Self Portrait
It's ironic that most of the albums the public chooses to label as the "worst ever recorded" are often made by those who are acclaimed giants in the music world; like John Lennon and Yoko Ono's "Unfinished Music" sound collages, or Creedence Clearwater Revival's underrated, hated "Mardi Gras." And like a majority of albums critics hate, Bob Dylan's "Self Portrait" actually turns out to be a very worthy listen, even if it takes a few listens to get used to for the average Dylan fan.
Released as a double album in 1970, "Self Portrait" was condemned by both reviewers and fans, who were shocked that the spokesman of their generation had not lived up to their standards. But if a performer can release a record that is regarded as a pitiful disappointment after a decade of publicly-embraced masterpieces, but with a grin on his face while doing it, it's not such a bad thing--the album saw critics claiming Dylan had somehow turned his back on his principles and was indulging in a "commercialization" of his music; critic Ralph Gleason even called for a boycott of Dylan's albums. But the bottom line was that Dylan was fed up with being hailed as a leader; in a biography by Anthony Scaduto, Dylan was quoted about this era: "I wasn't going to fall for that, for being any kind of leader...and because I wanted out, they all started to rap me." And that's the goal that makes this album so enjoyable. Didn't he tell us not to follow leaders in the first place?
The title suggests that "Self Portrait" will resemble some kind of personal diary, but rather it's more of a curio, featuring some lesser known original material, a few ragged live cuts with The Band from the Isle of Wight festival, and covers of songs by the likes of the Everly Brothers, Simon & Garfunkel, and the equally brilliant singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. The album often finds Dylan in a musical limbo--there's pieces of his folk period, his rock period and even his country period; it's almost like he can't decide which style would be best to use, so he employs them all. Strings and overdubbed vocals tread through the album. There's even that honky-tonk voice that first appeared on "Nashville Skyline" that comes straight from Dylan's nasal tones--it sounds like a mix of the voices of Warren Zevon, Hank Williams Jr., and Supertramp's Rick Davies. But it's an enjoyable voice nonetheless, and Dylan offers some very good music; songs that resemble the "Basement Tapes" like 'Woogie Boogie' or 'Little Sadie' add a loose feeling that suggests Dylan wanted to have as much fun as he could, knowing "Self-Portrait" would be despised. Despite any bizarreness, the album is packed full of fine moments like 'Days of 49,' the absolutely delightful 'Bell Isle,' and infamously dogged covers of 'Early Morning Rain,' 'The Boxer,' 'Blue Moon,' 'Let it Be Me,' and an exquisite if eyebrow-raising version of 'I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know.'
Consider it as Bob Dylan's own experience of "Stage Fright;" his former backing group The Band released the album of that name the same year, their reaction to the dregs of being made a public figure. But it only took them two years to reach that disdain, while if Dylan had taken ten to reach his, it certainly didn't show until in shocking confrontational form when "Self Portrait" was released.
"Self Portrait" may always be recognized only as an infamously disappointing release, but it's actually one more reason to ignore the widely accepted opinion. "Self Portrait" is more of a statement than most people choose to recognize; Bob Dylan wanted desperately to discourage those who saw him as a prophet. And that's not a bad reason to make an album if you think about it.
Released as a double album in 1970, "Self Portrait" was condemned by both reviewers and fans, who were shocked that the spokesman of their generation had not lived up to their standards. But if a performer can release a record that is regarded as a pitiful disappointment after a decade of publicly-embraced masterpieces, but with a grin on his face while doing it, it's not such a bad thing--the album saw critics claiming Dylan had somehow turned his back on his principles and was indulging in a "commercialization" of his music; critic Ralph Gleason even called for a boycott of Dylan's albums. But the bottom line was that Dylan was fed up with being hailed as a leader; in a biography by Anthony Scaduto, Dylan was quoted about this era: "I wasn't going to fall for that, for being any kind of leader...and because I wanted out, they all started to rap me." And that's the goal that makes this album so enjoyable. Didn't he tell us not to follow leaders in the first place?
The title suggests that "Self Portrait" will resemble some kind of personal diary, but rather it's more of a curio, featuring some lesser known original material, a few ragged live cuts with The Band from the Isle of Wight festival, and covers of songs by the likes of the Everly Brothers, Simon & Garfunkel, and the equally brilliant singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. The album often finds Dylan in a musical limbo--there's pieces of his folk period, his rock period and even his country period; it's almost like he can't decide which style would be best to use, so he employs them all. Strings and overdubbed vocals tread through the album. There's even that honky-tonk voice that first appeared on "Nashville Skyline" that comes straight from Dylan's nasal tones--it sounds like a mix of the voices of Warren Zevon, Hank Williams Jr., and Supertramp's Rick Davies. But it's an enjoyable voice nonetheless, and Dylan offers some very good music; songs that resemble the "Basement Tapes" like 'Woogie Boogie' or 'Little Sadie' add a loose feeling that suggests Dylan wanted to have as much fun as he could, knowing "Self-Portrait" would be despised. Despite any bizarreness, the album is packed full of fine moments like 'Days of 49,' the absolutely delightful 'Bell Isle,' and infamously dogged covers of 'Early Morning Rain,' 'The Boxer,' 'Blue Moon,' 'Let it Be Me,' and an exquisite if eyebrow-raising version of 'I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know.'
Consider it as Bob Dylan's own experience of "Stage Fright;" his former backing group The Band released the album of that name the same year, their reaction to the dregs of being made a public figure. But it only took them two years to reach that disdain, while if Dylan had taken ten to reach his, it certainly didn't show until in shocking confrontational form when "Self Portrait" was released.
"Self Portrait" may always be recognized only as an infamously disappointing release, but it's actually one more reason to ignore the widely accepted opinion. "Self Portrait" is more of a statement than most people choose to recognize; Bob Dylan wanted desperately to discourage those who saw him as a prophet. And that's not a bad reason to make an album if you think about it.
I bought this the week it was released. I didn't know anything of the "politics" or "what I was supposed to think" behind it, all I know is that it quickly became a favorite for some of the reasons you mention. We tend to agree on most of the albums you review here, most of which I purchased when they were released (I won't name each one, they're all there it seems like). Nice job.
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