Self Portrait: What Is This S----? | Discovering Bob Dylan, Ep. 13

As Greil Marcus famously put it in his review of Self Portrait, Bob Dylan's 10th album, and first of the 1970s, "What is this shit?"
What it is, is Bob Dylan playfully zigging left and turning the expectations of critics and Dylan fans (same thing --ed.) on their head. Full of standards and covers and Dylan in crooner mode, it stunned listeners at the time of its release, but was moderately popular anyway.
Joe and co-host Dylan Sevey do their best to make lemonade from the lemons of Self Portrait. Is there anything nice to say about it at all? Is it an elaborate troll by Bob Dylan just to get people off his back?
You'll have to watch the video to find out if one of (Bob) Dylan's least acclaimed albums is worth spinning at all.
What are your thoughts on Self Portrait? Leave your comments in the comments.
Thanks for watching!

Пікірлер: 122

  • @anthonysablan8650
    @anthonysablan86505 ай бұрын

    Really enjoying this series and I just gotta say, Dylan would be an excellent 3rd chair on TLM

  • @edwardsighamony
    @edwardsighamony5 ай бұрын

    Am I the only one who doesn't hate this album? Not his best, but I quite enjoy it.

  • @dylanseveymusic

    @dylanseveymusic

    5 ай бұрын

    I definitely don’t hate it.

  • @edwardsighamony

    @edwardsighamony

    5 ай бұрын

    @@dylanseveymusic I just meant the general critical consensus that I grew up with. It put me off from even listening to the album, for a while. I'm definitely not in the camp that it's a masterpiece.

  • @MrUnclesean

    @MrUnclesean

    5 ай бұрын

    like it a LOT more than JWH

  • @curly_wyn

    @curly_wyn

    5 ай бұрын

    It’s awful, and the only four tolerable songs are just ok.

  • @zacharylegault5784

    @zacharylegault5784

    5 ай бұрын

    I adore this album. I even lost my virginity on it

  • @georgedantz3617
    @georgedantz36175 ай бұрын

    Belle Isle might be my favorite song from the album. It kind of reminds me of I Thew it all Away from Nashville Skyline. Bob's romantic poetry is top notch in these two songs.

  • @KnialPiper
    @KnialPiper2 ай бұрын

    My FAVORITE Dylan album. This CD has been in my car for six years. It’s not leaving.

  • @aronpolasek4506
    @aronpolasek45065 ай бұрын

    Pleasantly surprised by Joe's take. I thought the bat shit craziness of the tracklist would be too much for him to stomach. Unsurprisingly, Dylan S. had a great observation about the over-correction of the critical assessment of the official "Self Portrait" release in the wake of the Bootleg Series Vol. 10. Personally...I still don't love "Self Portrait", and rarely ever listen to it. But...I love the Bootleg Series Vol. 10. So whenever I want to revisit this period, that's what I reach for. 'Pretty Saro' from that set is really wonderful. It's also great to hear Joe becoming more in tune with Dylan's penchant for going against the grain, and choosing to zig when everyone expects/wants him to zag. It's one of the things I love most about Bob.

  • @martinlarsson5254
    @martinlarsson52545 ай бұрын

    This is, believe it or not, my most listened album ever on Spotify. And I use Spotify every day. My vinyl copy is also on high rotation on the turntable. Maybe it's because of the imperfections I love it so much. Let it be me, Blue moon and Copper Kettle are my go to tracks.

  • @ShaneJamesBordas
    @ShaneJamesBordas5 ай бұрын

    Totally with Dylan here and his assessment of Copper Kettle, it's a fantastic track. Self Portrait is a conceptual masterstroke for sure, it's the anti Blonde On Blonde. It was never meant to be a masterpiece but a way of shedding that Voice Of A Generation mantle Bob was straddled with. It's the sound of him pressing the reset button. And as Joe pointed out, it's not a completely cynical exercise either as it contains some genuinely lovely moments.

  • @Bizzle65
    @Bizzle655 ай бұрын

    Fucking love this record. Fabulous.

