Quiz for Sarah (by Sarah)

1. Which album would you prefer to see performed live, from beginning to end?

1. Laurie Anderson – Big Science
2. Bob Dylan – Time Out of Mind

2. Which album made a bigger imprint on you in your naval-gazing college years?

1. Laurie Anderson – Big Science
2. Bob Dylan – Time Out of Mind

3. Which album is not produced by Daniel Lanois, whose trademark tricks have begun to wear on you?

1. Laurie Anderson – Big Science
2. Bob Dylan – Time Out of Mind

4. Which lyric do you prefer?

1. “Put your hands over your eyes. Jump out of the plane. / There is no pilot. You are not alone. Standby. / This is the time. And this is the record of the time.” (Anderson)
2. “When the rain is blowing in your face
 / and the whole world is on your case / 
I could offer a warm embrace / 
to make you feel my love” (Dylan) = BAAAARRRRFFFF.

5. On the other hand, which lyric do you prefer?

1. “You're walking. And you don't always realize it, but you're always falling. With each step you fall forward slightly. And then catch yourself from falling. Over and over, you're falling. And then catching yourself from falling. And this is how you can be walking and falling at the same time.” (Anderson)
2. “I'm crossin' the street to get away from a mangy dog
 / talkin' to myself in a monologue
 / I think what I need might be a full length leather coat
 / Somebody just asked me if I'm registered to vote” (Dylan)

6. Which track is more annoying?

1. “Make You Feel My Love” from Time Out of Mind (point for Anderson)
2. “Sweaters” from Big Science (point for Dylan)
3. Both make me wish a car with exhaust issues would stall in front of my house playing Sean Paul’s “Get Busy.”

7. Which of these artists/albums riffs on the blues and make them seem more relevant than most contemporary blues musicians?

1. Anderson
2. Dylan

8. Which pick would yield the smallest chance of jabs regarding “token feminists”?

1. Anderson
2. Dylan

9. On the other hand, which artist has probably had more sex with Lou Reed?

1. Laurie Anderson
2. Bob Dylan

10. Which album do you most want more Music Death Matchers to experience because it would mix things up and whittle the remaining Dylan down to your own favorites?

1. LA – Big Science
2. BD – Time Out of Mind

11. Which album can be indisputably described as music, not performance art?

1. LA – Big Science
2. BD – Time Out of Mind

***

Anderson: 5

Dylan: 5

Inconclusive: 1

***

Oh poo. What now?

Laurie Anderson’s Big Science still sounds bizarre today, and it still feels oddly contemporary. Still, is this performance art or music? Does it really matter, as long as it’s good? What about the tracks that seem more and more like novelties (“Sweaters,” “Walking & Falling,” and two versions of "Let X=X") when stacked up against the more amazing tracks on the album (“From the Air,” “Big Science,” “O Superman,” “It Tango”)?

And then Dylan’s Time Out of Mind is tough to shake, but partly because of where it falls in his career. It's often considered his return or reinvention, and I will say that it was nifty to buy this album new as a 20 year old. I had been listening to Dylan through my teens and it was thrilling to hear something new from an (at the time) 50-something that felt overall relevant and substantial. But do I like this album because of what it meant on his timeline and because it eased my own troubles at the time, or do I like it because it stands up to the other greats in his catalog?

So here’s the trouble: How can I measure Dylan’s consistent (but not best) effort against Anderson’s unsettling, uneven breakout album? I can’t. I guess I’ll go with my gut here, even though I resent what my gut is telling me. (I mean, there are still two other Dylan albums I like better left in the death match, and Eric and Andy have enough points already, but Karl doesn’t.)

Sigh. Time Out of Mind wins.