so....is Bob dylan washed up?

[Popmartijn]

the word "washed up" can't apply to somebody who a) never had any great musical talent (other than his writing) in teh first place, and b) has never really cared about being commercialy succesful at all.

dylan isn't a fucking legend because of how great a singer he was, or how great a guitar player he was.

I do take issue with your statement that Dylan never had any great musical talent. He's a great performer and also a great singer. True, his current voice is an acquired taste, but he has always been a great singer. Dylan's great singing his songs in his early days (the early Sixties) was of a big influence on music (not just folk, but also rock and soul). It maybe wasn't the prettiest voice, but it was a great voice.
Sam Cooke commented that when he heard Dylan sing he knew that the times were indeed a-changin'. It was no longer necessary to have a pretty voice to sing, but it would be more important to really mean what you were singing. Because he heard Dylan sing the truth.

And for that, you do need musical talent.

 

[lazarus]

Dylan's guitar work is pretty underrated as well, at least before he stopped playing as much in concert. Even when they had three electric guitars going, he was still doing a lot of stuff. Whenever I watch my Woodstock '94 video I'm amazed at his shit.

 

[Ronnie269]

I couldnt agree more with the 2 above comments, yeah Dylan is prolly the greatest songwritter there has ever been, but to add my voice to the 2 above comments his guitar playing go criminally unnoticed, he is an amazing guitar player, who wrote some v complex tunes with beautiful chord arangements, this also go's for his piano playing, which is incredible too, I dont get when ppl put Bob down as a bad singer either to me his voice is incredible, great melodys also, basically I think Dylan is an phenominal musician in all fields,