  • @prangbro

    @prangbro

    4 ай бұрын

    Legend, couldn’t agree more 👍

  • @Logan_Irrelevant
    @Logan_Irrelevant5 ай бұрын

    I only got properly into Bob Dylan early this year, and it’s only February, but as I have been going in chronological order of each and every one of his Albums and researching the shit out of everything Dylan in chronological order, I have analyzed the shit out of all the Albums up until this one and that’s when I found you guys. Went back to your first videos because I love that feeling of a shared journey from skeptic to absolute obsessed maniac, sadly I don’t think you exactly became obsessed but I sure as hell have and it’s great to follow along with you guys in the future. You guys, especially Dylan who acts as me in this situation lol, have such insightful takes and viewpoints on each of these Albums and individual songs and it’s amazing to see just how interesting the stuff Dylan did is. Also dude, to see you go from straight up detractor of Dylan to a somewhat fan has been great because you get to experience the growth of Bob Dylan as an artist as it happens (kind of) and having done that myself and still with this and the rest of his Albums to go, I’m glad to have found this channel/series, you’ve got a subscriber, don’t give up on this series guys!

  • @TastesLikeMusic

    @TastesLikeMusic

    5 ай бұрын

    Thanks Logan!

  • @dylanseveymusic

    @dylanseveymusic

    5 ай бұрын

    Hell yeah, thanks Logan!

  • @davidellis5141
    @davidellis51415 ай бұрын

    Bob has said the cover only took 5 minutes to draw & it looks like it.

  • @walterjanaro42
    @walterjanaro424 ай бұрын

    Back in 1970, I can see why fans would be disappointed but, with the perspective of so much time having passed, it is an interestingly quirky nugget in the catalogue (3 stars for me).

  • @archieleechjb
    @archieleechjb5 ай бұрын

    The REAL Dylan Self-Portrait is Greatest Hits, Vol. II. It was conceived to present Dylan as a song-writer, and is impeccably sequenced, with a half-dozen previously unreleased tracks.

  • @Bizzle65
    @Bizzle655 ай бұрын

    All The Tired Horses. What a tune. Haunting.

  • @TastesLikeMusic

    @TastesLikeMusic

    5 ай бұрын

    It does haunt

  • @grunntalll
    @grunntalll5 ай бұрын

    i love this show! thanks guys! cant wait for you to get to Empire Burlesque and World Gone Wrong

  • @michaelfendrich1864
    @michaelfendrich18645 ай бұрын

    Joe, I'm right with you. I can listen to "Self-Portrait" but what I am not is challenged. Not bored but not challenged. But what I will never know is the weight of being "the poet of a generation" and the pressure, the expectation that comes with that. When interviewed by Cameron Crowe for the 1985 compilation "Biograph", Dylan said about this album, "Also, I wasn't going to be anybody's puppet and I figured this record would put an end to that...I was just so fed up with all that 'who people thought I was' nonsense." Dylan gives a good defense of the album, things I hadn't thought about. But maybe didn't I think about it because I'm living in "Blonde on Blonde" or "Highway 61 Revisited". So I need to give it a more thoughtful listening. I do wrestle with his output from 1970 - 1973 but again, this is from 20/20 hindsight of this being between the 1960's masterpieces and "Blood on the Tracks" and beyond. Perhaps I have been unfair. But realistically, I'm going no more than 3 stars. Maybe I just don't wander around that well when I know what he can do. Great episode, love the interplay between you both.

  • @dylanseveymusic

    @dylanseveymusic

    5 ай бұрын

    Nice, thoughtful response, Michael. I totally understand your feelings about this time period, though I do hope you’ll potentially give New Morning a listen ahead of (or in conjunction with) our next episode. I do think it’s beneficial to not just consider his studio albums when evaluating the early 70’s. If you look beyond them, there’s a bit of a clearer picture: - Self Portrait (w/ outtakes from Bootleg Vol. 10) - New Morning (same as above) - “Watching the River Flow” b/w “When I Paint My Masterpiece” (June 1971 single) - The Concert for Bangla Desh appearance - “George Jackson” single (November 1971) - Greatest Hits Vol. II, featuring new recordings of “Down in the Flood”, “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere”, and “I Shall Be Released” - Appearance with the Band NYE 1971, as captured on their Live at the Academy of Music 1971 - Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid And, of course, the 1973 Dylan album, which you can either listen to after all of this or in conjunction with the Self Portrait/New Morning sessions they came from. Thanks for watching!

  • @michaelfendrich1864

    @michaelfendrich1864

    5 ай бұрын

    @@dylanseveymusic Thanks Dylan. I will do that.

