Expecting Rain

A set of radio shows about Bob Dylan as a poet, hosted by Bill King. I immensely enjoyed these and thought I'd share.

I apologize if they've been in circulation here some time in the past.

http://dylanalley.org/

Show 1 - Dylan as Poet Track 1.mp3
Show 1 - Dylan as Poet Track 2.mp3
Show 1 - Dylan as Poet Track 3.mp3
Show 1 - Dylan as Poet Track 4.mp3
Show one introduces three questions the series will address: What kind of poet is Dylan? How can we deepen our appreciation of his work? How does his poetry work? This show provides short answers to each. Later shows develop these much more fully. The song, "To Ramona," becomes the primary focus. It is a simple song in appearance with deep philosophical implications about the state of "radical solitude" in which each of us exist.

Show 2 - Dylan and the Three Kings Track 1.mp3
Show 2 - Dylan and the Three Kings Track 2.mp3
Show 2 - Dylan and the Three Kings Track 3.mp3
Show 2 - Dylan and the Three Kings Track 4.mp3
Show 2 continues to develop the idea of "radical solitude," focusing on "Just Like a Woman" and then turning to the question of interpretation, including a radio drama based on "The Three Kings," the liner notes to the "John Wesley Harding" album.

Show 3 - The Joker and the Thief Track 1.mp3
Show 3 - The Joker and the Thief Track 2.mp3
Show 3 - The Joker and the Thief Track 3.mp3
Show 3 - The Joker and the Thief Track 4.mp3
Using songs from all five decades of Dylan's career, this show demonstrates how Dylan alternates between two artistic masks: the Joker and the Thief. He fluctuates back and forth between a Classical mode of moderation and a Romantic mode of excess. The most concise expression of these two modes is found symbolically expressed in the joker and the thief from "All Along the Watchtower." They reveal Dylan's alternation between Dionysian rebellion and Apollonian order.

Show 4 - Ballads - Part I Track 1.mp3
Show 4 - Ballads - Part I Track 2.mp3
Show 4 - Ballads - Part I Track 3.mp3
Show 4 - Ballads - Part I Track 4.mp3
This two part series of shows focuses on narrative songs, the form we call “ballads.” The first part looks at ballads on albums in ’63, ‘64,’ 65 and ’68. The theme of America emerges in three of these ballads: “ Motorpsycho Nightmare,” “Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream,” and “As I Went Out One Morning,” where America appears as the “fairest damsel that ever did walk in chains.”

Show 5 - Ballads - Part II Track 1.mp3
Show 5 - Ballads - Part II Track 2.mp3
Show 5 - Ballads - Part II Track 3.mp3
Show 5 - Ballads - Part II Track 4.mp3
Show 5 is completes the sequence on Dylan's ballads. It moves from analysis of short ballads on the "John Wesley Harding" album to a close reading of two long ballads: "The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest" and the much more powerful and mythic "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts." It closes with a look at the incredible "A Simple Twist of Fate" which reverses the gender roles in the "Jack of Hearts." All three reveal Dylan's concerns with the human condition.

Show 6 - Love Songs Part I Track 1.mp3
Show 6 - Love Songs Part I Track 2.mp3
Show 6 - Love Songs Part I Track 3.mp3
Show 6 - Love Songs Part I Track 4.mp3
This two part sequence begins by demonstrating Dylan's rejection of the phoniness of Tin Pan Alley love song as well as "protest" songs. This leads to a focus on his love songs. Some are really love song, some explore the artist/audience relationship, some are about spiritual love. This show closes with an analysis of "I Want You" as critique of popular love song tradition, with the Beatles portrayed in the final verse as "your dancing child with his Chinese suit."

Show 7 - Love Songs Part II Track 1.mp3
Show 7 - Love Songs Part II Track 2.mp3
Show 7 - Love Songs Part II Track 3.mp3
Show 7 - Love Songs Part II Track 4.mp3
Part II focuses on a single song, "Visions of Johanna," one of Dylan's richest and most complex songs about human longing for the eternal. The real vs. the ideal is explored as Dylan declares, "Inside the museum infinity goes up on trial." This is perhaps Dylan's finest song in the Romantic mid-sixties period, where "little boy lost" longs for the ideal.

