Album of the Day — February 17
The Wallflowers — Self-Titled Debut — 1992
The Wallflowers — Self-Titled Debut — 1992
17.February.2021
The Wallflowers
The Wallflowers
1992
Before The Wallflowers 1996’s sophomore effort, Bringing Down the Horse, there was this self-titled debut.
Released in 1992, it garnered little attention, even if The Wallflowers had the son of an American icon as the lead singer.
The Wallflowers is fronted by Jakob Dylan, son of Bob.
With twelve songs clocking in at almost 70 minutes, it’s safe to say The Wallflowers is a little long in the tooth.
The Wallflowers was conceived as a band:
Jakob Dylan — lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano
Rami Jaffee — keyboards, backing vocals
Tobi Miller — lead guitar
Barrie Maguire — bass guitar, backing vocals
Peter Yanowitz — drums, percussion
However, given the lead singer's pedigree and the fact that he did write eleven of the twelve songs, it became apparent early that the focus would be the younger Dylan.
Even if he weren’t a Dylan, as the writer and lead singer, he would’ve gotten the lion’s share of attention.
The album kicks off with a simple stoned-out shuffle, “Shy of the Moon.” The song has more in common with The Band than anything else that was released in 1992. In fact, Jakob Dylan has a voice similar to The Band’s Rick Danko, just a bit rougher. It’s not only the album’s catchiest song, but its shortest at just a little over three minutes.
It is impossible not to hear his father’s voice here. On The Wallflowers, this helps the album because Jakob sounds like his father …when Bob is singing in a good voice.
The Wallflowers is really a harbinger of the “post-grunge” movement that begat Hootie and the Blowfish, Dave Matthews Band, etc.
Lyrically, ya know, Jakob Dylan is a Dylan. They’re good, well-written songs. That may sound dismissive, but it’s not. He clearly has his own writing voice, and he writes good songs. But living in the shadow of someone like Bob Dylan has got to be a bitch.
When I listen to this album, I typically zero in on “Be Your Own Girl.” While the Hammond B3 is everywhere on The Wallflowers, keyboard player Rami Jaffee really shines here. It’s almost as though Dylan is telling the story to Jaffee and the B3.
It’s also here that Dylan’s lyrics are more succinct. It’s a simple story about a girl everyone knows, the one still trying to figure it all out. While Dylan singles out a “girl,” the truth is it could be anyone. And the “it” he sings about? Well, that could be anything, it depends on the person:
Your rung is broken on the bottom of the rope
And you can’t tie another, another knot of hope
And you don’t have to be his girl
And you don’t have to be my girl
You can always be your own girl
“Ashes to Ashes” is a particularly good foot-stomper. The Wallflowers is full of good songs, and yet critics largely dumped on it. I thought then, as I still do, it was largely unnecessary. My guess is critics largely shat on the album because it wasn’t Bob Dylan II.
Robert Christgau didn’t even bother with words; he has an image of a bomb for his review.
No, neither the band The Wallflowers nor the record The Wallflowers doesn’t re-invent rock and roll. His father had already done that.
And no, he isn’t riding his father’s coattails. Yea, he sounds like his Dad. That’s unavoidable. Just ask Julian Lennon.
That said, Jakob Dylan is a decent singer and a solid songwriter, but he’s not his dad. It may read like hyperbole, but there will only ever be one Bob Dylan.
Much like he sings in “Be Your Own Girl,” — Jakob Dylan is his own person.