VIDEOS OF THE WEEK: Frank Zappa-Bob Dylan-Tom Waits

I will try to start up VIDEO OF THE WEEK once again, and see how it goes.

The reason for this, is so that I myself have a saying in, which artist are posted in CRB (and there will probably not be that much AOR around here).

I will start by posting 3 classic videos from 3 classic artists every week.

Feel free to join in by giving your response to my choice of videos.

I will post the videos, then a few facts (probably from wiki) and then my own comments.

And I'll start out with these:

FRANK ZAPPA - YOU ARE WHAT YOU IS

"You Are What You Is" is a Frank Zappa single from the 1981 album of the same name. The song is known for going out of its way to use improper English, basically mocking the rest of its context. It was the b-side for 1982 single Valley Girl. This song was also remixed for the 1984 album Thing-Fish.

"You Are What You Is" is probably my favorite Zappa-studioalbum. Zappa was a genuine genius, but it takes time, to go through his enormous backlog, so it might be, there's an album, that I haven't heard, which end up as my favorite later on.

He was a funny, very cool dude, that played a great guitar. By the way, Steve Vai appears on this album.

TOM WAITS - JOCKEY FULL OF BOURBON

"Jockey Full of Bourbon" is a song by Tom Waits released as the first single from his 1985 album Rain Dogs. It is featured in the films Down By Law (1986) and Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995).

Rain Dogs is my favorite Waits-album. But there a so many good albums by him, and sometimes the jazzy albums from the 70's are the best, other times it's the more experimental albums from the 80's, or the mix from the 90's-00''s. Down By Law is a great movie imo. Some people hates Wait's voice, but I love the way it sounds. The more "rusty", the better. And again the humor is almost as important, as it is with Zappa.

BOB DYLAN - IT'S ALRIGHT, MA (I'M ONLY BLEEDING)

"It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan and first released on his 1965 album, Bringing It All Back Home. It was written in the summer of 1964, first performed live on October 10, 1964, and recorded on January 15, 1965. Described by Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as a "grim masterpiece," the song features some of Dylan's most memorable lyrical images. Among the well-known lines sung in the song are "Money doesn't talk, it swears," "Although the masters make the rules, for the wisemen and the fools" and "But even the president of the United States sometimes must have to stand naked." The lyrics express Dylan's anger at hypocrisy, commercialism, consumerism, warmongers and contemporary American culture, but unlike his earlier protest songs, "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" does not express optimism in the possibility of political solutions.

It took a while, before I became a "Dylan-fan". For maybe 10 years ago, I saw the film "No Direction Home", and finally I could see his genius, and he is a bloody genius, especially in the mid-60's. I know, a lot of people hate him, and a lot of people worship him. I'm probably in the middle. I love his work up until 1966, and I love most of the Bootleg Series CD's, but then that's it. "You" can get too much, and then I need a break (kind of like I have it regarding RUSH), but then I "discoverer" his greatness again, and listen to my favorite Dyaln-albums, and perhaps put on "No Direction Home" once again.

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Permalink Reply by Scott on May 3, 2015 at 7:47am

Not that I don't appreciate his contributions to rock and roll music, but Tom Waits is difficult to listen to for me. He's written some classic material, no doubt, but its best interpreted by other artists IMO. I didn't get it...

Dylan on the other-hand is very cool! Its the social commentary of my birth year so it has extra interest for me. But musically its very good, and his voice is perfect. I do own only one Dylan album and its the much maligned Slow Train Coming. Its his announcement, if you will, of his Christian conversion. At the time of its release we didn't hear it that way, mostly because we were young but I was way more interested in the fact that the Dire Straits were the backing band and so the music holds up really well for me, kinda like this tune you posted. I need to go back and look at Dylan early work closer ...

Welcome back my friend!