Steve Hackett thinks that Bob Dylan’s electric era annoyed the folk purists.
In a new interview with Phil Aston of the Now Spinning Magazine, Hackett shared his thoughts on the influence of Bob Dylan’s music, specifically highlighting the impact of the ‘Highway 61 Revisited’ album. Reflecting on that period, the guitarist expressed his admiration for the unexpected and controversial shift that Dylan’s work represented at the time. He said during the interview:
“A very interesting era when Bob went electric, as it were, and angered all the folk purists.”
Touching on Dylan’s interestingness, he continued:
“But it seems to me that Dylan is interesting in all his eras, and just because you’ve adopted one, it doesn’t mean to say that you abandoned the other.”
A Dylan Album Takes Place In Hackett’s Favorites List
Despite being highly influenced by the musician, the Genesis guitarist has also included a Bob Dylan album in his 10 albums that changed my life list. Earlier in an interview with Goldmine Magazine, the rocker mentioned Dylan’s ‘Highway 61 Revisited,’ and commented:
“Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper were heading up Dylan’s most fantastic band; that was both zany and inspiring.”
Not only is he just inspired, but he also covered Dylan’s ‘Man In The Long Black Coat,’ which appeared in his 2006 album, ‘Wild Orchids.’
You can see the interview below.
