FWIW I have recently bought the Bootleg Series releases Trouble No More and Springtime in New York, covering Slow Train… through to Empire Burlesque. Having spent all my life deriding that period of his work, I find myself now revelling in it. (As represented on these two records, anyway. I’ve no desire to buy any of the original albums.)
Some years ago I discovered Melville’s “Las Encantadas”, a lengthy poem inspired by his sailing visit to the Galápagos Islands. As a biologist with a deep interest in the arts, and having been to the great islands, I wondered about that disaffection, or crisis of faith. After all, Darwin was well known by 1854, and, it turned out, Melville had a copy of The Voyage of the Beagle in his library. No one knows if he’d read it but reactions to the last chapter of the “Beagle” hints at Darwin’s emerging Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection and the absence of a divine plan for creation. “Las Encantadas” reads like a proto-existential cri de coeur for someone who wonders why God would make such a forbidding, hostile land full of strange, fearless animals. Darwin of course overturned the comforts of thousands. Still does, only now it’s millions.
DH Lawrence, huh? I told you everyone has their odd figure they filter him through. If I ever write my Dylan appraisal, it'll probably be Blake.
I probably have the most affection for the 67-74 stuff even though I wouldn't be so foolish as to try and say it's better than Highway 61/Blonde on Blonde. I didn't like him that much for a long time until I got into Nashville Skyline which sort of made everything else click. I guess I understand hating on Self Portrait when you had to spend hard earned money on a record and you got one with a bunch of goofing around, but in the streaming era I'm often more likely to put on a hangout record than a masterpiece. Infidels is a really great 80s record imo, except for one song...you can probably guess which...
Disagree that the standards albums are a novelty! Though I'll concede the Christmas one.
I saw him and Willie Nelson at the Hollywood bowl last year and the contrast was so funny. Willie even at 91 the consummate entertainer, giving the crowd everything they want vs Bob in a puffy shirt doing unrecognizable arrangements of his hits and Chuck Berry and Grateful Dead covers. Both iconic in their own way though.
Clarel seems completely unreadable to me tbh, but would definitely watch you make a go of it!
Deep into Norman O Brown in maybe his last published Apocalypse or Revelation book. He does one of his series of aphorisms taken from the eternal verities of poets and specially classical poets in which the great thing is to leave the beloved woman free of the obligation to labor sexually anymore. The context is Woman seen as the ravished Daphne turned in to a tree. Pound is his modern source for a useful animism that obeys those metaphors about a friendly Nature , who you donot burden with your male macho manipulations. Sexy stuff about non attachment.
Melville's crisis in faith reminds me of some of today's dynamics though in a more secular form
FWIW I have recently bought the Bootleg Series releases Trouble No More and Springtime in New York, covering Slow Train… through to Empire Burlesque. Having spent all my life deriding that period of his work, I find myself now revelling in it. (As represented on these two records, anyway. I’ve no desire to buy any of the original albums.)
I’ll have to check that out! Thanks!
Some years ago I discovered Melville’s “Las Encantadas”, a lengthy poem inspired by his sailing visit to the Galápagos Islands. As a biologist with a deep interest in the arts, and having been to the great islands, I wondered about that disaffection, or crisis of faith. After all, Darwin was well known by 1854, and, it turned out, Melville had a copy of The Voyage of the Beagle in his library. No one knows if he’d read it but reactions to the last chapter of the “Beagle” hints at Darwin’s emerging Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection and the absence of a divine plan for creation. “Las Encantadas” reads like a proto-existential cri de coeur for someone who wonders why God would make such a forbidding, hostile land full of strange, fearless animals. Darwin of course overturned the comforts of thousands. Still does, only now it’s millions.
DH Lawrence, huh? I told you everyone has their odd figure they filter him through. If I ever write my Dylan appraisal, it'll probably be Blake.
I probably have the most affection for the 67-74 stuff even though I wouldn't be so foolish as to try and say it's better than Highway 61/Blonde on Blonde. I didn't like him that much for a long time until I got into Nashville Skyline which sort of made everything else click. I guess I understand hating on Self Portrait when you had to spend hard earned money on a record and you got one with a bunch of goofing around, but in the streaming era I'm often more likely to put on a hangout record than a masterpiece. Infidels is a really great 80s record imo, except for one song...you can probably guess which...
Disagree that the standards albums are a novelty! Though I'll concede the Christmas one.
I saw him and Willie Nelson at the Hollywood bowl last year and the contrast was so funny. Willie even at 91 the consummate entertainer, giving the crowd everything they want vs Bob in a puffy shirt doing unrecognizable arrangements of his hits and Chuck Berry and Grateful Dead covers. Both iconic in their own way though.
Clarel seems completely unreadable to me tbh, but would definitely watch you make a go of it!
Deep into Norman O Brown in maybe his last published Apocalypse or Revelation book. He does one of his series of aphorisms taken from the eternal verities of poets and specially classical poets in which the great thing is to leave the beloved woman free of the obligation to labor sexually anymore. The context is Woman seen as the ravished Daphne turned in to a tree. Pound is his modern source for a useful animism that obeys those metaphors about a friendly Nature , who you donot burden with your male macho manipulations. Sexy stuff about non attachment.