Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen?

[Pryderi]

Poll question: Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen?

Who's the better song-writer?

[Pryderi]

1. I wonder if it's a generational difference...

[mulsh]

2. Dylan has written more songs and used more words.

Bruce used to be called the "new Bob Dylan" by the morons who write for Time magazine. 'nuf said.

[cbdo2007]

3. They're too different to compare really.

Dylan writes more poetical songs and Bruce writes more straightforward storytelling songs.

IMO, Dylan's albums Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited, and Blonde on Blonde are probably the most well written lyrical albums and melodies of the past 100 years. And that even leaves out songs that are timeless classics that reflect history better than most other songwriters and will be the folk songs for generations to come: It Ain't Me Babe, Don't Think Twice It's Alright, The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll, A Hard Rain's A Gonna Fall, Forever Young, All Along The Watchtower, Blowin In The Wind, Masters Of War.........I could go on for about the next hour.

Ok, I take it back...when comparing them, Dylan is the easy winner. :) I'm 30 years old if that counts for a frame of reference.

[retread]

4. To quote:

“Bob freed your mind the way Elvis freed your body. To this day, wherever great rock music is being made, there is the shadow of Bob Dylan.” Bruce Springsteen

[brendan120678]

5. Depends. Are we talking about...

Songwriting ability (Dylan)?
Or vocal ability (Springsteen)?

[Throd]

6. For me it is "which would you shoot first?"

[pintobean]

9. I was looking for the

"They both suck" option.

[Pryderi]

7. Tied!

[baldguy]

8. As time goes on, they're getting to be more alike.

But Bob was here first.

[smoochpooch]

10. Bob is the more influential and probably better songwriter but these days I'd rather see Bruce live.

Although Dylan is still touring with a top notch band, he's had to change his vocal delivery and arrangements so much that many songs bear no resemblance to the original album version. Springsteen, on the other hand, can still sing and play as if he were 30. Bob is about 8 years older than Bruce so it's understandable.

I would encourage everyone to explore both of these artists because they are two of the best songwriters of all time.