Show 8 - Myths Track 1.mp3
Show 8 - Myths Track 2.mp3
Show 8 - Myths Track 3.mp3
Show 8 - Myths Track 4.mp3
Dylan debunks the false myths of "true love" in "Love Sick" and American righteousness in "With God on Our Side," seeking those true myths (explored in show which lead to salvation. Dylan's central purpose is to promote the true myths which help us find our place in the eternal rather than the immediate.

Show 9 - Quinntessence Track 1.mp3
Show 9 - Quinntessence Track 2.mp3
Show 9 - Quinntessence Track 3.mp3
Show 9 - Quinntessence Track 4.mp3
Following up on the false myths in show eight, this show explores other songs which convey Dylan's quest for the eternal rather than the temporal in "Mr. Tambourine Man," "Quinn the Eskimo," and "When I Paint My Masterpiece."

Show 10 - John Wesley Harding Track 1.mp3
Show 10 - John Wesley Harding Track 2.mp3
Show 10 - John Wesley Harding Track 3.mp3
Show 10 - John Wesley Harding Track 4.mp3
This show focuses entirely on one album, moving through the album analyzing each song as a step in the progression from the outlaw figure of John Wesley Harding to the totally moderate family man who says, "I?ll Be Your Baby Tonight." This show builds on show three where the joker/thief dichotomy is introduced as well as the ballad shows which cover several songs on the album.

Show 11 - Art Artist Audience in Dylan - Songs Track 1.mp3
Show 11 - Art Artist Audience in Dylan - Songs Track 2.mp3
Show 11 - Art Artist Audience in Dylan - Songs Track 3.mp3
Show 11 - Art Artist Audience in Dylan - Songs Track 4.mp3
Following up earlier references to the theme of art's relationship to the artist and his audience, this show compares Dylan's song in Romantic & Classical modes, his relationship to both folk and fine art, both popular and high culture as seen in such songs as "She Belongs to Me," "Visions of Johanna," and "When I Paint My Masterpiece."

Show 12 - Dylan and the Traditions Track 1.mp3
Show 12 - Dylan and the Traditions Track 2.mp3
Show 12 - Dylan and the Traditions Track 3.mp3
Show 12 - Dylan and the Traditions Track 4.mp3
This show explores Dylan's relationship to three traditions: modern poetry, popular song, traditional song. Dylan is indebted to all three but he tries to overcome the limitations which each tradition imposes on the artist. My conclusion: he takes the best, leaves the rest.

Wow, thank you.

Wow, indeed. I'm hoping to be able to save these to discs to play in my car. I'm facing a lot of long distance driving for the next couple of weeks. So, may thanks, I never heard these before

Something to absorb in multiple listens- thank you as I was unaware these existed. Particularly enjoyed and found useful the discussions of his abilities as a balladeer and as 'provocateur' of the love lyric.

Thank you!

Thanks, Gunfighter. This looks great!

Thanks very much ........ fits in well with my name!

listening to the first one right now, thanks for sharing Gunfighter!

Thanks for this! Bookmarking, and starting with Show 8

Listening now - fantastic! Thanks, gunfighter - and good to see that Expecting Rain is high on the list of relevant internet connections on his website! Could he be a member?

awesome. hope i have enough time to listen to all of them.

You're welcome folks!

Thanks Gunfighter!

- Good Work. ..
.. top-notch Contribution.

It is very nice of you to share it, theGunfighter. Thank you!

Thanks Gunfighter - listening now and really enjoying it! I can NEVER listen to everything I want to; there is so much GOOD stuff. Love, Joanna XOXO

Thanks for sharing the post, Gunfighter!

Wow!!---Thanx so much---I love how JWH has it's own complete show---I've thought
for years that JWH is Dylans most complex and multi-layered album (lyrically, conceptually'
thematically). And of course Visions of Johanna has it's own program!!

I moved the files. Now here: http://bit.ly/KG3zpw

Thanks a lot Gunfighter.....

J