Dylan’s debut album 60 years ago changed the times

Before the Beatles and the Rolling Stones altered the music world with their first albums during the mid-1960s, there was Bob Dylan.

The singer-songwriter, who is arguably the greatest bard in rock and folk history, changed the game. Dylan’s impact was massive. Prior to the iconic Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s emergence, the goal was to sound as smooth and suave as Spokane’s favorite son, Bing Crosby.

Dylan’s gritty and unpolished voice belted out poetic and meaningful lyrics that grabbed ears starting with his eponymous debut, which was released March 19, 1962. It’s hard to believe it’s been 60 years since Dylan became a recording artist.

There are a number of traditional tracks on his initial album but the highlights are Dylan’s brilliant early work, such as “Talkin’ New York” and “Song For Woody.” The latter, a tip of the cap to Dylan’s hero, folk icon Woody Guthrie, is a sign of future greatness. Dylan’s raspy voice and confessional lyrics are compelling.

Who would ever guess that Dylan would take it to an unfathomable echelon? Has any solo artist of the rock era touched Dylan in terms of exceptional albums? There’s 1964’s “Another Side of Bob Dylan,” 1965’s “Highway 61 Revisited,” 1966’s “Blonde on Blonde” and that’s just the early years of Dylan.

There’s been great Dylan in every era. 1975’s “Blood on the Tracks” is amazing. 1985’s “Empire Burlesque” is a classic. “Time Out of Mind,” which dropped in 1997, is phenomenal. 2006’s “Modern Times” is brilliant.

And then there is 2020’s “Rough and Rowdy Ways.” At 79, Dylan wrote and recorded an album that is easily in the top 10 of his unparalleled career. His take on everyday life is as fascinating as his 39th studio album.

“Rough and Rowdy Ways” is an impressive project for a recording artist of any age. Dylan’s first album of new material since 2021 is full of powerful yet playful songs. The enigmatic Nobel Prize winner snarls his way through his lyrics, which are filled with sardonic wit. On the sonic side he recorded with a crack band, which features Matt Chamberlain, (Fiona Apple, David Bowie) who is the finest sessions drummer in the business.

Perhaps part of what makes “Rough and Rowdy Ways” such an extraordinary album is that Dylan literally has nothing left to accomplish. All of the boxes have been checked in his incomparable career. The reclusive legend has been an iconoclast for more than two-thirds of his life. That’s incomprehensible.

However, Dylan thankfully continues to make music. “Murder Most Foul,” the 17-minute tune, which is the first song of the enigmatic figure’s to reach the top of Billboard’s rock charts, was inspired by JFK’s assassination.

It’s easy to connect the epic tune to the murder of George Floyd. The haunting track, which was released in March, obviously has nothing to do with Floyd’s death. There’s even bits of humor infused in the song. “I’ll take the Scarface Pacino and the Godfather Brando/Mix ‘em up in a tank and get a robot commando.”

However, the title of the song can’t help but take music fans back to the video of the heinous act, which has inspired myriad protests.

“It sickened me to no end to see George tortured to death like that,” Dylan told the New York Times. “It was beyond ugly. Let’s hope that justice comes swift for the Floyd family and the nation.”

It’s always welcome to know what’s on Dylan’s complex mind since he’s often residing in a fortress of solitude.

Dylan and such long of tooth singer-songwriters as Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, who will make his local debut April 28 at the Spokane Arena and Neil Young are still writing and recording. Each is creating laudable work. What they present is quite a contrast from what is normally celebrated on the pop charts but the experienced songsmiths continue to craft terrific songs.

There’s no doubt that each of the aforementioned artists’ best work was created during their salad days. However, experience matters and many writers only improve with age.

Dylan still has plenty to say and it’s a joy to experience his world-weary and ragged voice. His prose remains compelling and Dylan continues to surround himself with world class players, which is no surprise going back to his days when The Band backed him.

Hopefully Dylan will write and record as an octogenarian. Dylan thinks about death but doesn’t dwell on his own mortality.

“Every human being, no matter how strong or mighty, is frail when it comes to death, I think about it in general terms, not in a personal way,” he once said.

It’s difficult to imagine a world without Dylan but when the man once known as Robert Zimmerman eventually passes, his music will keep his legacy alive dating back to his debut release.