In June 1969, Bob Dylan told Rolling Stone that he’d originally had a different name in mind for his latest album. “The title came up John Wesley Harding, Volume II,” he said. “We were gonna do that.” As usual, Dylan must have been at least partly kidding. Nashville Skyline was recorded in the same city as its 1967 predecessor, and re-enlisted its rhythm section – ” Dylan added. “It sounded a little spooky to me.”
"Peggy Day"
Something must come in last when ranking a great album, and in the case of Nashville Skyline, that booby prize goes "Peggy Day." The whimsical love song sounds like it’s backed by Ernest Tubb’s ace honky-tonk outfit, the Texas Troubadours.
"One More Night"
One of the album’s trademarks remains those solid bass lines that really stand out when listening through a pair of headphones. None other than Country Music Hall of Famer and fiddler extraordinaire Charlie Daniels slaps them strings on this track and other trips down memory lane.
"Tell Me That It Isn't True"
Dylan’s guitar-picking skills go well with some of Nashville’s best musicians. At the time, he offered them a chance to craft something on Music Row aside from the often safe, if not cheesy, Nashville Sound.
Bob Dylan, Tell Me That It Isn't True, Newcastle 19.09.2000
"Girl From the North Country"
Dylan gained near-infinite country music cred by blending his lower, twangier vocal delivery from this period with the familiar, booming voice of Johnny Cash.
"Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You"
The steel guitar wizardry of Pete Drake sets apart what otherwise might sound like something off the brilliant Blood on the Tracks or any of Dylan’s other less-folk, more-rock albums to come.
"I Threw It All Away"
Had Glen Campbell gotten first crack at this tale of heartbreak, accentuated by the pop-friendly strings of the Nashville Sound, it might rank up there with his most beloved songs from the late ‘60s.
"Lay Lady Lay"
Everything you’d want from this album, from Dylan’s unmistakable vocal delivery to an era-spanning celebration of country music played by the Nashville Cats, makes this one of the sturdiest building blocks of country-rock.