  • @SamNitzberg
    @SamNitzberg5 ай бұрын

    At the time, with Self Portrait, Dylan introduced us to a to a lot of great material by other artists. And Another Self Portrait is I think my favorite bootleg series album. He is a singular interpreter of other people's (and trad) material.

  • @user-ob6mc1bs5f
    @user-ob6mc1bs5f5 ай бұрын

    Loving the deep dive into the Dylan discography series. This double album is an odd but droll recap of his 60's journey. It's sort of a fun house mirror of an album. I'm excited about your New Morning review. It's one of my favorite Dylan albums.

  • @dylanseveymusic

    @dylanseveymusic

    5 ай бұрын

    Thanks for watching!

  • @michaelbenz8092
    @michaelbenz80925 ай бұрын

    If he hadn't done this, he may never have been artistically free enough to open his heart as he does on Blood on the Tracks.

  • @LarsPop-Tartus
    @LarsPop-Tartus5 ай бұрын

    Love Days of ‘49

  • @dylanseveymusic

    @dylanseveymusic

    5 ай бұрын

    Forgot to mention it in the episode, but I like it as well. I prefer the underdubbed version on the Bootleg Series.

  • @prangbro

    @prangbro

    4 ай бұрын

    kzread.info/dash/bejne/mZNmz8asp8a9dLA.htmlsi=N-FdRHptpAtWeaiT

  • @da1215
    @da12152 ай бұрын

    My Favorite Dylan Album. The guy on the left looks like Dylan's Violin Player on self portrait

  • @awrogers3013
    @awrogers30135 ай бұрын

    Love the series and the journey…

  • @patrickshawl7189
    @patrickshawl71895 ай бұрын

    I once heard from a classical musician that All The Tired Horses reminded her of the prelude to a play to settle the audience into a mood

  • @kenkaplan3654
    @kenkaplan36545 ай бұрын

    Well both of you nailed it. The ultimate FU album. One can I suppose admire the stance and why he felt that way but at the time it didn't feel that way. Only someone of Dylan's stature and impact could get away with it. In the end he could not maintain this because it wasn't his nature. I did listen to some of the bootleg versions and was quite surprised how much "there" was there. Through this whole period (JWH-New Morning) I took a vacation from Dylan although I did buy Nashville Skyline. Blood on the Tracks revived my interest.

  • @Yakaru1
    @Yakaru15 ай бұрын

    Just like last time, I'm genuinely surprised by Joe's rating. Was expecting something in a lower region than that! First time I've heard this album -- I'd always avoided it because I'd heard it was crap. But, I'm along for the ride, so I listened to it on You Tube. Can't really get a clear impression of it as an album, but some good songs. I like All the Tired Horses -- a good opener too, as the admission fee for an oddball album.... (I don't think it would have been improved if Dylan suddenly started singing along with it!) Definitely some not particularly good songs on here though, but enough good ones to make a good single album. agree -- Copper Kettle is really good. Could hear The Band doing it. Thanks for this great series! Dylan is probably my second favourite rock pop musician, and it's stupid that I mostly only know his early stuff.

  • @jeffw.england
    @jeffw.england4 ай бұрын

    I like tired horses and wigwam now. It gives the album character as an intro and outro.

  • @ClubCatJohnKite
    @ClubCatJohnKite5 ай бұрын

    The deeper story is, “How am I supposed to get any ‘writing’ done?”

  • @collinmurr3207
    @collinmurr32075 ай бұрын

    I don't have any strong feelings about Self Portrait either way. It just doesn't really feel like an album in the way that the albums before or after do. It's a collection of songs from the time, and some are fine to listen to. I agree with Dylan about Copper Kettle, which is great, and I enjoy the old country covers with his crooning voice. Take Me As I Am (Or Let Me Go) feels particularly pointed. The history behind it is probably more interesting than the music itself. Great discussion as always! I'm really looking forward to New Morning, which I think is one of his most consistent albums.

  • @grunntalll
    @grunntalll5 ай бұрын

    i like the opening melody!

  • @chrisdelisle3954
    @chrisdelisle39545 ай бұрын

    New Morning is a step in the right direction. I don't imagine it will knock you out. Like Dylan said, it's not Highway 61. But, if I'm a betting man, you'll definitely like it more than Self Portrait and John Wesley Harding. I seem to recall enjoying the "Another Self Portrait" bootleg series record. I don't know that I have listened to Self Portrait all the way through, yet.

