Bob Dylan Says...

Modern Recordings Are Atrocious...

Here's what he had to say:

"I don't know anybody who's made a record that sounds decent in the past 20 years, really," the 65-year-old rocker said in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine.

Dylan, who released eight studio albums in the past two decades, returns with his first recording in five years, "Modern Times," next Tuesday.

Noting the music industry's complaints that illegal downloading means people are getting their music for free, he said, "Well, why not? It ain't worth nothing anyway."

"You listen to these modern records, they're atrocious, they have sound all over them," he added. "There's no definition of nothing, no vocal, no nothing, just like ... static."

Dylan said he does his best to fight technology, but it's a losing battle.

"Even these songs probably sounded ten times better in the studio when we recorded 'em. CDs are small. There's no stature to it."

I think Bob's certainly vouching for a losing cause there ("want some Mindies Bob?"). Once upon a long ago, I was a loyal little vinyl-buying lad who was part of a generation that made the music business big. But ever since the LP to CD transition and even the analogue to digital video transition as well as the Film to Digital/High Defintion transition, you stand to lose when you stand with the older technologies.

Really, it's modern technology that brings music closer to more people; it even takes music production to a wider public and the indications are, it's good. The thing is, I like modern recording techonlogies because they empower me. I like Bob Dylan, but when he says it's all crap, it's because he knows he's not a part of it, and it's in his interest to spit out sour grapes.