Blood on the Tracks

I first heard the album in Shankar's room at FTII. He it as the greatest album ever written. To this day I agree with that opinion.

'Idiot Wind' was the first song that he played. Both of us laughed at Dylan's diction as he spits out the words, 'yeeediiot wind' which make the very vicious lyrics even more spiteful.

He made me a copy of the album and I heard it till I had memorised all the lyrics. The song that I made my own was 'Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts', a song-story about a bank robbery, murder, love and the principal architect i.e. the Jack of Hearts.

I was particularly taken in by the term, 'Jack of Hearts'. What makes a person the Jack of Hearts? Dylan could have chosen to call him the King of hearts or the Ace of Hearts but the Jack has a completely different character. A lesser status and a hint of deviousness.

Were at Shomi's place yesterday and Parul wanted to hear, Idiot Wind as one Chinese Horoscope test that she once made me take had matched the song to her.

I heard the entire album once more after a very long time. Shomi strummed completely out of tune and declared every now and then that he used to be a damn good rhythm guitarist but can now only play when he is drunk. He has his eye on a 12 string, which Tulika will let him buy only when he practices on his current 6 string and gets back in form again.

I hope he does.