  • @Vanessa.P
    @Vanessa.P5 ай бұрын

    Been really looking forward to Joe's reaction to this one. I didn't hate it but I didn't love it either. Definitely some interesting stuff here though.

  • @djtforever1414
    @djtforever14145 ай бұрын

    I've always liked Days Of 49 - please Joe, don't tell me I'm wrong

  • @TastesLikeMusic

    @TastesLikeMusic

    5 ай бұрын

    It’s fine

  • @rochdale33
    @rochdale335 ай бұрын

    I am new to most Dylan, like Joe. I created a playlist on Amazon Music of the songs in exact chronological order for these sessions. I used the Another Self Portrait versions that had no overdubs and avoided the overdubbed versions. Those were overdubbed months later! I quite enjoyed almost all of the songs, so it must be the overdubbed versions that are bad?? I was pleasantly surprised.

  • @DeanJonasson
    @DeanJonasson5 ай бұрын

    "Easy, breezy"? How about "lazy, crazy"? There are a few cool songs buried under the half-baked and/or over-cooked material. The best thing about this double is that it's the original home to the punky, live version of "Quinn the Eskimo" (from the Isle of Wight Festival). Fortunately, it can also be found on GREATEST HITS Vol. 2. Check out the BOOTLEG #10 versions for a clearer picture of what Dylan could have achieved. (Note: his idea for "Self Portrait #2" got shelved after the critical lambasting and public indifference. Some of those songs ended up on DYLAN, Columbia's kiss-off after Bob (temporarily) jumped to Asylum. This is the beginning of his "amnesia" period.

  • @painless465
    @painless4655 ай бұрын

    I always liked Copper Kettle, but that’s really it. The next album from 1970, which got way less fanfare upon release, is probably his most overlooked album, and I love it. Are you guys doing Greatest Hits Vol 2 from 1971? Or commenting on his Bangladesh set?

  • @dylanseveymusic

    @dylanseveymusic

    5 ай бұрын

    All will be revealed!

  • @johnlefsky8731
    @johnlefsky87315 ай бұрын

    Are you going to cover "Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid"? It might be a good idea to fold "Dylan" and "Pat Garrett" into one episode. I've been meaning to revisit the film and this presents the perfect reason to do so. Dylan is also a film fan and it would be interesting, to me anyway, so discuss some of the film quotes and references in his songs. I'm almost a big a film fan as I am a music fan.

  • @TastesLikeMusic

    @TastesLikeMusic

    5 ай бұрын

    That is what we are doing. - joe

  • @chillepalmerz
    @chillepalmerz5 ай бұрын

    I understand why this was hated when it came out, but I enjoy it both as a curiosity taken in context of Bob's life and career at the time, and as a listening experience in a vacuum. I used to hate in Search of Little Sadie but I kind of like it now. To me it transcends its own awfulness and goes into charming outsider music territory. The way it goes from being completely out of tune and nonsensically structured to eventually finding a rhythm and melody by the end is weirdly enticing to me. This is the first time I've ever heard someone rag on Wigwam, I thought everyone loved that one haha. I heard a theory about that song that it was meant to be an instrumental and the "da da da da"s by Bob were just meant to be guide vocals for the brass section but he decided to leave them in the final mix.

  • @179rich
    @179rich5 ай бұрын

    The Self Portrait "The Boxer" is just awful. 1 star.

  • @terrybnad2959
    @terrybnad29595 ай бұрын

    I don't think Dylan was all that invested in Self Portrait as tends to be the case when sessions drag out this long (Empire Burlesque, Knocked Out Loaded and Down I'm The Groove suffer the same malaise). His normal MO is working in short, intense bursts whereas Self Portrait is just lackadaisical meanderings spanning a whole year. Once you get over it, it's quite an entertaining listen, and the Another Self Portrait Bootleg Series set is actually one of my personal favourites, loads of lovely material perversely left off SP, or sounding so much better without the intrusive production.

  • @johnwilliams4658
    @johnwilliams46585 ай бұрын

    Another Self Portrait is very enjoyable. I don't mind this period even if it's all a bit low key.

  • @MrUnclesean
    @MrUnclesean5 ай бұрын

    and the big girls... Joni, Carole king, Carly Simon, ..

  • @DavysFlicks
    @DavysFlicks5 ай бұрын

    Coming up for my fave underrated Dylan album, Planet Waves. I try and drop it on Sea Of Tranquility when I'm on...and Dylan is not flavour of the month (or year..or decade...) there.

