Bob Dylan: Good As I Been To You Is Good

For some reason I took a pass on Dylan's early 90s albums, Good As I Been to You and World Gone Wrong. At the time, there must have been a bad review or maybe I was led to believe these weren't an essential part of one's collection, perhaps dismissing them because he recorded covers instead of writing new masterpieces like "Desolation Row" or "All Along the Watchtower."

So I decided to fill these two holes in my collection this past Christmas. 

Tonight, as I listen to Good As I Been To You yet another time, I'm surprised that we ever listen to other people instead of deciding for ourselves. People have different tastes and some of my favorite albums are lower on the various lists of "Best Dylan Albums." Good As I Been to You is a truly rewarding contribution to the Dylan catalog.

I'd bet that if you asked twenty fans what their favorite period was as far as his singing voice, not necessarily the songs, they'd likely identify a dozen different periods and agree on few. I, for one, have appreciated his voice at every stage of his career. I mean, his manner of delivering lyrics can vary, but he is continually distinctive and evocative. And that is part of what makes this album nice, his first acoustic solo album since, hmmm, must be Another Side of Bob Dylan.

In my first listens to Good As I Been to You I was enjoying the guitar work. It's an enjoyable album of finger-pickin' acoustic accompaniment. There is no backing band. It's Bob and his guitar, and occasionally a little harmonica. Something akin to Jorma Kaukonen's performance at The West Theater last week. 

This is Bob digging into a little music history. Classics like Blackjack Davy, Sittin' On Top of the World, and Hard Times are ever familiar. In this case Bob channels them with his own vibe, as is his custom. Others were uncovered from more obscure sources.

The vocals convey the hard times, sorrows, hopes, betrayals, and other emotions associated with the approach of later life. Dylan had passed the half century mark when this album was recorded.

If you're like me there are always a couple songs you connect with on the first listen. You connect enough to take a second listen and with familiarity other songs begin to speak to you. At some point you find that some of the songs you were unfamiliar with are now the ones that resonate most. You can miss that if you only listen once then toss it aside.

Stephen Foster, 1826-1864

For some reason I was unaware that "Hard Times" was a Stephen Foster song. It's definitely classic Americana. Ken Burns found it suitable for a few of his documentaries. Foster, one of the most famous songwriters of the 19th century, died in 1864 at age 37 (according to Wikipedia) after he fell in a Bowery hotel and cut his neck. He was found in a pool of blood and passed away at New York's Bellevue Hospital three days later. Most of us learned some of his songs when we were growing up... songs like "Camptown Races" and "My Old Kentucky Home" and "Beautiful Dreamer."  Years ago I remember the impression Paul Harvey's account made in his inimitable "Rest of the Story" radio tales, which you can listen to here.

The song going through me this past few days has been Canadee-I-O. Maybe it corresponds with the mood of this strange moment in time, even if it an entirely different story. It's a beautiful song with a somewhat haunting tune. Hear it here on YouTube. You can read the lyrics here.

"Black Jack Davey" is another favorite, though very different from the exuberant version recorded by the Incredible String Band. How interesting that these two versions can be so different yet infectious, each in its own way.  

Someone wrote that Dylan was "just going through the motions" on this album. I disagree. As I said in the beginning, it's much more intimate than putting on a show. We're sitting on the couch and he's sitting over here in that chair and a couple other friends are seated on a cushion leaning against the wall and we're just happy to be present. 

Enjoyment has much to do with one's expectations. A lot of things in life are that way. Our expectations can easily get in the way of appreciating something special that is right there in front of us. 

Let us pause in life's pleasures and count its many tears While we all sup sorrow with the poor. There's a song that will linger forever in our ears, Oh, hard times, come again no more. --Stephen Foster