I've been putting off writing about this record for ages, mostly because it's about 12 hours long. The album is the soundtrack to a Bob Dylan biopic named after a song of his, I'm Not There, and features some fairly A-list names covering Dylan songs spread over four discs.
It should be said that I'm not a huge fan of Bob Dylan. That's not to say I don't like him, I think he has some great songs, but I'm not a massive fan. The problem I have with Dylan is just that he's written so much music I don't know where to begin. I have two compilations (a 5-LP boxset I got cheaply in New Zealand, and the recent 3-CD boxset that Fopp were shifting for £6) but both are so expansive I get a bit bored. I know I should just buy an album and enjoy him for just two sides of a record, but where to start? Also, I feel like I've really tried; I've bought his music and spent hours listening to it. I've even seen him live (at Roskilde a few years back), although I won't go into detail about how shit he was, because it seems rude given how influential he is, and how old he is. Basically, I feel I've put the effort in, and now I'm going to re-focus that energy elsewhere and hopefully be more rewarded.
Anyway, I bought this one because the names appearing on it interested me. It was during the Tuesday-record-from-Spillers year and they had reduced the price because the corner was slightly damaged (surely a factor of the record company stuffing four records into a single sleeve), although it's worth noting that it's way less damaged than some records I've seen in other less-lovely record shops for full price. I don't spin it very often, but it's not a bad record. There are certainly some great tunes, but also plenty that are a little beige. One success story was that it led me to discover Sufjan Stevens, an artist I was very excited to find out about. Other highlights are Stephen Malkmus' take on Ballad of a Thin Man, and Mark Lanegan's and Willie Nelson's songs. It was nice to hear another take on Moonshiner because I'm used to Chuck Ragan's Rumbleseat version, and Antony and The Johnsons' cover of Knockin' on Heaven's Door is worth a listen too.
Format: 4x12", picture sleeves
Tracks: 33
Cost: £16 new
Bought: Spillers
When: 09/07/08
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: no
