Dylan

Well, I was both expecting and hoping to hear Bob Dylan's first actual disaster, but all I got was a pretty underwhelming album that doesn't really need the hate it gets.

Okay, I get it, another cover album, only this time it has the added bonus of the label being complete scumbags and going behind Dylan's back and collecting scrapped recordings from his previous couple of LPs so that they could make some quick money. Honestly, if I were just talking about how disgusting this album's existence is seeing as it is just a cash-grab, then yes, I'd say that this is obviously a terrible album. This album has no right to exist. It has no place in Dylan's discography, and Dylan himself has every right to hate this album as much as he does and the fans should also see this as nothing more than an awful move from the label's part. But the songs that are actually included here aren't that bad. Sure, they're covers, which isn't something you want to hear from one of the greatest songwriters ever, and they're scrapped recordings from another album that most people see as being terrible, but I don't think I'll ever understand the burning hatred that both Self Portrait and this album gets. Is it disappointing? Yes. Is it so bad it's unlistenable? Hell no.

If you actually give this album a chance, you'll find a small collection of pretty entertaining cover songs. While the likes of The Ballad Of Ira Hayes and Mary Ann I would rather never hear again, the opening few songs and the closing few songs don't really have anything truly bad about them. Lily Of The West is a fun tune, Can't Help Falling In Love is an emotional cover of a classic song, and Sarah Jane is one of the most enjoyable moments on the whole album. On the back end, you have the silly-sounding Big Yellow Taxi which is a joy to listen to, although far from being Dylan's best ever effort, and then both A Fool Such As I and Spanish Is The Loving Tongue being really pleasant tracks that close off the record well. Obviously I wouldn't argue any of these tracks are some of Dylan's best or that they perfectly portray his genius, but when you take them for what they are, they're at least enjoyable. Maybe it was a good move on Dylan's part to exclude them from the already bloated Self Portrait, and maybe it was a dick move to release these songs without Dylan's input, but I will at least appreciate them for what they are. I don't see this album as a masterpiece like I do many other Bob Dylan projects, and I do admit this is the weakest record I've heard from him yet, but it is nowhere near as bad as the critics and so many people claim it to be. Maybe this is the worst Bob Dylan album ever, but I've said it before and I'll say it again, Bob Dylan at his worst is still, at the very least, enjoyable.

Favourite Tracks: A Fool Such As I; Can't Help Falling In Love; Sarah Jane; Lily Of The West; Spanish Is The Loving Tongue

Least Favourite Tracks: The Ballad Of Ira Hayes; Mary Ann