Hindustan Times

Subscribe to Download CentralNews FeedSubscribe to Download CentralComments

HT Home / Blogs Home > Download Central / Download Central / The Dylan Soul

The Dylan Soul



The first time I heard Jakob Dylan was in the mid-1990s when his band, The Wallflowers, released their breakthrough album, Bringing Down the Horse. I had bought a cassette that I played once on the long daily commute I used to do those days in Bombay and got immediately hooked to songs like 6th Avenue Heartache and Three Marlenas. My companion then and (usually) co-passenger also loved the album but I suspect that in her case Jakob Dylan’s looks also had something to do with her affection for his music.

Jakob Dylan

Jakob Dylan still looks good at the age of 40. His baritone voice has intimacy and softness, but lacks the roughness and edge of his father’s

Frankly, for most of us, whether you admit it or not, it had to do with the fact that Jakob was the son of Bob and when Bob’s son is the frontman of a band you jolly well go out and buy their album. Bringing Down The Horse, I believe, was a multi-platinum album, which meant it sold two million or more copies. Most of the 11 songs on the album were eminently listenable—somewhere between folk and rock with fairly intelligent lyrics. But nothing on it could hold you spellbound. Then, in 2000, The Wallflowers came out with (Breach), which got better reviews, I think, than Bringing Down The Horse did. I bought that one too. And played it in the car. My companion (yes, the same one) loved it. Perhaps it was because, unlike Bringing Down The Horse, which had some artwork and no photographs, the cover of (Breach) featured the handsome Jakob Dylan.

But The Wallflowers’ albums didn’t become my go-to albums. Soon, they got relegated to somewhere in the backwaters of my music collection, not sought after or missed much. Between 2000 and 2005, The Wallflowers came out with two new albums. I haven’t bought them. Neither have I heard them.

Neko Case

Singer-songwriter Neko Case (above) has collaborated with Dylan in his new album, Women and Country

So why did I buy Jakob Dylan’s new album, Women and Country? Well, one reason was that it is produced by the legendary T-Bone Burnett, who is not only known for his Midas’ touch but who also produced Bringing Down The Horse, which had first hooked me to Jakob Dylan’s music, albeit then as part of The Wallflowers. The second reason was that Women and Country had Dylan collaborating with singer-songwriters, Neko Case and Kelly Hogan. Neko Case, I’m a big fan of—whether she’s performing with the great Canadian band, The New Pornographers or is on her own. If you haven’t checked her out, you must get 2009’s Middle Cyclone or listen to the Pornographers’ albums. Kelly Hogan works in Neko Case’s band but is also a singer-songwriter of repute herself.

And, of course, there was Jakob Dylan himself. I wanted to give him another shot. As for the cover artwork of the album, there’s not only a photograph of Dylan but he’s on a white horse… with a girl. At 40, he’s still looking good. So, there were enough reasons to pick up the album. It didn’t disappoint. Dylan’s baritone voice has the same intimacy and softness that it had on Bringing Down The Horse. Case and Hogan, however, feature only as backing vocalists but they do make a big difference. The songs have mature lyrics and are about hardscrabble life in American small towns as well as about love and life. The only problem: Dylan, an L.A. native lacks the roughness or the edge that some of these songs seem to need. Here’s one blasphemously wicked thought I had: what if his father’s raspy voice replaced his on some of these? Would that have made for an even better record?

Three to Tango:

1. Jonesing for retro soul: Here are two more tracks from Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings.

2. Toadcast: A completely arbitrary podcast without a theme. But what fun!

3. Swan Fungus: Immense fun and so much new music nearly everyday.

Click here to follow Sanjoy Narayan on Twitter

Download PDF

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
Loading ... Loading ...

Posted by Sanjoy Narayan on Saturday, May 1, 2010 at 7:28 pm 
Filed under Download Central · Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

  · Comment (RSS) · Trackback
  • Wagged Roots

    You have devoted an entire article to Jakob Dylan and succeeded only on two fronts: firstly, the chronology of events– how you bought the first two albums by the wallflowers, missed out on a few in between, and then fortunately picked up the latest one by Jakob again (i.e. Women and Country); and secondly, how others relate to Jakob more than you yourself–in this regard an insipid account of your female co-passenger follows, who found Jakob but a pretty face and thus enjoyed listening to him on your car audio system. Apart from some other random production details, you very annoyingly draw parallels between Jakob and his father Bob Dylan … c’mon Sanjoy (!) didn’t your father teach you to write any better than this … now, how should that feel ?

    In the bargain Sanjoy, “his father’s son”, has missed out an entire opportunity to sincerely explore and express the feel and texture of Jakob’s music, in his own right, and without typecasting him as the son of the legendary Bob Dylan–something Jakob himself detests. To resurrect the Jakob who has only recently been made to bear the cross of his father’s genius, let me clarify that his (Jakob’s) virtuosity belongs to a totally different league, one starkly different from the “folk-poltico” orientation of Bob Dylan’s music. So to even begin to compare is silly. To wish for him to sound like his father, even if “blasphemously”, as you wish, is absurd (blasphemy is too regal a word). If Bob Dylan gave us music that made us critically appraise our social reality, then Jakob has given us melodies by which we can feel our human quintessence, being jostled about “6th Avenue” or lost in an “Invisible City” … in the attempt to be “Heroes”, in search of fulfilment in a run-down car with just “One Headlight”. All are highly acclaimed tracks, not something that is Blowing in his Father’s Wind.

