote with Robert Hunter, and performed with Grateful Dead – this recording comes from the year of the song’s release.  By my reckoning it is the 25th most played song by Dylan … Continue reading →

  by Larry Fyffe Oedipus “Tarantula” by Bob Dylan is a sludgy story that mixes fluid facts with flowing fictions. Of possible interpretations, there are many. Therein, for one example, be French Normans, led by William the Conqueror; their arrows … Continue reading →

by Aaron Galbraith and Tony Attwood Aaron: As I am going to be busy next week with a medical procedure, I thought I would put together a quick “Other people’s songs” for Tony to look at. So this time I … Continue reading →

    I’ve Made Up My Mind To Give Myself To You (2020) part 1 I’ve Made Up My Mind To Give Myself To You (2020) part 2 I’ve Made Up My Mind To Give Myself To You (2020) part … Continue reading →

By Tony Attwood We have already had one Warren Zevon song in this list of Dylan favourites: ‘Desperado Under the Eaves’,   And now it is time for a second: ‘Lawyers, Guns, and Money’.  And we do have several recordings of … Continue reading →

An index to all 111 previous episodes in this definitive series on the Never Ending Tour can be found here. By Mike Johnson (Kiwipoet) Some songs seem to have their peak years in terms of their live performances. Those are … Continue reading →

By Tony Attwood “I don’t know what it’s about,” said Bob, and that’s good enough for me.  I like poems and songs and abstract works of art that are not about anything.   After all why does art have to be … Continue reading →