Track Listing
1)Let's Stick Together
2)When Did You Leave Heaven?
3)Sally Sue Brown
4)Death Is Not The End
5)Had A Dream About You, Baby
6)Ugliest Girl In The World
7)Silvio
8)Ninety Miles An Hour (Down A Dead End Street)
9)Shenandoah
10)Rank Strangers To Me
Oh, here we go, it’s the dreaded ‘80s again. Another album I have no particular personal connection with and I generally try avoid any kind of contact, but there’s no way around it, we have to bite the bullet. After the release of Knocked Out Loaded, which was both a commercial failure and got roasted by critics – and, despite some unexpectedly positive reviews, its predecessor, Empire Burlesque, didn’t fare much better either, it’s easy to see an ominous pattern shaping up- , claiming that he was at a dead end would be a fair assessment, if not an understatement. As a result, he moves away from the contemporary sound (yay! synths better remain locked in the closet) that defined most of his efforts during the last decade or so and resorts to the back to basics old school style that’s continuously proved to be reliable for him. Even though this wasn’t well received by fans or critics as well, it’s rather safe to assume that he did like this direction, as showcased by his 1992 and 1993 albums, which build on that momentum, though this one rocks way harder – which counts as a negative in my book, I don’t think it suits him as much, the biggest issue being that his vocals get lost in the surrounding fuss and bombast. Speaking of his vocals, this is by no means his finest hour when it comes to the man himself, the lack of energy and interest shows. All he cares about is how he will carry through with this project, there’s no fire burning inside him. Calling it a project might be an unfounded description, the tracks are a product of numerous recording sessions that took place in the space of over half a decade.
One similarity this record shares with Knocked Out Loaded is that not all songs are written by him here either, which is obviously far from the most promising sign. The first – and last - three songs are covers. The opening track, Let’s Stick Together, is a harmless, run-of-the-mill blues tune, nothing to write home about – though his harmonica is always a welcome addition. The second track, When Did You Leave Heaven?, is an out of the blue throwback to his Christianity period, I appreciate its simplicity and immediacy, he’s done much worse. Skimming through the rest of the non-original material, not many noteworthy moments. However, it goes without saying that the covers aren’t the only misstep here.
The worst thing is that even his own songs are disappointingly far from his best. Now that I think about it again, the original material can be divided in two categories, so let me rephrase: the above statement applies mostly to two of them. Shockingly enough, those are the tracks that were written exclusively by Bob Dylan, as Robert Hunter makes a meaningful contribution to the other two. In my opinion, the worst of the bunch is Death Is Not The End. It is such an irritating, cringe-worthy song, all of a sudden he turns into a poor man’s John Lennon – even though I really like Lennon, that counts as failure for Dylan, it’s usually the other way around. I don’t get at all how lots of people think it’s the best song of the album. He gets his point across in a more powerful way when there is some subtlety, some finesse (his typical stuff, you know, wordplay, metaphors, abstract and surreal imagery, etc.) and, above all, a story to support it, here he is excessively in your face and overly didactical, it’s all about the message, too much focus on substance and too little on style. Had a Dream About You, Baby is an ordinary, slightly enjoyable rocker, I would have never guessed it was written by Bob Dylan hadn’t I already known it, pretty much anyone could have come up with something similar.
So, this means that two out of four are decent. Again, I find it amusing that it’s those two that were co-written by Robert Hunter (nothing against him, it’s just that Dylan usually has no trouble taking matters into his own hands). Ugliest Girl In The World carries the same vibes as Had A Dream About You, but at least it’s got a sense of humour and a personality of its own, enabling it to stand out. Silvio is the closest we get to a highlight, a rare example of a bright, pop oriented, yet thoughtful autobiographical song, a valuable insight in his state of mind at that moment – and I love how he manages to wink at his fans through the various references to his past work, but does so in an effortless way that doesn’t break the flow of the song at any point.
Another advantage of this album is the short running time, it doesn’t drag aimlessly and its mediocrity doesn’t come through as emphatically as it would had it gone on for another 10 or 15 minutes. On the other hand, many of his lesser albums (yes, even Knocked Out Loaded) have one standout song. Sadly, not this one. Sure, there are a few catchy numbers to be found here, but none of them is remarkable enough to carry the album to any level of greatness.
