Songs from the Invisible Republic (2008)

Bob Dylan is coming to Australia, and this seems the perfect time to talk about this gem of an album. It’s not an album by Bob Dylan though – it’s about him. Songs from the Invisible Republic is a compilation of songs that influenced Dylan, and includes music from Slim Harpo, Frankie Lane, Muddy Waters, B. B. King and a host of legendary musicians.

If you are a Dylan fan, you may be curious to find some kind of historical grounding to his music. You may wonder; what was he listening to? What led to his ‘born-again’ albums and his very strong faith? What was his connection to folk music and old blues rhythms?

The two-CD, 45-track album has songs that Dylan found inspiration in, covered and borrowed. The booklet accompanying the album is a veritable mine of stories and forgotten bits of information, and traces the history of each and every featured song. On its own, it makes for great reading. It has some very cool illustrations too.

The influences of Woody Guthrie (“1913 Massacre”), Muddy Waters (“Rosalia”), Karen Dalton (“Ribbon Bow”) and B. B. King (“The Thrill Is Gone”), among others are clear. Listen to these originals and you get a clearer idea of the roots of Dylan’s own music.

Then there are all the covers – “Sitting on Top of the World” originally sung by the Mississippi Shieks; Blind Willie McTell’s original “Delia;” and “Tomorrow Night,” a 1948-original by Lonnie Johnson. It makes for great listening to see what Dylan has brought into these songs, what he has left out, and how these changes have affected the dynamics of the songs.

As for the borrowing, did you know that the album title Good As I Been To You is a direct quote from the song “You Gonna Quit Me Baby Blues” by Blind Arthur Blake, first released in October 1931? Or that the song “Tweedly Dee and Tweedly Dum” from Dylan’s album Love and Theft sounds a lot like the 1961 recording “Uncle John’s Bongos” by Brooklyn artists Johnny and Jack? The link between Tampa Red’s “It Hurts Me Too” and Dylan’s own “Pledging My Time” is too close. Hmm...
 

(Source: www.bobdylan.com)

The album is not to be confused with the book of the same name (later re-titled The Old, Weird America) by Greil Marcus, although the compilation claims to refer to that controversial work. Controversial, because Marcus theorises that Dylan’s album, The Basement Tapes, brought a forgotten American music tradition to the foreground.

By all means, it is not all encompassing, but it’s a wonderful way to discover some rarely heard songs from times long past. It’s definitely one of those ‘great-to-have’ compilations.

What reminded me of the album is Dylan’s upcoming Australian tour. He is the headlining act for the ‘West Coast Blues ‘n’ Roots (Freemantle, WA on 17 April) and the Byron Bay Bluesfest (Byron Bay, NSW on 25-26 April). He will also be performing at

• the Entertainment Centre in Adelaide (Tuesday, 19 April with special guest B. B. King), 
• the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne (Wednesday, 20 April), 
• the WIN Entertainment Centre in Wollongong (Saturday, 23 April), and 
• the Entertainment Centre in Sydney (Wednesday, 27 April).

The tickets went on sale on Monday, 31 January.

For more info, visit www.bobdylan.com