Postmodern Artist

Identify an artist who may be thought of as being postmodern. The theory can link to a song or songs, an album or a series of albums.

Bob Dylan.




Bob Dylan - born Robert Allen Zimmerman was born May 24 1941. He is an American singer-songwriter, musician, painter and poet. He has been a major figure in popular music for five decades. Bob Dylan has taken small pieces of music from one song and adapts it to fit into his own song. Here are some examples:

Blowin in the wind partially derived its melody from the traditional slave song No More Auction Block.






A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall was based on the tune of the folk ballad Lord Randall.





Blowin' in the Wind and A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall marked an important new direction in modern songwriting, blending a stream-of-consciousness, imagist lyrical attack with a traditional folk form.

Mixed Up Confusion recorded during the Freewheelin' sessions with a backing band, was released as a single and then quickly withdrawn. In contrast to the mostly solo acoustic performances on the album, the single showed a willingness to experiment with a rockabilly sound. Cameron Crowe described it as "a fascinating look at a folk artist with his mind wandering towards Elvis Presley and Sun Records."



Dylan's March 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home was yet another stylistic leap,featuring his first recordings made with electric instruments. The first single Subterranean Homesick Blues, owed much to Chuck Berry's Too Much Monkey Business.





Current artist also try to mix the old with the new. Here is an example of a more recent hit in 2000 with one of Bob Dylan's songs:

Bob Dylan Maggie's Farm:



Rage Against The Machine Maggie's Farm:



Bob Dylans Albums: