Modern Times (Bob Dylan album)

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Modern Times
Modern Times cover
Studio album by Bob Dylan
Released August 29, 2006
Recorded February 2006
Genre Folk rock, Blues, Country, Rock
Length 63:04
Label Columbia
Producer Bob Dylan (as Jack Frost)
Professional reviews
Bob Dylan chronology
Live at The Gaslight 1962
(2005)		 Modern Times
(2006)		 Dylan
(2007)

Modern Times is Bob Dylan's 32nd studio album, released on August 29, 2006 by Sony BMG. The album was Dylan's third straight (following Time out of Mind and "Love and Theft") to be met with nearly universal praise from fans and critics. It continued its predecessors' tendencies toward blues, rockabilly and pre-rock balladry, and was self-produced by Dylan under the pseudonym "Jack Frost". Along with the acclaim, the album sparked some debate over its uncredited use of choruses and arrangements from older songs, as well as many lyrical lines taken from the work of 19th century poet Henry Timrod.

Modern Times became the singer-songwriter's first #1 album in the U.S. since 1976's Desire. At age 65, Dylan became the oldest living person at the time to have an album enter the Billboard charts at number one[1] (Neil Diamond has since earned the title). It also reached #1 in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Denmark, Norway and Switzerland, debuted #2 in Germany, Austria and Sweden. It reached #3 in the UK and The Netherlands and has sold over 4 million copies worldwide. As with its two studio predecessors, the album's packaging features minimal credits and no lyric sheet.

Contents

[edit] Promotion

The album was TV advertised (a rarity for a non-compilation Dylan album) in the U.S. and UK, in conjunction with Apple's iTunes.

[edit] Band and production

The album was recorded with Dylan's current touring band, including bassist Tony Garnier, drummer George G Receli, guitarists Stu Kimball and Denny Freeman, plus multi-instrumentalist Donnie Herron. Dylan produced the album under the name "Jack Frost".

Early rehearsals were held in late January and early February 2006 at the Bardavon 1869 Opera House in Poughkeepsie, New York. Days after the rehearsals, recording sessions were held at Clinton Studios in Manhattan where the album was recorded digitally in roughly three weeks.[citation needed]

[edit] "Trilogy"?

While it has been marketed as the third in a conceptual trilogy, beginning in 1997 with Time Out of Mind, Dylan himself has rebuffed that notion; in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, he stated that he "would think more of Love and Theft as the beginning of a trilogy, if there's going to be a trilogy."[2] In several other moments in the piece, however, Dylan cast doubts on whether he will record another studio album.

[edit] Anticipation

Dylan's historical stature, as well as his renewed critical acclaim following Time Out of Mind (1997) and "Love and Theft" (2001), helped to make Modern Times a highly anticipated release. As with Theft in 2001, Sony held a listening event for critics far in advance, but those invited were forbidden from disclosing details or opinions about what they heard prior to the official release.

Modern Times was leaked online through various BitTorrent and Dylan fan websites on August 21, 2006 after 30 second sound clips were released on the official Sony website. The album was first released in some European countries (including Germany and Ireland) on August 25, in the UK on August 28 and premiered in the U.S. on August 28 on XM Satellite Radio, a satellite radio service which already broadcasts a radio program hosted by Dylan.

[edit] Critical reaction

The response from critics was overwhelmingly positive. The publications Rolling Stone and UNCUT both crowned Modern Times with five-out-of-five stars. Rolling Stone critic Joe Levy called the album Dylan's "third straight masterwork". Robert Christgau of Blender described it as "startling [and radiating] the observant calm of old masters who have seen enough life to be ready for anything -- Yeats, Matisse, Sonny Rollins". Jody Rosen of the online magazine Slate concurred, calling Modern Times "a better album than Time Out of Mind and even than the majestic Love and Theft, which by my lights makes it Dylan's finest since Blood on the Tracks". The album was also credited for original blues and folk rock music which was said to be, "hard to hear these days" by critics.[3]