  • @maggiebryan2355
    @maggiebryan23555 ай бұрын

    I like quite a few on self portrait

  • @spencerdobkin9479
    @spencerdobkin9479Ай бұрын

    A good album for Dylan fans. I like it. Let it be me is beautiful.

  • @suartgilmour4540
    @suartgilmour45405 ай бұрын

    Y'all forgot about Days Of '49 ("Oh My Goodness!"). SP is confusing, as on one hand Dylan was sending a F' you to all the hippies that saw him as a prophet, but he was also reportedly taken aback by the level of hostility that the album received. It's an enjoyable listen imo, especially if you remove the worst tracks, and yes, Copper Kettle is beautiful. The Bootleg Series volume - Another S P, is a treasure trove - a wonderful collection that's just full of great alternative version and previously, unreleased songs. Stuart

  • @qroqqle
    @qroqqle5 ай бұрын

    wigwam is until today, dylan's biggest hit in the netherlands. it got to no 3.

  • @daarfa
    @daarfa4 ай бұрын

    Bob Dylan - Pretty Saro outtake best recording voice ever

  • @MikeVernonProd
    @MikeVernonProd4 ай бұрын

    The bootleg series version of “All The Tired Horses” is beautiful and haunting. Unfortunately the album version is just too cluttered and overwhelmed by the string arrangement. Copper Kettle also suffers from the string arrangement, the “under dubbed” mix is much better. I think Dylan is right in that a genuinely good album can be found amidst the sessions of Self Portrait. Remove the substandard and unnecessary live tracks, replace some songs with their stripped down versions, and add songs like “Pretty Saro, Railroad Bill, Tattle O Day, This Evening So Soon, and Bring A Little Water” from the Bootleg series and you’ll find a genuinely compelling and enjoyable listen.

  • @AndThatsaChinson
    @AndThatsaChinson5 ай бұрын

    I don't know if it was mentioned but a lot of early 70's Dylan were most likely contractly obligated albums

  • @1feloniouspunk
    @1feloniouspunk5 ай бұрын

    Yes! Copper Kettle is the gem! The Boxer could have been left off.

  • @1feloniouspunk

    @1feloniouspunk

    5 ай бұрын

    Oh, and Early Mornin' Rain.

  • @1feloniouspunk

    @1feloniouspunk

    5 ай бұрын

    One of my favorite Bob Dylan albums.

  • @johnlefsky8731
    @johnlefsky87315 ай бұрын

    3 stars is fair. For all of it's flaws I can count, at least, 6 Dylan LPs I think are worse. The Bootleg version is, of course , far superior. And, yeah, Dylan is right on when he says All The Tired Horses is cinematic; it's like the old fashioned overtures you'd hear at the beginning of a David Lean movie. There is a great cover, by Lisa O'Neill, at the end of the final episode of Peaky Blinders.

  • @edward8597
    @edward85975 ай бұрын

    Dylan's own contradictory claims about this album are, I think, illustrative. I think he *started* the project sincerely -- nobody is recording Days of 49 or Copper Kettle with the aim of self-sabotage. I think toward the end, though, when he realised his vision for the album wasn't coming through, I think he went the self-sabotage route.

  • @MartinLindnerDigital
    @MartinLindnerDigital5 ай бұрын

    Not much to discuss here, it is not as awful as I remember it from my early fandom days ... What I really miss is the "lost album" that could have been, collecting in-between-songs like "When I Paint My Masterpiece" (a favorite) and "Watching the River Flow". "More Greatest Hits" (1971) was the record that turned me in a real follower when I was 13 (in 1974), and it had these two favorites (and "Mighty Quinn", which I like). There were some other nice ones like "George Jackson", "Wallflower" etc. And I really love the atmosphere of "New Morning", of the whole album. (Not sure when I did hear it first, though, probably after "Blood On the Tracks", which just blew me away right from the start. Only then I bought all his records one after a another.)

