| Nashville Skyline | |||||
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| Studio album by Bob Dylan | |||||
| Released | April 9, 1969 | ||||
| Recorded | February 12, 1969 – February 21, 1969 | ||||
| Genre | Country, country rock | ||||
| Length | 27:01 | ||||
| Label | Columbia | ||||
| Producer | Bob Johnston | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
| Bob Dylan chronology | |||||
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Nashville Skyline is Bob Dylan's 9th proper studio album, released by Columbia Records in 1969. A studio album is an original collection of new tracks by a recording artist Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman, May 24 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter author poet and painter who has been a major Events 193 - Septimius Severus is proclaimed Roman Emperor by the army in Illyricum (in the Balkans) Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1429 - English Forces under Sir John Fastolf defend a supply convoy carrying rations to the army besieging Orleans from attack by the Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 362 - Athanasius returns to Alexandria. 1245 - Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. For the geological term see Country rock (geology. Country rock is a Musical Genre formed from the fusion of rock In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company In the Music industry, a record producer or music producer has many roles among them controlling the recording sessions coaching and guiding the musicians organizing See also Bob Johnson, Robert Johnston Donald William 'Bob' Johnston (born 14 May 1932, Hillsboro Texas) is a noted American allmusic (previously All Music Guide) is a Metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide. Rolling Stone is a United States -based Magazine devoted to Music, Politics, and Popular culture that is published Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman, May 24 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter author poet and painter who has been a major John Wesley Harding is Bob Dylan 's 8th Studio album, released by Columbia Records in 1967. Self Portrait is Bob Dylan 's 10th studio album released by Columbia Records in 1970 Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman, May 24 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter author poet and painter who has been a major A studio album is an original collection of new tracks by a recording artist Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company
The album marked a dramatic departure for Dylan, previously known for his groundbreaking, poetic folk music and rock'n'roll. Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African Nashville Skyline, building on a rustic style he experimented with on John Wesley Harding, displayed a complete immersion into country music. John Wesley Harding is Bob Dylan 's 8th Studio album, released by Columbia Records in 1967. Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. Along with the more basic themes and simple songwriting structures, it introduced audiences to a radically new singing voice from Dylan - a soft, affected country croon. Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains.
The result received some mixed reaction from critics at the time, but Nashville Skyline, despite its brevity (it is Dylan's shortest album), was a commercial success. Reaching number 3 in the US, the album also scored Dylan his fourth UK number 1 album.
Contents |
Context
As he would later write in his autobiography, by 1969, Dylan was growing more frustrated by his lack of privacy. Relocating his family failed to deter fans from intruding on his property and he became increasingly wary of how other residents viewed him. "The neighbors hated us", Dylan recalled. "To them, it must've seemed like I was something out of a carnival show. "
Fatherhood had also changed Dylan's priorities. Married with three children, he was only interested in providing for his family and keeping out of trouble, which meant distancing himself from the political turmoil pervading the country. To his chagrin, the press continued to promote him as the spokesperson of his generation. "I wasn't the toastmaster of any generation", Dylan wrote, "and that notion needed to be pulled up by its roots. "
Recording sessions
In February 1969, Dylan returned to Nashville to begin work on Nashville Skyline. It had been over a year since his last album, John Wesley Harding, was released, and it had been fifteen months since he produced that album, the last time he was in a recording studio.
Dylan held sessions at Columbia's Studio A, scheduling the first on February 12, but there is no record of any work from that first session. A second session held the following day produced master takes of "To Be Alone With You", "I Threw It All Away", and "One More Night. " Dylan also made several attempts at "Lay Lady Lay"; as with "I Threw It All Away", "Lay Lady Lay" was written in 1968, one of the few songs written by Dylan that year. " Lay Lady Lay " is a Song written by Bob Dylan and originally released in 1969 on his Nashville Skyline album
The songs on Nashville Skyline were very relaxed with modest ambitions, something reflected in the studio work ethic. "We just take a song, I play it and everyone else just sort of fills in behind it", Dylan recalls. "At the same time you're doing that, there's someone in the control booth who's turning all those dials to where the proper sound is coming in. "
Dylan was also singing with a soft, smooth, country-tinged croon, and many listeners would be startled by this 'new' voice. Dylan credited it with a break from cigarettes, but a number of friends and family members were able to draw a connection with his 'new' voice and the one he used to use when he played at the Ten O' Clock Scholar in Minneapolis and the Purple Onion pizza parlor in Saint Paul during the winter and spring of 1960. A cigarette ( French "small Cigar " from cigar + -ette) is a product consumed through Smoking and manufactured Saint Paul ( abbreviated St Paul) is the capital and second most populous city in the U
Master takes for "Peggy Day", "Tell Me That Isn't True", "Country Pie" and "Lay Lady Lay" were completed on February 14. During the two-day break that followed, Dylan penned another song, "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You. "
When sessions resumed on February 17, "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You" was the primary focus, and a master take was selected from a total of eleven takes. An instrumental, titled "Nashville Skyline Rag", was also recorded at the beginning of the session, and it was later included on the album.
