41 albums of Robert Zimmerman from Minnesota. Is this a musical or cultural event? You can take this massive mix of albums in their original sleeves box set in a number of different perspectives. One angle is that you can go the artistic route: here’s a man who started out being on the forefront of the American folk music system, and as the song goes, he “threw it all away” to plug into the rock scene. Eschewing that for awhile, he went back into his folk roots before returning to mass rock popularity and in the mean time finding spiritual renewal through Christianity. After that he further bewildered his fans by mixing and matching various rock, folk and country musical styles, fascinating and confounding his fans at every move.
Another viewpoint is through his social/spiritual journey. Socially conscious at first, by the time of John Wesley Harding, he was delving into the Scriptures, with over 80 Biblical references in this one album alone, well before his “Born Again” episode. Even his tune “Rainy Day Woman” is a reference to being stoned for punishment, not due to smoking anything. The Pilgrim’s Progress angle is a fascinating one as well, as is “the voice”transition, from a lonely folk smith to the second coming of Tom Waits.
You can argue until the Second Coming which his “best” or “most important” period was. We all have our favorites. What stands out is that this guy knew how to write a song, create a lyric, and above all, speak to his generation in a way that we deserve. A sonic trip through the Smithsonian.
Sony Legacy