Review of Bob Dylan's "Nashville Skyline" Album (1969)

Review of one of my favorite Bob Dylan albums, "Nashville Skyline" from 1969. Marvelously smile-inducing album.

[@SuperGrumpyDaddy]

Man, I really love these reviews. Your knowledge and enthusiasm is brilliant, and I love that you’re doing The Bootleg Series too. So glad I found your channel. We are about the same age I do believe. I came into this world in October of 1961.

[@CalicoSilver]

Yes we are the same age, Mark. I was born in 1961 also. Thanks for your encouraging comments on my Dylan reviews. They were the sole reason I started this channel....and along the way I ended up doing the Stones, Reed, Young, Rundgren, Beefheart, Cooper, et al.. Haha! It has been fun. I need to re-start my Bootleg Series reviews.....I got rather overwhelmed by all the material on each of them that it caused me to stop reviewing them.....just too hard! Haha. I went through Volume 8 and stopped there, but I will likely start again.....but I will not attempt to review every song....instead, I might just list 10 favorite cuts or something. That way it will be manageable. Anyway, thanks again for your kind words. Cheers! Jeff

[@nothingisreal8618]

I love your infectious joy whilst speaking about this album. It has never been a favourite of mine but always a pleasant and fun listen. I have always appreciated Dylans changes of vocals and styles throughout his career and it just shows the sheer crafstmanship of his profession. Cheers Calico.

[@CalicoSilver]

Thanks, NothingIsReal! Thanks for your kind comment.

[@georgecoventry8441]

This was definitely Bob at the peak of his melodic abilities, and it resulted in some absolutely classic love ballads with wonderful tunes and great delivery. At the time (in the 60's, early 70's) I gave it considerably less importance than most of his other albums of that first decade, because the lyrics weren't as deep and complex as in the other albums...though I did like it...but I thought it could have been a bit longer too. Maybe a couple more songs on the disc. It would have been good if he'd put the great little song "Livin' the Blues" on that record. "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" and "Down Along the Cover" on John Wesley Harding was definitely pointing toward the next album.... Anyway, musically speaking NatSky is terrific, and Bob obviously was having a great time recording it. What I think about those "smile" years is...those were the happy and stable years of his marriage with Sara and the birth of several children. Bob had found his safe harbor (shelter from the storm...) in his marriage to Sara (she who talks like silence, without ideals or violence) and the joys of fatherhood, and that came through powerfully in his albums right from "John Wesley Harding" in '67 through "Planet Waves" in '74. For awhile (about 8 years) Bob felt he had found the true key to happiness and fulfillment..."Build me a cabin in Utah. Marry me a wife. Catch Rainbow Trout. Have a bunch of kids who call me "Pa". That must be what it's all about! That must be what it's all about!" It worked for him for those 8 years, and that didn't sit too well with a lot of his fans who much preferred Bob when he was angry, manic, alienated, sarcastic, inscrutable, and accusatory. They wanted the pain and the drama instead of the man being happy! Well, they had to wait awhile for that, didn't they? (smile) It returned about the time he wrote the incredible "Blood on the Tracks", which I'd say was mostly triggered by the breakdown of his marriage with Sara. And after that he had to look for something further than he'd been able to find in marriage....and it turned out to be the turning to Spirit. And no one saw that coming. But that's another story.

[@CalicoSilver]

Yes I'd say you nailed it, George. My thoughts exactly. Cheers! Jeff

[@thetrevorosborne]

Really like this album too. Always admired the melodic feel of these songs just showing the depth and variety of his talent.For me there are some of his greatest more sophisticated melodies here. The lyrics might not be his deepest here but they feel heartfelt and for me its never been just about the lyrics but the music and the vocal delivery are just as important.Lovely Album wish it could have been a couple of songs longer. many thanks.

[@CalicoSilver]

These seem to have been "happy years" for Dylan - no need for Gates Of Eden or It's Alright Ma on this album, haha!

[@Chip8224]

The mood hit last night to hear this album, as it does from time to time. I ended up playing it three times through. Well it's a short album, but oh so good and anyway, all of that led me to re-watch your review today. Most of the time it's "Freewheelin'" or somesuch but sometimes, last night for instance, this is my favorite Dylan album. All the same, at any rate and at any time there's not a song here I don't like or actually rather love. Okay, I prefer the 1963 version of "Girl From the North Country," but also hold much love for the remake here and the ramshackle fun of it. Plus hey, Johnny Cash thrown in, never a bad thing. Not forgetting the fact that 'I Threw It All Away" may well be my favorite Bob song. Or not. Several compete for that spot but it's certainly in the top three if not my number one. So, engaging, informative review as usual and love the story of bonding with your dad over the album. I've typed more than enough here. Think I'll quit and put the give the album its fourth spin of the last two days.

