Blonde On Blonde - Reflections On A Life (1971 Ember)

This was in my friend's record shelf. We made some exchange and soon BoB found itself a new shelf. BoB's album like the band itself is very interesting. First they took there name after Dylan's album and moreover they adapted Dylan's lyrics.

Bob Dylan / "Like a Rolling Stone"

how does it feel
to be on your own
with no direction home
like a complete unknown
just like a rolling stone

BoB / "Bargain"

i guess it had to be
i'm all alone
i ain't got no home
a complete unknown
just like a rolling stone

As a whole BoB's album is like a riddle. I have heard it about ten times till now and its enigmatic atmosphere concerning the trinity of songs, lyrics and sounds keeps hold on me. I can not compare "Reflections of a Life" to any other obscure record album i happen to own or have ever heard. I'm afraid i have to work with this a lot to get it enough.

The album is an extract from real and sometimes absurd too life, but how they manifest it, is i hope, outsiders objective, narrative and external. Have to say some lyrics are hard to ingest, but when disregarding some uglier parts and focusing on the music instead, you can still hear something ingenious. And by some odd way even the extraordinary outspoken lyrics may create some extra tension to the music.

Maybe BoB wanted to take out speaking singer songwriter music like Dylan's on the next, even rougher level. That is...They took the semi-mournful "real life" descriptions like Dylan's, to another, very real disgust-realistic level. "Gene Machine" for example sounds like early Dylan but the lyrics are more bare and undressed and "Happy Families" aren't very happy happy either. "I don't care" is like a harmless rockabilly teenage love song, if you don't listen to it carefully.

Maybe BoB were frustrated with poor sale of their two previous albums and they so decided to make one more album with the attitude that okay..., it has come clear that our records don't sell, so what the f..., we can make one more, blonde on blonde, to tell what to do with it. Bob sells, so he has to be careful, but BoB don't, so let's have some fun...

And let's not forget that most of the songs on the record are top stuff accompanied by top musicianship. Beautiful ballads, a "choral", good blues with hendrixian and fuzzy guitar playing, psychedelic sound scenes.

All i say above is probably pure speculation, but nevertheless that or just because of it, this hard record is light, fun, exciting and crazy too. What the truth with this record is, is not the point. The point is how you imagine/reflect it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zfevudl_zI