THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN'
- BOB DYLAN
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| Dylan and producer Tom Wilson 1964 |
Come gather 'round people. Wherever you roam. And admit that the waters. Around you have grown. And accept it that soon. You'll be drenched to the bone. If your time to you is worth savin' Then you better start swimmin' or you'll sink like a stone. For the times they are a-changin'
Now I am in danger of repeating myself I think (how can you tell old man? - ED) and this is a defining moment and no mistake whilst I have discussed of late my disinterest in the early Beatles and choosing my own (sic) bands in the exotic Americana of The Lovin' Spoonful et al, my dear older brother Steve bought this album when it came out in the STATES! Having ordered it from the legendary Russell And Acott record and music store in High Street Oxford town. The said album, I may have mentioned elsewhere or earlier here, came with a lump torn out of the corner so they suggested Steve not buy it. The tear was about the size of a florin! He was SO keen to check out the latest album by his hero that they agreed upon a discount to 25/- as opposed to thirty bob (ask your Grandparents?!) which was the going rate for import albums about then.
I would have been 11 when first hearing this strange strangulated harsh toned voice. But what WAS he singing about? The titular track alone haunted me, the songs such as Boots of Spanish Leather have stayed with me ever since as amongst my very favourite songs of all time so that they seem to be in the public domain of the great American Songbook by now! 'When The Ship Comes In' still stirs something deep, deep down inside. 'The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll' and the Ballad of Hollis Brown' both haunted my dreams and nightmares for years and 'One To Many Mornings' still haunts my list of love songs about love lost . . . . .this album was and remains a wonderment, a masterpiece without equal
Oh the foes will rise
With the sleep still in their eyes
And they’ll jerk from their beds and think they’re dreamin’
But they’ll pinch themselves and squeal
And know that it’s for real
The hour when the ship comes in
Then they’ll raise their hands
Sayin’ we’ll meet all your demands
But we’ll shout from the bow your days are numbered
And like Pharoah’s tribe
They’ll be drownded in the tide
And like Goliath, they’ll be conquered
On this day in music history: January 13, 1964 - “The Times They Are A-Changin’”, the third album by Bob Dylan is released. Produced by Tom Wilson, it is recorded at Columbia Recording Studios in New York City from August 6 - October 31, 1963. Right on the heels of the successful and acclaimed “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan”, the prolific songwriter and musician returns to the studio a few months later to record the follow up. The album is Dylan’s first to feature all original material written by him. The songs are more serious and are starkly arranged featuring Dylan accompanied only by his own acoustic guitar and harmonica playing. The album yields some of his best known and loved songs including “North Country Blues” and the anthemic title track. The mono version of the album is remastered and reissued on 180 gram vinyl by Sundazed Records in 2001, with the stereo mix also being reissued by Columbia. The CD version is remastered and reissued in 2005. Audiophile label Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab reissues the titles as a limited double vinyl set mastered at 45 RPM in 2014, and as a hybrid SACD in 2015. “The Times They Are A-Changin’” peaks at number twenty on the Billboard Top 200, and is certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.
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| TTTAAC producer Tom Wilson and Bob on the street 1964 |
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