the voice of a generation

dylan, need i say more? how about dylan & cash?

it's impossible for me to pick a favorite dylan record, my favorite tends to be whichever one i'm listening to at the time. "nashville skyline" tends to be one i listen to a lot. i'm not sure why it sticks with me, but it does.

as trite as it sounds, he (dylan) was, and continues to be the voice of his generation and his relevance today is hard to question. much like johnny cash, a friend and mentor, who he duets with on this record (recorded in 1969), he seems to be making some of the best music of his life in the latter part of it. which is saying a lot.

their duet on "girl from the north country" brought together two of the most distinctive and important voices in american music and gave each of them creditability in different way. with dylan showing respect and admiration for music and musicians that came before him and cash recognizing, respecting and acknowledging where music was heading. it was not a popular decision among his fans or label for him to embrace dylan and his generations anti-war stance and progressive politics, yet he didn't care and did it anyway. he did what he felt. it was also a risk for them both, with dylan veering off towards country music and cash taking a step from traditional country towards folk and popular. and it worked beautifully. but more than anything, there was a true respect, admiration and friendship born. these were true visionaries and risk takers, at a time in their career that neither needed to take a risk. yet they chose to be true to themselves and their music. as they both have (and did) throughout their careers.

while i was aware of him, i didn't really "find" dylan until a few years after this record was released, but once i found him, his words, his thoughts, they never left. they never will, they are a part of who i, and many people my age, are. he, more than anyone else is part of our DNA, part of what defines us and our lives. his voice, conscience, words are what we wanted to say, what we needed to say but couldn't. he speaks, we listen. he was "us." he still is. he always will be.

"Once I had mountains in the palm of my hand,
And rivers that ran through ev'ry day.
I must have been mad,
I never knew what I had,
Until I threw it all away.

Love is all there is, it makes the world go 'round,
Love and only love, it can't be denied.
No matter what you think about it
You just won't be able to do without it.
Take a tip from one who's tried."

this little exercise is bringing back some good memories. :)