Sometime during that session, country legend Johnny Cash stopped by to visit. Johnny Cash (born J R Cash; February 26 1932 - September 12 2003 was a Grammy Award -winning American country Singer-songwriter. A friend and label-mate of Dylan's as well as an early supporter of his music, Cash had been recording next door with his own band. The two wound up recording a series of duets, covering Dylan's "One Too Many Mornings" and "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" as well as Cash's own "I Still Miss Someone. " None of these were deemed usable, but Cash returned the following day to record more duets.
The session on February 18 was devoted exclusively to duet covers with Cash. "One Too Many Mornings" and "I Still Miss Someone" were revisited, and rejected, yet again. "Matchbox", "That's All Right Mama", "Mystery Train", "Big River", "I Walk the Line", and "Guess Things Happen That Way", all made famous by celebrated Sun recordings performed by Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, and Cash himself, were all attempted on February 18, but none of these were deemed usable. Carl Lee Perkins ( April 9, 1932 &ndash January 19, 1998) was an American pioneer of Rockabilly music a mix of Rhythm Covers of Jimmie Rodgers' "Blue Yodel #1" and "#5", Cash's "Ring of Fire" (written by his wife, June Carter and Merle Kilgore), "You Are My Sunshine", "Mountain Dew", the traditional ballad "Careless Love", the traditional hymn "Just A Closer Walk With Thee", "How High The Water", and "Wanted Man" (a song written by Dylan specifically for Cash) were also attempted, and all were rejected. Valerie June Carter Cash ( June 23, 1929 &ndash May 15, 2003) was a Singer, Songwriter, actress, comedienne Wyatt Merle Kilgore ( August 9, 1934 – February 6, 2005) was an American Singer, Songwriter, and Manager There was little enthusiasm over any of these tracks, but one duet of Dylan's "Girl From The North Country" (which originally appeared on The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan) was ultimately sequenced as the album's opener. The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan is singer-songwriter Bob Dylan 's second Studio album, released in May 1963 by Columbia Records.
With primary recording complete, three more overdub sessions were held on the February 19, 20, and 21. After these sessions were completed, acetate pressings were made for a preliminary sequence to Nashville Skyline. Originally a nine-track, twenty-three minute program, Dylan ultimately kept this sequence intact with one significant amendment, adding "Girl From The North Country" as the opening cut.
Songs
Unlike other country-rock excursions, like The Byrds' landmark Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Nashville Skyline was rooted far more in modern country than in rural folk music. The Byrds were a popular American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964 Sweetheart of the Rodeo is the sixth Album by American rock band The Byrds, released on July 29 1968 (see By 1969, the country music establishment was following popular trends, moving away from its roots and closer to mainstream pop. Nashville Skyline was a reflection of this, complete with a number of clichés associated with the genre.
The album begins with a new version of "Girl From The North Country", Dylan's duet with Johnny Cash. Johnny Cash (born J R Cash; February 26 1932 - September 12 2003 was a Grammy Award -winning American country Singer-songwriter. A close friend of Dylan's since their meeting at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival, Cash also wrote the Grammy-winning album notes for the album. The Newport Folk Festival is an American annual folk -oriented Music festival in Newport Rhode Island, which began in 1959 A hesitant performance, the duet slows to a halt after some awkward line-trading. One verse ("Many times I've often prayed/In the darkness of my night") is also deleted in this performance.
"Peggy Day", "Country Pie", and "Nashville Skyline Rag" are perhaps the humblest recordings on Nashville Skyline. Upbeat and uptempo, lyrically they have little ambition ("Nashville Skyline Rag" is actually an instrumental), but the recordings center on the performances, not the words. This became more apparent many years later when Dylan used "Country Pie" as a live, improvisational showcase in the late 1990s.
