Yup, you read that right. After years of trying to make things work with John Wesley Harding, the sky has finally cleared and our relationship is now smooth and blissful.
Ok, I'm not referring to John Wesley Harding the singer nor John Wesley Hardin the outlaw, but John Wesley Harding the album. Yes, here's me again doing another post enumerating my media consumption because this type of topic is what keeps this space alive. Not gonna lie, I want to write other types of content, but it's hard.
Anyway, as you've read from the title, the highlight of my March 2024 is re-discovering the 1967 album called John Wesley Harding (JWH) by Bob Dylan. I know, it's a Bob Dylan album again. Don't worry, this post will feature other albums by other artists as well.
Back to JWH, it's a surprise album. I never really paid attention to it since I used to think it's not as cool as Dylan's other 60s album, but I guess there's really a time and season for everything under the sun. Since discovering it last month, I already listened to countless podcast episodes discussing the album and of course, playing it non-stop. There's a mono version available on Youtube, and I say thank heavens because All Along the Watchtower sounds better in Mono.
Speaking of its sound, there's something different about JWH. There's a quote from Llewyn Davis that's perfectly applicable to it: "if it was never new, and it never gets old, then it's a folk song." To be fair, the songs from JWH were new when it was released in 1967 but it sounded old. 57 years later, it still never gets old because of its timeless feel. I started looking for other Dylan albums that capured the overall atmosphere of JWH, but the search was difficult as I can't think of other albums that has similar sound and vibe. The album that succeeded JWH, Nashville Skyline, sounds different. Even Self- Portrait sounds different.
Am I sad about it? No, because I'm not the only one looking for a JWH-like Dylan album. There's a reddit post on r/bobdylan asking for album recommendations similar to it. The OP probably must've felt the same urge I felt when I realised I love JWH. You know, when you've reached the end of a beautiful movie or a book, you want to search the ends of the earth just to capture the feeling again. I felt that after rediscovering JWH.
By the way, the fans were happy to send in their recommendations: from The Basement Tapes to Bootleg Series Vol. 15, but they don't 100% sound like JWH. So I guess the next step is to try and listen to albums from other artists. That's something to look forward to.
Like I said earlier, this is not a JWH-centric post, so let's move on from that, because we've now come to the part of this post where I'll share all the other album discoveries last month.
First, I spent a week listening to Birdy's discography, particularly her Young Heart and Portraits albums. Young Heart is currently my favourite album of hers because it's the one closest to my usual song preferences.The songs from this album revolved around nature and how it's related to personal experiences like growing up and leaving things behind. I played this during the first week of March and it captured the seasonal transition from chilly February to hot and humid March.
Portraits, her latest album, was a surprise since it's the one that sounds different from all her previous works. It sounds closer to Kate Bush's Hounds of Love as its sound leaned more towards electronic and synth compared to the folkish and rustic sound of Young Heart. The evolution of Birdy's sound is cool because after all these changes, there's element from her works that still screams Birdy. Piano ballads are present in both albums, but they work really well with the other tracks. I like that about Birdy albums. From Birdy's works, I learned that although it feels frightening forging a new path, seeing other people succeed outside their comfort zones is inspiring.
Second, The Gilded Palace of Sin by The Flying Burrito Brothers is good– beautiful album cover and interesting opening track. I found that there exists a speed corrected version of Christine's Tune available on Youtube, and I prefer it than the album version. But you know, though their voice sounds better in the speed corrected version, the album version leaves stronger impression. It's the better version for an opening track. I wouldn't give the album a try had they used a different version or a different song for an opening track.
Also, I didn't know that Gram Parsons used to be a member of The Byrds. I'm taking this as a sign to listen to The Byrds' later albums. Actually, I already did. Since The Gilded Palace of Sin is often compared to The Byrds' Sweetheart of the Rodeo, I gave The Notorious Byrd Brothers a try, for a change. I was on my way home from somewhere when I listened to the full album for the first time, and one thing I noticed about it is how the album sounds like one long song. You can't tell where the songs begin and end. I don't always find albums that sound like The Notorious Byrd Brothers but I have to admit, it made identifying the tracks difficult. Aside from the track called Going Back, I can't remember the title of other songs from that album.
The same is true with the tracks from Olivia Rodrigo's Guts (spilled). Aside from obsessed and so american, I can't recall the 3 other tracks from her deluxe album. What I can remember– and now sing by heart– is her song driver's license. I'm 4 years late to the party, you guys.
I guess that's all for this entry. I feels good to go back to this space again to do word vomit. I should do this more often.