Triplicate (Bob Dylan album)

Triplicate is the 38th studio album by Bob Dylan, released by Columbia Records on March 31, 2017.[1]

Triplicate
Studio album by Bob Dylan
Released	March 31, 2017
Studio	Capitol Studios, Los Angeles, US
Genre	Traditional pop
Length	95:42
Label	Columbia
Producer	Jack Frost
Bob Dylan chronology
The 1966 Live Recordings (2016) Triplicate (2017) The Bootleg Series Vol. 13: Trouble No More 1979–1981 (2017)
Singles from Triplicate
"I Could Have Told You" Released: January 30, 2017 "My One and Only Love" Released: February 17, 2017 "Stardust" Released: March 10, 2017

Like Dylan's previous two studio albums, Triplicate features covers of classic American songs recorded live with his touring band and without the use of overdubs.[2] The album is Dylan's first three-disc album, featuring thirty songs across its three discs, each individually titled and presented in a thematically-arranged 10-song sequence.[3]

Three songs from the album—"I Could Have Told You", "My One and Only Love", and "Stardust"—were released as digital singles, with only the first being made available in promotional CD format. All three were accompanied by videos of the songs being played on a vinyl record player.

As with his previous two albums of American pop standards, Triplicate received widespread critical acclaim. It was nominated at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards in the category of Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.[4] Despite the favorable reviews, it peaked at number 37 on the Billboard 200 and number 17 on the UK Albums Chart.

Background

Following Shadows in the Night in 2015 and Fallen Angels in 2016, Triplicate was his third in three years to consist entirely of "standards" from the Great American Songbook. According to Dylan, the first two albums "only were part of the picture", and he felt it necessary to explore this music in further detail.[2] Although the songs could have fit on two CDs, Dylan wanted each disc to be only 32 minutes long as he believed some of his previous albums had been "overloaded", resulting in a "thin" audio quality when pressed on vinyl records. The three discs were thematically divided, with "one disc foreshadowing the next".[2]

The songs were recorded in Capitol Studios in Los Angeles with Dylan's touring band, without the use of overdubs. According to Dylan, the songs were performed "tightly" according to written arrangements, and there was virtually no improvisation during the recording sessions.[2]

Release and promotion

The album was preceded by the release of three singles—"I Could Have Told You" on January 30, 2017, "My One and Only Love" on February 17,[5] and "Stardust" on March 10. While "I Could Have Told You" was also released on promotional CD, the other singles were released only digitally. All three were featured in videos posted to YouTube of the tracks being played on a vinyl record player, complete with surface noise.

The album was released on March 31 in CD, vinyl, deluxe vinyl, and digital formats.[6] The deluxe vinyl is individually numbered and comes in a hardbound case with swing pockets.[7]

Commercial performance

Triplicate peaked at number 37 on the Billboard 200, charting for only two weeks before falling off.[8] It also reached number 17 on the UK Albums Chart, spending two weeks on the chart.[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.6/10[10]
Metacritic	80/100[11]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[12]
Drowned in Sound	8/10[13]
Exclaim!	8/10[14]
The Guardian	[15]
The Irish Times	[16]
Now	[17]
Pitchfork	6.5/10[18]
Rolling Stone	[19]
Slant Magazine	[20]
The Times	[21]

As with his previous two albums of American standards, Triplicate received critical acclaim upon release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 80, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on 21 professional reviews.[11] At AnyDecentMusic?, that collates critical reviews from more than 50 media sources, the album scored 7.6 points out of 10.

In a review for The Guardian, critic Jon Dennis called Dylan "a prism through which American music is revealed in new and fascinating ways", and that "Dylan is unintimidated by their pedigree" of the chosen material.[15] Mikal Gilmore of Rolling Stone said that Dylan was able to "wield phrasing as effectively as Sinatra himself."[19] Jeremy Winograd of Slant Magazine said that Dylan had "breathed new life into these songs, unearthing, or at least rediscovering, an emotional gravitas within them."[20] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic said that the collection "cements his place as one of the most distinctive interpreters of the Great American Songbook."[12]

