Dylan’s ‘Chimes of Freedom’ Still Rings True

Bob Dylan’s impassioned “Chimes of Freedom” was a stirring expression of social idealism in the ‘60s, but it has spent the last two decades in the shadow of Dylan’s more accessible “Blowin’ in the Wind.”

Many who attended the Amnesty International concert in September at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum no doubt figured they were listening to a new Bruce Springsteen song when Springsteen joined Sting and other cast members in singing “Chimes of Freedom” near the end of the evening.

Springsteen had already released a single of the song (recorded live on his European tour), and the key lyrics were ideal for the Amnesty theme of ending human rights violations around the world:

Flashing for the warriors whose strength is not to fight

Flashing for the refugees on the unarmed road of flight .

For those interested in the original version of the song, however, Columbia Records has just released the “Another Side of Bob Dylan” album--which features it and 10 other songs--as part of its Collector’s Choice budget series (retail price: generally less than $10). In the same series, Columbia also has another Dylan album (“The Times They Are A-Changin’ ”) and two Byrds albums, one of which contains an abbreviated version of “Chimes of Freedom” and three other Dylan compositions.

Reviews

Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin”’--Dylan’s “Bringing It On Back Home” to “Blonde on Blonde” trio of albums were such landmark accomplishments that it tends to overshadow the achievement of some of his other albums. While a cut below those works, this 1964 collection still bristles with imagination and vision. Containing such biting anthems as “With God on Our Side” and “Only a Pawn in Their Game,” it showcases Dylan at the apex of his folk/protest involvement. ****

Bob Dylan’s “Another Side of Bob Dylan”--Though his folk and blues links were still intact, Dylan was clearly reaching for a wider musical canvas in this 1964 package that contains some of his most compelling love songs (including “To Ramona”) and most eloquent commentaries (including “Chimes of Freedom”). It was an essential step in the evolution of rock’s most important songwriter. ****

The Byrds’ “Mr. Tambourine Man”--Besides helping lead Dylan into the rock arena, the Byrds brought such a strong sense of experimentation and generational identity to the pop-rock world that it’s easy to look back on the quintet, perhaps even more than the Beach Boys, as the closest thing to the Beatles that American rock produced in the mid-’60s. The sound on the title track is quite muddy, but clarity improves on other tracks. ****

The Byrds’ “Turn! Turn! Turn!”--If the songs are generally less memorable than those on the debut album, the Byrds continue to exhibit the ambition and originality that made the Los Angeles band such a valuable and distinguished force in ‘60s rock--a unit whose imprint would later be heard in everyone from Tom Petty to the Eagles. *** 1/2