Track Listing
1)Main Title Theme (Billy)
2)Cantina Theme (Workin' for the Law)
3)Billy 1
4)Bunkhouse Theme
5)River Theme
6)Turkey Chase
7)Knockin' on Heaven's Door
8)Final Theme
9)Billy 4
10)Billy 7
Well, probably that’s too low and should count as another surprise, but this and Nashville Skyline go hand in hand, so it was to be expected that I wouldn’t find this appealing as well. Actually, this is one of the very few albums that didn’t end up close to where I had them before getting on with this project, it significantly overachieved – to be exact, it surpassed three albums that used to be superior in my book.
Quick disclaimer: I have no idea what this movie is about, so it’s even harder to properly appreciate the soundtrack. I read that Dylan himself appears in it, so that should be a good enough reason to check it out at some point. The album received negative reviews for the most part when it came out (I suspect that this may have more to do with how unclear it is where this ranks compared to his typical work than with how bad when evaluated as a standalone piece of art said critics consider it to be), it is known as the one that has Knockin’ On Heaven’s door. I’ve never included it among my favourite songs by him. Of course, I have to admit that there’s a particular cover of this song that is nothing short of atrocious – no offence, that’s just me- , which in all likelihood alters the opinion I have of the original and judge it as too big – almost bigger than life, anthemic.
So, instrumental Dylan isn’t the best version of Dylan, that’s barely debatable, but it puts a different side of him on display, making it interesting, if nothing else. However, any intrigue used to fade away disappointingly fast for me to the point that the abundance of instrumentals here has always prevented me from coming back to this album. There are a few records of his that I consider worse than this, but I was more open to giving them another chance, as I I wonder if there’s something new to discover or somehow change my mind. When it came to this, I’d think “let’s be honest, there isn’t a snowball's chance in hell” and skip it. One thing I appreciated this time – and maybe explains why I have been rejecting this record so far- is how the music appears to be rather monotonous at first glance. That proves not to be entirely true, there are subtle changes in mood that - I can only guess - are supposed to reflect the chain of events that unfolds in the movie, it gets darker as the album progresses – still, I can’t deny I am extremely curious regarding Turkey Chase.
That’s about the instrumentals, the songs – I already mentioned Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door, so that leaves us with Billy 1, 4 and 7 - are fine, though I’m not sure we needed three variants of Billy. It is a simple, yet powerful and evocative song, it instantly transfers you to a different setting, you are an outlaw who has to watch his back 24/7, you never know what kind of danger might be lurking round the corner. Despite the adventurous lifestyle that revolves around being always on the run, it’s the little moments of taking a breather and enjoying the simple joys of life which add that extra flavour (“Camping out all night on the veranda Dealing’ cards ’till dawn in the hacienda”).
Also, it’s relatively short – my first reaction would be that albums like this can’t be short enough, but nowadays I don’t mind it that much. As I said in the beginning, it’s been an album that’s been slowly growing on me – although I don’t expect it to get much higher, saying it’s reached its peak should be a safe bet.
To conclude, this marks the end of the first chapter. In other words, it’s the last record I would consider bottom tier Dylan, i.e. achieving a score between 5 and 6.
Tracklisting
1)I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plans
2)September of My Years
3)I Could Have Told You
4)Once Upon a Time
5)Stormy Weather
6)This Nearly Was Mine
7)That Old Feeling
8)It Gets Lonely Early
9)My One and Only Love
10)Trade Winds
11)Braggin'
12)As Time Goes By
13)Imagination
14)How Deep Is the Ocean
15)P.S. I Love You
16)The Best Is Yet to Come
17)But Beautiful
18)Here's That Rainy Day
19)Where Is the One
20)There's a Flaw in My Flue
21)Day In, Day Out
22)I Couldn't Sleep a Wink Last Night
23)Sentimental Journey
24)Somewhere Along the Way
25)When the World Was Young
26)These Foolish Things
27)You Go to My Head
28)Stardust
29)It's Funny to Everyone but Me
30)Why Was I Born
That’s a good example of Dylan’s habit that I described right above, namely that (I’m shamelessly quoting myself, lol) “he has this tendency, when he comes up with a new idea or concept, he is willing to stick with it for some time – as a general rule it’s two or three albums – and push it to its logical conclusion”. This persistence has caused the birth of a few masterpieces, but it’s also been responsible for a few missteps like World Gone Wrong or Triplicate.
