A date with his royal bob-ness
The blog that loves Dylan …
As predicted Dylan’s new album is to be released on 19th June.
Dylan’s grand sweep of our history is keeping on keeping on with the art work for his new album cover.
The photograph on the cover of Rough and Rowdy Ways, was taken more than half a century ago by a bloke from Salisbury, a tiny cathedral city in Wiltshire, England, with a population of less than 40,302.
Ian Berry, a photojournalist of some renown, admits he doesn’t know a lot about Dylan and his music. But he said: “A record cover for Dylan is a great compliment.”
The Dylan cover picture was taken by Ian in 1964. It shows a well-dressed couple dancing in a club – a man leans over a jukebox behind them.
The historic photograph has all the romance of the hedonistic Sixties which gave rise to Dylan’s first great chronicling of American history, a borrowing and rewriting of songs and sounds in the great folk tradition, presented in the fractured voice of the Apalacians, old blues men and folk heroes.
Ian took the picture at an old underground club on Cable Street in Whitechapel in East London. He had been commissioned to get images of black culture in England. “I was working quickly, and in very poor light, shooting away with a 35-millimetre camera,” he says. “I knew at some point I’d have to leave because I hadn’t asked permission to be there.”
After about 15 or 20 minutes , he says people started throwing beer bottles at him.
Rough and rowdy ways, so to speak!
Today, Berry’s vast archive is controlled by the Magnum Photos agency. The agency previously made a deal with the Dylan camp for Bruce Davidson’s 1959 photograph of a young couple making out in a car, which appeared on the cover of 2009’s Together Through Life.
Although Ian isn’t that familiar with Dylan’s music, his wife is a big fan. “She’s more enthusiastic than I am,” he said. “But of course I’ve regularly listened to ‘It Ain’t Me Babe’ and so forth, but they are her records rather than mine.”
Dylan is possibly the most prolific artist alive. He has made 38 studio albums, 91 singles, 40 music videos, many films, 11 books, a Nobel Prize, the American Medal of Freedom from US President Obama and has performed thousands of live concerts.
He has been the hokey, the mountain man, the rock god, the Southern preacher man, gospel performer, country god, the cowboy, the wild child, the Lothario, the drunk, the addict, the river boat captain, the general, the old blues man, the hippy, Elvis, the crooner, the punk, the eccentric… his guises are as many as his musical abilities.
The title Rough and Rowdy Ways is a homage to Jimmy Rogers.
TAGS: # RoughandRowdyWays #June19th. #FalseProphet #MurderMostFoul #IContainMultitudes #Bobdylan #curator #JimmyRogers # Whitechapel
12 Replies to “A date with his royal bob-ness”
I have been in love with this mans music since 1961!
He is a design for life Betty!
Hokey, drunk, addict, country God, cowboy, punk.. ‘like Shakespeare’s stealing deer, Lord Bacon’s bribes, but although truth exacts these amiable descriptions from the scribes, as most essential to their hero’s story, they do not much contribute to his glory’
who wrote that mate? cool … if it was Dylan i hold my head in shame… if it was you – we’ll publish you 🙂
Was it taken in. Salisbury or London’s Whitechapel? Both can’t be correct.
Yep, Gordon, you are right!Editing error, we’ll correct it … it was taken in Whitechapel … the word ‘in’ has been used instead of ‘from’ in the Salisbury reference, i think! We’ll get it checked …thanks for this
Cheers
Leigh
Hello. I’m a lifelong admirer of the work of Ed Sheeran, but I have decided to give Bob Dylon a try. Doesn’t have much of a singing voice, though, does he? I wondered if you could recommend which one of his many long playing discs might be a suitable introduction for me.
Yes, Mr Ellam … I remember you more as a Daniel O’Donnell fan! But please come across from the darkness of the light and join us as we worship at the feet of the world’s worst singer! 🙂 I would recommend Hard Rain – Tell-tale Signs and Tempest to start with … if you remember i got in so much trouble for writing the Headline Daniel O’Donnell is so middle of the road he should be run over … now i think you understand what i meant! Love ya man! Stay in touch!
Come on Mr Ellam – tell us your thoughts on Bob’s Rough and Rowdy Ways! It’s not rough and it’s not rowdy – it’s gentle and it’s thoughtful and and overpowering in many ways – and funny too!
Ha! So it IS you, you old t***er! Very glad to see you still churning it out. Almost certain my copy of R&RW will be with me on the 19th, Bob tells me. Can’t agree with you about Tempest, though, so no man hugs. Btw, couple of years back I went to Duluth & Hibbing & saw two Bob shows in Minneapolis. Cops didn’t get me.
Howdyado! Really good to hear from you – we are off to Hibbings at some stage soon – we have been in Slovakia for three year working on various projects and it’s time to move on – i want to interview Garrison Keillor – i love him, even tho he has been accused of being a naughty boy! Yep, still going – i co-present an opinion show on AirTV International once a week too and still doing a bit of travelling writing too – as the old saying goes ‘just keep on going til the wheels fall off …’
Keep in touch! We never did man hugs anyway – we were far too manly!
The mid-60’s three albums: Bringin’ It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited, Blonde on Blonde