# Bob Dylan, Neil Young, or Waits? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 28, 2008, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dylan-neil-young-or-waits/447235 "2008-04-28T16:49:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dylan-neil-young-or-waits/447235/21 "2008-04-29T00:07:41Z")
I like and respect all three as musicians and songwriters. And I’ll even admit that Dylan probably has the edge when it comes to lyrics, but Tom Waits is a demi-god. A true original who’s managed to stay relevant and consistently produce quality music throughout almost 4 decades. The other two have also released excellent music throughout this period as well but, AFAIC, Waits has been more consistent and put out far fewer duds. He also has an entertaining sense of theatricality that Young and Dylan are missing. As an aside, I just looked through my CD collection and, while I have the complete Waits catalogue, I only have about a half-dozen discs from each of Young and Dylan. Maybe I should fill in some gaps just for completeness’ sake. ---
**Author:** ![B.Serum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/b.serum/32/14266_2.png) [@B.Serum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Serum)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dylan-neil-young-or-waits/447235/22 "2008-04-29T00:16:20Z")
Dylan is the iconic figure and his words have impacted society, not just the music world. But in my opinion, he stopped developing musically once he found Christ. I know Neil Young is _Important_; I just haven’t gotten onboard that train yet. Sorry about the ignorance. Tom Waits is a personal favorite and I think is still aggressively experimental with both music and lyrics. _Personally though, I think Elvis Costello should be appearing in this list._ ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dylan-neil-young-or-waits/447235/23 "2008-04-29T04:04:46Z")
I’d add that if you were gonna make it Four in tha same vein, the other guy would be Springsteen. He melds it all in the same direction. ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dylan-neil-young-or-waits/447235/24 "2008-04-29T04:24:21Z")
[QUOTE=Big Bad Voodoo Lou] I think Dylan is a lot of hype, mostly based on a decades-old reputation and Baby Boomer/rock critic loyalty. He’s a decent lyricist, but he’s written just as much pretentious and nonsensical crap as modern-day classic poetry. He’s the weakest musician of the three, and while none of the three are traditionally great singers, he also has the weakest voice. He’s also probably the worst live performer. [/QUOTE] Sorry, have to disagree with this. Yes, he’s put out some undeniable crap (most of it in the 80s) but to say that Dylan is coasting on a decades-old reputation is to ignore his last three studio albums, which are excellent. In fact 1997’s _Time Out of Mind_ (which won the Grammy that year) is the album that introduced me to Dylan at the ripe old age of 19. It’s still one of my favorites. But I will agree with you that he is a terrible live performer. I’ve only seen him once and really haven’t the desire to see him again. I’m just a lyrics whore and there’s nobody else who even comes close, IMO. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dylan-neil-young-or-waits/447235/25 "2008-04-29T13:12:56Z")
[QUOTE=Brad Serum] Personally though, I think Elvis Costello should be appearing in this list. [/QUOTE] If you add Costello to the list, you have a new leader as far as I’m concerned. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dylan-neil-young-or-waits/447235/26 "2008-04-29T15:09:25Z")
[QUOTE=SaharaTea] Sorry, have to disagree with this. Yes, he’s put out some undeniable crap (most of it in the 80s) but to say that Dylan is coasting on a decades-old reputation is to ignore his last three studio albums, which are excellent. In fact 1997’s _Time Out of Mind_ (which won the Grammy that year) is the album that introduced me to Dylan at the ripe old age of 19. It’s still one of my favorites. [/quote] Very true, although of the three Dylan is the only one to release any crap. Waits and Young vear from good to fucking amazing. > [@](#): > > But I will agree with you that he is a terrible live performer. I’ve only seen him once and really haven’t the desire to see him again. I’m just a lyrics whore and there’s nobody else who even comes close, IMO. 🙂 This didn’t used to be true, but it is absolutly true now. Track down some of the Bootleg series for Dylan. The Rolling Thunder Review tapes from the 70s are particularly awesome. (I want to say it is Bootleg Series volume VI, but I could be wrong.) ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dylan-neil-young-or-waits/447235/27 "2008-04-29T15:22:34Z")
