Nashville Skyline - Bob Dylan review

Nashville Skyline (1969), Dylan’s 9th studio album, presents his complete attempt at a country album, following his flirtations with the genre on his previous LP, John Wesley Harding. Aside from the shift in genre perhaps the most notable aspect of the album upon first glance is Dylan’s new softer, almost crooning voice, an effect of his temporary break from cigarettes earlier in the year. This voice, alongside the simpler lyrical themes and structures, alongside the works of producer Bob Johnston, who’s minimalist style focuses on capturing fleeting moments, lend the album a warm, gentle atmosphere. For the first time in his career this is Bob Dylan free of edge, in perhaps his most romantic and charming endeavour.

The, notably short, album opens with a rerecording of his 1963 Freewheelin’ cut, Girl from the North Country, this time as a duet with legendary country singer (and Dylan’s early penpal) Johnny Cash, providing the track vocals as well as guitar. From the beginning the album’s mood is evident, a pair of acoustic guitars sing in an inviting warm and hearty tone as Dylan explores a divergent genre with one of its forefathers. Whilst this version fails to surpass the phenomenal original, the new spin it provides works exactly as it's meant to, acclimatising listeners to the singer’s country sound, whilst paying tribute to an icon of the scene. Following immediately on is the almost-eponymous Nashville Skyline Rag, Dylan’s earliest instrumental track as well as the first new composition on the album. Although often lost amongst other, admittedly superior, songs it stands on its own as a thoroughly enjoyable mood-setter with session musician Bob Wilson’s infectiously joyful piano playing being the standout element and a great connective tissue through the full-length piece, through to it send, a lovely bar of call and response between itself and Dylan’s guitar.

The album’s next track, To Be Alone with You, is the first full showcase of Dylan’s original songwriting and affected voice. The lyrics, although markedly less charged than previous 60s efforts, are still brilliantly written in their simplicity, cementing Dylan as an incredibly skilled lyricist even beyond folk. He sings of time spent with his lover, a common theme on the album, with an endearing, almost beatle-esque sincerity. At a brisk 2 minutes and 7 seconds the song perfectly conveys a sense of closeness without overstaying its welcome. From an instrumental view the backing track conveys a matching simplicity, still providing the music a domestic feel, with eyes closed it almost gives the illusion Bob and the band are serenading the listener live. An excellent bassline is also provided by musician Charlie Daniels. Nashville’s first single, I Threw It All Away, follows on; contrasting the previous track in its melancholy portrayal of love lost where, in typical Dylan fashion, the breakup is a result of his own actions. As expected of a single, the song has some of the strongest lyricism across the entire album; despite its similar brevity it creates a mist-like air, bringing the listener down from the previous track in its reminder of the importance of love, “It makes the world go round… you just won’t be able to do without it”. A truly gorgeous addition to Dylan’s repertoire. Hand in hand with the lyrics, the instrumental provides a mirrored sense of regret and longing, with a dreamy undertone courtesy of the aforementioned Bob Wilson, this time on organ.

The midway point grants the LP perhaps the most traditional country song in the form of Peggy Day. Although largely placed lowly on the album by fans and critics (potentially as a result of being sandwiched between 2 gorgeous singles), the track contains a lot of charm in its sheer simplicity, with its endearing day/night wordplay and a recurring nylon-stringed guitar line. The song also showcases the effectiveness of Dylan’s vocal style, especially in its comparatively higher conclusion, sung in a tone unfitting of his earlier gravelly intonation. Entering the record’s B-side is fan favourite track and second, highest charting, single: Lay, Lady, Lay. Widely regarded as one of Dylan's greatest, the song truly epitomises the homely feeling of the album with an incredible sense of longing and seduction, in part due to his softer croon but also its beautiful lyrics, the opus of Dylan’s songwriting on the project in its vivid descriptions of what he can do for the one he loves. “Whatever colours you have in your mind/I’ll show them to you/And you’ll see them shine” in particular stands out in its absolute purity. Instrumentally, the song is provided with a backing track more than suitable for its gorgeous lyricism. Built around a beautifully constructed chord progression the track’s guitar, provided by Bob himself is imbued with the same love as his voice. Backed up with fellow guitarist Charlie Daniels and stellar drum contributions from Kenny Buttrey; Lay, Lady, Lay stands definitively as a high point not only on the album but in Dylan’s chronology as a whole.

Coming off Lay, Lady, Lay is another fairly conventional country song, however this number is debatably  more successful than the comparable Peggy Day. One More Night is best described as a breezy, somewhat forlorn track, evoking images of an evening forest walk. Lyrically the song has little of note outside of the inherent charm of a lovesick Bob Dylan. On the other hand the accompanying instrumental is genuinely brilliant, Dylan’s guitar playing being particularly noteworthy. The listener can’t help but be reminded of classic western films; perhaps the track functions as a precursor to his own western soundtrack he would record 4 years later. The album’s eight song, the heartbreaking ballad, Tell Me That It Isn’t True is another triumph for the record. Dylan’s voice really comes into itself as he offers his finest vocal performance placed against a pitch perfect backing track. Dylan uses his softer vocal inflection to great effect to emphasise the singer’s innocence contrasted with the cheating lover, the listener is powerless not to feel bad for him as he croons the song’s title at the end of each verse, accompanied by a subdued guitar contribution from Daniels. This track is of particular importance when discussing the album’s session musicians as they put their absolute all into the ballad, yet again Wilson’s piano is on point as a sort of guiding force for the song.

The most controversial contribution to the album follows in the form of the penultimate song, Country Pie, Dylan’s ode to the titular food. Some find the minute-thirty track to grate on the ears and accuse it of being out of place compared to the rest of the record, however others see it as a song impossible to hate; its undeniably catchy and although lyrically shallow it possesses a genuinely strong groove that carries the swift track through its allotted time. The twangy guitar is another notable high in the song as it drifts in and out of center stage, preventing the song from becoming boring. Regardless of personal opinion, it's clear Dylan greatly enjoys performing the song, evidenced by its frequent appearance in live sets well past the album’s tour, granting it an infectious charm and optimism. The project ends on a bang with its final song and third single, Tonight I’ll Be Staying With You. combining the twanging guitars of the LP’s more strictly country tracks and the soulful themings of fellow single Lay, Lady, Lay results in another terrific high to conclude on. The song also functions as another example of the power of Dylan’s soft non-smoking voice, particularly at the midpoint where he jumps to a truly brilliant sounding octave, likely unobtainable before this point. Like much of the album all session musicians on the track are completely on point, providing an ecstatic listening experience. On an album full of lyrical, instrumental and vocal peaks the fact the LP ends on a song highlighting all three makes it a perfect conclusion.

Viewed as a whole Dylan’s Nashville Skyline far and away exceeds any notion of it as a country-flavoured novelty it's unfortunately frequently discussed as. Dylan brings all his previous genius along with him to a new genre, carefully adapting his songwriting quirks to fit into a new, more ‘simple’ style. Although his departure from folk and cigarettes can act as an initial detractor to a first-time listener, those willing to stick with the album will discover some of Bob’s most beautiful and heart-wrenching tracks in his discography up to that point and beyond. Even discounting the obvious singles there’s still a good amount of genuinely great album cuts throughout both the A and B-side. For a record so short it undoubtedly punches above its weight content-wise and is worthy of being discussed amongst Dylan’s other earlier masterpieces.

Is it rolling, Bob?