Ramnath Kamat

          Bob dylan is an American musician, primarly into blues, folk and country rock. He started his professional career in 1960s. His song Blowing in the wind from the album The freewheelin Bob Dylan posed a series of questions about peace, war and freedom.It was considered as the 14th greatest song of alll time by the Rolling Stone magazine. Another 6 min long number Like a Rolling Stone became an anthem for the hippies at Nevada forests. Bob Dylan was not just a musician, he was prominent in the civil rights movements.

                Now let me tell you why most of the young generation doesnt know much about Bob Dylan or why they dont listen to Bob Dylan. Bob Dylan's music was never fancy. He never had those fast tempos or the which attracts this young generation. His music was soulful art derived by a God. Note the word God, Bob Dylan is a God for me. This generation thinks that music is all about the voice and the pitch at which they are singing. But I was never interested in the voice. For me all that mattered were those instruments playing in the background. I loved the way drummer changed the course  of the drum, I loved those naughty Tabla beats, I loved the changing of chords. Last but not the lease, Lyrics mattered a lot to me. This is the one which drives the song. And finally when all these things are going smoothly, I would listen to the voice. May be that is why I love metal.

               As I told Bob Dylan's music never had any fancy stuff. It was the pure strumming that I could here all the time. He made the music not for the money, he never commercialised it, he made the music for himself, to express his thoughts towards the society. And when you make music for yourself, you try your best to make it the best one. I never understand the concept of Master piece by an artist. Is it like after creating your master piece, you decide to degrade your work? or you try to beat the rest and make one more best? I like the other half and Bob Dylan believed in that. He created master pieces one after the other.

               At one moment, he was a loving husband who wished his lady could lay across his big brass bed and the other moment he was a activist who brutally questioned the society. he refrain "The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind" has been described as "impenetrably ambiguous: either the answer is so obvious it is right in your face, or the answer is as intangible as the wind". Look at the other part now, lets take a famous rap verse from a famous song of Linkin ark, In the end. I still have not understood its meaning. And I have seen people singing it without even knowing the meaning and same applies to other these young artists.

              Bob Dylan has received 11  Grammy awards, 5 of his songs were incuded in Grammy's hall of fame and we still think A R Rehman is out of box, dont we?

                 I was trying to figure out which is the best track by Bob Dylan but I couldnt get one. For me all of his songs stand equal respects, still I have come up with a list I admire the most

• .Blowing in the wind
• Tangled up in blue
• Like a rolling stone
• Lay lady lay
• Knocking on heaven's door
• Positively
• The times they are changing

Quick links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdRZ1gFhZP0&feature=fvst
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Go2jbER0wk0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJpB_AEZf6U&ob=av2n