I was hoping when I caught Dylan live a few days ago that he would surprise us with one of his new songs. But he didn't. Anyways, certain music sharing sites have all 10 songs available in mp3 format, ready to download for free. I'm listening to Modern Times for the first time right now. Very groovy. Very mellow.

He can be seen in an iPod commercial: [www.apple.com]

Never liked Dylan that much, but listened to Someday Baby yesterday on dutch radio, bought the album the next day and now admit the old bard released a fine album. I stand corrected.

its never too late to see the light, edward...

[news.bbc.co.uk]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2006-08-29 14:54 by Gazza.

"Beter laat dan nooit!" Jagger would say.

My impression (based on 4 songs) is I like it but not as much as the 2 predecessors...It sounds natural, enjoyable, but not as signicant to his body of work as TOOM & L&T - and naturally muy opinion may likely change. I have about 35 Bob albums, but I still find it annoying the Stones don't get a fraction of the serious critical attention as Bob - who despite the recent strength of his work has had his share of relative dogs as well, from Street Legal to Dylan & the Dead to Empire Burlesque. I know TOOM is 'classic' autumnal Bob, but I prefer the unassuming quality of L&T.

Bought it today and listened only once. First impression : still alive and very well. Thanks Bob.

John R you have insulted my honor!!!!

Street Legal is my favourite Bob album, the production isnt good, but the songs are awesome, this record is seriously misunderstood. Or else its me (OK maybe it is me, but I still love it

By the way I downloaded Bob's latest radio show today, amazing, Wolf, Little Walter and "my old friends Mick,Keith,Charlie,Woody and some bass player"

I haven't heard it yet.

humanriff77, it's been awhile (re Street Legal), & knowing how you feel I'll have to give it another spin...btw was it remixed for cd at some point? (I have the original vinyl)

I have a first generation CD, from the 80's, but I always listen to the muddy old vinyl so I can check out the lyrics, which are quite mysterious and take on different meanings as the years go by.
I'm not sure if this one got the SACD treatment, perhaps Gazza knows, he is the Dylan expert on IORR.

I really love this record,although I read Bob sacked the band because he was so annoyed about the recording quality, but the songs are in my opinion great.

street legal was not just remastered..it was REMIXED a few years ago..and sounds great..

i love the album..its highly underrated....

john r Wrote:
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> Bob - who despite the recent strength
> of his work has had his share of relative dogs as
> well, from Street Legal
street legal a dog, lol

Ok, Down In the Groove? And I did say relative! I mean to me IORR is a relative dog from the Stones, tho as a rock album I'd give it a B or B+

street legal cuts some girls, its true.

Just listened to MODERN TIMES, go get it everyone. The Stones could do an album with the dignity and grace of this one, mixed with the raunch and punch of the latest NYDOLLS album and it'd be the greatest thing since EXILE. But they won't.

Gazza Wrote:
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> save your money if need be and catch him when he
> plays Meadowlands later in the year - Im sure
> you'll get some new songs then
stones will be playing a new song, streets of love, in the meadowlands next month lol

OK Street Legal, which I am about to play again does NOT cut SG in this house hold...Hell give me Before the Flood & Real Live over Still life, LYL, and Flashpoint. But Ya-Ya's (Handsome Girls too) over Budokan, D & the Dead, Hard Rain, & Unplugged.

it'll be best late at night whilst stoned and reflective

john r Wrote:
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> OK Street Legal, which I am about to play again
> does NOT cut SG in this house hold...Hell give me
> Before the Flood & Real Live over Still life, LYL,
> and Flashpoint. But Ya-Ya's (Handsome Girls too)
> over Budokan, D & the Dead, Hard Rain, &
> Unplugged.
i'll take all of dylans net shows from 1988-present on cd-r over all the stones shows from 1989-present lol. it's still fun to see them live but the stones sound like crap on the boots, too slow and too old.

the remaster of Street Legal is a huge improvement.......used to sound extremely muffled......now it is clear and has a lot of punch

I't a shame the Stones can't go back to basics like Bob and record something with a degree of sincerity and substance.
Modern Times is on par with Love And Theft and is better than Time Out Of Mind which i have always felt is a little overrated. I don't think Daniel Lanois production did Bob any favours - its too artificial sounding. Bob's better producing himself.

Just want to second what others have said re: the remix of STREET-LEGAL which came out in the late '90s is essential if you want to give the album a fair shake, which it does deserve.

poor immigrant Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just listened to MODERN TIMES, go get it everyone.
> The Stones could do an album with the dignity and
> grace of this one, mixed with the raunch and punch
> of the latest NYDOLLS album and it'd be the
> greatest thing since EXILE. But they won't.
word. old men trying to be young and failing, thats why they are ridiculed these days.

Old men trying to be young? I'm going against the tide here but I don't hear that, on ABB or live or whenever...

Bonus DVD is also great.
I love his lead guitar in Love Sick.

Slick Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> poor immigrant Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Just listened to MODERN TIMES, go get it
> everyone.
> > The Stones could do an album with the dignity
> and
> > grace of this one, mixed with the raunch and
> punch
> > of the latest NYDOLLS album and it'd be the
> > greatest thing since EXILE. But they won't.
> word. old men trying to be young and failing,
> thats why they are ridiculed these days.

Ridiculed by who? By the million or so people that bought ABB? Or by the hoards of people that are flocking to see them and giving them the highest grossing concert tour of all time. The Dylan album will probably not go platinum like ABB- as good as it may be.

Daydreaming and fantasies are fine but let's get back to reality. First of all I will be the first one to admit there is a good chance that Dylans last three albums are better than the last three Stones albums. I haven't heard the Dylan albums so I don't know. But even if they are let's not forget Dylan basically "disappeared" for nearly twenty years unlike the Stones. He had like one gold studio album between 1979 and 1997 and many of those albums during that time were reviewed very poorly, unlike the Stones who had a few poorly reviewed and mostly good or great- although they might have seemed worse to people comparing them to Exile etc.

The newer Stones stuff faces greater handicaps than the new stuff by Dylan and basically has "two strikes against it" from the start. No one expects Dylan to come out with an album as good as his earlier masterpieces but the Stones are constantly held to the high bar of 68-72.

The critics love Dylan and tend to look down on any new Stones material- I mean this in a relative way since even the modern Stones albums get fairly good reviews.

Besides Rolling Stone Magazine gave ABB four and a half stars. How superior can Modern Times be? Even if it got the max rating it can only be half a star better.

I hope I didn't offend any Dylan fans out there as that was not the intention of this post. I have the utmost regards for Dylan. He is a survivor like the Stones and when these "old farts" like Dylan and the Stones come out with albums such as ABB and Modern Times it is laughable- laughable to think these relics that started their careers before Gilligans Island was on the tube can put out material as good or better than anything else out there today.

I realized that last line in my last post could be interpreted two different ways. I meant to say that ABB and Modern Times ARE as good or better than anything else out there today and that is what is so great about these two artists.

>But even if they are let's not forget Dylan basically "disappeared" for nearly twenty years unlike the Stones.

Can you define what 20 years you're talking about here?

DYLAN started the NEVER ENDING TOUR in 1988, playing 100 plus shows per year, doing on average 100-125 different songs through the year, playing mostly secondary markets. If that's disappearing, then I hope the STONES disappear soon.
Also, MODERN TIMES did indeed get 5 stars in the latest ROLLING STONE magazine, so yeah, half a star better than ABB, not that RS means anything anymore. Remember, they gave MICK 5 stars for GODDESS.