Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
Columbia
Dylan's apogee Highway 61 Revisited sits centre to Dylan's 60's output, centre to one of the greatest runs of records in recorded music history. The nucleus in the puzzle that is Bob Dylan, Highway 61 Revisited captures one of, if not THE, greatest songwriters at the height of their pen game.
After turning a page with the 'electric period', loosening the boundaries put upon oneself by inside and outside forces, Dylan set to continue, further, the more rebellious, raucous feats with Highway 61 Revisited. The Punkish ethos which reared its head on Bringing It All Back Home sank its teeth deep into Dylan. Highway 61, for the most part, is the full-on continuation of said raucous, punkish feats. There's a radical air to the material. A defiant gaze beams out from behind the musicianship.
The profound cultural energy and impact of "Like A Rolling Stone" is immeasurable. The track has legs for the remainder of time itself. Vague songwriting has always struck a chord with me. One-eyes midgets shouting the word "Now!". The Sun's not yellow, it's chicken. Your best friend, the doctor, won't even tell you what it is that you've got. Sniffing drainpipes and reciting the alphabet. Jack the Ripper sitting at the head of the Chamber of Commerce. Restless riot squads in need of somewhere to go. Junkyard angels. Had enough, the game's got rough, soon to hit the harder stuff, back to New York City it is. Cinderella sweeping up on desolation row. Einstein disguised as Robin Hood. Worlds inside of leather cups. There's a beauty to things not quite making sense. The mystery packed up so as to not unravel. Tied up for infinite lifetimes. Meaning flees, but feeling emanates eternally. Words of this nature cannot be written. The cosmic dust finds one worthy to flow through; a conduit prepared for the convergence.
Starting in Ontario, Highway 61(also known as the Blues highway) connects Minnesota to the Southern cities of major American musical heritage - St Louis, Memphis, New Orleans.
This highway was one of the main routes that many blues and jazz musicians traveled from the south to the north in the early 20th century in search of factory jobs in the big cities.(5, 2024)
Highway 61 functioned as a window into a world of potential; a window into feeding family; a window into another life. A funnel for certain future hardship and hopeful prosperity, the highway left many in its wake.
How does it feel?
5, C.T.J. (2024) Highway 61, the Bob Dylan Commentaries. Available at: http://www.bobdylancommentaries.com/highway-61-revisited/highway-61