  • @stefano.b65stef77
    @stefano.b65stef775 ай бұрын

    Hi joe and Dylan, i give some credit to self portrait just because i'm a Bob Dylan fan through and through but i must admit it is not a great album, it's average. I'm very fond of another self portrait instead, one of my favourite among bootleg series

  • @seanjockel43
    @seanjockel43Ай бұрын

    I have gone back to this album many time and each time I play it I like it less. I would give it 1 star that's due to the one and only decent track snd that's Days of 49. This Was the only track that received consistent FM airplay

  • @HeyFella
    @HeyFella5 ай бұрын

    Not sure why this has such an odd reputation. It’s obvious what he’s doing. Letting go of the weighty pretenses about himself and just laying him and his influences out there. Let It Be Me is probably my biggest highlight. His take on The Boxer is really interesting because he’s harmonizing with his older self. Like as his crooning country style layered on top of what he used to sound like-or at least something closer to that. It’s not touching the original, but none of the covers are a real attempt to. Other gems for me were Alberta #1, Copper Kettle Blue Moon, and Take a Message to Mary.

  • @danielpattison3422
    @danielpattison34225 ай бұрын

    For me.. the whole self portrait project was sweetened with the Bootleg series and in a way should be taken all together as a whole... to see the full clear image.

  • @jeffderwin2330
    @jeffderwin23305 ай бұрын

    This Dylan fanatic doesn't hate this album, but I don't share some of the critical re-evaluation about this. I like it to an extent, but it is bottom tier Dylan. I love "Days of 49 - a traditional song that shows Dylan had his heart into this project. I also appreciate some of the other covers, but there are moments of absurdity on this album. Only 8 originals - including four live tracks (many not great, although "The Mighty Quinn" delivers). The other four include the opener where Dylan doesn't sing, and "Wigwam" which is almost a parody of his voice. I did find some charm here - certainly if one compares this to the unauthorized outtake album "Dylan."

  • @PabloReyesVelasco
    @PabloReyesVelasco5 ай бұрын

    I love Alberta #1 and enjoy The boxer for the two dylan voices harmonicing.

  • @ronreynolds1610
    @ronreynolds16105 ай бұрын

    ''Think Different'' as Steve Jobs said of his admiration of Dylan .... and Led Zeppelin 3 goes ''acoustic '' in the same year and some thought they were getting soft. In retrospect the music industry will get heavy with ''country rock'' bands ...The Eagles have not put an album out at this time yet ....

  • @shane.b.
    @shane.b.5 ай бұрын

    All the tired Sevey's in the sun How am I s'pose to get any rankin' done?

  • @thetrevorosborne
    @thetrevorosborneАй бұрын

    Agree with you it could have been a decent single album

  • @AJP-thoughts
    @AJP-thoughts5 ай бұрын

    Anyone willing to join me in venom-shaming the critical reaction at the time? If we agree his legend was weighing on him then surely Bowie's subsequent appeal to the mortal Robert Zimmerman about how much THE(e) BOB DYLAN can personally mean to someone is an infinitely more productive means of reinvigorating artistic enthusiasm. Assuming of course that GAME does indeed recognize GAME!

  • @davidgagen9856
    @davidgagen98565 ай бұрын

    Swap riding for writing. How can I get any writing done. Wouldnt surprise me if thats what he meant.

  • @1rwjwith
    @1rwjwith5 ай бұрын

    Hey JOE, I don’t feel you should have to “get it” …your opinion is valid either way. As far as TIRED HORSES…its kind of an artists decision to do what he did here…he wrote it and had these singers perform it! Interpreting it …anybody doing that is just putting their own spin on it.. For me it is what it is…! It is kind of intriguing at first but goes on way too long thats my review on the song. The rest of the album seems like he just wanted to go into a studio and cut tunes! Simple as that….why read more into it. I give the whole thing a C+ …overall it rates low on my Dylan hierarchy of albums. Its cool at points and then you want to move on for certain tunes… I am not a fan of that oddball crooner voice! Thats it….

  • @JimBrink-ko1zk
    @JimBrink-ko1zk5 ай бұрын

    Honestly Bob never made a bad album

  • @xvx5872
    @xvx58725 ай бұрын

    I like this album... equally as any other dylan album. In other words I don't dislike it more than them. However I aint a bob dylan fan. Also, I couldn't tell you how his best release is in any way better than this one. I can't tell the difference between a good dylan song and a bad one. I couldn't tell you how the best dylan song is any better than some songs sung by yoko one on double fantasy. Actually, some of those songs by her are not bad. I don't like yoko, but I'll be damned if some of those songs aren't catchy.

  • @dylanseveymusic

    @dylanseveymusic

    5 ай бұрын

    Okay…?

