Bob Dylan (vocal, piano & harmonica), Charlie McCoy (bass), Kenneth Buttrey (drums), Peter Drake (steel guitar).
In ‘_The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia_’, Michael Gray discusses the John Wesley Harding album as being a ‘pared down’ and ‘quiet masterpiece’, stating that following the richness of Blonde on Blonde, “Economy, in fact, is the key to this huge change in direction…” (Gray, p349)
https://f.bon.free.fr/Dylan%20Encyclopedia.pdf
In ‘Bob Dylan Recording Artist 1960-1973’, Paul Williams writes in detail about ‘Dear Landlord’.
‘”Dear Landlord” is Dylan’s most heartfelt performance on the album, the most liquid, open-throated…’ (Williams, p243)
‘”Dear Landlord” features some great drumming. Dylan’s piano playing is fiery; we can hear a rock and roll/ Chicago blues orchestra in his head as he beats out the riff and shouts into it, and just as they do on the “amplified folk” performances, McCoy and Buttrey pick up on the energy of the song and run with it, unconcerned that whatever is happening here doesn’t fit the parameters of any kind of rock or folk or country or gospel or blues or jazz session they’ve ever heard or played on. Doesn’t matter – the music itself tells them what to do, and they jump to it.’ (Williams p244)
And allmusic.com says:
‘Dylan plays the part of a down on his luck dreamer on the shuffling, piano ballad “Dear Landlord” from his excellent comeback album John Wesley Harding. Out of the public eye for more than nine months while recovering from a serious motorcycle accident in the summer of 1966, Dylan headed to the bastion of country music, Nashville, TN, to record this stripped down return to country-folk traditionalism. The music is understated, with simple low-key drums and melodic bass supporting Dylan’s deliberate piano. Dylan emerges as a somewhat different artist on this record.’
https://www.allmusic.com/song/dear-landlord-t1991290
[AdSense-B]
