I'll get this one started...I've already been thinking about it.
Sticky Fingers: 4.5
Time Out of Mind: 4.6
Dylan gets my vote.
Sticky Fingers is a darn good album (although I actually do prefer EOMS, despite all the recent Death Match poo-pooing of it. Whatever, people.) However, TOOM is my personal favorite Dylan album. I know it's not his most important or influential or wank, wank, wank, but it is world-weary and bluesy in the best possible ways. It came out at just the right time in my life. And, yes, I like the atmosphere that Lanois helped create here. I just love the song-writing... These are lyrics that resonate with me much more fully than a lot of Bob's older stuff. (The only quasi-clunker here is "Make You Feel My Love" IMHO). This album was on my Top 30 list for a reason, yo.
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It's funny how Eric has tricked us into thinking that he has some kind of sure-proof, scientific formula that helps him objectively determine the outcome of each match. It sounds so official, doesn't it? Sticky Fingers, a solid 4.5, but wait...Dylan pulls of a 4.6 to take it. You can hear Eric saying, "Folks, there's nothing I can do--numbers don't lie."
ReplyDeleteDon't buy it though. If you're wavering on this decision, use whatever voodoo mumbo jumbo you want, but don't fall for Eric's psuedo-science. Me, I'm just going to flat out admit my bias. These days I tend to go more for stuff that rocks than for stuff that's contemplative, so I'm voting for the Stones. Don't get me wrong, Time Out of Mind is great, and if that's what you vote, more power to you. I'm going to be happy either way this turns out.
So yet again I hold up the pattern for the tournament, which is:
Bruce and Sarah keep poo-pooing my picks (The Clash, Springsteen, the better Stones record--albums that really should be in these final choices) in favor of some personal crap, and I in turn choose Sarah's good to mediocre choices. Am I noble or what?*
*virtual jeff-like facial expression which indicates that I am being sarcastic, sort of.
Now you're pushin' everybody's buttons, zwartitude...I rate each song on an album from 0-5, and then average the total to get an album rating. Highly scientific: no. Number generating and surprisingly reflective of my opinions: yes.
ReplyDeleteHere is the breakdown for Sticky Fingers:
Wild Horses, You Gotta Move, I Got the Blues, Dead Flowers, and Moonlight Mile each received a score of 5
Brown Sugar, Sway, Can't You Hear Me Knocking, Bitch, and Sister Morphine each received a score of 4
Divided by 10 total songs: 4.5
On TOOM,
Love Sick, Dirt Road Blues, Million Miles, 'Til I Fell in Love With You, Not Dark Yet, Cold Irons Bound, Can't Wait, and Highlands each recieved a 5
Standing in the Doorway and Trying to Get to Heaven each received a 4
Make You Feel My Love received a 3
Divided by 11 total songs: 4.636
And remember: I picked "Between the Buttons" which got knocked out and have very vocally praised "EOMS" all along here, so don't give me crap about giving this one to an album ON MY FAVES LIST.
(Sorry, this new baby sleep deprivation can do a number on a man...)
It's true, I was trying to push some buttons. And I too blame it on sleep deprivation.
ReplyDeletei'm gonna keep it simple...i vote for "time out of mind"...i love this album, always have, always will...it speaks to me...with the exception of "make you feel my love", there is a consistent emotional tone to all the songs...i love the harshness in the lyrics: from the opening walk "through streets that are dead" to the vaguely hopeful "highlands", it all fits to me...in a write what you know kinda way...
ReplyDeletesticky fingers is pretty awesome...i love the last three songs...also, is that the late billy preston on the organ on "i got the blues?"...R.I.P. Billy...wild horses is a button pushing kinda song...never much cared for "brown sugar" (the song)...
Time Out Of Mind gets 4.0 stars.
ReplyDeleteSticky Fingers gets 3.5 pineapples.
Each pineapple is equal to 2 red dots.
Each red dot is equal to 1/2 a Witch's hat.
Each Witch's hat is equal to 6 golden harps.
Each golden harp is equal to .2 stars.
That's my vote.
Time Out Of Mind gets 3.14
ReplyDeleteSticky Fingers gets 3.1
The only problem is, the stones have sticky fingers cause they love pie, and without thinking (they're rockers you know) they gobbled up Dylan's score and left him with a big fat zero.
Andrew of course, saw this, and did absolutely nothing about it and awarded the win to the Stones, only commenting "How d'ya like dem apples guy" to Eric. Which the stones overheard, and due to the years of loud music, also misheard. They immediately devoured Andrew.
B and I were in Denver all weekend and not online. Can I still get a vote in?
ReplyDeleteI'll just vote then. It will be be no surprise that I'm going to go with Sticky Fingers here, but I'll second Andy and Eric's sentiments on the resonance and consistent tone of Time Out of Mind.
