"...I Reach For
You..."
Recorded in haste in February and released April 1969 (he’d only 4 tunes when he started sessions apparently), Dylan's ninth studio album "Nashville Skyline" sort of stumbled out of the artistic blocks like a drunk in the early hours of the morning.
Ten short tunes (the CD runs to a paltry 27:13 minutes) one of which is a throwaway picker instrumental on Side 1 that could have been done by any Country fool to fill up shellac space - and you could be forgiven for thinking that in 2019 - this is yet another lightweight amble from the Bobster - here you go punters and screw you if you don't like it. But "Nashville Skyline" (photo of the same on the rear sleeve) is far from that – in fact I’d argue that the very brevity of NS is what makes it such a great listen – that and some of his most heartfelt and loveliest of tunes.
Following on from the Country-fied "John Wesley Harding" (issued December 1967) - 1969's "Nashville Skyline" seemed to be that album's more relaxed baby brother. Rock was everywhere, Blues Rock, Psych, early Prog and more – not that BD was listening. Indeed its known that Dylan contemplated calling it just that for a while - "John Wesley Harding II" - but sense prevailed. And with Johnny Cash's "At San Quentin" released just a few months later on 4 June 1969 and itself going to the unlikely No. 1 slot on both the Country and Rock charts – it seemed that Bob had been on the Musical Genre money all along.
But why do I love it so. Up alongside the monumental brilliance of "Bringing It All Back Home", the Nashville recorded double game-changer "Blonde On Blonde" and 1975's falling apart at the seems meisterwerk "Blood On The Tracks" - its the records easiness on the brain that makes me come back to it so much. And despite the gatefold slip of paper masquerading as an inlay (some nice colour period photos though) and zero discussion of the LP’s importance or even Johnny Cash’s involvement and poem on the rear sleeve dedicated to Dylan – this CD's upgraded audio made me fall in love with the album all over again.
"Nashville Skyline" is, and never has been, the audiophile recording of the century (many tracks are obviously done live in the studio and have intruding hiss) - but Greg Calbi's masterful transfer to SACD and CD is breathtaking - a genuine case of decades lifted and the beauty underneath allowed to shine. As I say – there is hiss – but the tunes are breathing – a fantastic warmth emanating off of each. These renditions are suddenly even more gorgeous and not weighed down by six to nine minutes of Dylan's Poet-God legend – their soothing nature is even more amplified. Our Bob is happy here, smiling on the cover, clutching George Harrison's guitar and sparring with the mighty Johnny Cash in the studio on their new cover of his "Freewheelin'..." classic "Girl From The North Country". He'd stopped smoking too and his voice was warmer and sexier for it. But it’s the plain and unadorned approach that thrills - songs sung with openness - devoid of endless showy rhyming couplets and slick production. Here Dylan is relaxed and damn it - happy. His crew too - beautifully following in from behind, filling in gaps with guitar licks, pedal steel, organ additions and other classily complimentary moments. Let's get to the Zim done good...
In the UK and Europe - there are two variants of the GREG CALBI REMASTER – the first is Columbia 512346 6 (Barcode 5099751234661) issued 15 September 2003 that is an SACD Hybrid Reissue in a card digipak. For those who don’t have SACD playback features on their machine – these Hybrid versions are playable on all players - standard CD players simply engaging the CD layer with the new Remaster. The second is the more common and still available standard Jewel Case reissue of 29 March 2004 on Columbia 512346 2 (Barcode 5099751234623). It has a gatefold slip of paper as an inlay (both have 27:13 minutes total playing time). The standard version can be purchased for under a fiver and is the one used in The Complete Albums Box Set too.
1. Girl From The North Country [Duet Vocals with Johnny Cash] - Side 1
2. Nashville Skyline Rag
3. To Be Alone With You
4. I Threw It All Away
5. Peggy Day
6. Lay Lady Lay - Side 2
7. One More Night
8. Tell Me That It Isn't True
9. Country Pie
10. Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You
Tracks 1 to 10 are his 9th studio album "Nashville Skyline" - released April 1969 in the USA on Columbia CS 9825 (Stereo Only) and May 1969 in the UK on CBS Records M BGP 63601 (Mono) and S BGP 63601 (Stereo) – only the STEREO MIX is used. The album peaked at No. 3 on the US LP charts, but hit No. 1 in the UK. It was also his last album issued in Mono in the UK but is NOT featured in "The Original Mono Recordings" Box Set of October 2010 probably because it was a false fold-down master – that Box Set ends with the Mono Mix of "John Wesley Harding" from 27 December 1967 (USA).