So, this is the third and last part of his – let’s call it “Classic American songs” - trilogy. Even though I ‘d never claim this kind of material is my jam – quite far from it if I’m being honest-, I do understand why he did it and I do appreciate his efforts. It’s pretty clear he is a fan of these songs and at this point in his career, he is entitled to follow any direction he finds appealing or interesting and not give a damn about what his fans or critics want or expect. Moreover, this isn’t as self-centered a choice as it may initially appear, he brings these songs to the surface – and it’s been some time since they made any headlines-, in an attempt to save them from obscurity and give everyone – most importantly the younger generations-, a chance to get acquainted with them. Plus he offers an alternative version of these classics that shares little with the original, big band/swing takes a step back and allows a minimal, country influenced style to come through, while optimism gives way to solemnity – not that I know any of them inside out, that comment is based on my limited experience with them, so feel free to take it with a grain of salt. I guess it’s safe to conclude that releasing one such album was a good idea, a second was acceptable, a third was a big no no.
This album is in turn divided in three parts (a trilogy inside a trilogy). The first third is highly pleasant when it’s on, it could easily compete with Shadows In The Night and Fallen Angels as a standalone album. Unfortunately, it goes downhill from there. It’s not that the other two parts are necessarily worst, but it gets boring pretty quickly. The songs are supposed to have been thematically sorted into those three separate parts (their titles being 'Til the Sun Goes Down, Devil Dolls and Comin’ Home Late respectively), each of them being a sequel to the one that precedes it. Personally, I never got any of this, probably an excuse to fit as many of his favourites as he possible can, it’s way too monotonous for me. As a result, I can’t think of any occasion when I ‘d choose to play this. Apart from being only mildly enjoyable, there’s hardly anything beyond its limited entertainment value, no memorable, let alone pioneering, aspects to be found here, you completely forget about it once it’s over. It goes without saying that being a triple album doesn’t help either, it would have to be something really special to make it through in one listening session – and that could be an irrelevant factor for some, but for me it’s something I definitely have to take into account, albums are meant to be listened in one go. No individual track is anywhere close to unlistenable, they’re all fine, but thirty (!!) of them one after the other is simply too much – and that’s why it’s somewhat meaningless bringing up “highs” and “lows”, it’s mostly the same song over and over.
Another question is what’s his target group – if there’s one. I’d say this is by no means directed towards his fans, whose attitude is something like “no songwriting no party”, it’s more suitable for someone who either is fond of or wants to discover some American music of the past – as I’ve already mentioned that’s the greatest merit of this trilogy as a whole. Also, if you have a problem with his typical – if he has one that could be called “typical – voice, no need to worry, he changes once more and delivers what is needed, though one has to admit he doesn’t sound excited or even half-interested. Speaking of uninteresting, that has to be one of his worst album covers ever.
Coming back now, the time away was needed to recover from the shock and horror of #36 Nashville Skyline and to a much lesser extent the 34th ranking of World Gone Wrong. I love Nashville Skyline and I really like World Gone Wrong. (But if I'm being honest I mostly respect what I remember about World Gone Wrong. Have never had an urge to revisit in last 10 years or so...). After some reflection.... I get it and I accept it - speaking now of Nashville Skyline. I always felt the opening track was subpar and that the rest of the album just felt warm and snugly and beautiful in the extreme. Also, considering my love and affection for so much that that record influenced within country/country rock/americana/alt country and how many artists sprung up at least partially because Dylan so thoroughly knocked down the dividing lines between rock and country, I tend to take that into account and it makes me love it all the more. Also that front cover is god-tier. That almost perfect triangle formed with the hat and arm! That grin happy smirk! love it.
