Author Archives: Tony Attwood

By Tony Attwood I ended my last commentary The songs got longer the form started to bend; we needed patience with the question how on earth has Dylan…. “…managed to persuade so many of us to listen to (and one … Continue reading →

  by Jochen Markhorst III         La petite morte Well, I ride on a mailtrain, baby / Can’t buy a thrill Well, I’ve been up all night / Leanin’ on the windowsill Well, if I die / On top of the … Continue reading →

Breaking down the rigidity of the popular song. Dylan in 1963 Bob Dylan, truth and fiction from 1963 to 1995. The Restless Farewell. Details of some of our other recent articles and series can be found on the home page … Continue reading →

  Bob Dylan, truth and fiction from 1963 to 1995. The Restless Farewell. Breaking down the rigidity of the popular song. Dylan in 1963 Why does Bob Dylan so often re-write the music of his songs? The songs Bob wrote … Continue reading →

  by Jochen Markhorst II          The Ghost of Casey Jones I been into the baggage room Where the engineer’s been tossed Steel guitarist Bill Schlotter acknowledges that Rod Morris (1919-1980) may not have been as great a musician or as … Continue reading →

  Publisher’s note: “It’s alright ma” is the third song to be considered in the “History in Performance” series.  A full index of the articles relating to “Mr Tambourine Man” and “Gates of Eden” appears at the end of this … Continue reading →

By Tony Attwood Western societies seem to me to have a mixed, not to say utterly confused view of truth and fiction. Parents tell children not to lie, but at the same time watch fictional tales on TV and maybe … Continue reading →

By Tony Attwood Author’s note: through my own lack of focus, caused by the postman knocking at my door, I published this article before I had made  the final adjustments.  The corrected version was published at 1140 GMT on 21 … Continue reading →

It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry (1965) part 1 by Jochen Markhorst I           Like I’d been hit by a tranquilizer bullet Well, I ride on a mailtrain, baby Can’t buy a thrill  DJ Dylan … Continue reading →

  By Tony Attwood If you are a regular reader of Untold Dylan, then first, thank you, I really do appreciate it.  And second, you will I am sure have noticed that while the contributions of those other writers who … Continue reading →

The songs Bob wrote and then ignored.  Ballad for a Friend and the issue of originality Dirt Road Blues and Too Much of Nothing The utterly brilliant Angelina, plus Maybe Someday, Under you spell The album title songs Dylan wrote … Continue reading →

Highlands (1997) part 4 (final) by Jochen Markhorst Part 1: Wild rose in the heather Part 2: You can hear the air around it Part 3: That long rambling talking thing IV         She studied the lines on my face      I’m in … Continue reading →

By Tony Attwood Previously in this series, which is becoming known (to me at least) as Dylan, the composer,  I’ve looked at… Blowing in the Wind and No More Aucion Block Bob Dylan’s Dream How the most subtle of musical changes gave … Continue reading →

  Part 1: Wild rose in the heather Part 2: You can hear the air around it by Jochen Markhorst III         That long rambling talking thing It is, of course, not that surprising, Henry Rollins being so moved by Time … Continue reading →

  By Tony Attwood Jakob Brønnum and Eyolf Østrem have examined refrains in their substack series and  I am of course a long way behind them, but hoping eventually to catch up – although trying to examine Dylan’s music from slightly different … Continue reading →

It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) – A History in Performance, Part 4: 1988 –  The darkness at the break of noon By Mike Johnson [I read somewhere once that if you wanted the very best, the acme of Dylan’s … Continue reading →

  By Tony Attwood This series looks as the way Bob Dylan evolved from being a man who would arrange older folk songs, and on occasion, take existing melodies and write his lyrics around them, into an extraordinarily effective composer … Continue reading →

Previously:  Highlands (1997) part 1: Wild rose in the heather Highlands part 2: You can hear the air around it by Jochen Markhorst “Probably the last time I bought a record that was just brilliant all the way through was … Continue reading →

  By Tony Attwood This series looks as the way Bob Dylan evolved from being a man who would arrange older folk songs, and on occasion, take existing melodies and write his lyrics around them, into an extraordinarily effective composer … Continue reading →

By Tony Attwood This series looks as the way Bob Dylan evolved from being a man who would take existing melodies and write his lyrics songs around them, to an extraordinarily effective composer of both lyrics and music. Previously in … Continue reading →