Bob Dylan to Inflict Endurance Test

Bob Dylan hates us, and to prove his point, his next album has been announced as a 3-LP/3-CD set comprised entirely of more “American Standards” as only Bob can decimate them. This, of course, follows two similar but thankfully more succinct collections of reworked Sinatra schmaltz, Shadows in the Night (2015) and Fallen Angels (2016), both of which were by and large wastes of wax for anyone other than the usual boring middle aged white guys who gladly gobble up whatever platter fulla turds His Bobness shoves their way. You know who you are.

Triplicate will illuminate, as the press release from Columbia Records puts it with nary a hint of irony, Dylan’s “artistry as a vocalist, arranger and bandleader,” on well-worn standards from an array of American songwriters, ranging from “Stormy Weather” to “September of My Years,” from “These Foolish Things” to “Sentimental Journey” and many more, too many. Thirty songs, to be precise, divided thematically into groups of ten each on the three discs.

It’s clear that Bob is suddenly intent on taking over the mantle left by the retired Leon Redbone, or perhaps he’s attempting to outdo Rod Stewart’s “Great American Songbook” series. In any case, wake us up if he ever decides to try and write a tune of his own again.