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Bob Mail
Member
Username: Bob

Post Number: 5
Registered: 03-2006
Posted on Tuesday, March 14, 2006 - 08:40 pm:   

a thought on this - Dylan is often cited as an influence by the GBs. Has it greatly influenced their style? I for one have never been the biggest Dylan fan but love the GBs. Maybe the verses of the wrong road , the harmonica on 16LL are betraying an influence the cover of the Dylan song on 16LL extra disk. Throwing this one out there....................................
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spence
Member
Username: Spence

Post Number: 222
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Tuesday, March 14, 2006 - 08:53 pm:   

To be honest, I listened and continue to listen To The Go Betweens and many others to get away from Dylan, that's just me...
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Kurt Stephan
Member
Username: Slothbert

Post Number: 161
Registered: 04-2005
Posted on Tuesday, March 14, 2006 - 09:09 pm:   

They're not too blatant about it, but the Dylan influence is there. "People Say" has the sort of putdown verses and organ sound of Dylan in his '65-66 heyday--that song's probably the closest they've come to a Dylan homage. And somewhere (16LL liner notes?), Robert mentioned meeting people who told him "Love Is A Sign" sounded like it could have come off of "Blood on the Tracks," which he took as a huge compliment. But one could argue that after 1974, Dylan never wrote a song nearly as good as even an average GoBs song.
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Pádraig Collins
Member
Username: Pádraig_collins

Post Number: 202
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Tuesday, March 14, 2006 - 09:48 pm:   

You would not hear me making that argument Kurt! But I'll leave it to others to unleash the Dylanophile hounds on you!
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gareth w
Member
Username: Gareth

Post Number: 42
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Tuesday, March 14, 2006 - 09:55 pm:   

I’m not the biggest Dylan fan on the planet but some of his best work has been done since 1974 – ‘Most of the Time’ ,’Shooting Star’, ‘Mississippi’, 'Disease of Conceit’ - all great, great songs. Great book too.
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Pádraig Collins
Member
Username: Pádraig_collins

Post Number: 204
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Tuesday, March 14, 2006 - 10:00 pm:   

Well said Gareth. Now please beat France on Saturday so that Ireland can win the Triple Crown and Six Nations by winning at Twickenham!
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gareth w
Member
Username: Gareth

Post Number: 43
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Tuesday, March 14, 2006 - 10:07 pm:   

Please don't mention the rugby. As a Welshman i very much hope we get a drubbing to teach the players and the RFU a lesson. We should never have lost Ruddock, he was the best coach we've had in years. Such an arrogant group of players, hardly any of them deserve to wear the shirt. The only compensation is that England look to be crumbling too. Northern hemisphere rugby is becoming a joke as the World Cup will easily demonstrate i think.
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Pádraig Collins
Member
Username: Pádraig_collins

Post Number: 207
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Tuesday, March 14, 2006 - 10:22 pm:   

I'd like to see Six Nations bring in the four points for a win / bonus point for getting four trys or losing by seven or less system that works so well in Super 14. I think it would at least make Six Nations rugby more exciting.

I still want Wales to hammer France for Ireland's benefit though!
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Hardin Smith
Member
Username: Manosludge

Post Number: 20
Registered: 03-2006
Posted on Tuesday, March 14, 2006 - 11:51 pm:   

I'm a fairly big Zimmie fan...maybe not to the point of hurling insults and threats at Soy Bomb during his "performance art", but I believe he is the well from which most modern songwriting flows and many of his best songs are just ungodly beautiful and profound...he admits himself in Chronicles that he's not exactly sure how he wrote them, what "zone" he was in...Stuff like "Hard Rain", "It's Alright Ma", "Rolling Stone" are just amazing poetry, not to mention stunning music...

Having said that, IMHO, I think some of his recent stuff ranks up there with his best. "Time Out of Mind" and "Love and Theft" were just superb records that prove, at least to me, that the man's still got it.

In the Nichols GB book, many mentions of Dylan are made - apparently GM and RF obsessed over him to the point of driving friends and fellow band members batty...
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Jeff Whiteaker
Member
Username: Jeff_whiteaker

Post Number: 194
Registered: 10-2004
Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 12:31 am:   

to me, any influence dylan had on the go-betweens' sound was subtle and occasional.
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Lawrence Mikkelsen
Member
Username: Simplythrilledhoney

Post Number: 6
Registered: 03-2006
Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 02:37 am:   

I'd argue that The Go-Betweens were influenced _by_ Dylan in the same way they were influenced by Warhol's Factory. I don't think the sound is there, it's more that they were influenced by the figure of Dylan '66 as this figure of hipster cool (because, honestly, in 1966 Bob Dylan was the coolest person alive) and the ideology he represented at that time ... taking something throwaway (popular culture) and turning it into high art.
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Randy Adams
Member
Username: Randy_adams

Post Number: 207
Registered: 03-2005
Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 04:45 am:   

Ah, the Dylanesque! Without touching the solo records, I'd cite "Rock n Roll Friend," "Just a King in Mirrors," "Draining the Pool for You,""Apology Accepted," "Spring Rain," "You Can't Say No Forever," "Too Much of One Thing," and, yes absolutely "People Say." And a fresh listen would undoubtedly unearth some more candidates.

You can also enter the land of the Dylanesque by borrowing from Ray Davies, Lou Reed or Gene Clark. And so many more . . . .
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Hugo
Member
Username: Hugo

Post Number: 11
Registered: 06-2005
Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 10:14 am:   

I assume "one more coffee" from Darlinghurst Nights is a reference to Dylan's "one more cup of coffee".
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Peter Collins
Member
Username: Tyroneshoelaces

Post Number: 89
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 10:44 am:   

Mind you Padraig, we're still world champions, even if we've crumbled away almost immediately. Bizarrely, England could still win the Six Nations if we beat Ireland and France lose by enough to Wales.
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Hardin Smith
Member
Username: Manosludge

Post Number: 21
Registered: 03-2006
Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 04:35 pm:   

Excellent spotting, Hugo. It has to be an intentional nod - it seems almost impossible that RF wouldn't have heard that song...

