Self Portrait

by

Bob Dylan

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The first time I heard this album I nearly laughed myself unconscious. I had recently seen "Don't Look Back" in which Dylan gives surrealistic and absurd press conferences, makes fun of Donovan, and pretty much shows he's not your conventional performer. Then I heard the opening notes of "All the Tired Horses" and I was pretty sure that this album was in the same league as the "Oh! I though you'd ask me about the lightbulb" or "I consider myself a song and dance man" press conference clips from "Don't Look Back." I laughed and laughed, played it for friends, who usually didn't understand what I found funny, and more or less made up my mind that this album represented Dylan giving the middle finger to his fans. For some strange reason that belief endeared the album to me.

Years later, when I finally opened enough musically to appreciate Dylan's "country phase" (beginning with, roughly, "John Wesley Harding" and roughly ending with this album) I now think about this album very differently, and I actually enjoy listening to it, with the exception of a few tracks.

Dylan's first decade was spent continually changing styles. The "protest singers" hugged him to their bosoms until "Another Side of Bob Dylan" and then became violently offended when he completely ditched the protest scene, went electric and didn't seem to care what they thought. Simultaneously, an entire new scene opened up to him with "Like A Rolling Stone." Now Dylan was cool, and cooler than could ever be imagined. He was on the pop charts and in the spotlight. The fans at the time probably thought that Dylan had found himself and looked forward to years and years of the same kind of thing. But he unexpectedly turned coat on the "cool rock" scene as well and dove head first into its seeming "uncool" antithesis: country music. The rock fans must have felt a similar betrayal that the "folkies" did when Dylan went electric. On top of it, Dylan didn't seem to care what they thought, and he again put his career on the line.

Looking back at over 30 albums it's a little clearer what Dylan was up to. He refused to be typecast or set into one musical genre to die a slow musical death of sameness. Most of his fans probably didn't appreciate this, but it makes Dylan one of the most challenging musical figures of the 20th century. This spirit is alive and well in "Self-Portrait."

"Self-Portrait" has some very good songs on it: "Alberta", "Little Sadie", "I Forgot More than You'll Ever Know", "Early Mornin' Rain", etc. If you appreciate Dylan's "country phase" you will like this album. It is uneven and confusing at times, but it was supposedly meant to be an "official bootleg" - Dylan was tired of hearing his unreleased songs on unofficial bootlegs, so he thought he'd do one of his own. The feel of the album in general is completely consistent with this concept.

There are a few confusing numbers: the live version of "Like A Rolling Stone" is sloppy and taken from an obvious "off" night(Dylan even forgets the lyrics). "The Boxer" (a song apparently about Dylan) is hilarious, as well as "Blue Moon" and "Wigwam." These could be the result of either Dylan's sense of humor (he may have wanted to slap Paul Simon back for "The Boxer") or of experimentation (he had to have experimented a lot when changing musical styles).

By far the most confusing (and hilarious) part of the album is the cover and sleeve art (which is lost somewhat in the CD booklet - the original LP had a full color gatefold sleeve): Dylan looking up in the sky like a bird just defecated on him, Dylan kneeling down beside a chicken, Dylan posing by a road sign with strong emphasis on the road sign. Are these pictures even worth analyzing?

The answer to the question: "Is this album a joke?" is probably both yes and no. In some ways it is, and in others it is not. It is definitely challenging (because there are so many ways to interpret what Dylan may have been up to). It contains very good and underrated music. It also contains the spirit of the Albert Hall concert of 1966, though fans who liked that concert probably hated "Self Portrait." Dylan was again changing, and he didn't care what we all thought about it. "Self Portrait" is further evidence of Dylan's unrelenting mission to remain undefined or pigeon-holed into being a one-trick pony.

Let me point out that this is a very challenging 80 minutes of music. I was intimidated by this album when I first started collecting Bob Dylan's work. Following the advice of many reviewers and critics, I skipped from 'Nashville Skyline' to 'New Morning' and never even considered adding this to my collection.

Last winter, my curiosity got the best of me and I purchased 'Self Portrait' on a whim. I wasn't sure what to expect, I'd already heard 'Dylan' and 'Knocked Out Loaded' and many other albums that compete for the title of "Lowest Point in Dylan's Career," but I was shocked. 'Self Portrait' does not belong in that category.

True, there are far too many throw-away songs. However, at least half of the album is great. Another reviewer wrote that this album is like an old, comfy sweater. What a perfect comparison. Sifting through 'Self Portrait,' I have found many songs that are catchy, comfortable and unimposing.

I won't pretend that this is worthy of 5 stars, but I do think that anyone who gives 'Self Portrait' a chance will be pleasantly surprised - provided they drop all expectations and just listen. I'm very glad that I did - I'm always using "Days of '49" and "Alberta #2" in my mix tapes! Maybe you'll find some favorites too.