Bob Dylan is a legend, for that there is no doubt. He was a pioneer in the sixties and created folk anthems for the times as well as released a number of classic albums. However, every artist has a time when they need to express themselves differently, to indulge the inner child that never really goes away. Dylan did just that recently by re-recording many of his classic albums under a new, eye-brow raising alias; MUCKY BOB DYLAN. Mucky Bob Dylan, or MBD, as he sometimes called himself in interviews, was a conduit to which old Bob could humour himself and let his childish side come flopping out. He released a few of his old albums with mostly hasty reworkings of the original track lists to include crude swearing and more sexual references than you could shake a pork sword at.
This move perplexed long time fans. A stone cold classic like 'Blood on the Tracks' has been remastered to keep up to date with the current audio standards but no one would have expected him Dylan to change the name to 'Big Fanny'. In a backlash that was similar to that time when some bearded folkie got upset when Dylan used an ELECTRIC GUITAR and called him 'Judas!', fans were flabbergasted and flung far harsher terms at their mysterious hero. Was this a breakdown? What was he thinking rebranding the underrated LP 'Desire' as 'Titwank'? Was this a act of war against his label, his fans and his own legacy?
Music historian and part time wasp enthusiast, Melvin Sweetly, noted: "Dylan wanted to be relevant again. He was always touring, that was something he always wanted to do but he knew, deep down, that his recent work would never be as iconic as his early records so maybe that was part of his logic. When you are dealing with a mind like that of Dylan, you can't second guess his genius. Personally, I preferred 'Highway 61 Revisited' when it was just that and not called 'Knockers & Knackers'. However, my son gravitated towards that album and is massively into both sides of Dylan, mucky and not mucky. Would I like to see more of this Dylan? No, I would not. I think, up until now, he's aged gracefully and this does go someway to tarnish his legacy.
Dylan has mostly refused to comment and does not use social media. However, a small statement was given by his team that said that Bob is trying something new and believes that this is part of a side-project and not to be taken overly seriously.
The new versions of the old records are below and are available at most online and offline record shops.
