The Great Bob Dylan Turns 70

Cover of Times They Are A-ChanginBy Jon B White

Bob Dylan has now reached the milestone of his 70th birthday. Born on May 24th, 1941, in the scruffy city of Duluth, Minnesota, Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman) has gone on to spark new genres of music (folk-rock and country-rock) and revolutionise songwriting.

He first came to prominence in 1963 with his second album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan which offered such epochal songs as Blowin' In The Wind, Masters Of War and A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall. Inspired by the likes of Woody Guthrie and Hank Williams, his lyrics in Freewheelin' were highly political and led to Dylan being dubbed as a protest singer by many.

A surge of similarly styled songs soon hit the British charts and come October 1965 there was a scattering of protest songs in the national charts; songs such as Too Many People by The Hollies which addressed the problem of over-population and It's Good News Week by Hedgehoppers Anonymous which confronted issues on nuclear war and birth control. However, his influence on protest songs was relatively short-lived compared to the impact of his lyrical styles.

In early 1964, Dylan released The Times They Are A-Changin' which showcased the work of a matured songwriter greatly inspired by poets such as Keats and Rimbaud. It was more literate and evocative than his previous offerings and had a profound effect on popular music.

In 1965 came Highway 61 Revisited and the single release of Like A Rolling Stone which is widely championed as one of the best singles in the history of popular music; breaking the barrier of the traditional three minute pop single and, of course, we can't forget the innovative Blonde on Blonde in 1966 which cemented Dylan's reputation as a genius of the times.

From the mid 60′s onwards there was a sizeable shift from frivolous and superficial lyrics to more contemplative, introspective and poetic offerings and this was largely down to the splendour of Dylan's lyrics. His talent influenced copious numbers of artists including musical giants The Beatles who, in 1965, released the more insightful Rubber Soul which was lyrically more complex than their previous releases. John Lennon had even started mimicking Dylan's casual delivery in songs such as You've Got to Hide Your Love Away and Yes It Is.

'Vocally and poetically, Dylan was a huge influence' Paul McCartney

As the years progressed, Dylan's lyrics became slightly more surreal and enigmatic but they never lost their potent essence and such was his refusal to be pigeon holed, Dylan consistently re-invented himself.

Having already given fresh breath to the protest movement, revived folk music, re-invented the singer songwriter genre and sparked folk-rock, in the 1970′s he helped give rise to country-folk and in the 80′s and 90′s (though he occasionally floundered), he still inspired and surprised his fans. In 1989 he was inducted into the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame and in 1990 Dylan was named a Commandeur dans l'Ordre des Art et des Lettres, France's highest cultural honor.

His records still sell by the truck-load, he still inspires and moves people and his concert tickets still sell like hot cakes. Happy Birthday to a legend.

Jon White is the founder of ticketola.com - a ticket exchange aimed at music fans who wish to buy or sell concert tickets.

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The Yardbirds: Anatomy Of A Rave Up In 5 Songs

Cover of Five LiveBy Lando Frock

Introducing Eric "Slowhand" Clapton

Eighteen year old Eric Clapton joined The Yardbirds in 1963, blew the doors off the London blues scene, and moved on in 1965 just as they had their first hit single. It was during this time that he was given his nickname "Slowhand" - which was a goof on the fact that he actually played quite fast. Indeed quite a few of the early Yardbirds live recordings display some of the fastest playing around.

One could easily have termed it 'speed blues', but the phrase on the street for this bombastic style of blues was 'rave up' - the sound of the Clapton era. Clapton's Yardbirds style ferocious rave ups again and again on their classic record 'Five Live Yardbirds'.

Five of the ravest cuts from 'Five Live Yardbirds' are Too Much Monkey Business, Respectable, Pretty Girl, Here 'Tis, and Who Do You Love. They run the gamut from cooking swagger to full on jittery rave up - often within the space of a single song. These are classic blues and rock songs given the Yardbirds treatment and taken to a new landscape.

Too Much Monkey Business

The record starts with the classic Chuck Berry song 'Too Much Monkey Business'. This is a good one to jog too. Right away they employ the classic Yardbirdism of turning the guitar solos into whole band high intensity blasts of raw blues plasma - classic rave up. Young Mr. Clapton busts solos that are amazingly precise, and driven - the perfect foil for the rests in the verses.

Respectable

Penned by the Isley Brothers, The Yardbirds make it their own. The intro slides in and drops a hint at the double time rhythm coming down the pipe. Clapton's guitar solos begin with tasteful restraint. The steam starts to build in the 2nd half of the song when they drop into a shuffle verse of Humpty Dumpty then over the wall with blurring hands shaking the rhythm nearly to death before they drop out with a classic slow blue exit

Pretty Girl

The boys treat this Bo Diddley classic fairly straight - at the beginning anyway. Introduced with a loose swagger, by the time the choruses kick in things start to fly. Again displaying their trademark of laying down a nice riff, then cranking it up, letting it back out, then really pouring it on rave up style.

Here 'Tis

You can't get more rave than this. Another Bo Diddley tune, 'Here 'Tis' opens up and burns from start to finish. This is blues rave up at its most intense. Built furiously up and up again and again, then dropping the whole shebang into Jim McCarty's drum break. You can almost hear the audience trying to catch it's breath while Keith Relf begins his warning "There's more... There's more... Here it comes... Here it comes..." Then slamming back in with Eric's blazing riff trading with Samwell-Smith's stomping bass. They build it back up one last time and a halt on a dime. What an ending!

Who Do You Love

Yet another Bo Diddley verse. This one was added to the record as a bonus track for the 2003 re-release and it fits right in. The track fades in fast and furious before pulling back to make room for walking 47 miles of barbed wire. Things chug along nice and smooth for a bit, then almost sneaking into the rave up. Each time through the cycle the fevered strumming peaks higher until the final fade. A great version, and a great bonus to the record.

Fast Train To God Status

It would not be until he left The Yardbirds and hooked up with John Mayall and the Blues Breakers that London tube riders would see the writing on the wall proclaiming "Clapton Is God".

But you can hear his train rolling into the station at full speed with The Yardbirds on 'Five Live Yardbirds' as well as 'For Your Love', 'Sonny Boy Williamson and The Yardbirds' and the American compilation 'Having A Rave Up.'

After Claption left and was replaced with Jeff Beck (and Later Jimmy Page) the band explored new and exciting sonic directions, but their stamp on the rave up sound would become history.

There are some great bands these days who invoke the sonic fire of old school rock and roll - but do it in their own way. I'm very excited about a cookin' 3 piece called The Lovely Savages.

Get their blistering EP 'YES' for FREE at: http://www.thelovelysavages.info/

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