Bob Dylan versus Conor Oberst

[Green Sleeves]

Good article and long overdue:

http://crawdaddy.wolfgangsvault.com/...e.aspx?id=5152

I'd agree with the writer totally about Conor Oberst. There isnt any other singer songwriter who can match Dylan, but Oberst comes closest. Think I've got almost everything that Oberst/Bright Eyes has recorded - and its a massive back catalogue already - and he's recorded over a hundred great songs already. And he's still only 27. The guy kicks ass.

[Hibee Kev]

I really need to check out some of Bright Eyes stuff. Brave journalism to compare such a young whippersnapper to a legend such as Bob Dylan!

[Green Sleeves]

Originally Posted by Hibee Kev

I really need to check out some of Bright Eyes stuff. Brave journalism to compare such a young whippersnapper to a legend such as Bob Dylan!

I'm Wide Awake It's Morning is a good one to start with. Its more acoustic/country than the other recent albums but the songs are beautiful and sacrilege this might sound but it stands up against the best of Dylan's albums.

[Greenmachine]

Dylan is an incredible lyricist, but as far as i'm concerned Bruce Springsteen is the greatest songwriter of all time. No one even comes near IMO. Bruce combines great lyrics with great music like nobody else has ever done, whereas Bob D is an amazing poet but who's music is not as good as Springsteen's over the last 36 years.

Only my opinion mind..music being subjective and all that..

I will however give Oberst a listen soon..

[Hampden_Hibby]

Dylan is a great lyricist but there's room for more than one - you'll never find the definitive "greatest lyricist", it's subject to too many opinions and artists themselves go through periods of inferior output.

Eric Bogle, Steve Earle, Shane McGowan, Townes Van Zandt and Ewan MacColl, on their day can leave Dylan trailing. But it's all opinions!

[Zimmy]

Originally Posted by Green Sleeves

Good article and long overdue:

http://crawdaddy.wolfgangsvault.com/...e.aspx?id=5152

I'd agree with the writer totally about Conor Oberst. There isnt any other singer songwriter who can match Dylan, but Oberst comes closest. Think I've got almost everything that Oberst/Bright Eyes has recorded - and its a massive back catalogue already - and he's recorded over a hundred great songs already. And he's still only 27. The guy kicks ass.

Interesting article, Coner Oberst is a genuine talent with hopefully his best years ahead of him, lets hope its not the kiss of death to be compared to the master.

[Zimmy]

Originally Posted by Greenmachine

Dylan is an incredible lyricist, but as far as i'm concerned Bruce Springsteen is the greatest songwriter of all time. No one even comes near IMO. Bruce combines great lyrics with great music like nobody else has ever done, whereas Bob D is an amazing poet but who's music is not as good as Springsteen's over the last 36 years.

Only my opinion mind..music being subjective and all that..

I will however give Oberst a listen soon..

Think you've opened a can of worms there Bud.

[Pilrig]

Undoubtedly the finest singer-songwriter of 'em all is Joni Mitchell. She has Dylan's genius for lyrics but writes better tunes than El Zim.

[Greenmachine]

Originally Posted by Zimmy

Think you've opened a can of worms there Bud.

Maybe....but it's just my opinion. The guy's out on his own as far as i'm concerned.

[GalegoHibs]

Originally Posted by Green Sleeves

Good article and long overdue:

http://crawdaddy.wolfgangsvault.com/...e.aspx?id=5152

I'd agree with the writer totally about Conor Oberst. There isnt any other singer songwriter who can match Dylan, but Oberst comes closest. Think I've got almost everything that Oberst/Bright Eyes has recorded - and its a massive back catalogue already - and he's recorded over a hundred great songs already. And he's still only 27. The guy kicks ass.

Firstly, thanks for mentioning this guy as I've never heard of him. I've just had a wee listen and it sounds like my cup of tea. Interesting lyrics too. Obviously, I can't seriously compare someone I've just heard to the likes of Dylan, Springsteen or whoever. "100 great songs" is a big claim in my book.

I'll certainly give his stuff a closer and more extensive listen but I always take these sorts of claims with a pinch of salt and don't see the point of such comparisons in general. I respect your opinion and understand it's not based on flavour of the month, but you can't blame me for being sceptical when music journos come out with this kind of thing all the time. Remember around '95 when people were seriously asking if Oasis were better than the Beatles? Just about everyone, bar the Gallagher brothers themselves, would now be embarrassed by such a question.

