--- title: "7 Bob Quotes By Al Kooper" description: "7 Bob quotes by Al Kooper. Plus more from Al Kooper and more Bob sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/al-kooper-27961_bob_producing-bob-dylan-was-pretty-much-a-sp_43290.jpg" --- > [Producing Bob Dylan was pretty much a spectator sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kooper/producing-bob-dylan-was-pretty-much-a-spectator-sport/) [Al Kooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-kooper/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/al-kooper-27961_bob_producing-bob-dylan-was-pretty-much-a-sp_43290.jpg) > [ The "Highway 61" album \[of Bob Dylan\] was produced by Bob Johnston if I'm not incorrect. And Bob Johnston was an entirely… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kooper/the-highway-61-album-of-bob-dylan-was-produced-by-bob-johnston-if-i-m/) [Al Kooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-kooper/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c5/al-kooper-27961_albums_the-highway-61-album-of-bob-dylan-was-pr_213868.jpg) > [ I think it was Columbia politics, Columbia Records politics that, that, Tom Wilson left \[Bob Dylan\] after "Like A Rolling Stone". ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kooper/i-think-it-was-columbia-politics-columbia-records-politics-that-that/) [Al Kooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-kooper/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c44/al-kooper-27961_bob_i-think-it-was-columbia-politics-columbi_566834.jpg) > [ Only through sheer ambition did I end up playing on \[Bob Dylan sessions\] and the fact that I could do that is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kooper/only-through-sheer-ambition-did-i-end-up-playing-on-bob-dylan/) [Al Kooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-kooper/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/106/al-kooper-27961_ambition_only-through-sheer-ambition-did-i-end-up_1717120.jpg) > [ Musically Bob \[Dylan\] is a primitive. He's not a Gershwin, or somebody that uses eloquent music terms. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kooper/musically-bob-dylan-is-a-primitive-he-s-not-a-gershwin-or-somebody/) [Al Kooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-kooper/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/080/al-kooper-27961_bob_musically-bob-dylan-is-a-primitive-he-s_1741873.jpg) > [At the end of the playback of the take of "Like A Rolling Stone", or actually during the thing, Bob Dylan said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kooper/at-the-end-of-the-playback-of-the-take-of-like-a-rolling-stone-or/) [Al Kooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-kooper/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/al-kooper-27961_bob_at-the-end-of-the-playback-of-the-take-o_2528773.jpg) > [ The \[Bob\] Dylan sessions were very disorganized, to say the least. I mean, the "Like A Rolling Stone" session I was invited… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kooper/the-bob-dylan-sessions-were-very-disorganized-to-say-the-least-i-mean/) [Al Kooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-kooper/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dd/al-kooper-27961_bob_the-bob-dylan-sessions-were-very-disorga_2845310.jpg) ## Other authors on Bob ## More by Al Kooper > [Every now and then we could steal somebody else's stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kooper/every-now-and-then-we-could-steal-somebody-else-s-stuff/) [Al Kooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-kooper/) > [If you'd done a good job you'd just step back and let all these different chemistries interact and let it go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kooper/if-you-d-done-a-good-job-you-d-just-step-back-and-let-all-these/) [Al Kooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-kooper/) > [Producing Bob Dylan was pretty much a spectator sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kooper/producing-bob-dylan-was-pretty-much-a-spectator-sport/) [Al Kooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-kooper/) > [ The "Highway 61" album \[of Bob Dylan\] was produced by Bob Johnston if I'm not incorrect. And Bob Johnston was an entirely different producer… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kooper/the-highway-61-album-of-bob-dylan-was-produced-by-bob-johnston-if-i-m/) [Al Kooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-kooper/) > [I liked being challenged by music. It's good for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kooper/i-liked-being-challenged-by-music-it-s-good-for-me/) [Al Kooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-kooper/) > [ I think it was Columbia politics, Columbia Records politics that, that, Tom Wilson left \[Bob Dylan\] after "Like A Rolling Stone". ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kooper/i-think-it-was-columbia-politics-columbia-records-politics-that-that/) [Al Kooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-kooper/) > [The place that I worked I used to joke about it. There was a, every morning at 10:30 I'd come into work and I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kooper/the-place-that-i-worked-i-used-to-joke-about-it-there-was-a-every/) [Al Kooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-kooper/) > [Still being ambitious to want to play on the record, I was a mediocre keyboard player. And uh, I seized the opportunity and played…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kooper/still-being-ambitious-to-want-to-play-on-the-record-i-was-a-mediocre/) [Al Kooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-kooper/) > [My influences were mostly gospel. So I was playing my twisted Jewish equivalent of gospel music over his twisted equivalent of rock and roll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kooper/my-influences-were-mostly-gospel-so-i-was-playing-my-twisted-jewish/) [Al Kooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-kooper/) > [ Only through sheer ambition did I end up playing on \[Bob Dylan sessions\] and the fact that I could do that is a testament… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kooper/only-through-sheer-ambition-did-i-end-up-playing-on-bob-dylan/) [Al Kooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-kooper/) > [ Musically Bob \[Dylan\] is a primitive. He's not a Gershwin, or somebody that uses eloquent music terms. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kooper/musically-bob-dylan-is-a-primitive-he-s-not-a-gershwin-or-somebody/) [Al Kooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-kooper/) > [Mike Bloomfield sat down and started playing, and I went, whoa! Because I had never heard any white person play like that before. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kooper/mike-bloomfield-sat-down-and-started-playing-and-i-went-whoa-because/) [Al Kooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-kooper/) > [ The first generation from the '50s that were in 1650 \[Broadway\] were pretty much all crooks, I mean just out and out crooks. And… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kooper/the-first-generation-from-the-50s-that-were-in-1650-broadway-were/) [Al Kooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-kooper/) > [The very funny thing about "Like A Rolling Stone" is it was a six minute song, there was no music to read from. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kooper/the-very-funny-thing-about-like-a-rolling-stone-is-it-was-a-six/) [Al Kooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-kooper/) > [I started in the music business I was first introduced to 1650 Broadway, uh, which was in reality where everything happened in the '60s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kooper/i-started-in-the-music-business-i-was-first-introduced-to-1650/) [Al Kooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-kooper/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bob/al-kooper/#itemlist", "name": "7 Bob Quotes By Al Kooper", "numberOfItems": 7, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Producing Bob Dylan was pretty much a spectator sport.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Al Kooper" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kooper/producing-bob-dylan-was-pretty-much-a-spectator-sport/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/al-kooper-27961_bob_producing-bob-dylan-was-pretty-much-a-sp_43290.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/al-kooper-27961_bob_producing-bob-dylan-was-pretty-much-a-sp_43290.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/al-kooper-27961_bob_producing-bob-dylan-was-pretty-much-a-sp_43290.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Producing Bob Dylan was pretty much a spectator sport.” — Al Kooper", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The \"Highway 61\" album [of Bob Dylan] was produced by Bob Johnston if I'm not incorrect. 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And Dylan said, I don't care, turn the organ up, and that's really how I became an organ player.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Al Kooper" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kooper/at-the-end-of-the-playback-of-the-take-of-like-a-rolling-stone-or/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/al-kooper-27961_bob_at-the-end-of-the-playback-of-the-take-o_2528773.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/al-kooper-27961_bob_at-the-end-of-the-playback-of-the-take-o_2528773.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/al-kooper-27961_bob_at-the-end-of-the-playback-of-the-take-o_2528773.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“At the end of the playback of the take of \"Like A Rolling Stone\", or actually during the thing, Bob Dylan…” — Al Kooper", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 7, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The [Bob] Dylan sessions were very disorganized, to say the least. 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