"'Tell Me That Isn't True' is the voice of a suspicious man who promises himself he'll take his woman's word for her fidelity, all the time denying the 'rumors all over town' that she's 'been seen with some other man,'" writes NPR's Tim Riley. "Dylan gives it a forced sincerity of someone who can't help deceiving himself, and the song catches a quiet terror. "
"Lay Lady Lay" turned out to be one of Dylan's biggest pop hits, reaching #7 in the US, and giving him his biggest single in three years. " Lay Lady Lay " is a Song written by Bob Dylan and originally released in 1969 on his Nashville Skyline album "Lay Lady Lay" was originally written for the film Midnight Cowboy, but Dylan did not deliver it in time for it to be included in the score. Midnight Cowboy is a 1969 Drama film based on the 1965 novel of the same name by James Leo Herlihy. He was initially reluctant to authorize the single's release, but eventually approved at the insistence of Columbia president Clive Davis. Clive Jay Davis (born April 4 1932 in Brooklyn New York is an American Record producer and a leading music industry executive.
"Sometimes. . . I go to the artist and say, 'What do you hear on the drums?' Because sometimes when people write songs they can hear it completed, they hear everything they think's gonna be on it", says drummer Ken Buttrey. Aaron Kenneth Buttrey ( April 1 1945 - September 12, 2004) was an American Drummer and Arranger. "I went over to Dylan and said, 'I'm having a little trouble thinking of something to play. Do you have any ideas on ['Lay Lady Lay']?'. . . He said, 'Bongos'. . . I immediately disregarded that, I couldn't hear bongos in this thing at all. . . So I walked into the control room and said, 'Bob [Johnston], what do you hear as regards [to] drums on this thing?'. . . [He] said, 'Cowbells. '. . . Kris Kristofferson was working at Columbia Studios at the time as a janitor and he had just emptied my ashtray at the drums and I said, 'Kris, do me a favor, here, hold these two things. . . hold these bongos in one hand and the cowbells in the other,' and I swung this mike over to the cowbells and the bongos. . . I had no pattern or anything worked out. I just told Kris, 'This is one of those spite deals. I'm gonna show 'em how bad their ideas're gonna sound. '. . . We started playing the tune and I was just doodling around on these bongos and the cowbells and it was kinda working out pretty cool. . . Come chorus time I'd go to the set of drums. Next time you hear that [cut], listen how far off-mike the drums sound. There were no mikes on the drums, it was just leakage. . . But it worked out pretty good. . . To this day it's one of the best drum patterns I ever came up with. "
"I Threw It All Away" was another hit single for Nashville Skyline. Riley describes it as "a glimmer of honesty from a person who has taken love for granted, squandered its rewards, and lived to sing about it. " ("Once I had mountains in the palm of my hand/And rivers that ran through ev'ry day/I must have been mad/I never knew what I had/Until I threw it all away. ")
"Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You" is "perhaps the best song of the sessions", writes Clinton Heylin, "a fine cousin to John Wesley Harding's 'I'll Be Your Baby Tonight. John Wesley Harding is Bob Dylan 's 8th Studio album, released by Columbia Records in 1967. '" Both songs closed their respective albums on a relaxed, romantic note with a hint of sexual longing. Dylan actually wrote "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You" in February 1969 at a Ramada Inn on one of the motel's notepads. Ramada is a Hotel chain owned and operated by Wyndham Worldwide. The third and final single from Nashville Skyline, like the previous two singles, it would also be a hit.
Outtakes & Trivia
Producer Bob Johnston reportedly left a collection of master recordings from the Nashville Skyline sessions in a Nashville storage facility, and the tapes ended up in private hands after being auctioned off for nonpayment of rent. See also Bob Johnson, Robert Johnston Donald William 'Bob' Johnston (born 14 May 1932, Hillsboro Texas) is a noted American
Dylan and Cash recorded an entire album's worth of duets of country standards during the Nashville Skyline sessions, which remains unreleased. An unauthorized selection from those duets circulates among Dylan collectors and has been commercially bootlegged. It is sometimes described as an unreleased LP, but there is no hard evidence of its exact source.
At the beginning of "Girl of the North Country" either Bob Dylan or Johnny Cash can be heard swallowing a drink of water.
At the beginning of "To Be Alone With You" Bob Dylan asks "Is it rolling, Bob?", talking to the producer Bob Johnston.