That said, it is still like 10-15th on my dylan album ranks usually, and at least you didn't stick Bringing It All Back Home or Another Side of Bob Dylan down in the mid to high 30s!
Overall, outside of that pick, I am vibing with and generally nodding my head in agreement with these rankings so far! What a MASSIVE task this is, my friend!
Watch as I post this comment and then shortly after you update and put some perfect 10/10 masterpiece next on your list... I have a feeling there will be a few more bombshells coming soon. we shall see. _________________ -Ryan
Coming back now, the time away was needed to recover from the shock and horror of #36 Nashville Skyline and to a much lesser extent the 34th ranking of World Gone Wrong. I love Nashville Skyline and I really like World Gone Wrong. (But if I'm being honest I mostly respect what I remember about World Gone Wrong. Have never had an urge to revisit in last 10 years or so...). After some reflection.... I get it and I accept it - speaking now of Nashville Skyline. I always felt the opening track was subpar and that the rest of the album just felt warm and snugly and beautiful in the extreme. Also, considering my love and affection for so much that that record influenced within country/country rock/americana/alt country and how many artists sprung up at least partially because Dylan so thoroughly knocked down the dividing lines between rock and country, I tend to take that into account and it makes me love it all the more. Also that front cover is god-tier. That almost perfect triangle formed with the hat and arm! That grin happy smirk! love it.
That said, it is still like 10-15th on my dylan album ranks usually, and at least you didn't stick Bringing It All Back Home or Another Side of Bob Dylan down in the mid to high 30s!
Overall, outside of that pick, I am vibing with and generally nodding my head in agreement with these rankings so far! What a MASSIVE task this is, my friend!
Watch as I post this comment and then shortly after you update and put some perfect 10/10 masterpiece next on your list... I have a feeling there will be a few more bombshells coming soon. we shall see.
You know, I expected my ranking of Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid would be more questionable than World Gone Wrong. Knockin' On Heaven's Door should be a good enough reason for that. Anyway, none of them compare to the anomaly of Nashville Skyline's position. However, I have to say even that one looks a bit better now, as I came to realise that my perception of it was slightly distorted. Most people in my social environment consider it a top-notch (top-5 or so) Dylan album and I thought that was the consensus. After browsing the Internet the last couple of weeks, it seems to be generally viewed as a second tier (more or less what you said, comfortably top-15, but barely top-10 material) and I noticed It doesn’t even have the bold distinction in RYM.
And I agree that it’s one of his best album covers, which of course is another interesting subject.
Never thought about it extensively or made any such list, but my first reaction in that regard would be:
His most iconic in my mind has to be either The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan or Bringing It All Back Home.
My personal favourite would be either Time Out Of Mind or John Wesley Harding (black and white aesthetic I guess).
The Times They Are A-Changin' is the one that has always made me uncomfortable. Quit frowning at me, dude!
I must be one of the few who like his most “abstract” (Self Portrait, Oh Mercy) and “un-Dylan” (Tempest, Christmas In The Heart) album covers as well.
And not to forget the kitsch masterpiece that is Empire Burlesque, a league of its own.
(It goes without saying that my opinion of the album cover hardly relates to how I'm feeling about the album itself.)
This project may seem like a big task, indeed, but it doesn’t feel that way at all. Were I to do it for someone else with such an enormous body of work, say Miles Davis or Frank Zappa, that would be a mountain to climb. For Dylan, nah, it’s a pleasure, everything’s running smoothly, not to mention I’ve had periods of Dylan obsession in the past, so this is a walk in the park. _________________ Bob Dylan Charles Mingus
Track Listing
1)A Satisfied Mind
2)Saved
3)Covenant Woman
4)What Can I Do For You?
5)Solid Rock
6)Pressing On
7)In The Garden
8)Saving Grace
9)Are You Ready
It’s all been flowing nicely for some time now, let’s go back to a bit of controversy with the second part of his high-profile Christianity adventures. Well, that’s an album whose story goes way back for me, I’ve been in an awkward position of having to defend it so many times when someone ridicules it that it’s a part of my identity by now – and that plays a large role in why I so blatantly overrate it.