To the sound – the much-praised and sought-after Audio Engineer GREG CALBI has handled mastering old and new for the catalogues of Paul Simon, Paul McCartney, Supertramp, The Allman Brothers, KD Lang, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, James Taylor, Ryan Adams and his first band Whiskytown, Patti Smith, Jim White, Robert Gordon and many more – so he knows his way around a decent tape of two. A beautiful job done...
The album produced three 45s - April 1969 saw "I Threw It All Away" b/w "Drifter's Escape" (from "John Wesley Harding") on Columbia 4-44826 reach No. 85 in the USA (No. 30 in the UK) - July 1969 launched "Lay Lady Lay" b/w Peggy Day" on Columbia 4-44926 that smashed its way up to No. 7 and No. 5 on the US and UK charts respectively - and finally October 1969 produced "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You" b/w "Country Pie" on Columbia 4-45004 - its equally sensual feel giving it a No. 50 placing in the States. In fact the album's most famous song "Lay Lady Lay" nearly never made it as a 45; a song that was commissioned for John Schlesinger’s film Midnight Cowboy but didn’t make it because of deadlines (Nilsson nailed it anyway with his cover of Fred Neil’s "Everybody’s Talkin’") - Dylan famously felt "Lay Lady Lay" was not that good - nor representative of his sound. But Columbia’s resident talent-spotting genius Clive Davis begged to disagree and his commercial instinct of course turned out to be spot on - to a point where in 2019 - a Bob Dylan Anthology or Best Of without that song would seem bare and lesser for it and probably elicit howls of derision from fans worldwide.
"To Be Alone With You" has beautiful audio and one of the album's quiet masterpieces surely has to be "I Threw It All Away" - a low-key heartbreak all the way to the chair squeak as it quickly fades out at the end. "Peggy Day" too - revealing audio - while over on Side 2 Bob is as lonesome as he can be on "One More Night", a tune whose stroll had more than a musical nod melody-wise to his Country heroes Hank Williams and Johnny Cash (Charlie Daniels picking some fab guitar). Our hero is left spurned in "Tell Me That It Isn't True" when his girly holds the hand of some handsome no-good - offset by the jovial "Country Pie" with an organ sound that's straight out a Trojan Reggae session over in England. The album ends on a high - "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You" - a typical Dylan love song that has his heart in her hand while his free musician's foot is holding open the bedroom door.
Simple, touching, musical manna for the mangled soul - "Nashville Skyline" is a keeper and especially with audio like this for less than a packet of non-carcinogenic cigarettes (pleasurable but killer nonetheless)...
Ten short tunes (the CD runs to a paltry 27:13 minutes) one of which is a throwaway picker instrumental on Side 1 that could have been done by any Country fool to fill up shellac space - and you could be forgiven for thinking that in 2019 - this is yet another lightweight amble from the Bobster - here you go punters and screw you if you don't like it. But "Nashville Skyline" (photo of the same on the rear sleeve) is far from that – in fact I’d argue that the very brevity of NS is what makes it such a great listen – that and some of his most heartfelt and loveliest of tunes.
Following on from the Country-fied "John Wesley Harding" (issued December 1967) - 1969's "Nashville Skyline" seemed to be that album's more relaxed baby brother. Rock was everywhere, Blues Rock, Psych, early Prog and more – not that BD was listening. Indeed its known that Dylan contemplated calling it just that for a while - "John Wesley Harding II" - but sense prevailed. And with Johnny Cash's "At San Quentin" released just a few months later on 4 June 1969 and itself going to the unlikely No. 1 slot on both the Country and Rock charts – it seemed that Bob had been on the Musical Genre money all along.
But why do I love it so. Up alongside the monumental brilliance of "Bringing It All Back Home", the Nashville recorded double game-changer "Blonde On Blonde" and 1975's falling apart at the seems meisterwerk "Blood On The Tracks" - its the records easiness on the brain that makes me come back to it so much. And despite the gatefold slip of paper masquerading as an inlay (some nice colour period photos though) and zero discussion of the LP’s importance or even Johnny Cash’s involvement and poem on the rear sleeve dedicated to Dylan – this CD's upgraded audio made me fall in love with the album all over again.
"Nashville Skyline" is, and never has been, the audiophile recording of the century (many tracks are obviously done live in the studio and have intruding hiss) - but Greg Calbi's masterful transfer to SACD and CD is breathtaking - a genuine case of decades lifted and the beauty underneath allowed to shine. As I say – there is hiss – but the tunes are breathing – a fantastic warmth emanating off of each. These renditions are suddenly even more gorgeous and not weighed down by six to nine minutes of Dylan's Poet-God legend – their soothing nature is even more amplified. Our Bob is happy here, smiling on the cover, clutching George Harrison's guitar and sparring with the mighty Johnny Cash in the studio on their new cover of his "Freewheelin'..." classic "Girl From The North Country". He'd stopped smoking too and his voice was warmer and sexier for it. But it’s the plain and unadorned approach that thrills - songs sung with openness - devoid of endless showy rhyming couplets and slick production. Here Dylan is relaxed and damn it - happy. His crew too - beautifully following in from behind, filling in gaps with guitar licks, pedal steel, organ additions and other classily complimentary moments. Let's get to the Zim done good...
