Log #18 - Dylan and German

Desire is my favourite Dylan album. The experience of listening attentively to the nine songs on this album is like reading nine short stories, actually not even short stories, there is such depth and character in these atmospheric songs it feels more like reading nine novels.

One of Dylan's most celebrated songs on Desire, or from his whole canon actually, is Hurricane which tells the story of Ruben "Hurricane" Carter, the heavyweight boxer who was framed for a murder "he never done... the one time he could have been the champion of the world."

It is argued that some liberties have been taken with the historical accuracy of some of Dylan's accounts particularly on Hurricane and the 11 minute epic Joey chronicling the life story of gangster Joe Gallo. Some of his subjects were no doubt romanticised in song but it remains a fact that Carter wrongfully served 19 years in jail from 1966 until his pardon in 1985.

Dylan's writing was in a rich vein of form in the mid 70s and prior to Desire he had released another fan favourite, Blood on the Tracks. It is easy to forget that Dylan had been around a long time and by 1975, when equivalent singer song writers of the era were maybe on to the their sixth album or so, he had already recorded fourteen. Blood on the Tracks was his cathartic "break-up" album featuring heartbreaking odes to his ex-wife Sara, and some anger too such as Idiot Wind.

Of course Dylan's song writing genius is much celebrated, and he has recently been honoured by the award of the Nobel Prize for Literature, the first time the award has gone to a song writer. This is not the place to offer any lyrical analysis or interpretation from such a vast body of work as I could choose practically any verse from practically any song so where could one possibly start? Suffice to say he often surprises with wit and humour as with this simple stream of consciousness dialogue between a husband and wife in Isis:

She said "Where you been ?" I said "No place special?"
She said "You look different" I said "Well I guess"
She said "You been gone"
I said "That's only natural"
She said "You gonna stay?"
I said "If you want me to, Yeah."

Then there's always this sort of wit and devastating commentary, this time from Joey:

The police department hounded him, they called him Mr. Smith
They got him on conspiracy, they were never sure who with
"What time is it?" said the judge to Joey when they met
"Five to ten," said Joey, the judge says, "that's exactly what you get!"

Dylan is an artist I return to again and again. Always offering something new or something reassuringly familiar.

This week's magazine then:

1. Can - Tago Mago
2. Can - Anthology
3. Neu! - Neu!
4. Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks
5. Bob Dylan - Desire
6. Kruder and Dorfmeister - Sessions CD 1

The Tago Mago speaking alien brain man - usually in orange    

Another group who have stood the test of time is Can. Indeed their 70s music really was ahead of its time. Of all the "Krautrock" bands Can are probably the most revered and influential. In a genre that had a relatively short heyday Can had the greatest longevity. Tago Mago is an amazing piece of work - probably in my Top Ten albums of all time (now, what would they be I ask myself?). Originally a double LP the album consists of only 7 tracks. Two of the more lengthy numbers are Aumgn and Peking O which are both mind-blowing sonic soundscapes of random avant garde experimentation. Good for them putting these tracks to record. It took me a while to fully appreciate these tracks when I first had the album - in fact I bought the vinyl album second hand from an old record shop in the bus terminal at Chichester (a great shop that introduced me to many unusual bands - oh the excitement of thumbing through racks of old records!) and one of these side long tracks was marred by a nasty scratch that was possibly a blessing in disguise. Thankfully the absolutely amazing Hallelujah was unaffected and remains arguably the greatest Can track of all time. At 18 minutes long it gives full reign to drummer Jaki Liebezeit's hypnotic patterns and Holger Czukay's funky bass, over which eccentric singer Damo Suzuki repetively shouts what sounds like "I'm searching for my brother, yes I am!" It was for many years my go to track when I wanted to impress and astound a new friend.

Irmin Schmidt's sythesizer has been likened to the sound of a UFO taking off.

There is a brief respite during Hallelujah around the five or six minute point which is where the edit is made for the Anthology compilation. I'm normally not a fan of anthologies or greatest hits packages but despite one or two such edits (Can are rather like Pink Floyd in that it is quite difficult to create a greatest hits summary without trimming the length of the tracks) it's a very good career retrospective - unnecessary for completists like me but a good primer for less religious Can fans.

Kruder and Dorfmeister are also German (or Austrian rather I think?) but of a much more recent vintage. The Sessions album is lovely. It is remixes of various pop and jazz tunes mostly in the dub vein but these talented DJs really make the music their own. Who would have thought Depeche Mode could ever sound this good. Highly recommended and also one of my favourite records certainly a decade or so ago.

Peter Kruder and Richard Dorfmeister - master DJ mixers

Actually it is so odd how your mind plays tricks on you. I was convinced someone introduced me to this music in 1992 (I remember as it was a certain time and place that was particularly memorable as I was travelling on a year out in Asia). I even remember the name of the person, who was called Dave Person and came from San Francisco! I then shared notes with an old muso friend of mine that I hooked up with when I moved to Brighton in 1997. But blow me down, both these memories are fundamentally flawed - I've checked and the album was released in 1998. I just can't understand how that is possible!

Last up this week in this German flavoured listing is Neu!

Please note that Neu! are the only band permitted to use punctuation in their name without being mercilessly ridiculed.

Tim Sommer 

Neu! - Sound like more than a 2-piece

Their music is quintessential Krautrock - mostly instrumental with the basic 4/4 rock "motorik" beat and very effective. Certainly not as groundbreaking or prolific as Can but very similar and this, their debut, is many people's favourite album of the whole genre, and the opening track Hallagallo is frequently proffered as the krautrock track.