Dylan’s edgy new “Duquesne Whistle” video is a mini-movie that Rolling Stone calls “violent”

By Stephen Pate –  Sony Music dropped the new video from the new Bob Dylan album  “Tempest” this Morning and it’s not anything like the song’s lyrics.

It’s an edgy story about a small town hustler whose amorous attention to a hot girl he sees on the street gets him into deep trouble. It’s the boy-meets-girl Hollywood musical turn upside down.

Dylan’s new “Tempest” CD has generated lots of interest and Sony Music has a building media blitz to promote it.

Duquesne Whistle video

Rolling Stone Magazine calls the video shocking. “The video for Bob Dylan‘s new single “Duquesne Whistle” initially seems like a Charlie Chaplin-inspired bit of light comedy about a young man trying to impress a woman he sees on the street. But after our hero gets thrown into a van and tied to a chair, things take a shockingly dark turn and the clip begins looking like a deleted scene from Goodfellas. ”

“Duquense Whistle” Video from Guardian.co.uk

Piffle.  Many of Dylan’s songs contain violence from the wrong side of town. If they ever make a video about “Like a Rolling Stone” or “Desolation Row” don’t expect them to be sweet and polite. Dylan’s view of life is at the street level and he revels in the grit of the American myths.

CD Roll-out

Sony has planned a complex roll-out for “Tempest” that promises lots of goodies for fans. On Monday they issued the line-up.

(Sony Music) Leading up to the highly anticipated worldwide release of Bob Dylan’s 35th studio album, Tempest, Columbia Records is announcing an international lineup of events that will enable fans to experience the album before its September 11 release date and celebrate with their fellow Bob Dylan enthusiasts around the globe.

Friday August 31 – random streaming

On Friday, August 31, fans who visit listentobobdylan.com will find a map of locations in the U.S. and nine other countries where selected songs from Tempest will be streamed to mobile devices.

Tempest streaming on August 31, 2012 http://listentobobdylan.com

The tracks will be randomly streamed only when users are within the Tempest-tagged geographic areas, utilizing the free web-based Sound Graffiti app (which can be accessed directly through listentobobdylan.com).

In addition to the U.S., other countries in which Sound Graffiti locations will be found include Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Fans who stream the song will also be given an opportunity to pre-order Tempest from iTunes while they listen.

Monday, September 10, Bob Dylan Tempest “pop-up” stores

On Monday, September 10, dedicated Bob Dylan Tempest “pop-up” stores will open for a seven day period in New York City, Los Angeles and London.

At these stores, fans can buy the new album, as well as other Bob Dylan releases and exclusive merchandise commemorating these week-long events, including a limited quantity of CDs hand-signed by Bob Dylan.

Bob Dylan Tempest stores will be open from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, September 10 so that fans can buy Tempest a full day before its official release, and will stay open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Sunday, September 16. Stores are at the following U.S. locations:

819 Washington Street, New York, NY 10014
7763 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90046

A Bob Dylan Tempest store will also open in London on Monday, September 10 and stay open through Monday, September 17 at the following place:

47 Beak Street, London, W1F 9SE

Additionally, the well-known Dussmann store in Berlin will be dedicated to Tempest and feature special promotions and other activities beginning September 7. Its hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to midnight and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.:

Dussmann das KulturKaufhaus GmbH, Friedrichstrasse 90, 10117 Berlin

Early Reviews of “Tempest”

While detailed reviews of Tempest will not be published by media outlets until next week, early notices have hailed Bob Dylan’s 35th studio album as one of his finest works.

Neil McCormick of The Telegraph wrote, “It is fantastic to be able to report that popular music’s greatest troubadour is still as brilliant and bewildering as ever…. This is an album I can’t wait to hear again, the sound of a great artist approaching the twilight of his career with fearless creativity.”

Author and pop music critic Robert Hilburn wrote, “Dylan set the bar high for himself with the series of rich, engaging albums that began with Time Out of Mind, and he clears the hurdle again gloriously with Tempest. A stunning work.”

Michael Simmons of Mojo Online wrote, “Tempest is astonishing.”

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