Bob Dylan – Rocks and Gravel (Solid Road) Review

A selection of songs from The Bootleg Series 18: Through the Open Window is now available. Another welcome entry into the Bob Dylan discography, picking through the archives and reviving old tapes for the dedicated listener. A rewarding time to be a fan of these veteran artists as Sony Music looks to make good on their billions of dollars. They spent that securing the rights to Dylan, as well as Pink Floyd, Paul Simon, and Queen. Expect an influx in quality material to come, though do brace for some lesser projects once the well runs dry. Dylan fans have nothing to worry about with The Bootleg Series 18: Through the Open Window, with the first single specific to this set, Rocks and Gravel (Solid Road), exactly what fans were wanting. A look at Dylan as a young artist, as a man with a voice that would change a generation. 165 songs speaking to that are featured here, but Rocks and Gravel (Solid Road) is an excellent start.  

What’ll be a surprise to those who have, like the rest of us, suffered through crackling early years tapes elsewhere is the quality of Rocks and Gravel (Solid Road). Brace yourself for the harmonica which never comes, the musical equivalent of a Pavlov’s dog-like bell. Wonderful stuff is what this song is. A muddy-sounding trail song where the heartbreak of early years folk is the focus. A finger-plucked guitar and a thrilling perspective from its rambling journeyman, the very heart of the song. It would be a feature of many early years Dylan tracks, and Rocks and Gravel (Solid Road) is one of many studio casualties. A song which could have been a hit, or at least an integral part of his discography, had it been released at the time. It still sounds like that now, and to hear it is to understand why it was tucked away in the archives. Rocks and Gravel (Solid Road) is a dependable folk transition for Dylan, from those traditional covers to the spirit of The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.  

There is still use for the song in Dylan’s decades of work. Solid speculation on Rocks and Gravel (Solid Road) influencing It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry adds an essential layer to an already great song. A track which just missed out on The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, it’s a song mere moments away from greatness. It would have fit nicely, and the song still sounds great now. All the makings of a classic, and like many of Dylan’s best works, hailed as much by many, years later. For those wanting to hear more from Dylan during his period of straight folk work, this is a treat. Steadiness to the wordplay is crucial too, with Dylan suggesting those who can should take the rocks of other paths to form their own road, that individual walk of life. It’s a sharp message delivered with a hanging, wondering question of whether you are bold enough to carry it out.  

For those who are, there will be a significant relatability in Rocks and Gravel (Solid Road). Those who aren’t quite ready to shake the gravel out of their trousers, to form a path ahead through dangerous lands, then this Through the Open Window may be enough to galvanise you. Hopefully, it is. There is a strength to Rocks and Gravel (Solid Road) which is reflected in the action taken by the protagonist. Build a path to where you want to be, and be brave enough to do it. It’s a tremendous message and an insightful, quieter one than the likes of Masters of War and Blowin’ in the Wind. Though it may have been cut from Dylan’s second studio album, Rocks and Gravel (Solid Road) is an excellent song, one which sounds like a transition between two very different albums.