The titles of the songs on the B side form a poem:
- Lay lady lay,
- One more night,
- Tell me that it isn't true.
- Country pie,
- Tonight,
- I'll be staying here with you.
Aftermath
Nashville Skyline was finished and scheduled for release in May 1969, but at the end of April, Dylan returned to Columbia's Studio A in Nashville for three more recording sessions. These sessions, held on April 24, 26th, and May 3, were dedicated to country standards with one exception, a new composition titled "Living The Blues. Events 1479 BC - Thutmose III ascends to the throne of Egypt, although power effectively shifts to Hatshepsut (according to Events 1491 - Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries adopting the baptismal name of João " Dylan was apparently planning his next album.
"Bob asked my opinion of the album's concept early on", recalls Clive Davis. Clive Jay Davis (born April 4 1932 in Brooklyn New York is an American Record producer and a leading music industry executive. "My objections wouldn't necessarily have stopped the album, but I knew he'd been having some difficulty coming up with his own material. . . so I encouraged him. "
By the time Nashville Skyline was recorded, the political climate in the United States had grown more turbulent and polarized. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the In 1968, civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. and Senator Robert Kennedy (a leading candidate for the presidency) were both assassinated. Martin Luther King Jr ( January 15, 1929 April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman, Activist and prominent leader Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy (November 20 1925 – June 6 1968 also called RFK, was the United States Attorney General from 1961 to 1964 and a Riots had broken out in several major cities, including a major riot surrounding the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois and a number of racially-motivated riots spurred by King's assassination. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. A new President, Richard Nixon, was sworn into office in January 1969, but the U. S. engagement in Southeast Asia, particularly the Vietnam War, would continue for several more years. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia Protests over a wide range of political topics became more frequent. Dylan had been a leading cultural figure, noted for his political and social commentary throughout the 1960s. Even as he moved away from agitprop, he never lost his cultural status. However, as Clinton Heylin would write about Nashville Skyline, "if Dylan was concerned about retaining a hold on the rock constituency, making albums with Johnny Cash in Nashville was tantamount to abdication in many eyes. Johnny Cash (born J R Cash; February 26 1932 - September 12 2003 was a Grammy Award -winning American country Singer-songwriter. "
Helped by a promotional appearance on The Johnny Cash Show on June 7, Nashville Skyline went on to become one of Dylan's best-selling albums. Johnny Cash (born J R Cash; February 26 1932 - September 12 2003 was a Grammy Award -winning American country Singer-songwriter. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins Three singles were pulled from the album, all of which received significant airplay on AM radio.
Despite the dramatic, commercial shift in direction, the press also gave Nashville Skyline a warm reception. A critic for Newsweek wrote of "the great charm. Newsweek is an American weekly Newsmagazine published in New York City. . . and the ways Dylan, both as composer and performer, has found to exploit subtle differences on a deliberately limited emotional and verbal scale. " In his review for Rolling Stone, Paul Nelson wrote, "Nashville Skyline achieves the artistically impossible: a deep, humane, and interesting statement about being happy. Rolling Stone is a United States -based Magazine devoted to Music, Politics, and Popular culture that is published It could well be. . . his best album. " However, years later in a review for Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II, Nelson would retract his opinion, writing "I was misinformed. Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol II (1971 also known as More Bob Dylan Greatest Hits, was the second compilation album released by Bob Dylan That's why no one should pay any attention to critics, especially the artist. "
Few critics expressed immediate disappointment, but of those who did, Ed Ochs of Billboard wrote, "the satisfied man speaks in clichés, and blushes as if every day were Valentine's Day", while Tim Souster of the BBC's The Listener magazine wrote, "One can't help feeling something is missing. See Billboard (Turkish magazine Billboard is a weekly American Magazine devoted to the Music industry Tim Souster ( 29 January 1943 – March 1 1994) was a British Composer best known for his Electronic music output See also New Zealand Listener and Listener (musician and The Listener (TV series The Listener was a weekly Isn't this idyllic country landscape too good to be true?"
