“I just never heard anyone as good”: The singer Bob Dylan says nobody compared to
One of the things that people want more than anything when they listen to music is honesty and authenticity. This is an art form that connects so many people because of the fact that the messages being shared throughout are deeply moving and personal. Therefore, it’s an absolute must that anyone who makes music needs to ensure that what they’re making is coming from a genuine place. This is why Bob Dylan is so well-liked as an artist.
It’s hard to believe that Bob Dylan started his career playing more covers than he did originals. While his voice is great, he isn’t renowned for his vocal ability, but is instead more widely respected for his lyrical ability and originality. It seems that regardless of at what point in his career you look at, Dylan has poetic lyrics and genuine meaning follow him like a shadow.
There is no escaping that the reason why so many people took to Dylan’s original music was because he was incredibly personal when making it. Regardless of whether he was talking about his own emotions, politics or problems he perceived within society, the heart on his sleeve was as guaranteed as a guitar pick in his hand.
His honesty didn’t just remain within the confines of the music that he wrote, however. When it came to giving his opinion on music, whether it was his own or that written by somebody else, Dylan was never afraid of being entirely truthful when speaking about it. This meant that he often criticised his music and that made by his contemporaries, such as The Beatles, but it also meant that he was quick to hand out praise to those he felt deserved it.
Here, we’re going to focus on the latter, and shine a light on the often lesser-seen, joyous side of Dylan, who liked to celebrate the artists he felt were top-tier. During a conversation with Bono of U2, both singers were talking about Irish music and the impact it had on them. While a lot of traditional Irish folk music will have certainly impacted Dylan’s poetic style of writing and storytelling, during this conversation, he focused specifically on the singing ability of one of the Irish greats.
“Yeah, well, when I was here, we travelled by car, so we stayed in different places,” said Dylan when discussing his travels around Europe, “But Irish music has always been a great part of my life because I used to hang out with the Clancy Brothers. They influenced me tremendously.”
The Clancy Brothers are made up of Liam, Paddy, Tom and Bobby; however, it was Liam that Dylan was a particular fan of. He recalled those days on tour with the brothers and admitted to Bono that he believes Liam may well be the best singer he has ever heard.
“One of the things I recall from that time is how great they all were,” Dylan admitted, “I mean there is no question, but that they were great. But Liam Clancy was always my favourite singers, as a ballad singer. I just never heard anyone as good, and that includes Barbara Streisand and Pearl Bailey.”
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