ReplyDeleteHowever, listening to TOOM these days, I feel like it was a "right place, right time" album for me, and not one with the staying power of Sticky Fingers (and other Dylan albums I keep returning to). As I've said before, certain songs on Sticky Fingers conjure up just the sort of wantonness that restores me to whoever it is I think I am.
So, I'm not sure if Sarah's vote should count or not. How about this? If it's okay with Eric and Andy, we'll count her vote (which ties it up) and leave it up to Bruce and Karl and Jane to get their votes in by tomorrow to make it final. But I say Andy and Eric get to decide since Dylan is winning 3-2, and they had their votes in on time. Whaddya think?
ReplyDeleteOh, and Brian. I thought Brian had voted, but I guess he didn't. Come on people!
ReplyDeleteI meant to vote but got caught up in Canada's national past-time last night...drinking Molson and watching Hockey...how bout them Blackhawks. I also was hesitant to vote because I'm scared to put in writing the fact that I think Time Out of Mind is over-rated (this is coming from someone who thinks Oh Mercy and Under the Red Sky are under-rated, and I also named my son Dylan). I understand why some consider it a great album, it just doesn't do it for me.
ReplyDeleteIf my vote counts, I'm going with Sticky Fingers (see my reasons for it from my previous match-up that I wrote)
I'll definitely get a vote in by tomorrow, but I feel like I need to listen to Time Out of Mind again this afternoon before I vote, which I'm doing right now...
ReplyDeleteIt is fine with me to wait and have as many folks vote as possible...Brian, you shouldn't be scared for thinking that TOOM is overrated...you're probably right...i was just listening to it in the car and had a "meh" moment during "'til i fell in love with you"...
ReplyDeleteOkay, I think I'm ready to decide, assuming it still counts. I've probably listened to these both about the same amount in the past, but definitely listened to Sticky Fingers more in the last three years or so, so it was good to have another listen to Time Out of Mind (I also listened to it when Sarah was judging it earlier). This time, I especially enjoyed the reverb-y production and the overall feel of the album. I think the last song goes on too long and there are a few others I could do without, but I really enjoyed Standing in the Doorway, Trying to Get to Heaven, and, yes, Make You Feel My Love. The thing is, though, that these songs should get to me emotionally more than they do. I enjoy them and they kind of take me back to some specific times around when the album came out, but several of the songs on Sticky Fingers get to me on a deeper level and intensify whatever I'm feeling. If I feel good and optimistic when listening to Sticky Fingers, I feel even better when I hear Wild Horses or Moonlight Mile, but if I feel kind of crappy (more the case today) those same songs make me feel even crappier. It's not that I want to feel crappy, just that I think it's a mark of a good song if it can intensify whatever you're feeling, and there are a lot of them on this album. I'm going with Sticky Fingers.
ReplyDeleteWhoever can vote whenever.
ReplyDeleteI've been listening to both of them, but haven't made up my mind yet. (I guess I won't make up my mind in time, and that's fine.)
ReplyDeleteThey are both great albums, and I should have listened to them more.
Listening to music digitally is great for me because one of my biggest problems with Dylan is that a single song can poison an album for me -- and with iTunes, you can just uncheck it.
She say, "You must be jokin'," I say, "I wish I was."
Then she says, "You don't read women authors do ya?" at least
that's what I think I hear her say.
Compare and contrast to Raymond Carver's "Fat."
Okay, so apparently Andy and Eric are much more magnanimous than I am. I would have taken the win and walked. Now, it looks like Sticky is going to win. But I say, we should wait for Karl and Jane to get votes in to make it completely fair....Okay?
ReplyDeleteyes, that is okay...maybe i'm fucking with the competitive balance or whatever, but i am more interested in seeing which album finally makes it through this juggernaut, than which death match hobo get's the most points...all this bashing of sacred cows is leaving me bewildered about my own musical tastes...where's shall i turn?...beethoven, or perhaps it's time give the fat boys another chance...i say we all get together when this is over and invite the winning artist/band out to dinner...there's a great indian restaurant in my building and i'm sure they could put together a nice spread...who's in...
ReplyDeleteIf we all just stop for a moment, take a deep breath, and unanimously vote for "Something Else" by The Kinks (like I suggested in the first place), I think this could still turn out just fine.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I like your idea, Wilson...I'm sure Mick and Keith or Bob or whoever the hell wins this thing would be really honored to have some curry or chicken tikka masala with us hobos...It would be a classy way to wrap things up. You know, hobo-style.
I'm in for Indian with whoever the group crowns Rock god. And Baltimore is lovely in the summer, I hear.
ReplyDeleteit's true...
ReplyDeletethe fat boys never got the chance they deserved.
I OFFICIALLY ABSTAIN.
ReplyDeleteI know that's kind of cheating, but I don't feel able to decide objectively.
Yeah, cause everyone has been real objective so far.
ReplyDelete