Released in 1969 during the height of flower power Nashville Skyline was completely removed from much of everything else that was going on musically at the time and saw Bob Dylan build on the rootsy sound of his previous release 1967s John Wesley Harding as he moved head first into country music, leaving behind his politically charged folk anthems in the process.
Nashville Skyline is a very warm and friendly album, and has a strong homely
feel to it. The music on the album is unthreatening lyrically and musically very
much unlike Dylan’s earlier folk material as he attempts a radical change of
direction in his music. Coming in the wake of his motorcycle accident in 1966,
Dylan’s change of direction musically seems to have fallen in line with his new
perspective on life where he became a more private family man. He also began to
publically distance himself from the political and social unrest of the
late-1960s and from the counter-culture, especially the tag of being seen as
the spokesmen for a generation to which he responded “I wasn’t the toastmaster
of any generation”. The state of mind Dylan seemingly was in during this period
comes across in the tranquil-like music on Nashville
Skyline, while country music was the perfect genre for him in which to
retreat into his thoughts and reflect on his feelings.
On this album
Dylan surrounds himself with in demand Nashville country players a move which I
feel translates into an I play, you follow ethos on the album. What I mean by
this is that the backing musicians are simply there to serve the song rather
than to display their virtuosity on their instrument. These simple country
songs don’t lend themselves to solos or amazing displays of musicianship, with
Dylan very much going for simplicity over any form of musical statement. The
album contains a mixture of soft country ballads and up-tempo tracks, while the
only real display of musicianship from his reputable Nashville musicians occurs
in the form of instrumental “Nashville Skyline Rag”. Although the album as a
coherent whole flows nicely from song to song, the songs that stand out for me include
the opening track “Girl from the North Country” which features Johnny Cash on
vocals, one of the few up-tempo songs on the album “To Be Alone with You” and
album closer “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here with You”. Dylan’s voice is also a
pleasant surprise as he switches to a country crooning style taking many fans
by surprise. On first listen he sounds unrecognisable in comparison to his folk
twang that made him famous, but after a few songs his voice begins to grow on
you as it gives off this warm soothing sound well suited to the short and sweet
songs, and the country style of the album.
Although the style
of the album was a surprise to many, Dylan was lauded by critics for this album
especially for going down a completely different avenue musically. Nashville Skyline went on to become one
of his best-selling albums and had a direct influence on the development of
country rock during the early-70s. This reaction was quite ironic considering
Dylan wanted more privacy and less attention at this time and what he got
instead with this album was the exact opposite in the form of praise from music
critics and commercial success. This albums release led to an increased
interest in Dylan and his music, his whereabouts, and what his next move would
be, the sort of heightened attention that resulted in his highly anticipated
set at the 1969 Isle of White Festival, his first concert in three years. Nashville Skyline is a very fine album
and is one of Dylan’s best, marking the moment where he left behind his
political folk songs for a more self-reflective sound that he would continue with
for much of his career. It is a very soothing album musically, which is not
always the case for Dylan who can be a hard listen at times, and has an underlying
relaxing quality to it allowing listeners to drift off. I thoroughly recommend it
to Dylan fans, country rock fans, and those that like to chill out and relax to
music.
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