Expecting Rain

Po' Boy gets my vote over the fab Ain't Talkin due to the excellence in execution - also there's a knock knock joke.

It's All Good isn't.

Can't Wait on TOoM is far inferior to the TTS versions. Why is Dylan's quality control so wayward? It's a wonder Not Dark Yet ever saw the light of day. Don't even get me started on Red River Shore ...

TOoM 4, L&T 3, MT 2, TTL 1

this was the toughest item of the survey!

As number 10 songs go, these are the best number 10 songs of Bob's illustrious career and he reserved them for his last four albums. Great lyrics, fine arrangements... the studio releases are incredible, the live performances fantastic...

Having to decide the "best" of these four seems cruel.

They're all so different. They're all great(maybe even say masterpieces, except "It's all good"...though it's still good).

I listen to "Can't Wait" and "Po' boy" on a daily basis. "Ain't talkin'" is just artistically beautiful and I wrote a paper on it... so I'm going with that. Sorry "it's all good" I just listen to that one when I'm looking to bob my head.

1 - Beyond Here Lies Nothing
2 - Mississippi
3 - Standing in the Doorway
4 - When the Deals Go Down
5 - Lonesome Day Blues
6 - Floater
7 - Not Dark Yet
8 - Nettie Moore
9 - Make You Feel My Love
10 - Po' Boy

TOoM 3
L&T 4
MT 2
TTL 1

Dickhead. No other words for it. Well, actually there are lots, but this is a family programme and it's Sunday evening.

Your evaluation of me is more errant than your assessment of Dylan's career. But both are entertaining in their own way.

1. Can't wait
2. Ain't talkin'
3. It's all good
4. Po' boy

(my points, 4 for 1st-3 for 2nd-2 for 3rd-1 for 4th: TOOM-27; TTL-24; MT-20; L&T-19)

As a one chord growled string of cliches, It's All Good might be the best sample of Dylan among these four songs, with a monotonous melody well-suited to his vocal ability. Po Boy is the most interesting attempt at songwriting, a little beyond his ability to perform; I appreciate the effort but don't enjoy hearing the results. Can't Wait has a strong bluesy edge like most of the Time Out Of Mind material, but veers into self-parody in the lyrics and unconvincing earnestness in the vocal. Ain't Talkin' has an appealing sound, a borrowed title/refrain, and a melodramatic vocal not quite able to redeem some silly lyrics, a song I loved at first that failed to sustain interest after a handful of listens like everything else on that album (except for those songs I never liked even one time through).

Hey, there's always the next album, harmonica!

This brought a smile. Everything you say is pretty well stated and supported but I really like them and as Dylan songs go, this selection is as strong as he's produced.