“It’s not him”: the underrated Bob Dylan album John Lennon simply dismissed
There were already rumblings of hype across the UK by the time The Beatles broke America, but their explosion overseas sparked a new version of global success that most had never witnessed before.
According to those who saw it all happen, the feeling in the musical landscape was monumental – not only did the Fab Four reach a level of success that many didn’t even think was possible, but they also set a new standard for artistic expression, laying the groundwork for countless others to follow in the same footsteps.
However, while at the top, their reign wasn’t without competitors. For instance, following a long run at the top of the charts, it seemed the only person to come along and knock them back was the brooding troubadour himself, Bob Dylan, via The Byrds’ chart-topping rock rendition of his song, ‘Mr Tambourine Man’.
Dylan’s impact on the band, specifically John Lennon, is well documented, but as with most legendary kinships across history, there’s a lot of nuance to give credence to. Lennon’s supposed distaste for Dylan’s change in direction post-folk years, for one, and the fact that he felt he didn’t manage to put out anything good after his iconic ‘Like A Rolling Stone’.
According to Lennon, everything after he stopped being a “rocker” just isn’t worth it, which says a lot about Lennon’s own approach to artistic progression, and the fact that most people who step outside of their respective lane end up falling flat on their faces, unless they manage to do it in a way that maintains artistic integrity and genuine cultural resonance.
After all, Lennon – and the Fab Four – went through several defining moments throughout their run, with integrations of tech innovations that are still cited and replicated across the board in today’s musical landscape. In his eyes, Dylan likely failed to maintain his own standard because he just didn’t have the knack for it, which is, of course, a constant topic of debate, even today.
Discussing his views on the matter, Lennon once pinned it down to the one thing most musicians lose the spark for another musician: “I expect too much from people.” This makes sense, considering the hype Dylan garnered in his early days, but it also explains why he didn’t click with his 1970 album New Morning, Dylan’s comeback that often gets overlooked in the broader scope of his repertoire.
Discussing his opinion with Rolling Stone in 1970, Lennon said the material was “no different” than Lennon-McCartney, disregarding the sound of his voice and the broader themes explored. “It might be a new morning for him because he stopped singing on the top of his voice,” he said. “It’s all right, but it’s not him, it doesn’t mean a fucking thing. I’d sooner have ‘I Hear You Knocking’ by Dave Edmonds, it’s the top of England now.”
While Dylan was never one to stay in the same place for long, it’s hard to ignore whether Lennon’s comments came as part of a broader context about his own career path, especially as New Morning seemed to attract a surge of popularity upon release before fizzling into nothing. As competitors, it’s natural to expect some punching down, or maybe it truly was just a matter of personal taste.
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