Another Dylanesque moment (there are many, I believe, in the GBs catalog) is "What Went Wrong" off of the wonderful "Horsebreaker Star" (my favorite GM, by far)...it's that style of folk song, I think there's actually a word for it, where multiple verses are used that go back to the same chorus each time...a la Dylan's "Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts"...

"You can't find a kidney in Hong Kong"...I'm not sure how or why GM knows that, but fascinating bit of info...
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Jerry Clark
Member
Username: Jerry

Post Number: 191
Registered: 08-2004
Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 05:11 pm:   

When Amanda joined the band, I think the intention was to adapt a similar sound to Dylan's Desire/Rolling Thunder period, probably his best.
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Pádraig Collins
Member
Username: Pádraig_collins

Post Number: 213
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 10:12 pm:   

Peter, I hope you and other England rugby fans will not keep banging on about winning the 2003 World Cup for as long as football fans have been banging on about the 1966 World Cup? (I'm just jealous that Ireland have never won either comp though!)

That said, I have no particular faith that Ireland will win on Saturday and Gareth has no faith that Wales will win, so the dastardly French look to be in the driving seat.
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Peter Collins
Member
Username: Tyroneshoelaces

Post Number: 90
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Thursday, March 16, 2006 - 12:59 pm:   

I was three when England won the 1966 World Cup, and I find it pretty embarrassing when it's rolled out every time another Mondial rolls around. I think it's more a media thing than from 'the people'. Most football fans I know realise England's place in the world football order - that a semi final would be a good run, and that the quarter finals is our usual limit. Most of us, in fact, find it vaguely amusing that we tend to go out on penalties to Germany. As for the rugby - I like to see England win, but I don't care so much as long as it's a good game of rugby. The criminal thing about losing to France last week was that they weren't very good either. If they'd been any good it would have been 60 points! If England can't win the championship, it'd be good if Ireland could, so good luck to them. But it'll be France. What's happened to Wales has been weird. So good last season, so poor this. Was the good form just a blip, or is this season a blip in a general rise in standards?
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Matt Ellis
Member
Username: Matt_ellis

Post Number: 70
Registered: 11-2004
Posted on Friday, March 17, 2006 - 11:47 am:   

Did anyone read the Lastest Q Magazine huge feature on Dylan? I found it really interesting despite the fact that I've only ever heard one of his Greatest Hits records once and don't know much of his work. Apparently he was twice married in secret for many years.
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Peter Collins
Member
Username: Tyroneshoelaces

Post Number: 92
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Saturday, March 18, 2006 - 09:09 pm:   

Continuing the hijacked rugby theme - congratulations to the Irish, Padraig. I think the better team (just) won, but there was a wee bit of St Patrick's magic going on with your first try, which should not have been given!
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Pádraig Collins
Member
Username: Pádraig_collins

Post Number: 224
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Sunday, March 19, 2006 - 07:31 am:   

I did not see the game Peter as it was on in the middle of the night Sydney time and only available to watch in pubs; not even on cable TV (which I don't have anyway). Sounds like it was a good game though. Pity the Welsh could not do us a favour and beat France.
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Peter Collins
Member
Username: Tyroneshoelaces

Post Number: 94
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Monday, March 20, 2006 - 08:38 am:   

Can't trust the Welsh! Actually, they deserved to win their game, but the French are very English at the moment - defend desperately, take all their kicks and tough it out.
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jerry hann
Member
Username: Jerry_h

Post Number: 79
Registered: 07-2005
Posted on Monday, March 20, 2006 - 11:44 am:   

I'm an England fan and were pleased they lost, they need a wake up call and new management ( can't believe I would ever write/say this).
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Peter Collins
Member
Username: Tyroneshoelaces

Post Number: 95
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Monday, March 20, 2006 - 01:45 pm:   

Can't disagree. Although it was always going to be tough following an excellent but ageing team that reached its peak even before the last World Cup and was clearly going to lose some of its best players. However, the lack of any creativity was embarrassing at times.
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M. Mark Burgess
Member
Username: Fortysomething

Post Number: 78
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Friday, April 07, 2006 - 03:37 am:   

Dylan is (or was, depending on who you ask) a genius on so many levels it's mind-boggling. There is no way we would even have this board to discuss these things had Dylan never existed. Say what you will, his influence on music and popular culture cannot be over-estimated.
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David Matheson
Member
Username: David_matheson

Post Number: 73
Registered: 12-2004
Posted on Friday, April 07, 2006 - 12:29 pm:   

I've never been a huge Dylan fan, but I admire him as a master songwriter. His influence on the Go-Betweens is obvious to me on certain songs, such as Too Much Of One Thing.
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Charles
Member
Username: Charles

Post Number: 4
Registered: 04-2006
Posted on Sunday, April 09, 2006 - 12:56 pm:   

Listening to Dylans music demonstrates the scope of just what can be accomplished with some words and a tune. Grant and Robert know that, and continue to create great songs. A songwriter who dosn't know or value Dylans work, has a lot to learn about their craft.
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andreas
Member
Username: Andreas

Post Number: 3
Registered: 04-2006
Posted on Friday, April 28, 2006 - 06:02 pm:   

i am not a big dylan fan, too. but i think that the influence of his work on popular music starting from the sixties is huge. just to mention the fabulous the byrds. he's a storyteller and i think robert is one, too.

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