Dylan was way out of his element in the late '80s, and his 25th studio album was awkwardly tacked together from five years 'worth of sessions with dozens of musicians (including Jerry Garcia, Full Force and the Sex Pistols 'Steve Jones), and heavy on the covers and co-writes. He only sounds fully present on his cover of the Stanley Brothers 'alienation album "Rank Strangers."
I grew up listen to what my elder brothers did for the most part, or what I heard on the radio. And in the early 80's Dylan was not a top 40 radio staple, and my brothers could not stand him. Somebody gave me this record, and it made me a Dylan fan. It's not great, but I don't get the hate for it either. It's soft/electric folk done Dylan style and done very well. "Rank Strangers" can be argured has been done by many people better, but like all tracks on this record Dylan the artist finds a way to make hit is own and compelling. How bad can it be if caused me start a 20+ year obession with Dylan?
Not as bad as some say, Dylan is not afraid to try different things. Downloaded 3 songs and kept it in the car deck for a few days...His vocal phrasing is like no other.
You know how every time Dylan has come out with a new album in recent years, people say, "This is the best Dylan album since "Blood on the Tracks"? Well, the next time Dylan comes out with a truly bad album, they should say, "This is Dylan's worst album since "Down in the Groove". Please don't waste your precious downloads on this album, unless you want to promote mediocrity in the arts.
This album is an enjoyable throwaway. If you like Bob Dylan already you will probably like it! Guest artists range from the Grateful Dead to Kip Winger.
download Silvio, Rank Strangers and Let's Stick Together, the rest toss (still not as bad as Under The Red Sky)
Half a century into his career, Bob Dylan's amassed a gigantic catalogue of original material. He's released a string of greatest-hits albums, and his touring repertoire is well over 100 songs. But he's also got some remarkable songs that have been overshadowed by their companions — songs that, in anyone else's career, would be high points. In honor of Dylan's 70th birthday, we invite you to listen to these overlooked gems in isolation, away from the… more »
Bob Dylan didn't get to be the greatest living songwriter by repeating himself. He's reinvented his style and technique with nearly every record he's made in the course of his half-century career; he's been the political spitfire of The Times They Are A-Changin', the mysterious joker of The Basement Tapes, the domestic ruminator of New Morning, the indignant holy roller of Slow Train Coming, the aging Romeo of Time Out of Mind. The only constants… more »