    To many of us, who are hung over the nineties music phase, Jakob symbolises the first of those musicians that moved the images of rock music from ill-founded rebellion at the hands of over-sexed junkies, to one that could harbour persona, depth, grieving and love all at once. More than just a pretty face on album covers (particularly for female co-passengers), he was, and still is for us, that sentient who used music to woo us, to invite us into the depths of being, even if in the midst of our post-modern tribulations. Where else can beauty can be found. It is for this reason that Jakob’s isn’t a pretty face for its own sake, but for the music, his calling from within (something that is beyond your female co-passenger).

    My personal suggestion, at least where music is concerned, have people write about it only if they have cared to feel and explore a piece of music, feel it from within, for whatever it is worth. Details abound, but the feel, the soul is missing in what you have written.

    Wagged Roots

    [Reply]

    Sanjoy Narayan Reply:
    May 11th, 2010 at 2:50 pm

    Hi Wagged Roots (nice nick, by the way)
    Thanks for your comment. I re-read my post to see where I’d compared Jakob and Bob. Apart from “blasphemously” comparing voices–the rasp versus the baritone–haven’t really done that :) . But thanks for your opinion.

    [Reply]

  • Anonymous

    how much did congress paid you for this ??

    [Reply]

  • Danks

    Congress, replace Modi with Manmohanha

    [Reply]

  • Danks

    Congress is paranoid now.

    [Reply]

  • http://twitter.com/attorneymsood Mohit Sood

    stage is set for poll battle between Rahul and Narender Modi, and people of India, I hope must give chance to good Administrator for good governance in India also. Let wait and watch. whether fast ke Ladoo become shadi ke ladoo also. Politics in India is the mixture of drama and christma. Christ is with west and ma is with east. even in compilation of this word also.

    [Reply]

  • MAHESWAR DEKA

    let the Indian voters decide the future P.M of India.

    [Reply]

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/AAJ3NAS2NZ6FHWY2AQVO2VEKB4 Rajiv Gsk

    TOO GOOD, THE BEST IS SUSHMA AND GADKARI FEELING LEFT OUT

    [Reply]

  • KG

    Mr. Shreyas, you are really too good and my favorite.

    [Reply]

  • GhT

    The real picture of BJP2014. They are definately going to crashhhh in 2014 as in 2009.

    [Reply]

    Tilu Dabaiwal Reply:
    September 18th, 2011 at 6:12 pm

    I am not talking about the past. But in present circumstance as per the situation of India, all the surrounding countries runs by military or Sami military. Now we are surrounding by snakes which are dangerous for our country as well as our civilians. We should also change the strategy of run our government. In India usually our defense minister and home minister is ordinary civilian. They have no past experience of civil defense, security and defence. These both ministries are very important for the nation. If both ministry worked perfectly. The nation will be very strong and robust. These minister should be non- politically and appointments on the basis of qualification and experience, like Defense Minister should be from Military school and have at least 15-20 years of regular army experience. And same with home minister also the candidate should be from Police College and have 15-20 years of police experience. By this way we can run our country in a very nice way. And we can save lot of money and life of our civilians and military personnels.

    [Reply]

  • Vicky

    good ….. it is real fact….. if u want to do something then plz Mr Narendra Modi ji .. give them the real justice…. punish the culprits …. go to them those who r real suffered…. those who r standing to protest u….

    [Reply]

  • Guest

    Where’s the blood, I mean T Ketchup, here?

    [Reply]

  • Shiuli

    Would like to see the kudos of your paint and brush to depict the Indian plight with reservation on the basis of religion. Which Congress seems to exercise in full swing, capturing minority votes this coming election.

    [Reply]

  • Anonymous

    Pretty childish explanation as to the causes of religious extreemism.
    A country or its citizens not at ease with itself , HAVE NOTHING TO SHOW TO THE WORLD, being kicked around , will resort to religious FANATICISM , this is MORE A DEFENCE MECHANISM.
    Also like in dictatorship , if there is only ONE VERSION allowed , then brain washing isn’t difficult

    [Reply]

  • Anonymous

    Pretty childish explanation as to the causes of religious extreemism.
    A country or its citizens not at ease with itself , HAVE NOTHING TO SHOW TO THE WORLD, being kicked around , will resort to religious FANATICISM , this is MORE A DEFENCE MECHANISM.
    Also like in dictatorship , if there is only ONE VERSION allowed , then brain washing isn’t difficult

    [Reply]

  • Plumbline

    Isaiah 1:18……..
    “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.

    [Reply]

  • Rara

    So, in a democracy will you allow hate crime, or pedophilia, or people to drive without licences or piss on their neighbour’s lawn? Buddy, dont be blind stenographer of the West. Your forefathers were colonized once and that is why people like you – all things western worshippers – are still born in india. At least the westerners arrived at their ideals after some thinking and seeing how it applies to their countries. People like you just copy them and do no thinking of their own.

    [Reply]