1001 Albums Summary

As much as I respect Paul Simon as a songwriter, I felt this album was too mellow and corny for me. Some of the experimental sounds sprinkled seemed a little forced and none of the tracks stood out to me. From a lyrical aspect, there's more to appreciate (aside from Cars are Cars), but the music didn't hook me in enough.

If you're going to have uninteresting music, at least have vocals that are expressive and dynamic. Similarly, if you're going to have stale vocals, at least have more dynamic music. This entire album is just filler and there aren't any amount of various sounds that could save how structurally uninteresting the songs are. A massive slog to get through.

Maybe I can appreciate some of the ambiences, but this album was devoid of any energy or passion. The music is incredibly repetitive and stale, with equally as stale vocals... and that's for every single song. It makes me want to listen to literally any other album that doesn't turn my mind into a vegetative state.

From the start, this album lacks dynamics and sticks to "experiment elements" that don't last beyond a 4 second hook, then sounds like a skipping CD for most of the album. At times the album interjects dialogue over these very hooks, making me just zone out more than other songs on the album. When it's trying to make cohesive songs, they're as stale as can be. They try do what makes The Beatles or Ween unique but apply it in the worst ways. This is an example of a band trying to be experimental for the sake of being experimental and I don't know why in the hell this album is on this list.

First off: People dismiss what's great about Bob Dylan because of how unpolished and raw the recording is. Personally, I think his voice isn't nearly as annoying as later albums (when he quit smoking) and I don't always love the harmonica (although sometimes I do). During these times, I don't love Bob Dylan's songs because of what I'd consider minor inconveniences, but despite them, because I know the crux of excellent lyrics and songwriting is there. I suppose people are used production quality that is sterilized and it takes some effort calibrating your ears to this style, but his songs are way deeper than all of that and I think it's worth your time. Album starts off decent with "Subterranean Homesick Blues" and "She Belongs to Me" and while I don't dislike the middle section, it's not nearly as good as how the album finishes from "Mr. Tambourine Man" to "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue". To me, that last stretch of the album is prime Bob Dylan, taking the listener on a lyrical journey. There is no artist who paints with lyrics the way Bob Dylan does.