Kosmik Radiation Radio - May 22, 2009 Playlist

The annual birthday tribute to Bob Dylan (b. 24 May 1941) & Miles Davis (b. 26 May 1926)

CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Bob Dylan "John Wesley Harding" 1967 (USA)

This year it's Dylan's turn to have the CAOTW for the Bob & Miles Birthday Special, and this is one of his most noteworthy and unsung albums. This surprisingly understated record followed a period of tremendous turmoil in which Bob nearly died, and perhaps as a result his songwriting made a huge stylistic shift. During the years 1965-66, Dylan had been an absolute sensation -- the only artist who could be considered the equal of (if not greater than) the Almighty Beatles. Then he got seriously injured in a motor cycle accident, and spent the "Summer of Love" recuperating in upstate New York with the Canadian gang who would soon come to be known as The Band. While everybody else was freaking out and turning day-glo with flowers in their hair, Bob turned his back on the trends of the day and refocused his songwriting efforts on the traditional folk and blues themes that had originally inspired him. Of course, no one really knew what was going on with the "disappeared" Dylan at the time, and when John Wesley Harding came out at the very end of 1967 few seemed sure what to make of it. But before you know it, "mellow" rustic music with an old timey flair suddenly became all the rage (beginning with the Byrds and Grateful Dead going "country" and continuing on through the rise of the Eagles and similar soft-rock groups in the 1970's.)
For video, here's Neil Young playing the most famous song from this record (which was popularized by Jimi Hendrix.)

(N) = New Release

Artist	Song	Album	Year	Country
Bob Dylan	A Hard Rain's A Gonna Fall	The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan	1963	USA
Miles Davis	Walkin' (live)	Cookin' At The Plugged Nickel	rec. 1965	USA

The Byrds	The Times They Are A Changin' (by Bob Dylan)	Turn! Turn! Turn!	1965	USA
The Byrds	Spanish Harlem Incident (by Bob Dylan)	Mr. Tambourine Man	1965	USA
The Byrds	My Back Pages (by Bob Dylan)	Younger Than Yesterday	1967	USA
The Band	This Wheel's On Fire (by Bob Dylan & Rick Danko)	Music From Big Pink	1968	Canada /USA
Hard Meat	Most Likely You'll Go Your Way And I'll Go Mine (by Bob Dylan)	Through A Window	1970	UK
Manfred Mann	Get Your Rocks Off (by Bob Dylan)	Get Your Rocks Off	1973	UK

Miles Davis	Seven Steps To Heaven	Seven Steps To Heaven	1963	USA
Miles Davis	Ife	Big Fun	rec. 1972	USA

Bob Dylan	The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest	John Wesley Harding CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK	1967	USA
Jimi Hendrix	Drifter's Escape (by Bob Dylan)	South Saturn Delta (compilation CD)	rec. 1968	USA
Judas Priest	Diamonds & Rust (by Joan Baez, about Bob Dylan)	Sin After Sin	1977	UK
Spirit	Like A Rolling Stone (by Bob Dylan)	Spirit of '76	1975	USA
The Isely Brothers	Lay Lady Lay (by Bob Dylan)	The Iselys Live	1973	USA

Miles Davis	What I Say	Live Evil	1971	USA
Frank Zappa	Flakes (Dylan parody)	Sheik Yerbouti	1979	USA
Bob Dylan	Idiot Wind (live)	Hard Rain	1976	USA

Olivia Newton-John	If Not For You (by Bob Dylan)	Greatest Hits	rec. 1973	Australia
Johnny Rivers	Positively 4th Street (by Bob Dylan)	Realization	1968	USA
Rodriguez	Jane S. Piddy	Cold Fact (N)	rec. 1970 (2008 Light In The Attic)	USA
The Band	I Shall Be Released (by Bob Dylan)	Music From Big Pink	1968	Canada /USA