Alexis Petridis in The Guardian ridiculed the lavish praise heaped on the album and wrote: "It's hard to hear the music of Modern Times over the inevitable standing ovation and the thuds of middle-aged critics swooning in awe." While enjoying the record, Petridis said Modern Times was "not one of those infrequent, unequivocally fantastic Dylan albums".[4] Jim DeRogatis of The Chicago Sun-Times appreciated the lyrical content but found fault in the languid music, writing that "with the exception of the closing track 'Ain't Talkin', one of the spookiest songs he's ever written, Dylan disappoints with...[his] inexplicable fondness for smarmy '30s and '40s balladry".[5]

Perhaps the sourest review came from Ron Rosenbaum. Writing in the New York Observer, Rosenbaum called Modern Times, “a wildly overhyped disappointment... The new album is possibly the worst since Self Portrait, with songs that rarely rise above the level of Dylan’s low point - and everybody seems afraid to say so."[6]

Some reviewers who liked the album were critical of its musicianship, such as The Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot,[7] and Jon Pareles of The New York Times, who wrote that "onstage Mr. Dylan’s touring band regularly supercharges his songs. But on Modern Times the musicians play as if they’re just feeling their way into the tunes."[8]

According to Metacritic, a site that tracks prominent critical opinion, Modern Times' approval rating hovers around 89%.

The album also became Dylan's third successive album to top the Village Voice's 'Pazz And Jop' poll. "Love and Theft" and Time Out of Mind won in 2001 and 1997 respectively.

[edit] 49th Annual Grammy Awards, 2007

  • Bob Dylan won a Grammy Award for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance for the song, "Someday Baby".
  • Modern Times won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album. At the end of 2006 Bob Dylan's Modern Times Album had sold over 10.3 million worldwide.

[edit] Credit controversy

Shortly after its release, the album sparked some debate in the media concerning its songwriting credits - mainly the liner notes' contention of "All songs written by Bob Dylan", which appears in most editions of Modern Times.

[edit] Adaptations

Many of the album's songs have roots in well-known older compositions. In all cases, Dylan has at least given the songs new verse lyrics.

  • "Someday Baby" is based on an old standard that can be traced back to "Worried Life Blues", recorded by Sleepy John Estes, and made famous in versions by Lightnin' Hopkins and Muddy Waters. It is sometimes referred to as "Trouble No More", and often credited to Muddy Waters.
  • "Rollin' and Tumblin'" is an old blues standard first recorded by, and possibly written by the bluesman Hambone Willie Newbern. An arrangement very similar to Dylan's but with different lyrics was a hit for Muddy Waters.
  • "Beyond the Horizon" is based around the song "Red Sails in the Sunset," written by Jimmy Kennedy and Hugh Williams in 1935 using its melody and basic structure.
  • "Nettie Moore" takes its title, and some of its chorus, from an 1857 composition "Gentle Nettie Moore" by Marshall Pike and James Lord Pierpont, the composer of "Jingle Bells", though Dylan's melody and lyrics are otherwise unrecognizable, although the song shares a rhyme with "Moonshiner", a traditional folk song that Dylan recorded in 1963: "They say whiskey will kill ya, but I don't think it will" vs. "If whiskey don't kill me, I don't know what will."
  • "Ain't Talkin'" derives its chorus from the more up-tempo "Highway of Regret" by The Stanley Brothers. The lyrics of the first verse seem to be derived from the first verse of "As I roved out", a traditional Irish song, performed by, amongst others, Planxty. There are a number of songs that begin "As I roved out" and what follows is usually a flight of fancy or dream-like journey.