Maybe in ten years time we can ask if Oberst is on a par with these kind of names. By the way, he looks like a young Townes Van Zandt in that photo, don't you think?

[Baron von Hibee]

Every generation seems to have to have its own 'new Bob Dylan'.

Oberst is certainly up there amongst the best of them. I'm Wide Awake Its Morning is amongst the finest albums of the decade so far.

Much better than Empire Burlesque.

[GalegoHibs]

Originally Posted by Baron von Hibee

Every generation seems to have to have its own 'new Bob Dylan'.

Oberst is certainly up there amongst the best of them. I'm Wide Awake Its Morning is amongst the finest albums of the decade so far.

Much better than Empire Burlesque.

Much as I like Bob Dylan, you have to wonder why anyone would want to be or describe someone else as the "new Bob Dylan". It hardly suggests to me that the artist is going to be original or groundbreaking. Rather that they are going to be very derivative.

[Baron von Hibee]

Originally Posted by GalegoHibs

Much as I like Bob Dylan, you have to wonder why anyone would want to be or describe someone else as the "new Bob Dylan". It hardly suggests to me that the artist is going to be original or groundbreaking. Rather that they are going to be very derivative.

Its a tag that seems to get attached to anyone capable of writing a remotely intelligent lyric - so in theory the Cheeky Girls could be the 'Romanian Bob Dylan' if they ever came up with anything more profound to say than touch my bum.

Do agree though, being dubbed the new anything does imply some degree of being a clone of the original artist, and I suspect most of the many new Bob Dylans over the last few decades would probably have preferred not to have that label.

After all, Oasis may be the new Status Quo, but thats hardly a compliment is it?

[GalegoHibs]

Originally Posted by Baron von Hibee

Its a tag that seems to get attached to anyone capable of writing a remotely intelligent lyric - so in theory the Cheeky Girls could be the 'Romanian Bob Dylan' if they ever came up with anything more profound to say than touch my bum.

Do agree though, being dubbed the new anything does imply some degree of being a clone of the original artist, and I suspect most of the many new Bob Dylans over the last few decades would probably have preferred not to have that label.

After all, Oasis may be the new Status Quo, but thats hardly a compliment is it?

Dinnae knock the Quo. Maybe they were the "new Beatles" as well when Pictures of Matchstick Men first came out.

[TranentHibee]

No doubt Conor is very talented and I do like some of his stuff but some of it's pretty boring IMO. Mind you I'm not a huge Dylan fan. I'll stick to Nick Drake.

[GalegoHibs]

Originally Posted by TranentHibee

No doubt Conor is very talented and I do like some of his stuff but some of it's pretty boring IMO. Mind you I'm not a huge Dylan fan. I'll stick to Nick Drake.

I've worn out the Nick Drake CD's though.

[TranentHibee]

Originally Posted by GalegoHibs

I've worn out the Nick Drake CD's though.

The guy was a special talent. Reading his biography at the moment. Interesting stuff!

[Green Sleeves]

Originally Posted by GalegoHibs

Much as I like Bob Dylan, you have to wonder why anyone would want to be or describe someone else as the "new Bob Dylan". It hardly suggests to me that the artist is going to be original or groundbreaking. Rather that they are going to be very derivative.

It probably says more about Dylan's genius than the person being compared to him. I'd imagine too that Conor Oberst would rather be called the the first Conor Oberst rather than the new Dylan but what can ya do. Comparisons are all part and parcel of dicsussing music, film, art or literature. Compare and contrast are the tools of the critic's trade.

[Zimmy]

Originally Posted by Green Sleeves

It probably says more about Dylan's genius than the person being compared to him. I'd imagine too that Conor Oberst would rather be called the the first Conor Oberst rather than the new Dylan but what can ya do. Comparisons are all part and parcel of dicsussing music, film, art or literature. Compare and contrast are the tools of the critic's trade.

Still better to be called "The new Dylan" than the new James Blunt.

[GalegoHibs]

Originally Posted by Green Sleeves

It probably says more about Dylan's genius than the person being compared to him. I'd imagine too that Conor Oberst would rather be called the the first Conor Oberst rather than the new Dylan but what can ya do. Comparisons are all part and parcel of dicsussing music, film, art or literature. Compare and contrast are the tools of the critic's trade.

I agree with your general points but calling anyone "the new Whoever" is lazy and unimaginative writing in my opinion. Critics could compare and contrast without resorting to such obvious cliches.