George Harrison Reveals Who He Thought Was the Most Consistent Artist of All Time
via J K / YouTube
A Unique View of Bob Dylan
Dolly Parton once summed up Bob Dylan in a way that has rarely been matched: “I love his music but he’s a weird buckaroo.” It was a simple line, but it captured something people had been saying for years. Dylan always stood apart from those around him, even before he became famous. In his hometown, he was already seen as different, and eventually he left, taking a bus to New York to chase music and follow the path of his heroes.
At his first performance in the city, Dylan made that inspiration clear. “[I’ve] been travellin’ the country,” he said, guitar in hand, “Follwin’ in Woody Guthrie’s footsteps.” That night, he mostly played covers, which was typical of his early shows. Yet even in those moments, it felt like something was building, something bigger than anyone in the room could have known.
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The Evolution of His Sound
Dylan’s career was never meant to remain in the world of covers. He soon shifted his focus to original songs, and with it came a new sound. Moving from acoustic folk into a louder, more electric style, he shocked fans who weren’t ready for such a change. At the time, many people were unsettled by this move, but in hindsight it looks less like a rebellion and more like the first of many creative turns.
Over the decades, Dylan has taken countless detours, exploring styles and ideas that few would expect. His concerts, too, have often surprised those who attend them. Instead of playing polished versions of his well-known songs, Dylan frequently reworks them until they barely resemble the originals. Listeners sometimes catch just a hint of a familiar chord or melody, but what they experience is something new and unique to that night alone.
The Live Dylan Experience
Other artists might frustrate audiences by changing their most famous songs, but Dylan made this a defining part of his performances. Each show becomes a one-time-only experience, shaped by his mood, his band, and the moment. Leonard Cohen once described what it was like to watch Dylan in this unpredictable form: “In this particular case, he had his back to one half of the audience and was playing the organ, beautifully I might say, and just running through the songs. Some were hard to recognise. But nobody cared. That’s not what they were there for and what I was there for.”
That sense of unpredictability has followed Dylan across his career. To some, it has seemed strange. To others, it shows his refusal to repeat himself. But for George Harrison, who worked with Dylan and admired him greatly, the constant change never took away from the music’s meaning.
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George Harrison’s View on Consistency
Harrison explained that what mattered most was the honesty in Dylan’s work. “Bob Dylan is the most consistent artist there is. Even his stuff, which people loathe, I like,” Harrison said. He went further, explaining, “Every single thing he does represents something that’s him. He may write better songs tomorrow, sing high on this album and low on another, go electric or acoustic, go weird or whatever, but the basic thing that causes all this change is an incredible character named Bob Dylan.”
