Bob Dylan: Planet Waves - 1974
"Cast-iron songs and torch ballads" - Bob Dylan
Early 1974's Planet Waves was the bridging album between the folky/country material of the late sixties/early seventies and the acoustic-driven rock poetry that was Blood On The Tracks. It is also as emotionally complex as that album too, no lightweight country pie on here.
It is an album that grows on you with each listen, as I listen to it now, I am thinking that the album is better than I had previously thought. The overall sound quality is excellent, by the way, unlike the rather harsh sounding New Morning, but the album itself, as opposed to its hi-fi, is somewhat brutal and tough in its sound, particularly in comparison to the next release, Blood On The Tracks. For this reason it has never been an album that I have particularly warmed to. There are many others that are much more endearing, both lyrically and musically. Many aficionados love it, however, possibly because of Dylan's reunion with The Band for the recording and subsequent tour. It was actually the only studio album Dylan ever recorded with them. Despite my ambiguous thoughts about it, though, it is definitely Dylan's most confident, "in your face" and confrontational offering since Blonde On Blonde, eight long years previous.
Let's climb a ladder to the stars.....
On A Night Like This is an energetic, swirling throwback to the days of 1966, with The Band on top form backing Dylan once again and his delivery enthusiastically upbeat. It has an upbeat country rock feel to it.
A beautiful, melodic, deep bass underpins the gorgeous Going, Going, Gone. This is definitely a precursor to Blood On The Tracks, musically, lyrically and atmospherically. It is a dignified, sombre track with a great sound to the backing on it. Robbie Robertson comes up with one hell of a guitar solo to finish the track. The vibrant, muscular Tough Mama is a Basement Tapes-style bluesy romp, with Garth Hudson's organ blowing and circling around all over the place, like an idiot wind.
Hazel, with her "dirty blonde hair" is a love song from Dylan to another mercurial woman and most entrancing it is too. There are very slight shades of 1983's Licence To Kill in there somewhere, just before the "touch of your love" part. Dylan delivers a delicious harmonica too. He certainly hadn't laid down a track as suitably "tough" as this since 1966.
Something There Is About You has Dylan being nostalgic about the "old Duluth" of his youth. This is harmonica-driven blues rock song that wouldn't have sounded out of place on either Blood On The Tracks or, indeed, Desire. Tracks like this remind one that Dylan hadn't really laid down anything this powerful since John Wesley Harding and possibly Blonde On Blonde. Forget all that country twanging and folk odes, this was proper Dylan, although there is a harshness to the song's sound that is to its detriment, for me.
Talking of proper Dylan. Forever Young is next. Uplifting inspiring, heartbreaking. It is simply one of my favourite Dylan songs of all time. It never fails to get me all emotional. Superb. I remember seeing Dylan in concert with Mark Knopfler at the Hammersmith Odeon a few years back and Knopfler sang this as the encore, with Dylan sitting regally behind the keyboards. Mark turned to him to deliver the line "may your song always be sung" and the great man, just nodded, like The Queen waving to her subjects. A priceless moment. The faster version of the same song that comes next doesn't do it for me. The slow version is the definitive one, in my opinion. This slightly rockabilly version of it deprives of its soul, its emotion. It should have stayed on the cutting room floor, maybe replaced by Nobody 'Cept You. Incidentally, on the slow version the only just in his thirties Dylan now sounds, vocally, like a wise old man of much more advanced age.
Only Dylan could title his own song Dirge. Here he is backed by Robertson, while he plays piano. It is a stark, emotions bared song that, at the time people presumed was about his marriage. Robertson's guitar is sumptuous and while the song is stark and bleak, it is no dirge, certainly musically. Listening to it, though, you definitely realise Blood On The Tracks is on the way. Many Dylanologistsl have used it to exemplify the beginnings of the relationship angst that would dominate the next album. Opening lines of "I hate myself for loving you and the weakness it showed..." helped considerably in such analyses. The next three songs see Dylan in a disarmingly loved-up mood, however, so things had not gone bad just yet.
You Angel You is a most appealing Band-style mid-tempo rocker. "If this is love give me more, more, more" pleads a romantically-rejuvenated Dylan over another magnificent, typically Band organ break. It is the album's most instantly attractive number.
Never Say Goodbye starts with some searing guitar, fine deep bass too and is a beguiling, romantic slow burner with Dylan clearly in love - once again, musically, it is very Band-like. It is so good to have this type of Dylan back, so to speak, listening to this. We had missed him.
Wedding Song is a stark, acoustic guitar and harmonica folky love song that is very much in the acoustic part of Blood On The Tracks style. It acts as a precursor to that album's material.
As I said earlier, personal ambivalence put to one side, there is no real question that this is, by far, Bob Dylan's most credible album since John Wesley Harding. He was now entering a four year halcyon period, the third great one of his career.
The one notable exclusion from the album's sessions was Nobody 'Cept You, omitted in favour of Wedding Song as Dylan was not happy with the song. It is surprising as the recording is gently appealing, enhanced by some subtle wah-wah guitar and an ambience that looks forward to the feel of Blood On The Tracks. I have always liked the track and it would have easily fitted on to the album, as I said earlier, replacing the fast version of Forever Young, if necessary.
