The eighties were a difficult period for Bob Dylan. He struggled to find his voice and the weight of expectation on him kept growing with each album that flopped. It has been interesting sifting through this period of his, as I'd not heard much of it. Bizarrely, the Bootleg Series set from 1980-1985 that came out in 2021 has been the most interesting part of this section of the journey. I was wary of his 'Christian trilogy' of albums, them being 1979's Slow Train Coming, 1980's Saved and Shot of Love from 1981, but I found them not too hard listen to, particularly the former. Infidels (1983) is definitely a big highlight for this decade so far, as Empire Burlesque (1985) and Knocked Out Loaded (1986) weren't great. I am keen to press on though, because I know that 1997's absolute masterpiece Time Out of Mind isn't far away now. Not that I haven't listened to it lately or anything, but it's interesting following the course he plotted leading up to that point. So, onward!
29. DOWN IN THE GROOVE (1988) (22/3/23)
It would seem that for many, the nadir of Dylan's album output is either this one, or the previous offering Knocked Out Loaded. Yeah, it's a bit average. Kicking off with a pedestrian cover of Let's Stick Together (did we need another one?), this album threatens to underwhelm; and it makes good on that threat.
The only two songs I knew were Death Is Not the End (thanks to Nick Cave et al's cover on 1996's Murder Ballads) and Silvio, much to my surprise. I have memories of hearing the latter on the radio around the time it came out, but I thought it was called 'Sylvia'. I'd forgotten all about it until I spun this! It's not brilliant, but it's a decent enough listen. The track was co-written with the Grateful Dead's Robert Hunter, and some members of the band are also present too. Hunter co-wrote the questionable Ugliest Girl in the World as well. Dylan's next project would be their live album together, 1989's Dylan & the Dead, so not a big shock that they are contributors here. Getting back to Death Is Not the End, it's interesting to note that the band on that song nearly make up an Infidels reunion. You have Sly & Robbie back on drums and bass, and Dire Strait's Mark Knopfler and Alan Clark on guitar and keyboards respectively. Oh, and ex-Rolling Stone Mick Taylor as well. Knopfler is credited as a co-producer, so it's possibly a lost Infidels outtake. Can't confirm or deny that.
Other big name guests include Ronnie Wood, Mitchell Froom, Danny Kortchmar, Eric Clapton, The Clash's Paul Simonon, The Sex Pistols' Steve Jones and Kip Winger! No wonder it's not very cohesive as an album. Only two songs are fully written by Dylan on his own, with Death Is Not the End being one of them. It's a fairly unremarkable affair, and not one I'll visit that often, methinks.
30. DYLAN & THE DEAD (1989) (30/3/23)
Well, this does what it says on the tin. It's Dylan playing live with The Grateful Dead, with the tracks culled from their 1987 tour. With a running time of nearly forty five minutes and only seven songs, some tracks outstay their welcome. The shortest song here is I Want You, which nearly hits four minutes, with the longest offender being Joey from 1976's Desire, creeping past nine minutes! While it's kind of nice to hear it getting an airing, it does go on a bit. The renditions of Slow Train and Gotta Serve Somebody are probably the album highlights for mine, and Queen Jane Approximately is a nice surprise inclusion, but the performance is a little lacklustre. By the time the final songs All Along the Watchtower and Knockin' On Heaven's Door roll around, it feels like you've spent longer in the presence of this album than you actually have. Just a mini-document of the Dylan & the Dead stadium tour, akin to the one Dylan did with The Band which resulted in the far superior Before The Flood in 1974. Apparently bootlegs of some shows circulated heavily at the time, creating much fervour for the release of this record, which ultimately failed to deliver.
31. OH MERCY (1989) (30/3/23)
Dylan is very nearly out of the wilderness here. This is his best studio offering since 1983's Infidels, which was four middling albums ago. Indeed it was this record's opening track, Political World, that started Dylan on the path out of his funk. According to the liner notes of The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989-2006, Dylan wrote all the verses to that song in one sitting, the words simply pouring out of him. Something he'd not experienced for years. Indeed, from the first few moments of the song, you can feel that there's a change in the air. There's a freshness to the sound, and the music isn't just a product of its production or era. I think a lot of that credit goes to producer Daniel Lanois, who would go on to helm 1997's magnificent Time Out of Mind.
As well as production, Lanois contributes multiple guitar parts, bass and omnichord, failing to appear on only one track, Disease of Conceit. His opening bits of dobro on Political World set the tone for an earthy, rootsy feel that permeates the rest of the record. It's just so enjoyable to listen to! After the effort of the last few albums, this one is a welcome relief. I've spent more time with this album than any of his other efforts from the eighties, even Infidels. While Oh Mercy has its strong highlights like Everything is Broken and Most of the Time, it's all good. The most solid and consistent Bob Dylan album since the seventies, in my opinion.
Versions of the songs from this record that appeared on The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989-2006 aren't the massive improvements that revealed themselves on other Bootleg Series albums. Instead, they show the progression of the song, and how the arrangements changed while they were being workshopped. The dreamy, swampy take of Most of the Time here is reduced to just guitar and harmonica on Tell Tale Signs. It's an interesting to hear the song so stripped back, but this version is a better listen. The music and vocals just wash over you, rather than the song being delivered. Other highlights for me include the sinister Man in the Long Black Coat and What Was It You Wanted, which I first heard being sung by Willie Nelson at the Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary concert. Closing off with the almost sentimental Shooting Star, this album is forty minutes of a reinvigorated Dylan, who began to remember what it was like to be Bob Dylan. Unfortunately, it wasn't to last.
32. UNDER THE RED SKY (1990) (13/4/23)
Right from the awkward and syncopated beats of album opener Wiggle Wiggle, the disappointment is palpable. Not only is that track one of Dylan's worst efforts ever, it fills you with a sense of foreboding for the rest of the record. Despite having Slash (yes, that Slash) adding some guitar work, it's just awful:
Yeah, you can imagine, even if you haven't heard the song. Coming on the heels of the excellent album Oh Mercy, this feels like a giant step backwards. Instead of Daniel Lanois on production duties, His Bobness teamed up with Don and David Was, crediting himself as Jack Frost for the first time. So, that earthy and dreamy feel on Oh Mercy has gone, and the album sounds like it was made in the mid to late eighties. It doesn't help that the songs just aren't as good either. Although, Born in Time isn't a bad listen, although the version on Tell Tale Signs is much more palatable. I quite liked 10,000 Men as well.
Like some of his mediocre eighties offerings, Dylan has littered this album with big names, including Elton John, George Harrison, David Crosby, Bruce Hornsby, Al Kooper and the Vaughn brothers. Famed session musos David Lindley and Waddy Wachtel also contribute. But they fail to elevate the album to the same heights of Oh Mercy. The penultimate track Handy Dandy (terrible title!) sounds like it could have been a reworking of Like a Rolling Stone. For me, whatever spark Dylan had rekindled in the late eighties just got squashed. I don't know if his involvement with the Traveling Wilburys was a factor, but yes, I'm looking forward to leaving this period.
Onwards!
