What a time it was for Bob Dylan at the dawn of the new millennium. He set the record straight with the wonderful Love and Theft and receded into the shadows once more. It felt as though he walked on eggshells – constantly trying to remind his listeners of the power he holds as an instrumental piece in the whirring histories of the 1960s. Turn your attention back to the glory days and find a new love for those artists – their boom was not far off. For Dylan it meant gathering his courage and pushing on to Modern Times, the aptly titled but lacking in steam or focus 2006 release. Its grating swing fever was not tuned right, but it did make for a fascinating collection of tracks, a stunning ‘tache and a pairing of Time Out of Mind and Modern Times material. An odd bridge, but it makes sense once listened to it a few times.
These are the original spots Dylan would afford listeners. They were rarer and rarer as the years went by as his interest in the American Songbook turned into an obsession. Cover after cover. Hold on tight to Rollin’ and Tumblin’, the titular opener of this three-track EP is a quick sprinkle of his previous three albums. No real tonal intimacy from track to track, just a reminder Dylan is back and at his best form in two decades. He may open with the Modern Times number but soon darts for cover – almost lacking in confidence of what is to come for his 2006 effort. High-strung strings and a country flicker to its pacing, Rollin’ and Tumblin’ has Dylan, well, roll and tumble back home. It feels on the nose and is more an expression for the band to play around with, but it works.
His voice is as gruff as it gets, the instrumental swing in place and offering some higher octaves than Dylan would allow himself for much of Modern Times, the pairing with Not Dark Yet and High Water (For Charley Patton) is clinical and promises audiences more of the same. He would deliver such – a quality record but by no means a competent end to the Time Out of Mind and Love and Theft trio, if we can perceive it as such. High Water (For Charley Patton) is likely the most interesting of the three, though not the best. That is reserved for Not Dark Yet. Either way – the additional, non-Modern Times material for this Rollin’ and Tumblin’ EP outshines the very track Dylan sets out to promote.
Is it a stretch, then, to call this an EP? Perhaps it is with hindsight we can look back on Rollin’ and Tumblin’ and decree it as a solid effort but one which pales in comparison to the criminally underrated Together Through Life. A nice working on Rollin’ and Tumblin’ is all the hints listeners get for what was to come. It was a quick and intense string of interesting features before Dylan receded into a bi-yearly output of covers and classics. It suited him better and felt like downtime to focus more on touring than anything else. If anyone had earned it, it was Dylan. Neat stuff. But Dylan should not be neat. He should be wailing away against the world as he did on Rough and Rowdy Ways. Granted he found his footing in the production studio as well as behind a microphone for that effort, but Rollin’ and Tumblin’ feels, again, like a chance to flex his skills and grow his knowledge.