In the UK and Europe - there are two variants of the GREG CALBI REMASTER – the first is Columbia 512346 6 (Barcode 5099751234661) issued 15 September 2003 that is an SACD Hybrid Reissue in a card digipak. For those who don’t have SACD playback features on their machine – these Hybrid versions are playable on all players - standard CD players simply engaging the CD layer with the new Remaster. The second is the more common and still available standard Jewel Case reissue of 29 March 2004 on Columbia 512346 2 (Barcode 5099751234623). It has a gatefold slip of paper as an inlay (both have 27:13 minutes total playing time). The standard version can be purchased for under a fiver and is the one used in The Complete Albums Box Set too.
1. Girl From The North Country [Duet Vocals with Johnny Cash] - Side 1
2. Nashville Skyline Rag
3. To Be Alone With You
4. I Threw It All Away
5. Peggy Day
6. Lay Lady Lay - Side 2
7. One More Night
8. Tell Me That It Isn't True
9. Country Pie
10. Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You
Tracks 1 to 10 are his 9th studio album "Nashville Skyline" - released April 1969 in the USA on Columbia CS 9825 (Stereo Only) and May 1969 in the UK on CBS Records M BGP 63601 (Mono) and S BGP 63601 (Stereo) – only the STEREO MIX is used. The album peaked at No. 3 on the US LP charts, but hit No. 1 in the UK. It was also his last album issued in Mono in the UK but is NOT featured in "The Original Mono Recordings" Box Set of October 2010 probably because it was a false fold-down master – that Box Set ends with the Mono Mix of "John Wesley Harding" from 27 December 1967 (USA).
To the sound – the much-praised and sought-after Audio Engineer GREG CALBI has handled mastering old and new for the catalogues of Paul Simon, Paul McCartney, Supertramp, The Allman Brothers, KD Lang, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, James Taylor, Ryan Adams and his first band Whiskytown, Patti Smith, Jim White, Robert Gordon and many more – so he knows his way around a decent tape of two. A beautiful job done...
The album produced three 45s - April 1969 saw "I Threw It All Away" b/w "Drifter's Escape" (from "John Wesley Harding") on Columbia 4-44826 reach No. 85 in the USA (No. 30 in the UK) - July 1969 launched "Lay Lady Lay" b/w Peggy Day" on Columbia 4-44926 that smashed its way up to No. 7 and No. 5 on the US and UK charts respectively - and finally October 1969 produced "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You" b/w "Country Pie" on Columbia 4-45004 - its equally sensual feel giving it a No. 50 placing in the States. In fact the album's most famous song "Lay Lady Lay" nearly never made it as a 45; a song that was commissioned for John Schlesinger’s film Midnight Cowboy but didn’t make it because of deadlines (Nilsson nailed it anyway with his cover of Fred Neil’s "Everybody’s Talkin’") - Dylan famously felt "Lay Lady Lay" was not that good - nor representative of his sound. But Columbia’s resident talent-spotting genius Clive Davis begged to disagree and his commercial instinct of course turned out to be spot on - to a point where in 2019 - a Bob Dylan Anthology or Best Of without that song would seem bare and lesser for it and probably elicit howls of derision from fans worldwide.
"To Be Alone With You" has beautiful audio and one of the album's quiet masterpieces surely has to be "I Threw It All Away" - a low-key heartbreak all the way to the chair squeak as it quickly fades out at the end. "Peggy Day" too - revealing audio - while over on Side 2 Bob is as lonesome as he can be on "One More Night", a tune whose stroll had more than a musical nod melody-wise to his Country heroes Hank Williams and Johnny Cash (Charlie Daniels picking some fab guitar). Our hero is left spurned in "Tell Me That It Isn't True" when his girly holds the hand of some handsome no-good - offset by the jovial "Country Pie" with an organ sound that's straight out a Trojan Reggae session over in England. The album ends on a high - "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You" - a typical Dylan love song that has his heart in her hand while his free musician's foot is holding open the bedroom door.
Simple, touching, musical manna for the mangled soul - "Nashville Skyline" is a keeper and especially with audio like this for less than a packet of non-carcinogenic cigarettes (pleasurable but killer nonetheless)...
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