A few critics gave more lukewarm appraisals of the album. Mike Powell of Pitchfork said that "the ballads, beautiful as they are, sometimes feel static, bereft of that innerverse opened by singers like Johnny Hartman or, say, Willie Nelson, whose own standards album Stardust remains a high point for projects like this."[18] In a review entitled "Bob Dylan should stop crooning and get back to writing songs", Neil McCormick of The Telegraph wrote that "Triplicate is an act of self-indulgence only of interest to completists", and that while "you may find yourself drawn into Dylan's peculiar rhythm, surrendering to the delicate mood, and really hearing these gorgeous old songs anew". that "we might be intrigued to read Picasso's poetry or hear Pinter's songbook but no one needs five volumes of it. Now it is surely time to find out what all of this is bringing to Dylan's own original art. He didn't win the Nobel Prize for crooning."[22]

Track listing

Disc 1 – 'Til the Sun Goes Down

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plans"	Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz	2:27
2.	"September of My Years"	Jimmy Van Heusen, Sammy Cahn	3:25
3.	"I Could Have Told You"	Carl Sigman, Jimmy Van Heusen	3:37
4.	"Once Upon a Time"	Charles Strouse, Lee Adams	3:37
5.	"Stormy Weather"	Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler	3:05
6.	"This Nearly Was Mine"	Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II	2:48
7.	"That Old Feeling"	Sammy Fain, Lew Brown	3:38
8.	"It Gets Lonely Early"	Van Heusen, Cahn	3:10
9.	"My One and Only Love"	Guy Wood, Robert Mellin	3:21
10.	"Trade Winds"	Cliff Friend, Charles Tobias	2:40
Total length:			31:48

Disc 2 – Devil Dolls

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Braggin'"	Jimmy Shirl, Robert Marko, Henry Katzman	2:44
2.	"As Time Goes By"	Herman Hupfeld	3:22
3.	"Imagination"	Van Heusen, Johnny Burke	2:34
4.	"How Deep Is the Ocean?"	Irving Berlin	3:23
5.	"P.S. I Love You"	Gordon Jenkins, Johnny Mercer	4:17
6.	"The Best Is Yet to Come"	Cy Coleman, Carolyn Leigh	2:57
7.	"But Beautiful"	Van Heusen, Burke	3:22
8.	"Here's That Rainy Day"	Van Heusen, Burke	3:27
9.	"Where Is the One?"	Alec Wilder, Edwin Finckel	3:14
10.	"There's a Flaw in My Flue"	Van Heusen, Burke	2:47
Total length:			32:07

Disc 3 – Comin' Home Late

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Day In, Day Out"	Rube Bloom, Mercer	3:01
2.	"I Couldn't Sleep a Wink Last Night"	Harold Adamson, Jimmy McHugh	3:15
3.	"Sentimental Journey"	Les Brown, Ben Homer, Bud Green	3:11
4.	"Somewhere Along the Way"	Van Heusen, Sammy Gallop	3:18
5.	"When the World Was Young"	Philippe-Gérard, Angèle Vannier, Mercer	3:47
6.	"These Foolish Things"	Eric Maschwitz, Jack Strachey	4:11
7.	"You Go to My Head"	John Frederick Coots, Haven Gillespie	3:06
8.	"Stardust"	Hoagy Carmichael, Mitchell Parish	2:30
9.	"It's Funny to Everyone But Me"	Jack Lawrence	2:38
10.	"Why Was I Born?"	Jerome Kern, Hammerstein II	2:50
Total length:			31:47

Streaming sampler[23]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Best Is Yet to Come"	Cy Coleman, Carolyn Leigh	2:58
2.	"These Foolish Things"	Eric Maschwitz, Jack Strachey	4:11
3.	"It's Funny to Everyone But Me"	Jack Lawrence	2:39
4.	"When the World Was Young"	Philippe-Gérard, Angèle Vannier, Mercer	3:47
5.	"I Could Have Told You"	Carl Sigman, Jimmy Van Heusen	3:40
6.	"Sentimental Journey"	Les Brown, Ben Homer, Bud Green	3:12
7.	"That Old Feeling"	Sammy Fain, Lew Brown	3:39
8.	"My One and Only Love"	Guy Wood, Robert Mellin	3:24
9.	"Stardust"	Hoagy Carmichael, Mitchell Parish	2:35
10.	"Once Upon a Time"	Charles Strouse, Lee Adams	3:35

