New Album from Bob Dylan (His 33rd!): 'Together Through Life'

Okay, full disclosure: I got the new Dylan album only two days ago and have not listened to it enough to weight in. (I did find a site that has all the lyrics.) At first brush, it sounds real good. Though I was a bit surprised to hear an accordion (Reminded me of "To Ramona."), the raw vocal styling are very similar to the last two albums, Love & Theft and Modern Times.

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I feel I know Dylan's music well enough to know that I will need to listen to it many times to fully grasp all of this new music. The first time I heard "Street Legal" I was unimpressed. It took a while but I grew to like it very much.

The release of a new Dylan album has always been a noteworthy event for me personally. So, I did not want to let this pass without commenting.

There was a time when I would be at the store the first day a Dylan album was available. I remember going to a Korvette's (a non-defunct retail chain) near the Staten Island Mall on January 5, 1976 to buy the LP "Desire." I got home and dropped the needle on the album (a now-defunct way of experiencing music) and heard "Hurricane" for the first time. I was so blown away that I listened to it a half-dozen times before moving to the next cut. Although "Blood On The Tracks" remains my all-time favorite Dylan album, I think "Desire" is a close second.

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When I comes to Dylan, many have said more and have said it far better than I can, but Dylan is huge to me. I welcome a new album the way I welcome a new baseball season. (I also like baseball very much. That's why it's an apt metaphor.)