Dylan's Voice/ Better Now?

I remember the first time I heard a cut from Time out of Mind on the radio. Kind of shocked me. Wondered if he'd been taking voice lessons from Tom Waits. BUT - that was/is a great album, some of his strongest songs, I think. I got used to the singing and actually came to like it. I guess you could say his voice is an acquired taste. Definitely agree with Todd and Mapman - it's in character and suits his ("anachronistic") style.

I think you will find that among musicians, Bob Dylan's is not and has not ever been considered a very good voice at all. This does not mean, however, that he is not expressive. He is certainly considered a much better songwriter than he is a performer.

I agree with you. He's at his Johnny Cash stage, although Johnny sounded worse and Dylan sounds better. I saw Modern Times while I was in Chicago for work several years ago. Bob was the headliner and Elvis Costello opened the show. I swore I would never waste my money on a Bob Dylan show again but this was a fine concert indeed, and his band was simply amazing. Bob Dylan is a cool dude. I read an interview he did where has mentioned that he took a vacation to Neil Youngs home town in Canada so he could see the house Neil grew up in. When I read that, I realized that Bob Dylan is a lot more like you and I than I ever knew.

When I saw Dylan live last a few years back, his voice was a non-issue. His band was smokin and delivered most all of the goods on that particular night in Philly. Not always the case though based on accounts.

Its inevitable that age will affect the voices of the aging classic rockers these days. Some are starting to wilt to the detriment of their act (McCartney). Some manage to push on, at least for now (Moody Blues). Some seemingly go with the flow and make their technical deficiencies actually work for them stylistically in new ways (Dylan). I admire Dylan more than ever for that!

GOod comment above about the difference between technical proficiency and expressiveness in vocals!

I like old Dylan, new Dylan...any Dylan is ok with me. I find that any of his albums take several listenings before they become part of your DNA, so give them a chance. For voice, I prefer his middle period (Infidels, Desire, Street Legal), probably because I have heard them so often. I understand the criticism of Dylan's voice in recent years, but I'll still buy any new album that he puts out. It's the words I'm listening to, and if Dylan's singing them, I'm listening!