A Little Bit of Bob

Being a Radio 2 listener these days, it has not escaped my notice that today is the seventieth birthday of Bob Dylan.

Mr U-t-B is the real Bob fan in this household.

I like to think that I was a tiny bit young to appreciate his music, given the 'meaningful' nature of his lyrics, though it may just be that I wasn't cool enough.

But I do have a few favourites that I thought I'd share today.

This one takes me back to the age of about nine and, somewhat surprisingly, to school assemblies and hymn practice.  We had a new, young and trendy male teacher who played the piano brilliantly.
Paisley-shirted, brown flare-wearing, moustachioed Mr W
(with hair that touched his collar!)
was a great hit with all the girls at school, small though we were.

Suddenly we found 'Blowin' in the Wind' and the '49th Bridge Street Song (Feelin' Groovy)' amidst our usual repertoire of 'Onward Christian Soldiers', 'At the Name of Jesus' and 'For the Beauty of the Earth'. Assemblies were never the same again!

Then there's this one, that I became aware of when Simply Red covered it on their 'Home' album.  

I'm not quite sure why a song that is so full of negativity and vitriol appeals  to me, but I think it is just that we took that CD on one very happy Alpine summer holiday and played it constantly, singing at the tops of our voices as we drove around.

Lac de Montriond, near Morzine

Then there's this which I didn't even know was written by Bob...

And last, this one, for the sentiments it contains...



Happy Birthday, Bob!

(I'm sure he'll be reading...)