Category Archives: Uncategorized

  “What they do with Dylan songs”: a request for examples Is there anyone else who can write songs in such a variety of styles as Bob? By Tony Attwood It is inevitable that when most of us write about … Continue reading →

  By Tony Attwood I have on occasion come across cover versions of songs written by Bob Dylan and I find myself thinking, “how on earth did the performer (or perhaps arranger) get from Bob’s original song to this cover … Continue reading →

  The times they are a changing – both then and now. Sixty years of staying up past the dawn. By Tony Attwood When I first heard Bob Dylan, when I ws a teenager, I didn’t think “I wonder what … Continue reading →

  Sixty years of staying up past the dawn. By Tony Attwood Here is a thought: how interesting today, is a 1960s commentary made by Bob Dylan about the future? Now I come at that question through a whole range … Continue reading →

  By Tony Attwood I came across some recordings of Chris Smither – of whom we’ve alrady done a review – which of course like most (although not all) of  our articles are still up here on the website. And … Continue reading →

by Jochen Markhorst VIII      “I can only hope I can be as influential” Hush li’l children, you’ll soon understand The Beatles are coming they’re gonna hold your hand Slide down the bannister, go get your coat Ferry ‘cross the Mersey … Continue reading →

  By Tony Attwood On the recently released Bob Dylan collection there is San Francisco Bay Blues (Informal Recording, Minneapolis, MN, 1960) There is also an entertaining recording by Peter Paul and Mary available on the internet, which hopefully will turn … Continue reading →

  By Tony Attwood Foreword: this piece starts yet again with Tell old Bill, but I promise you, it isn’t about that song.   Honest.  That’s just the starter. ————- In the past on this site I speculated on “The greatest … Continue reading →

Recent Posts What’s the best song Dylan wrote but never released on an album? When times are a changing – all we can do is just move on It’s not the meaning of Dylan’s lyrics that is important…. By Tony … Continue reading →

  By Tony Attwood We were debating the songs that Dylan has written or maybe just recorded but not composed, but then never played in concert, and tried to come up with sensible answers of the tracks we really wanted … Continue reading →

    Recent Posts It’s not the meaning of Dylan’s lyrics that is important…. Murder Most Foul part 7: And now and then a white elephant Dylan’s Dissociative Identity Disorder and the psychology of lost love By Tony Attwood To … Continue reading →

  By Tony Attwood In case you wish to go back further over this issue…. previously in this series on Bob’s “Dissociative Identity Disorder” I’ve offered…. “I don’t know who I am most of the time. It doesn’t even matter … Continue reading →

by Jochen Markhorst VII       And now and then a white elephant  It does have something of the opening scene in A Serious Man, the somewhat unjustly overlooked Kafkaesque film by the Coen Brothers from 2009. We are somewhere in the … Continue reading →

    The previous articles in this series are listed at the end of this article.  For indexes to the main series on Dylan’s compositions through the years please see the links under the setting (or is that rising?) sun … Continue reading →

    What Would Ramblin’ Gambling Willie Play If He Was a Real Character? Bob Dylan’s “Ramblin’ Gambling Willie” gives us a pretty good idea of the sort of gambler Willie is. He’s everywhere. White House, railroad yards, riverboats, wherever … Continue reading →

  Explore 2026 research on why gambling and luck songs resonate across generations. Discover the psychology behind risk and the enduring appeal of chance-themed music. The Psychology of Risk: Why Songs About Gambling and Luck Resonate Across Generations Bob Dylan … Continue reading →

By Tony Attwood Previously in this series… “I don’t know who I am most of the time. It doesn’t even matter to me”. I don’t know where I am going, nor what it will look like Bob Dylan and the … Continue reading →

by Jochen Markhorst VI        They all jumped out of a rotten potato Greatest magic trick ever under the sun Perfectly executed, skillfully done Wolfman, oh wolfman, oh wolfman, howl Rub a dub dub – it’s murder most foul  Boris Karloff … Continue reading →

  By Tony Attwood So far in this series… “I don’t know who I am most of the time. It doesn’t even matter to me”. I don’t know where I am going, nor what it will look like Bob Dylan … Continue reading →

  Bob Dylan turned 83 last May, yet his fingerprints remain all over contemporary music. Walk into any rehearsal room in London or Nashville, and you’ll likely find someone attempting to decode his lyrical puzzles or emulate that nasal drawl. … Continue reading →