You know it by now, I am not a fan of the concept and these lyrics quite simply don’t do it for me- I think we established that while talking about the first part of this trilogy. Still, I consider this a massive improvement in that regard, the theme of faith is being presented from a different point of view, this one is a more “internal” album, it deals with the relationship between him and God, while its predecessor was busy reaching out to “strangers”, addressed to people who practice another religion. As a result, it’s a more positive album in terms of the state of mind it conveys to the listeners, there’s satisfaction, euphoria, gratitude, unconditional faith and of course love.
This is also reflected in the music which may not be better per se, but is definitely more relevant - pleasant, simple yet glorious (ok, that’s a slight exaggeration). The outcome is a more natural, human, compassionate if you will, less artificial sound that fits the themes much better. He somehow manages to be more committed to religion and departs even further from his old self. There’s lots of gospel to be found here, he embraces the African American culture as if he’s never known another home and that’s been his thing for ever. In Slow Train Coming, Dylan carried out his task just fine, but I couldn’t stand the rest of it. Here, there are times when it comes close to being the other way around, he almost gets lost in the mix despite his fiery performance, gospel is a demanding genre for any singer and the backing band deserves some credit.
I like Dylan’s choice of an opening track, It is a nice bridge between the two records. A Satisfied Mind has this feel of old school blues – in spirit it is, don’t forget it was written in 1955, coming with a well-worn -but at least concise and staying away from the overstatement that characterises some of the tracks here- message, a critical account of modern society’s attitude (continuing where Slow Train Coming left off) and how everyone’s driven by greed which distracts them from the truth that money doesn’t have anything to do with happiness. The music is also tight and on point, the backing vocals aren’t as over the top as they would get further down the road, but they make their presence felt nonetheless. The self-titled track is – no offense – a bit funny. I have to admit its energy is infectious, so I do find it entertaining but not in the way it was meant to be. Covenant Woman is an enigmatic entry that feels out of place at first glance, though I've come to the conclusion that its mystery only adds to the appeal. There’s even some pure rock in Solid Rock – appropriate title I guess, lol, - not to mention the nod to Saint Peter, who has always been an inspiring figure for me, a nice touch that I did appreciate. In The Garden is the most religious song, describing some of the events leading up to His crucifixion and resurrection, shaking his head in bewilderment: how is it possible for the people that encountered Him not to believe. His agony is instantly perceptible, it creates an urgency to kneel piously and pray. On the other hand, the less said about the closing track the better. It is nothing more than a terribly bad farce, a solid candidate for his worst song ever, erase that and the album dramatically improves at a stroke.
Overall, this is the climax of his religious fever and if I had to guess, the one of this trilogy that is of utmost importance to him – not necessarily as of now, I’m talking about the time of its release - and this comes through clearly, he is honest and unapologetically confessional, every word means the world to him. I get this energy and as a result – even though I consider Shot Of Love the best of the bunch - it’s the one of three that means the most to me as well, it greatly motivates me to think how someone can find a greater cause, give new meaning to his life. (I know some of that may sound like vomit inducing cliches, but it is what it is, I buy it without a second thought)
Track Listing
1)I'm A Fool To Want You
2)The Night We Called It A Day
3)Stay With Me
4)Autumn Leaves
5)Why Try To Change Me Now
6)Some Enchanted Evening
7)Full Moon And Empty Arms
8)Where Are You?
