Welcome

Hello there all you who are now reading this (someone IS reading this right?) Welcome to Winn's musical journey! In this blog I will be semi-annually updating you on my life and the soundtrack that accompanies it. I first got an idea to make a musical blog from Tom Moon who's book "1000 Recordings to Listen to Before You Die" has been nothing short of a bible to me since I first received it last Christmastime. Some of the albums mentioned in his book will be featured in my blog as well. If you have not already checked out his book and his blog I highly suggest you do so now. (http://www.1000recordings.com/).

The album that has been on my mind all day today as I sat in my bed, ridden with the three C's (cold, cough, and chills). Is Bob Dylan's timeless masterpiece "Blood on The Tracks"

This album (released in 1975) is in my opinion, the greatest recording of Bob Dylan's storied and legendary career. It embodies everything that is Dylan, his ability to paint still life portraits of the characters in the lyrics of his songs, but still leaving just enough mystery for the listener to draw their own conclusions. It is something that very few of today's singer/songwriters are able to do (the only one that immediately comes to mind is Idaho's native son Josh Ritter). This album is without a doubt the perfect break-up album. Every song teems with stories of fate and star-crossed love gone wrong. Having experienced a break-up myself to my girlfriend of six months, I found comfort in the misery of the characters in Dylan's songs and became (pardon the pun) "Tangled Up in Blue".

Leonard Cohen once said that being a singer/songwriter is being able to "sing a song and get out of the way." And I believe that in this album Dylan is able to do that perfectly. By not making these songs autobiographical and all about him he allows the listener to relate their own experiences to each track. That is something about music that will always fascinate me, for example I will be listening to Josh Rouse's song "Come Back (Light Therapy)"

I think of the now defunct store Laser's Edge in Birmingham. And hopefully as you listen to it too can you not here the hustle and bustle of Five Points South and downtown in the Magic City?

Music has that unmatched power to help us remember events and places in just a few short notes. More on this later but I am short on time. So today's question of the day is what is your ultimate break-up song or album?

Cheers,

Winslow