When John Gorka was young, he took his musical cues from the likes of Jim Croce, John Prine, Steve Goodman and Joni Mitchell. Unlike those artists, however, Gorka never cared much for Bob Dylan.
Why?Simple. "My brother and I shared the same room, and he was a big Dylan fan," Gorka said in a Deseret News interview. "I sort of rebelled because he played Dylan constantly."
Today, Gorka, who just happens to be spending a lot of time lately in Dylan's home state of Minnesota, says he is catching up on his Dylan.
Were Dylan giving interviews these days, one might ask him what he thinks of Gorka, who was been hailed as one of today's "pre-eminent" singer-songwriters. That was basically the same thing the music critics were saying about Dylan way back when he unintentionally launched a style of music whose influences are still being felt today.
It's only natural, then, to examine together - without comparisons, necessarily - the most recent works by Dylan and Gorka.
BOB DYLAN; "Good As I Been To You" (Columbia Records). * * *
This album gets three stars because, while it may not appeal to the fickle mass audiences, it is a must-have for hard-core Dylan fans, who will appreciate this return to his pre-electric days of the early 1960s.
'Twas in those days when he was at his best with "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall," "The Times They Are A-Changin' " and, of course, "Blowin' in the Wind," all of which he recorded solo - just him, his guitar and harmonica.
"Good As I Been To You" is 13 old-time, public-domain American folk and blues songs. It seems simple on the surface, but one still gets the uncomfortable suspicion that Dylan is hiding something somewhere.
"Good As I Been To You" begins with the folk classic "Frankie and Albert" and ends with two other classics, "Diamond Joe" and "Froggie Went a Courtin'. " In the middle, the album provides a glimpse at some of the forces that helped shape the young troubadour.
Dylan dabbles in the Delta blues with "Sittin' On Top of the World," croons the lovesick blues with "Tomorrow Night" and pounds out the energetic ragtime-blues with "Step It Up and Go," a Blind Boy Fuller staple in the 1930s.
He also offers Stephen Foster's classic "Hard Times," along with some obscure yet likable folk ballads, such as "Arthur McBride," "Little Maggie" and "You're Gonna Quit Me."
The songs are treated with a voice that has grown increasingly rough and ragged with time. It ain't a voice for sensitive ears, but it's the perfect vehicle for traditional folk and blues. And it's complemented by Dylan's near-flawless six-string strumming and passionate kisses with the harmonica.
In the company of the "Bootleg Series" and "Oh, Mercy," "Good As I Been To You" should go down as one of the most important Dylan albums since "Blood On The Tracks" and "Desire."
And it gets better the more you listen to it.
JOHN GORKA; "Temporary Road" (High Street-Windham Hill). * * * 1/2
In Gorka's last concert appearance in Salt Lake City, he said "Temporary Road" surprised him because, unlike his previous albums, it has happy songs on it.
But to say "Temporary Road" is a happy album would be inaccurate. Yes, it's more optimistic than "Jack's Crows" and the ultra-moody "Land of the Bottom Line," but ultimately, it is a well-balanced collection of love ballads, anti-war songs and social commentary. Some are acoustic, some have a full rock 'n' roll band, some are solo, and some have background vocals.
It's balanced almost to a fault, so much so that the songs can be grouped neatly into these four categories:
1. The Love Songs:
The first cut is "Looking Forward," an upbeat tribute to his newfound love. "Gravyland" is another happy one that celebrates his career along with his love life.
Both are strong and deep but not afraid to be whimsical at the right moment.
Gorka also sings the blues with the honky-tonking "Baby Blues" and "When She Kisses Me," which sounds a bit like Croce's "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" and contains one of the albums lyrical gems: If she loved me for the car I drive, our love would surely stall.
2. The Political Songs:
Gorka seems to have become increasingly political, probably because of the election year, and he tries to reflect his disenchantment with the Reagan-Bush era. He's semisuccessful.
"Gypsy Life," "Temporary Road" and "Can You Understand My Joy" poignantly point out the personal toll of the Persian Gulf war. But with "Brown Shirts," the last song on the album, Gorka goes too far in comparing President Bush's call for a new world order to Adolf Hitler's visions. The analogy is reactionary, and the song itself flat, whiny and irritating.
Oh well, better luck with the next category. . . .
3. The Crime Songs:
Over the years, Gorka has exhibited a wide-eyed fascination with crime, which he often falls victim to. He continues the tradition with "Vinnie Charles Is Free" and "Grand Larceny." The latter is the story of his car's being stolen in Pennsylvania, noting that Pittsburgh has the Pirates, and the Steelers - and the thieves.
4. The Introspective Songs:
All good folksinger-songwriters are adept at expressing their own feelings. Gorka sings about his with "All That Hammering," "If I Forgot to Breathe" and "I Don't Feel Like A Train Anymore."
"Train," the closest thing Gorka's come to Texas country-rock, is the catchiest of them all. It features the fine lead-guitar work of John Levanthal and background vocals by Nanci Griffith, who appears on three other tracks.
Earning 31/2 stars for balance and for daring to delve into the unchartered waters of optimism, "Temporary Road" loses a half-star for its disappointing finish.