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The tunes on this are fine but it's not authorized by Dylan, his record company or his management. It's an attempt to cash in on Dylan's radio show. I've got no idea how they've been able to use a photo of Dylan, or use the title of the radio show.
From James Carr to The White Stripes to some strange act called George Zimmerman & The Thrills with The Bubber Cyphers Band, the joys are endless. Besides the always interesting, and usually obscure, playlist, Dylan would provide fascinating and entertaining commentary, which may include everything from household tips, anecdotes about the artists featured, quotes from old poets and philosophers, email readings, or vintage radio air checks and promos. Each show would have a different theme and Dylan would play songs based on that particular theme. 23, 2006 (episode #17). Even a lot of the songs themselves sound better when listened to within each particularly-themed context. Included, is a complete broadcast of the "Friends & Neighbors"-themed show that Dylan aired on Aug.
The man is a joy to listen to.This collection, put out by Ace Records, features many wonderful songs - sometimes strange, always interesting. Dylan proves, in his deep, ravished voice, that if he had never become a legendary singer-songwriter, he could have just as easily become a legendary disk jockey. The packaging is excellent. It includes commentary on each song and artist (including notes by Colin Escott and Barney Hoskyns, among others) and there are many pictures and reproductions of old record sleeves. This 50-song collection of various blues, country, rock, jazz, r&b and old-time Americana comes from Bob Dylan's highly-lauded Sirius XM radio show - which Dylan may or may not continue to do in the future. Anyone familiar with the show will be disappointed by the lack of Dylan. Perhaps his anecdotes wouldn't work though, when taken out of the context of each show.
The songs are selected, seemingly, at random from dozens of the programs. Still, there are so many good selections on here that it's hard to complain too much, as long as you have eclectic musical tastes. The only complaint about this set is that Dylan's commentary is missing. Radio shows like this, unfortunately, do not exist anymore (John Peel, why did you have to leave us). This is a excellent history of the last hundred years of music.
This set was put together with love and attention. These are just the songs, by themselves. For anyone wanting to hear Dylan though, I suggest picking up the deluxe edition copy of his new album Together Through Life. This will give you an excellent taste of what the show is all about.Do yourself a favor though and purchase both of these sets - you certainly can't go wrong.
This review is for the first instalment of "Theme Time Radio Hour, With Your Host, Bob Dylan" but I see that Amazon has also somehow attached this review to a different "Theme Time Radio Hour" compilation that I know nothing about. The sound quality on most is surprisingly good, and where it is bad, it has that haunting, "listening in the dark to that weird AM station that sometimes bleeds through" quality that can make a song so evocative of another time and place. The booklet is extremely well-done, as good as or better than any in The Bootleg Series, with many photos of those old artists and the cool old 45 single labels etc., with very informative and well-written info about each song.
I notice that many people are buying these compilations thinking that they will include Dylan's commentary, but they don't. Many styles, from punk to blues to old-timey country, proto-rock, reggae, R&B, gospel, etc. This review is for the CD with the close-up of the old radio on the cover, not the one with Bob's portrait on the cover.Anyway, this is one of the best Theme Time Radio Hour presentations where Dylan's commentary is absent.
The music is very eclectic and wide-ranging, some of it 21st-century though most tends to be from the '50s, '40's and '60's. It's just the music. (Get the deluxe version of his latest album if you'd like to hear a disc with his DJ patter, which is fascinating in itself).
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed most of the songs, though I can see how some people wouldn't like this or that genre. If you aren't too narrow-minded in your musical taste, this is highly recommended.
Cool choice of old and obsolete recordings. My favorite being 'He don't love you' by Jerry Butler.There is added value on this UK import from the enhanced sound quality. I'm always interested in whatever music interest Bob Dylan since he has such a eclectic music himself.Recommended highly. This rates only a 4 Star rating by me because some of the material predates my five & one-half decades of music interest.
The context within which the songs appear is vital to the full appreciation of what this show is about. Without Bob doing the introductions and explanations, this is simply one of many collections of songs. To suggest that it in any way gives the listener a sense of what Theme Time Radio is like would be ridiculous. The shows themselves are easily found by either subscribing to XM/Sirius online for only 7.99 per month and recording them yourself, or by doing a simple search for downloads of the shows on the net. Go ahead and buy the collection, but don't for one minute think it will give you an idea of what the show is like.
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