[@CalicoSilver]

Thanks for the great comment, Matthew. I love this album dearly also and ranked it up quite highly on not only my Dylan ranking video, but it was also one of my Top 20 favorite albums of all time. I agree with you about I Threw It All Away. Whenever I think of this album, that song comes to mind first. Thanks again for the great comment. Jeff

[@kevinbradley7606]

It's a good album. To me it is his ultimate country album. His voice is completely different from before and after times. Another good review 👍

[@CalicoSilver]

Thanks, Kevin. Yeah, a great album to me - had it not been for this album I probably would not have paid much attention to Dylan as a kid. I loved rock music (The Beatles were even too soft for me at the time, haha), but the beauty of this album (and the fact that it tied me to my Dad so well) turned my head. Jeff

[@georgecoventry8441]

By the way, Buffy Sainte-Marie, who had a passionately devoted folk audience in the 60's who expected ONLY more folk music from her (although she thought of herself as someone who wrote not just in the folk idiom, but also in pop and rock music as well as other styles)...Buffy absolutely shocked her diehard folk fans in 1968, about a year before Bob recorded Nashville Skyline, by herself going to Nashville and doing a wonderful country album, described on the Net as: "I'm Gonna Be a Country Girl Again" is the fifth album by Cree singer/songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie. As its title suggested, it saw her embrace Nashville country music with the help of session veterans such as the Jordanaires, Grady Martin, Roy M. Huskey, Jr. and Floyd Cramer." So Buffy did not follow Bob in doing this, but actually preceded him...and a lot of her folk fans didn't like it one bit! I didn't like it much at the time...I worshipped the ground she walked on...but...I was VERY prejudiced against country music and the Nashville sound. However, I later came to love that album. I highly recommend you get a copy of "I'm Gonna Be a Country Girl Again" and give it a listen. It was completely natural for Buffy S-M to do country music at some point, because it's always been the favorite music of most Native Americans, so it was the music she had heard a lot while growing up. I'm sure you'll like it.

[@CalicoSilver]

Hmmm, I wonder if Dylan was influenced by her decision to go country. Believe it or not, I just listened to "I'm Gonna Be A Country Girl Again" yesterday! Right here on KZbin! Haha. How ironic that you mentioned it today. ;-)

[@georgecoventry8441]

@@CalicoSilver - Wow! Synchronicity.

[@slumdogjay]

Great album.

[@CalicoSilver]

Fantastic!!

[@kevinjoseph517]

its 27? minutes long,,shows the start of his artistic decline. without the instrumental and girl from north country its be like 20-22 minutes. I agree with aj weberman..at least one song is about heroin...'tie me on n turn it loose big white goose'.

[@CalicoSilver]

It has always surprised me to think that this odd little album was the one that drew me into the world of Dylan. Haha. Weird.

[@mrstambourinegirl397]

​@CalicoSilver I'm exactly the same as it was also my introduction to Bob Dylan. Plus one more night is the song (along with Alberta, and tomorrow is a longtime live from budokan) I sign post to when they tell me he can't sing. 😊

[@Mythologos]

Great album but he selected the weakest collaboration with J. Cash.

[@CalicoSilver]

Haha, I remember my dad and I laughing at how "bad" and yet how "good" that first track was. I was only 8 years old in 1969 but I cracked up every time I heard it. Of course I loved it also. Now I don't laugh at it any more, and just enjoy it.

[@CalicoSilver]

@@Jon_777_ I'll bet Dylan would have recorded with Denver back in the early '70s. I like several Denver songs, including "Sunshine On My Shoulders" which I think is beautiful, especially that final verse where he switches the chord sequence to I-IIm7-IIIm7-IV which is so moving. I can easily hear Dylan singing a song like that back in the early '70s. Have you ever heard the 1973 "Dylan" album? It would have fit well on there, or on "Self Portrait" in fact. Anyway, despite Denver rather goofy HarryPottery looks, he was actually a pretty cool guy (my sister in law met him) and a fine musician. Cheers! Jeff