The overlooked track Frank Black calls “one of my favourite Bob Dylan songs”
Few songwriters can transcend boundaries of genre, generation, and attitude quite like Bob Dylan. The Nobel Prize-winning writer penned a plethora of the 20th century’s most iconic and beloved songs, typifying the social climate of the 1960s and consistently reinventing himself to pursue new angles within his music. As such, Dylan has amassed legions of dedicated fans, inspiring everybody from Mick Jagger to Pixies frontman Frank Black.
As the end of the 1980s approached, a new age of alternative rock hit the airwaves. With the discordant sounds of grunge captivating the American Northwest, Pixies were leading the charge of alt-rock and noise pop over on the East Coast. Creating a truly unique sound, blending elements of noise, punk, indie, and even surf rock, Pixies managed to capture the zeitgeist of America’s angsty youth during the latter years of Ronald Reagan’s presidency.
Given the band’s endlessly edgy persona, which emanate both through the music and the band members themselves, you might assume that Pixies boasted a repertoire of fittingly obscure and edgy influences. While Frank Black and the group certainly did draw upon the influence of many musical underdogs, the likes of The Fall being a particularly pertinent example, the songwriter was also indebted to some more mainstream figures, such as Bob Dylan.
It speaks to Dylan’s all-encompassing genius that the one-time folk devotee could have an influence on the development of late 1980s alternative rock. Reportedly, though, Dylan’s influence on Frank Black goes back to the frontman’s childhood in Boston, Massachusetts. Born mere months before Dylan shocked audiences at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, Black came into a world already captivated by the Minnesota-born songwriter. His first introduction to Dylan, however, came via a relative.
Speaking to Uncut, Black reflected upon his earlier years, remembering how he came across Dylan’s legendary compilation album Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits Vol II. “My cousin used to live with us occasionally. He would sometimes leave records behind, and this was one of them,” Black recalled. “I would have been about eight or nine years old, and I was probably dreaming about being in some kind of a band. So this is the record that would have really given me a notion of attitude.”
Not only did the compilation provide a glimpse into the world of songwriting and musicianship for the young Frank Black, but it also showed him what was truly important in music. “It’s not just a song, it’s not just a performance, but it’s the attitude of the artist,” he said, “which in Dylan’s case was a little bit flippant: ‘I’m not going to coddle you, you’re not necessarily going to get all this, you’ve just got to come along for the ride and enjoy it as best you can.’”
In addition to exposing Black to the importance of attitude and authenticity as an artist, the compilation also provided him with his all-time favourite Dylan tune. “‘Watching The River Flow’ is probably still one of my favourite Bob Dylan songs,” the songwriter shared. Recorded in 1971, the often overlooked track marked a departure from the musician’s previous entrenchment in country music, favouring more blues-orientated influences.
It should come as no surprise that Frank Black favours the more inventive and experimental efforts recorded by Dylan. After all, the songwriter has built virtually his entire career off the back of pursuing new sounds and driving alternative rock into new and exciting angles. Although his own music rarely touches upon the kinds of sounds created by Dylan, the influence of the folk devotee is clearly present in Black’s attitude and dedication to authenticity.
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