[QUOTE=Big Bad Voodoo Lou] I think Dylan is a lot of hype, mostly based on a decades-old reputation and Baby Boomer/rock critic loyalty. He’s a decent lyricist, but he’s written just as much pretentious and nonsensical crap as modern-day classic poetry. He’s the weakest musician of the three, and while none of the three are traditionally great singers, he also has the weakest voice. He’s also probably the worst live performer. [/quote] This is what I’d have said if I were more familiar with Dylan’s work. Sure, I can name or recognize a couple dozen of his tunes, but what is the big deal? Joe ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dylan-neil-young-or-waits/447235/28 "2008-04-29T15:26:45Z")
[QUOTE=NAF1138] Very true, although of the three Dylan is the only one to release any crap. Waits and Young vear from good to fucking amazing. [/QUOTE] I LOVE Neil Young, much more than Dylan, and as much as Waits. But c’mon? _ **Landing on Water** _? It’s been 20 years since I heard it, but damn, I recall it stinking! Joe ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dylan-neil-young-or-waits/447235/29 "2008-04-29T15:33:34Z")
[QUOTE=wheresgeorge04] I LOVE Neil Young, much more than Dylan, and as much as Waits. But c’mon? _ **Landing on Water** _? It’s been 20 years since I heard it, but damn, I recall it stinking! Joe [/QUOTE] Hmmm, good point. I guess everyone releases a bomb every now and then (though seemingly not Waits, I wasn’t a huge fan of Real Gone, but it is the first album of his that I haven’t absolutley loved), Neil Young has just released so much it’s harder to keep up. Still, Dylan’s bad was…bad. Horribly awefully bad. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dylan-neil-young-or-waits/447235/30 "2008-04-29T15:39:12Z")
Which was less listenable: Neil Young’s _Trans_ or Lou Reed’s _Metal Machine Music_? ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dylan-neil-young-or-waits/447235/31 "2008-04-29T16:18:41Z")
[QUOTE=acsenray] Which was less listenable: Neil Young’s _Trans_ or Lou Reed’s _Metal Machine Music_? [/QUOTE] Oh come on, Metal Machine Music is one of the least listenable things of all time. ---
**Author:** ![El\_DeLuxo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_deluxo/32/9043_2.png) [@El\_DeLuxo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_DeLuxo)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dylan-neil-young-or-waits/447235/32 "2008-04-30T19:16:40Z")
[QUOTE=johnnyboy] Who of them in your esteemed opinion is the most talented, lyrically and/or musically? [/QUOTE] Lyrically, Tom Waits. Abolutely and without question, although Neil’s pretty damned good too. Neil is probably the best musician of the three, all around. Bob Dylan doesn’t even enter the picture. Personally I cannot abide the man’s work (with exceptions made for a few specific pieces, and **they’ve** mostly been done better by other musicians than BD ever did with them himself), and consider him one of the most ridiculously over-rated perfoming artists of recent times. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dylan-neil-young-or-waits/447235/33 "2008-04-30T19:24:48Z")
[QUOTE=DLuxN8R-13] Personally I cannot abide the man’s work… and consider him one of the most ridiculously over-rated perfoming artists of recent times. [/QUOTE] Pretty much exactly the way I feel about Waits. ---
**Author:** ![B.Serum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/b.serum/32/14266_2.png) [@B.Serum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Serum)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dylan-neil-young-or-waits/447235/34 "2008-04-30T21:04:33Z")
[QUOTE=DLuxN8R-13] Bob Dylan doesn’t even enter the picture. Personally I cannot abide the man’s work . [/QUOTE] Well, [the Dude abides.](http://youtube.com/watch?v=y1Q41mU6V9o) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dylan-neil-young-or-waits/447235.md?page=1)