The Battle Over the Next Bob Dylan Compilation

This morning the fine people at Columbia announced the release of a fifty-one track , three-CD Bob Dylan compilation. Some people might argue that such a collection is unnecessary. To them we say this: what about the "cloth covered case" and an "extended booklet of classic and rare Dylan imagery"?

The real hook, though: The label has launched a website for fans to vote on which songs they want included, claiming weakly that the final tracklisting will be "greatly influenced by impassioned fan lobbying." The hardcore Dylan fans over at the Dylan Pool are already hoping to stuff the ballot box with their favorite obscure tracks. And, boy, are they obscure: "Solid Rock," from Saved; the outtake "Girl on the Red River Shore"; the infamous one-off live version of "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts."

Okay, you know where this is heading: let's hear your suggestions.

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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