Bob Dylan's Clothes Are Dirty, But His Hands Are Clean

Part 1 of the Together Through Life with Bob countdown: an historic series of random snapshots from the life of the master in the days leading up to his forthcoming record.

One of the treats of being a Dylan fan, and being well versed in most of his 40+ albums, is that a semi-forgotten treasures ocassionally rises to the surface and sounds fresh and new and commands my attention for at least a week. Right now, the heavy-rotation Dylan record in the Rock Turtleneck offices is Nashville Skyline, released 40 years ago this month.

For a record that sounds so down-home and friendly, Nashville Skyline is amazingly radical. Dylan's fans were used to their oracle telling it like it is: "Money doesn't talk it swears"; "He not busy being born is busy dying"; "Don't go mistaking paradise for that home across the road."

Now suddenly Dylan was telling us "Oh me, oh my/Love that country pie," which, if you really think about it, is at least as valid as any of his other prophesies. For this was a man who had checked out of Desolation Row and was now sitting back with his wife and kids, watching the river flow in Woodstock, NY. And only a few months later, millions of hippies would head to Woodstock and do the same.

Dylan completely changed his voice and singing style to fit his pastoral surroundings and unabashed love of pure country music, showcasing a pretty, slightly Kermit-the-Froggish timbre that was full of warmth and a million miles from "Positively 4th Street."

The beautiful, sexy ode to matrimonial congress "Lay Lady Lay" is easily the most famous track from Nashville Skyline, and one of the most beloved songs in his catalog. One of my favorite things about the tune is the way he mixes the third and second person: "His clothes are dirty but his hands are clean/And you're the best thing that he's ever seen."

But the album is full of other gems, including "To Be Alone with You," "Tell Me That it Isn't True" "Country Pie" and "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here with You." The success of the album paved the way for a country-infused strain of rock & roll, making Nashville Skyline indirectly responsible for the Eagles. But we'll let that slide becuse it's a record that, like many of us has aged and sweetened with aplomb.

Bob showcased his radical new "country gentleman" style on the premier episode of the Johnny Cash Show in 1969. After performing "I Threw It All Away" and "Living the Blues" (which would appear on Self Portrait the following year) Dylan sat down with his friend John for a wonderful version of "Girl from the North Country." Take it away boys.



To get his voice in country mode, Bob spent a lot of time in the crucible of Mr. Cash, and they recorded many songs beyond "Girl from the North Country" in a series of sessions that featured Carl Perkins on guitar. The Dylan/Cash sessions are one of the great Dylan boots, and for a limited time you can download them here courtesy of the RT. Is it rolling, Bob?

Download: The Dylan/Cash Sessions, 1969