  • @francisanosissi1
    @francisanosissi15 ай бұрын

    He was trying to avoid the exact thing you guys are doing..:)

  • @neiltheblaze
    @neiltheblaze5 ай бұрын

    I was 17 years old when this record came out, and I had to mow lawns (with hay fever) to earn LP money - and subsequently paid twice the normal asking price for what turned out to be a first-class turd - one which no amount of posthumous polishing can turn into a good album. At the time, I felt ripped off - I felt spit on by someone I admired. Years later, it's still a snooze but I don't care anymore. It's just music, and I'm not so prone to being a fan of anybody at this point. But I gotta say: this deep freeze turkey of a record could be obliterated from all human consciousness and posterity would be missing nothing.

  • @dylanseveymusic

    @dylanseveymusic

    5 ай бұрын

    “Deep freeze turkey of a record” is my new favorite phrase.

  • @monster900900
    @monster9009005 ай бұрын

    would be fair to say bobs lowest point in what otherwise is a great new decade for bob ,, got to number 1 in the uk ,, so some people really liked it !!

  • @Bizzle65

    @Bizzle65

    5 ай бұрын

    No, they didn’t like it. They bought it because it was the new Bob Dylan album. He was so huge at the time it was always going to sell loads. Very few people actually liked it. (I did and still do!)

  • @DavidHarrison-pv9lt
    @DavidHarrison-pv9lt5 ай бұрын

    ha, neither one of you mentioned Days of 49? i remember having a girl friend who was really into Dylan but hadnt heard this album. When i got a cassette of SP i put it on and asked her guess who it was.... pissing myself laughing all the way though ATTH, and waiting to see her face when Alberta came on. Notable also that there are some who this the subject of the Boxer IS Dylan, and although Paul Simon sort of said it was about himself that was much later and at the time Bob had reason to think it WAS about him, and his harmony with himself is hilarious. He always has had a good sense of humour (except when he caught religion).Notable also that in LARS not only is it an atrocious version he actually FORGETS the words, further reinforcing the conceptual F.U. of this album... Hey Jack better beware of New Morning,,, it has 2 of the bottom 5 worst songs Bob ever wrote on it.

  • @dylanseveymusic

    @dylanseveymusic

    5 ай бұрын

    Just about every episode, I walk away realizing I forgot to name check a song. “Days of 49” was the big idiotic moment for me this time. I do like it, though I prefer the less arranged Another Self Portrait version. Completely disagree with you on what I assume the songs you’re talking about on New Morning, but that is coming up soon enough. Thanks for watching!

  • @DavidHarrison-pv9lt

    @DavidHarrison-pv9lt

    5 ай бұрын

    @@dylanseveymusic If jack likes Dogs run free and/or 3 angels i'll voluntarily listen to 1 X Elton john album as penance.

  • @MarkusKamau
    @MarkusKamau5 ай бұрын

    Dylans move to upstate New York (at the advice of manager Grossman) evidently ended badly. Sessions in Big Pink with The Band probably were great. But Woodstock happened and how many of those lost hippies ended up at Dylans doorstep? It must have been hard. I accept that he said fuck it and slapped out Self Portrait. But this is not something that I want to listen to.

  • @rockingbirdey
    @rockingbirdey5 ай бұрын

    If this wasn't a double album, it'd be quite tolerable. As it is...oof.

  • @jamesegan2742
    @jamesegan27425 ай бұрын

    Self-Portrait is the emergence of a Dylan we will unfortunately encounter again: uninspired, lazy, in a hurry. There are some good moments on the album, but what is such a shame is that many of these tracks sound like first-run throw-together/throw-offs. Days of ‘49 is a great song lazily presented; Dylan seems to be reading it off a notepad. In Search of Little Sadie is just an amateur mess; on this and other tracks, Dylan couldn’t be bothered to go back and give a better performance. The live tracks are haphazardly spread throughout, and are not strong. The whole album seems sad to me; Dylan’s heart is broken or his head is elsewhere…that sense of indifference to his own recording is what comes through. But Dylan is so good that at times even these lazy approaches bring forward something good, such as Copper Kettle, as Mr. Sevey notes (the version on Another Side is even better), as is Living the Blues, and Early Morning Rain from our Gord. The best song from the whole session is Pretty Saro, featured on the excellent Another Self Portrait which, I agree with Mr. Sevey is terrific and much better than the official release. Can’t believe my rating of a Dylan album would be lower than that of Joe, but here we are: it’s a 2.5 star album. But so much better will come, and soon. Cheers, JPE

  • @dylanseveymusic

    @dylanseveymusic

    5 ай бұрын

    I agree with most of this, except I don’t find the experience sad. I picture Dylan listening to the final playback and laughing his ass off. There are other releases I will feel that way about, just not this one in particular. Thanks for another insightful comment, James!

