[albummaster]

Today's album of the day

Oh Mercy by Bob Dylan (View album | Buy this album)

Year: 1989.
Country:
Overall rank: 1,380
Average rating: 75/100 (from 369 votes).

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Tracks:
1. Political World
2. Where Teardrops Fall
3. Everything Is Broken
4. Ring Them Bells
5. Man In The Long Black Coat
6. Most Of The Time
7. What Good Am I?
8. Disease Of Conceit
9. What Was It You Wanted
10. Shooting Star

About album of the day: The BestEverAlbums.com album of the day is the album appearing most prominently in member charts in the previous 24 hours. If an album, or artist, has previously been selected within a x day period, the next highest album is picked instead (and so on) to ensure a bit of variety. A full history of album of the day can be viewed here.

[RockyRaccoon]

I wrote this in my music diary back when I listened to this a few months ago, but suffice to say, I think this is one of Dylan's most underrated albums



What a gem of an album in a really weird, difficult time for Bob Dylan. After a string of pretty disappointing albums (save for Infidels) and amid a time of personal turmoil where Dylan was just constantly touring to avoid dealing with his personal life, Oh Mercy comes out and it's lowkey one of Dylan's best albums.

I think the star here is Daniel Lanois' production. I can see the throughline between this album and Time Out of Mind (which Lanois also produced) because the sound and feel is really similar. The atmospheric, sort of dreamy production really suits where Dylan's voice was at during this period, a bit raspier, older, wearier, and it works beautifully.

And I mean, it helps that we have some brilliant songwriting from Dylan here. Most of the Time is one of the best songs he's ever written. It's a breakup song, and it perfectly encapsulates the whole "I'm fine! I don't need her! I'll be perfectly happy on my own!" sort of denial that we often go through following a heartbreak. That defensiveness that kicks in to try and avoid the pain.

But this song sort of acknowledges that that's all bullshit really with a perfect turn at the end of every verse: most of the time.

"I don't build up illusion till it makes me sick
I ain't afraid of confusion no matter how thick
I can smile in the face of mankind
Don't even remember what her lips felt like on mine
Most of the time"

Also quick shoutout to the bassline on that song. The little riff in between each verse is just fantastic.

But Oh Mercy isn't just that song, there's a ton of great stuff on it. What Was it You Wanted, Shooting Star, Everything is Broken are all great. Man in the Long Black Coat sounds like "film noir: the song." But what kills me is what Dylan left off, specifically Series of Dreams. That was recorded during the Oh Mercy sessions and was only ever released on the first Bootleg Series set, and man is it a killer track. Lanois described it as "turbulent" and that's the perfect word for it, it's a brilliant song and would've really made this already great album even greater.

It's so funny how this album is like a weird little blip reminding us how incredible Dylan can be amid his string of rough albums. And not-so-great albums came after too. He followed this up with Under the Red Sky, which got (rightfully) panned, and then two albums of folk covers until we got Time Out of Mind eight years after Oh Mercy. But never let someone tell you 80s Dylan is all bad, because this album is fantastic.
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