Self Portrait

Bob Dylan

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Self Portrait Review

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

There has never been a clearer attempt to shed an audience than Self-Portrait. At least, that's one way of looking at this baffling double album, a deliberately sprawling affair that runs the gamut from self-portrait to self-parody, touching on operatic pop, rowdy Basement Tapes leftovers, slight whimsy, and covers of wannabe Dylans from Paul Simon to Gordon Lightfoot. To say the least, it's confusing, especially arriving at the end of a decade of unmitigated brilliance, and while the years have made it easier to listen to, it still remains inscrutable, an impossible record to unlock. It may not be worth the effort, either, since this isn't a matter of deciphering cryptic lyrics or interpreting lyrics, it's all about discerning intent, figuring out what the hell Dylan was thinking when he was recording -- not trying to decode a song. There are times where it's quite clearly played for a laugh -- if his shambling version of "The Boxer" isn't a pointed parody of Paul Simon, there was no reason to cut it -- but he's poker-faced elsewhere, and the songs (apart from such earthed gems as "Mighty Quinn," which aren't presented in their best versions) are simply not worth much consideration. But, in a strange way, Self Portrait is, because decades have passed and it still doesn't make much sense, even for Dylanphiles. That doesn't necessarily mean that it's worth the time to figure it out -- you're not going to find an answer, anyway -- but it's sort of fascinating all the same.

Track Listing

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
1	All the Tired Horses Bob Dylan	Bob Dylan	03:12	Spotify Amazon
2	Alberta #1 Bob Dylan	Bob Dylan	02:57	Spotify Amazon
3	I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know Cecil A. Null	Bob Dylan	02:23	Spotify Amazon
4	Days of '49 Alan Lomax / Frank Warner	Bob Dylan	05:27	Spotify Amazon
5	Early Morning Rain Gordon Lightfoot	Bob Dylan	03:34	Spotify Amazon
6	In Search of Little Sadie Bob Dylan / Traditional	Bob Dylan	02:27	Spotify Amazon
7	Let It Be Me Gilbert Bécaud / Manny Curtis / Pierre Delanoë	Bob Dylan	03:00	Spotify Amazon
8	Little Sadie Bob Dylan	Bob Dylan	02:00	Spotify Amazon
9	Woogie Boogie Bob Dylan	Bob Dylan	02:06	Spotify Amazon
10	Belle Isle Bob Dylan	Bob Dylan	02:30	Spotify Amazon
11	Living the Blues Bob Dylan	Bob Dylan	02:42	Spotify Amazon
12	Like a Rolling Stone Bob Dylan	Bob Dylan	05:18	Spotify Amazon
13	Copper Kettle Albert Frank Bedoe	Bob Dylan	03:34	Spotify Amazon
14	Gotta Travel On Paul Clayton / Larry Ehrlich / Louis Wolfe Gilbert / Lee Hays / Fred Hellerman / Dave Lazar / Dave Lazer / Pete Seeger / Tom Six	Bob Dylan	03:08	Spotify Amazon
15	Blue Moon Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers	Bob Dylan	02:29	Spotify Amazon
16	The Boxer Paul Simon	Bob Dylan	02:48	Spotify Amazon
17	The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo) Bob Dylan	Bob Dylan	02:48	Spotify Amazon
18	Take Me as I Am (Or Let Me Go) Boudleaux Bryant	Bob Dylan	03:03	Spotify Amazon
19	Take a Message to Mary Boudleaux Bryant / Felice Bryant	Bob Dylan	02:46	Spotify Amazon
20	It Hurts Me Too Bob Dylan / Elmore James / London	Bob Dylan	03:15	Spotify Amazon
21	Minstrel Boy Bob Dylan	Bob Dylan	03:32	Spotify Amazon
22	She Belongs to Me Bob Dylan	Bob Dylan	02:43	Spotify Amazon
23	Wigwam Bob Dylan	Bob Dylan	03:09	Spotify Amazon
24	Alberta #2 Bob Dylan	Bob Dylan	03:12	Spotify Amazon

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Self Portrait Review

Track Listing

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