This album is certainly one of my more strange appreciations. Written by Bob Dylan in 1975, this album defies every preconceived notion I had going into it.
The first notion I had of this album was that it would be “angsty” or “sharp”. I knew very little of Dylan, besides a Guns N’ Roses and Jimi Hendrix cover. These covers are brilliant, but they certainly painted Dylan in a light that this album could not match. This, as it happens, was not an issue for me.
With the exception of ‘Idiot Wind’, this album is very raw to me, very calm. But I am getting ahead of myself. Because, as it happens, I had to learn to like this album.
Yes, much like vegetables, cardio and reading, this album was a bit of an acquired taste. The first stage was pushy, I knew this album was good so I forced myself to hear it. The rough singing was really the sticking point for me, as it is most people. As I listened to it more, I began to build associations with the music. Not the artistic kind, as I had hardly unpacked any of the lyrics, but connections to places and times I have been. I remember vividly listening to ‘Simple Twist of Fate’ in the sun lit hallway of the community center where I was receiving my training for a new job. Soon enough, I found myself seeing past the singing. Where Bob could not quite reach the note he was looking for, I would fill in the blanks in my mind. All of the sudden this album sounded just as normal as any other.
So how then can I be certain this album is any good? Are we all hostages to nostalgia and bandwagon? Yes- but! I discovered that, along with the single song covers from Iron & Wine, Jimi, GNR and many more… An independent artist had recorded a full album cover! Notably, she can sing.
Mary Lee’s Corvette, as far as I can tell, is the only full album cover of Bob Dylan. We must make this a habit!
My only gripe with this album is that, as it is a live performance, she let an audience member sing one of the verses. I cannot blame either party for what transpired, as it was comedic and lighthearted, but the audience member sang with their best Bob Dylan impression. So, I had to cut that verse out of ‘Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts’.
All in all, while this album mostly leans itself against the memories and experiences that I shared with it, its hard not to appreciate it all the same.