None of these previous incarnations or their authors are credited, though Dylan has casually acknowledged some of the uses - in a 2004 Newsweek online feature, Dylan mentioned that he was working on a song based on a Bing Crosby melody, now known to be "When The Deal Goes Down".[11]

It is also of note that Dylan has a history of being very open about his songwriting techniques, and his useage of older classics. For instance in an interview with Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times in 2004, Dylan stated,

"Well, you have to understand that I'm not a melodist... My songs are either based on old Protestant hymns or Carter Family songs or variations of the blues form. What happens is, I'll take a song I know and simply start playing it in my head. That's the way I meditate. A lot of people will look at a crack on the wall and meditate, or count sheep or angels or money or something, and it's a proven fact that it'll help them relax. I don't meditate on any of that stuff. I meditate on a song. I'll be playing Bob Nolan's "Tumbling Tumbleweeds," for instance, in my head constantly – while I'm driving a car or talking to a person or sitting around or whatever. People will think they are talking to me and I'm talking back, but I'm not. I'm listening to a song in my head. At a certain point, some words will change and I'll start writing a song."

In the same interview Dylan added,

"(Blowin' In The Wind) ... I wrote in 10 minutes, just put words to an old spiritual, probably something I learned from Carter Family records. That's the folk music tradition. You use what's been handed down. 'The Times They Are A-Changin' is probably from an old Scottish folk song... (Subterranean Homesick Blues)... it's from Chuck Berry, a bit of, and some of the scat songs of the '40s." #REDIRECT [1] '

The lack of official credits is not a legal problem, given the age of the songs, but it troubled journalist Jim Fusilli of the Wall Street Journal. Fusilli thought that this was contrary to Dylan's long track record of noting his influences, as in the liner notes of 1994's World Gone Wrong.[12] Joe Levy of Rolling Stone claimed to have raised the question with Sony BMG executives, who shrugged it off as a non-issue.

Levy and many others have supported Dylan in the context of a larger, older blues and folk tradition of songwriters evolving old songs into new ones, which Dylan was no stranger to in the 1960s. Pete Seeger himself has previously expressed the view that Dylan is a link in this chain of folk and blues song writers. Seeger has spoken many times about the folk process, often recounting that his friend Woody Guthrie once said to him "That guy stole that from me, but I steal from everybody".

Ramblin' Jack has also expressed similar sentiments in the past, "Dylan learned from me the same way I learned from Woody. Woody didn't teach me. He just said, 'If you want to learn something, just steal it - that's the way I learned from Lead Belly'".

[edit] Henry Timrod lyrics

In September 2006, The New York Times ran an article exploring similarities between some of the lyrics in Modern Times and the work of 19th century poet Henry Timrod. Albuquerque disc jockey Scott Warmuth is credited as the first to discover at least ten substantial lines and phrases that can be clearly traced to the civil war poet, across several songs. Dylan and Sony have declined to comment on the matter, and Timrod's name is nowhere to be found on the liner notes.[13].[14][15]

Robert Polito of the Poetry Foundation wrote a detailed defense of Dylan's usage of old lines in creating new work, saying that calls of plagiarism confuse "art with a term paper".[16]

[edit] Ovid lyrics

 This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please improve this article if you can. (May 2008)

In October 2006 the Nelson Mail ran an article by New Zealand poet Cliff Fell exploring similarities between some of the lyrics in Modern Times and the works of the first century Roman poet Ovid, specifically the Peter Green translation of Epistulae ex Ponto (Letters from the Black Sea).

Fell noted:

Bob Dylan - "Working Man's Blues #2" - "No one can ever claim/That I took up arms against you"

Ovid - Tristia, Book 2, Lines 51-53 - "no one can claim that I ever took up arms against you"

Bob Dylan - "Workingman's Blues #2" - "To lead me off in a cheerful dance"

Tristia, Book 5, Section 12, Line 8 - "or Niobe, bereaved, lead off some cheerful dance"

Bob Dylan - "Workingman's Blues #2" - "Tell me now, am I wrong in thinking/That you have forgotten me?"

Ovid - Tristia, Book 5, Section 13, Line 18 - "that I'm wrong in thinking you have forgotten me!"