Charts

Chart (2017)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[24]	36
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[25]	4
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[26]	7
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[27]	33
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[28]	57
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[29]	25
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[30]	5
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[31]	26
French Albums (SNEP)[32]	20
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[33]	7
Greek Albums (IFPI)[34]	8
Irish Albums (IRMA)[35]	5
Italian Albums (FIMI)[36]	9
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[37]	27
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[38]	10
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[39]	5
Scottish Albums (OCC)[40]	7
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[41]	7
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[42]	3
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[43]	10
UK Albums (OCC)[44]	17
US Billboard 200[8]	37

References

1. "Bob Dylan's Triplicate". AARP. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
2. Flanagan, Bill (March 22, 2017). "Q&A with Bill Flanagan | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
3. "Bob Dylan: Triplicate - CD | Shop the Bob Dylan Official Store". bobdylan.shop.musictoday.com. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
4. "60th GRAMMY Awards: Full Nominees List". Grammys. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
5. "Listen to Bob Dylan's cover of Frank Sinatra's 'My One and Only Love' - NME". NME. February 18, 2017. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
6. "Bob Dylan's First Three-Disc Album — Triplicate — Set For March 31 Release | The Official Bob Dylan Site". bobdylan.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2017. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
7. "Bob Dylan: Triplicate - Deluxe Limited Vinyl | Shop the Bob Dylan Official Store". bobdylan.shop.musictoday.com. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
8. "Bob Dylan Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
9. "BOB DYLAN | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
10. "Bob Dylan: Triplicate". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
11. "Reviews and Tracks for Triplicate by Bob Dylan – Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
12. "Triplicate - Bob Dylan : Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
13. Miller, Kellan. "Bob Dylan: Triplicate". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
14. Choghri, Brandon (April 7, 2017). "Bob Dylan: Triplicate". Exclaim!. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
15. "Bob Dylan: Triplicate review - sensitive and exquisite 30-song extravaganza". The Guardian. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
16. Breen, Joe (March 29, 2018). "Bob Dylan – Triplicate: The great man pays homage to the great American songbook". The Irish Times. irishtimes.com. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
17. "Bob Dylan's Triplicate is the next piece in the perplexing puzzle that is his recent discography - NOW Magazine". Now. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
18. Powell, Mike (April 6, 2017). "Bob Dylan: Triplicate Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
19. "Review: Bob Dylan's 'Triplicate'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
20. Winograd, Jeremy (April 6, 2017). "Bob Dylan: Triplicate | Album Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
21. Hodgkinson, Will (March 31, 2017). "Pop: Bob Dylan: Triplicate". The Times. thetimes.co.uk. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
22. McCormick, Neil (March 30, 2017). "Bob Dylan should stop crooning and get back to writing songs". The Telegraph. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
23. "Triplicate (streaming only) - Bob Dylan". Qobuz. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
24. "Australiancharts.com – Bob Dylan – Triplicate". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
25. "Austriancharts.at – Bob Dylan – Triplicate" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
26. "Ultratop.be – Bob Dylan – Triplicate" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
27. "Ultratop.be – Bob Dylan – Triplicate" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
28. "Bob Dylan Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
29. "Danishcharts.dk – Bob Dylan – Triplicate". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
30. "Dutchcharts.nl – Bob Dylan – Triplicate" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
31. "Bob Dylan: Triplicate" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
32. "Lescharts.com – Bob Dylan – Triplicate". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
33. "Offiziellecharts.de – Bob Dylan – Triplicate" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
34. "Top-75 Albums Sales Chart: 2 May 2017". IFPI Greece. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
35. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Bob Dylan". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
36. "Italiancharts.com – Bob Dylan – Triplicate". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
37. "Charts.nz – Bob Dylan – Triplicate". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
38. "Norwegiancharts.com – Bob Dylan – Triplicate". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
39. "Portuguesecharts.com – Bob Dylan – Triplicate". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
40. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
41. "Spanishcharts.com – Bob Dylan – Triplicate". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
42. "Swedishcharts.com – Bob Dylan – Triplicate". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
43. "Swisscharts.com – Bob Dylan – Triplicate". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
44. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 8, 2017.

External links

• Q&A on the album from Dylan's site