  • @pisongsea
    @pisongsea5 ай бұрын

    For those that might be unaware, Bootleg Series 10 : Another Self Portrait is absolutely fantastic and far superior to Self Portrait.

  • @dylanseveymusic

    @dylanseveymusic

    5 ай бұрын

    Yup, I mention it about 26 times in the episode.

  • @pisongsea

    @pisongsea

    5 ай бұрын

    ​@@dylanseveymusic I posted this before watching 🤦‍♂️

  • @ronreynolds1610

    @ronreynolds1610

    5 ай бұрын

    Greil Marcus reconsidered his original opinion when the Bootleg Series 10 was released ...@@dylanseveymusic

  • @timothybyrne5640
    @timothybyrne56405 ай бұрын

    Let dŕuinm😊

  • @davidgagen9856
    @davidgagen98565 ай бұрын

    The bootleg Self Portrait box set is remarkable. It forced me to reconsider this album. Pretty Saro is remarkable. The 3 or 4 live songs however shouldnt be here...they are very out of place.

  • @dtchinacat3973
    @dtchinacat39735 ай бұрын

    Self Portrait is pretty bad, you will like the next album a lot more?

  • @kevinjoseph517
    @kevinjoseph5175 ай бұрын

    Bobs artistic decline..he coulda released the real basement tapes..130 songs.

  • @chrisdelisle3954
    @chrisdelisle39545 ай бұрын

    Joe, please don't feel bad about not liking John Wesley Harding. It's not that great. There are so many other albums worth your attention.

  • @kensilverstone1656
    @kensilverstone16565 ай бұрын

    As a Dylan fan, this is his worst album. Only, "Dylan," comes close.

  • @dylanseveymusic

    @dylanseveymusic

    5 ай бұрын

    That’s fascinating to me. There’s a “redeemable” album in here, which is more than I can say about certain albums coming down the line. But, I’ll have my say in that soon enough. Thanks for watching!

  • @kensilverstone1656

    @kensilverstone1656

    5 ай бұрын

    @@dylanseveymusic I didn't include some of the stranger of the "new albums," like the Christmas album and maybe the old time standard covers. But I remember when Self Portrait came out, it seemed an incredible drop from Highway 61, Blonde on Blond, or in fact every album up to that time. You have fresh ears so I always respect your views.

  • @Shah-of-the-Shinebox
    @Shah-of-the-Shinebox5 ай бұрын

    The Self-Portrait album is the one album that i unequvically call Dylan's worst (just my opinion). A murky collection of poorly recorded live cuts, lazy covers and uninspired originals. Not an album i revisit. The album that came after was considerably better.

  • @xvx5872
    @xvx58725 ай бұрын

    So here's the thing I just noticed about Dylan lyrics... Do you think they make sense? Well, check out brian eno's album before and after science. Which has lyrics that don't make sense. Then tell me if you're average dylan song makes any more sense than that. Give you one example. One random ass lyric on that: 'what to do , what to do on a tiny canoe.' One more alright? 'splish splash we were raking in the cash.'

  • @SpaceCattttt
    @SpaceCattttt5 ай бұрын

    What is this shit? 😂

  • @prangbro
    @prangbro4 ай бұрын

    There is no bad Bob, good and bad is for mortals. If you don’t think this record is great you are severely lacking in jokermen mindset

  • @TastesLikeMusic

    @TastesLikeMusic

    4 ай бұрын

    You’re not a serious person. - Joe

  • @prangbro

    @prangbro

    4 ай бұрын

    @@TastesLikeMusicI am a jokerman

  • @prangbro

    @prangbro

    4 ай бұрын

    @@TastesLikeMusic and you are a walking antique

  • @curly_wyn
    @curly_wyn5 ай бұрын

    Yep. It’s a dead horse that been driven into the ground deeper than the digging at the Russian Kola peninsula, but it’s true! Self-Portrait is god-awful! 😚🤗🩶