Bob Dylan - "Workingman's Blues #2" - "You are dearer to me than myself/As you yourself can see"

Ovid - Tristia, Book 5, Section 14, Line 2 - "wife, dearer to me than myself, you yourself can see"

Albuquerque disc jockey Scott Warmuth added further findings:

Bob Dylan "Ain't Talkin'" - "Every nook and cranny has its tears"

Ovid - Tristia, Book 1, Section 3, Line 24 - "every nook and corner had its tears"

Bob Dylan - "Ain't Talkin'" - "all my loyal and my much-loved companions"

Ovid - Tristia, Book 1, Section 3, Line 65 - "loyal and much loved companions, bonded in brotherhood"

Bob Dylan - "Ain't Talkin'" - "I'll make the most of one last extra hour"

Ovid - Tristia, Book 1, Section 3, Line 68 - "let me make the most of one last extra hour"

Bob Dylan - "Workingman's Blues #2" - "My cruel weapons have been put on the shelf"

Bob Dylan Ovid - Tristia, Book 2, Section 1, Line 179 - "Show mercy, I beg you, shelve your cruel weapons"

Bob Dylan - "The Levee's Gonna Break" - "Some people got barely enough skin to cover their bones"

Ovid - Tristia, Book 4, Section 7, Line 51 - "there's barely enough skin to cover my bones"

Bob Dylan - "Ain't Talkin'" - "I practice a faith that's been long abandoned"

Ovid - Tristia, Book 5, Section 7, Lines 63-64 - "I practice terms long abandoned"

Bob Dylan - "Ain't Talkin'" - "They will tear your mind away from contemplation"

Ovid - Tristia, Book 5, Section 7, Line 66 - "tear my mind from the contemplation of my woes"

Bob Dylan - "Ain't Talkin'" - "In the last outback at the world's end"

Ovid - Black Sea Letters, Book 2, Part 7, Line 66 "I'm in the last outback, at the world's end"

Bob Dylan - "Ain't Talkin" - "They approve of me and share my code"

Ovid - Black Sea Letters, Book 3, Part 2, Line 38 - "who approve, and share, your code"

Harvard professor Richard F. Thomas did a thorough exploration of Dylan's interest in Ovid in his essay "The Streets of Rome: The Classical Dylan" which appeared in the journal Oral Tradition and added a few more similarities:

Bob Dylan, “Ain’t Talkin’” Who says I can’t get heavenly aid?

Ovid, Tristia 1.2.12-13 Who says I can’t get heavenly aid when a god’s angry with me?

Bob Dylan, “Spirit on the Water” I want to be with you any way I can.

Ovid, Tristia 5.1.80 I want to be with you any way I can.

Bob Dylan, “Ain’t Talkin’” They will jump on your misfortune when you’re down

Ovid, Tristia 5.8.3-5 Why jump / on misfortunes that you may well suffer yourself? / I’m down.

Bob Dylan, “Workingman’s Blues #2” Now the place is ringed with countless foes.

Ovid, Tristia 5.12.19-20 I’m barred from relaxation / in a place ringed by countless foes.

Bob Dylan, “Spirit on the Water” Can’t believe these things would ever fade from your mind.

Ovid, Black Sea Letters 2.4.24 I cannot believe these things could fade from your mind.

Bob Dylan, “Workingman’s Blues #2” Them I will forget / But you I’ll remember always

Ovid, Black Sea Letters 4.6.42-3 Them I’ll forget, / but you I’ll remember always

[edit] Workingman's Blues

The track has a soft lazy blues style in keeping with other tracks on the album. In particular it has a similar sound to the generally well regarded track When The Deal Goes Down. Melodically it features a keyboard and a guitar, with a hint of electric organ in places, and Bob Dylan's voice superimposed above it. It is ostensibly in A Major although as Eyolf Østrem noted here: http://dylanchords.info/45_modern/workingman.html "The chord shadings .. never manage to decide whether they’re major or minor"

The lyrics of the song appear both to have a political/quasi-socialist background as well as that of an esoteric love ballad, and convey the "world-weariness" and sense of experience for which this album has become known. The forever descending bass line outlines this. Spiritual undertones are possibly present in the lyrics although not explicitly so. It is unclear whether the persona is a generic working man, or Bob Dylan himself or someone else altogether. Overall, as with so many of Bob Dylan's songs over the decades, the lyrics can be interpreted in a vast number of ways and many things may be inferred from them.

