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BOB DYLAN: JOHN WESLEY HARDING

Bob Dylan's 1966 motorcycle accident was a catalyst for a major change in lifestyle - he retreated from the limelight, embraced family life, and moved to Woodstock. While he was at the forefront of stretching the parameters of popular music in 1965 and 1966, his 1967 music was markedly different, acoustic and inspired by Hank Williams and The Bible. Despite the changes, 1967 was his most prolific year as a writer, recording dozens of demos with The Band as The Basement Tapes, which weren't released until 1975, and then recording John Wesley Harding in Nashville. After the rich textures of Blonde On Blonde, John Wesley Harding is stark, with Dylan's writing newly economical and mostly centred on a trio, just Dylan with a rhythm section of Kenny Buttrey and Charlie McCoy. It was originally planned for The Band's Robbie Robertson and Garth Hudson to overdub parts but it was decided to let the original recordings stand, a decision at odds with the rich, psychedelic albums of the era, like Sgt. Peppers and Surrealistic Pillow. It's hard to know what Dylan's audience would have made of John Wesley Harding at the time - it's almost a 180-degree reversal from the musical richness and verbal verbosity of Blonde On Blonde. But in retrospect, it stands as one of Dylan's best records.

Tracklist:

1.John Wesley Harding 2.As I Went Out One Morning 3.I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine 4.All Along The Watchtower 5.The Ballad Of Frankie Lee And Judas Priest 6.Drifter's Escape 7.Dear Landlord 8.I Am A Lonesome Hobo 9.I Pity The Poor Immigrant 10.The Wicked Messenger 11.Down Along The Cove 12.I'll Be Your Baby Tonight

Lineup:

Bob Dylan - acoustic guitar, harmonica, piano, vocals. Additional musicians: Kenneth A. Buttrey - drums, Pete Drake - pedal steel guitar on "Down Along The Cove" and "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight", Charlie McCoy - bass guitar

Release date: December 27, 1967