9)What 'll I Do
10)That Lucky Old Sun
At the time of its release, it seemed like a good, dare I even say refreshing, idea. 2015 was probably my Dylan-heaviest year ever and I can vividly recall being anxious to check it out – then again, any new endeavour by Bob Dylan will seem like a great idea if you are his fan. Having the benefit of hindsight and knowing what followed, it kinda loses its initial appeal – but one may argue that’s an unfair way to judge it. He is better than Sinatra, that’s a given in my book– I mean, how could anyone be worse, he’s one of those artists I simply can’t stand – ignore that part if you are a fan. Besides my personal bias against Sinatra, I’ve always found the irony that comes with choosing these songs as part of the charm. Sinatra has always been idolised because of his voice, he’s been the essential American voice, the point of reference that everyone else tries to reach but eventually comes up short. Dylan has been more or less the polar opposite. Endless reviews have stressed his immense artistic value (mainly thanks to his legendary songwriting skills), yet heavily criticised or in some cases even made fun of his voice. I don’t mean to imply this was intentional or anything, but if one examines it as a cultural phenomenon, it’s interesting nonetheless – on that same note, I’ve already mentioned the importance of covering classic American songs while commenting on Triplicate.
Speaking of which, Dylan’s voice here (the same applies to the other two parts of this trilogy, Fallen Angels and Triplicate) is different from all of his recent albums, his adaptability is spectacular, especially if you take into account his age, not to mention he captures the emotional state (the one of a heartbreak for the most part) that is required. Also, his comparatively modest (a description that refers not only to his delivery, but to the instrumentation as well) approach makes everything more relatable. The band is doing a great job of creating a certain – I guess you could call it nostalgic, romantic or cinematic – vibe, but at the same time one that is clearly distinct from a ‘50s/’60s band who would create a similar atmosphere, and they maintain it throughout the entirety of this record’s running time, no (good or bad) surprises to be found. It goes without saying that the material itself isn’t that close to my taste, that should be obvious by now, so there’s only so much they could do, it’s hard to blame either the band or Bob himself. It’s barely 35 minutes and it feels too long. Unless you are well-versed in those standards, you will probably have a hard time telling them apart after a few listens – that’s what happened with me anyway. The closing track is the closest we get to a highlight so the last impression it leaves you with is fine. As it was the case with Triplicate, the question arises as to what exactly the target group is, hard to tell really, I don’t expect Bob Dylan aficionados or fans of the original material would fall heads over heels with this.
Track Listing:
1)Young At Heart
2)Maybe You'll Be There
3)Polka Dots And Moonbeams
4)All The Way
5)Skylark
6)Nevertheless
7)All Or Nothing At All
8)On A Little Street In Singapore
9)It Had To Be You
10)Melancholy Mood
11)That Old Black Magic
12)Come Rain Or Come Shine
Ok, that’s a bit boring. He tried it once, it was ok, he got away with it, why would you push your luck like this? Of course he can do whatever he wants, he is Bob Dylan after all, he's given us material worthy of three lifetimes, but I have to say that a few original songs are long overdue and would be a nice surprise. Anyway, that was my first impression when this came out and has more or less remained the same since then. Still, I would argue this might be a bit underrated in the sense that the other two have received more attention - Shadows In The Night because it started the trend and Triplicate because it was a massive triple album – and this usually ends up being overlooked. There isn't an awful lot to be said about it, not much progress has been noted since his 2015 release, so if you are familiar with that one you know what's going on, Sinatra remains the central theme of the album, which is tough luck, but I’d say that at least the song selection is better and more diverse. Compared to Shadows In The Night it’s easier on the ears and lighter in attitude, it focuses on being aesthetically pleasing more than it does on the emotional side, though it’s not severely compromised in terms of the nostalgic effect it creates. Not to sound like a broken machine, but Sinatra has to be the most unrelatable singer ever, so anyone would do these tunes more justice, let alone Dylan, who is one of the most familiar figures and comforting voices, it’s as if he’s your alter ego, he knows you, understands your state of mind and is aware of the appropriate way to approach you in order to make sure that you get the message. And of course he can say a lot without saying much, so it doesn’t matter that this record stays away from being overly emotional or melodramatic. Melancholy Mood is generally viewed as the star of the album, but it hardly makes it to my favourites – though I have to admit it makes a nice combo with the song that comes right after it, namely That Old Black Magic, the contrast between them further emphasises their merits- , I’d probably give the nod to either Maybe You’ll Be There or All The Way. Keeping the same pattern as the other two parts of the trilogy, it drags a bit towards the end and seems longer than it is, plus its appeal wears off rather fast and repeated listens expose its weaknesses.
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Mercury