The song is inspired by the Merle Haggard classic "Workin' Man's Blues".[17]

[edit] Track listing

  1. "Thunder on the Mountain" – 5:55
  2. "Spirit on the Water" – 7:42
  3. "Rollin' and Tumblin'" – 6:01
  4. "When the Deal Goes Down" – 5:04
  5. "Someday Baby" – 4:55
  6. "Workingman's Blues #2" – 6:07
  7. "Beyond the Horizon" – 5:36
  8. "Nettie Moore" – 6:52
  9. "The Levee's Gonna Break" – 5:43
  10. "Ain't Talkin'" – 8:48

[edit] Chart positions

Year Chart Position
2006 Australian ARIA Albums Chart 1
Billboard 200

[edit] Artwork

The cover photo is "Taxi, New York at Night", 1947, by Ted Croner. The image was previously used as a CD cover by the defunct band Luna, on their 1995 single "Hedgehog/23 Minutes in Brussels".

[edit] Versions

The album was released in both standard and special edition formats, with the special edition including a bonus DVD of four Dylan music videos. The DVD contains Blood In My Eyes (Promo Video), Love Sick (Live at the Grammys 1997), Things Have Changed (Promo Video) and Cold Irons Bound (Masked and Anonymous Video).

The LP edition is a two-disc set, produced on 180-gram audiophile vinyl.

[edit] Certifications

Country Certification Sales/shipments
Canada 1x Platinum[18] 100,000

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ NME, "Bob Dylan gets his first number one for 30 years", at NME.com; last accessed September 9, 2006.
  2. ^ Lethem, Jonathan (September 7, 2006). "The Genius of Bob Dylan" (in English). Rolling Stone. 6. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/11216877/the_modern_times_of_bob_dylan_a_legend_comes_to_grips_with_his_iconic_status. Retrieved on 2006-11-02. 
  3. ^ Jody Rosen, review of Modern Times, 30 August 2006, at Slate.com; last accessed September 9, 2006.
  4. ^ Alexis Petridis, review of Modern Times, 25 August 2006, at Guardian.co.uk; last accessed September 9, 2006.
  5. ^ Jim DeRogatis, review of Modern Times, 27 August 2006, at JimDero.com; last accessed September 11, 2006.
  6. ^ "Modern Times". Warehouse Eyes. http://warehouseeyes.netfirms.com/moderntimes.html. 
  7. ^ Greg Kot, review of Modern Times, 27 August 2006, at ChicagoTribune.com; last accessed September 9, 2006.
  8. ^ Jon Pareles, review of Modern Times, 20 August 2006, at NYTimes.com; last accessed September 9, 2006.
  9. ^ Rolling Stone
  10. ^ youtube music video, retrieved June 4, 2008
  11. ^ Talk Transcript: Another Look at Bob Dylan - Newsweek Entertainment - MSNBC.com
  12. ^ WNYC's Soundcheck, "Deconstructing Dylan," 6 September 2006, at WNYC.org; last accessed September 15, 2006.
  13. ^ ""Who’s This Guy Dylan Who’s Borrowing Lines From Henry Timrod?"", The New York Times (2006-09-14). Retrieved on 19 September 2006. 
  14. ^ ""The Ballad of Henry Timrod", The New York Times (2006-09-17). Retrieved on 20 September 2006. 
  15. ^ ""The Answer, My Friend, Is Borrowin’ ... (3 Letters)", The New York Times (2006-09-20). Retrieved on 20 September 2006. 
  16. ^ ""Bob Dylan: Henry Timrod Revisited", The Poetry Foundation. 
  17. ^ Country legend's 'cool factor is off the charts' - CNN.com
  18. ^ Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA): Gold & Platinum - January 2005
Preceded by
Danity Kane by Danity Kane		 Billboard 200 number-one album
September 10–September 16, 2006		 Succeeded by
B'Day by Beyoncé
Preceded by
Carnival by Kasey Chambers		 Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album
September 4–September 10, 2006		 Succeeded by
Revelations by Audioslave
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