As Nashville Skyline continued to enjoy strong sales, Dylan planned his first concert performance since the Woody Guthrie memorial in January 1968. Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie (July 14 1912–October 3 1967 was an American Singer-songwriter and Folk musician Guthrie's musical legacy English promoters had approached Dylan about appearing at the Isle of Wight festival at Woodside Bay in Isle of Wight, England. The Isle of Wight is an English Island and county in the English Channel between three and five miles (8 km from the south coast of the The Isle of Wight is an English Island and county in the English Channel between three and five miles (8 km from the south coast of the England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Before agreeing to the arrangements, Dylan made a surprise public performance on July 14, 1969. Events 1223 - Louis VIII becomes King of France upon the death of his father Philip II of France. Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. At the Mississippi River Festival held at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, Illinois, Dylan joined The Band for a brief three-song set, performing Woody Guthrie's "Ain't Got No Home", Leadbelly's "In The Pines", and Little Richard's "Slippin' and Slidin'. Southern Illinois University is a state university located in Southern Illinois with two institutions and multiple campuses Edwardsville is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The Band was a rock group active from 1967 to 1976 and again from 1983 to 1999 Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie (July 14 1912–October 3 1967 was an American Singer-songwriter and Folk musician Guthrie's musical legacy Huddie William Ledbetter, (January 1888 – December 6 1949 was an American folk and Blues Musician, notable for his clear and forceful singing Rev Richard Wayne Penniman (born December 5 1932 better known by the Stage name Little Richard, is an American Singer, Songwriter "
Later, on August 31, 1969, Dylan would appear with The Band at the Isle of Wight festival, performing a one-hour, seventeen-song setlist dominated by Dylan's compositions; only two songs, "I Threw It All Away" and "Lay Lady Lay", were performed from Nashville Skyline. Events 1056 - Byzantine Empress Theodora becomes ill dying suddenly a few days later without children to succeed the Throne Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Isle of Wight is an English Island and county in the English Channel between three and five miles (8 km from the south coast of the
Roughly 200,000 fans attended Isle of Wight, and though audience reaction was strong enough to elicit a two-song encore, Dylan was dissatisfied with the whole performance. The Isle of Wight is an English Island and county in the English Channel between three and five miles (8 km from the south coast of the Dylan had hired Elliot Mazer to record his set, hoping to release an official live album. Instead, Dylan scrapped those plans, but not before sending the tapes to Nashville, where Bob Johnston began to remix the recordings.
Dylan had told Rolling Stone in late June that he would resume touring in the fall, but after the experience at Isle of Wight, those plans never materialized. Rolling Stone is a United States -based Magazine devoted to Music, Politics, and Popular culture that is published The Isle of Wight is an English Island and county in the English Channel between three and five miles (8 km from the south coast of the There would be a few more sporadic performances before Dylan would finally resume touring in January 1974, four and a half years after the Isle of Wight festival. The Isle of Wight is an English Island and county in the English Channel between three and five miles (8 km from the south coast of the
Dylan was not alone in his disappointment with Isle of Wight, and he would experience that harsh criticism when a selection of those performances appeared on his next album. The Isle of Wight is an English Island and county in the English Channel between three and five miles (8 km from the south coast of the The stage had already been set with the three Nashville sessions in late April and early May, as Dylan was about to face the worst reviews of his career.
Track listing
All songs written by Bob Dylan.
- "Girl from the North Country" (with Johnny Cash) – 3:41
- "Nashville Skyline Rag" – 3:12
- "To Be Alone with You" – 2:05
- "I Threw It All Away" – 2:23
- "Peggy Day" – 1:59
- "Lay Lady Lay" – 3:20
- "One More Night" – 2:25
- "Tell Me That It Isn't True" – 2:45
- "Country Pie" – 1:35
- "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You" – 3:23
Total running time: Approx. " Girl from the North Country " (also known as "Girl of the North Country" is a Song written by Bob Dylan. Johnny Cash (born J R Cash; February 26 1932 - September 12 2003 was a Grammy Award -winning American country Singer-songwriter. " Lay Lady Lay " is a Song written by Bob Dylan and originally released in 1969 on his Nashville Skyline album 27:14
Personnel
- Bob Dylan - Guitar, Harmonica, Keyboards, Vocals
- Johnny Cash - Vocals, Performer
- Pete Drake - Pedal steel guitar
- Kenneth A. Buttrey - Drums
- Charlie Daniels - Bass guitar, Guitar
- Bob Wilson - Organ, Piano
- Charlie McCoy - Guitar, Harmonica
- Norman Blake - Guitar, Dobro
- Earl Scruggs - 5-string Banjo (on Nashville Skyline Rag)
- Charlie Bragg - Engineer
- Neil Wilburn - Engineer
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