Crowquill

Re-reading all of this is interesting. Not sure I totally hold all of the same opinions on certain albums, tho I think the general cu

Time Out of Mind (1997)


Dylan's Grammy Award winning, much acclaim return to fame, is pretty much all it's hyped to be. He returned to working with Daniel Lanois, who's produced U2, Brian Eno, Neil Young, The Last of the Mohicans soundtrack, and would go onto work with such motha****er ballers as Dashboard Confessional.
Anyway, I haven't written something like this in years so reviewing is weird. Nothing on the album is really surprising, it has some beautiful tender moments (Standing in the Doorway) and then some terrible tender moments (The Garth Brooks covered Make You Fee My Love.) It's all kinda the same Dylan roots music but unlike basically everything in the 80's it seems like he's actually trying.
I think my favorite moments on the album are the most traditional songs, such as Dirt Road Blues or Cold Irons Bound. Not Dark Yet is the standout for me though.
Favorite Lyric: "Every nerve in my body is so naked and numb / I can't even remember what it was I came here to get away from / Don't even hear the murmur of a prayer / It's not dark yet, but it's getting there"
Favorite Songs: Not Dark Yet, Highlands, Dirt Road Blues

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Lisnaholic

^ Congrats on returning to the daunting task of going through Dylan's discography! I haven't read the entire thread yet - I'm up to "Another Side of Bob Dylan", which, as you suggest, is the closest thing to a "forgotten album" in Dylan's oeuvre. In fact it's a great album imo: some of the songs have a careless freshness about them that makes them more vivid than his overplayed classics of that period. To Ramona is a surprisingly touching song from Bob, but, to copy your own "favourite lyric" idea I would prob highlight:

Black crows in the meadow across the broad highway
But it's funny, honey, I'm out of touch and don't feel much
Like a scarecrow today.

I also read your reviews of some more recent albums. TBH, I find "Time Out of Mind" to be a bit too sombre to enjoy; I liked "Oh Mercy" more. Incidently, in your review of "Oh Mercy", you seem to've made a mistake:-
^ Surely this is a typo and you meant to write, "Ring Them Bells is one of the most profound and moving songs of his later career." Perhaps you should back and correct that post.

Anyway, Crowquill, keep up the good work. I'll look forward to your take on "Love and Theft," which is prob the next album to be reviewed, right?

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"Am I enjoying this moment? I know of it and perhaps that is enough." - Sybille Bedford, 1953

MicShazam

Cool to bump into this thread. I was just browsing some Dylan albums today, wondering if I should take the jump and finally try to get into his music. Seems like this comes just on time.

There's several CD's I found down town and could buy one or more of next week. Oh Mercy, Bringing it All Back Home, Modern Times, Together Through Life, Blonde on Blonde, Highway 61 and a couple more, probably.

Lisnaholic

^ Of those albums, I'd say Oh Mercy, Bringing It All Back Home and Highway 61 are the best, but there's a thread here with about 650 replies, so you might find some more tips there:- https://www.musicbanter.com/country-...bob-dylan.html [*ahem* Blood On The Tracks]

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"Am I enjoying this moment? I know of it and perhaps that is enough." - Sybille Bedford, 1953

MicShazam

I watched a video yesterday where a music reviewer joked that Blood on the Tracks would be the pretentious Dylan Fans' pick for best album

Some years ago, I listened to some Dylan albums. I remember liking Desire the best. His music just somehow didn't quite get me on board back then, but I'd wager chances are better now. A lot has changed in my listening habits since then.

Crowquill

I still love Blood on the Tracks/Desire era Dylan best though obviously there's something clearly special and new happening in the sixties.
Yeah Love and Theft is up next. I might try and do it before the weekend. On the subject of going back and correcting things: given the years its taken to do this, when I was first re-reading through to jump back into it I kept wondering how much my opinions on all this has shifted. I use to enjoy folk and singer/songwriter stuff way more in high school so in some ways I think I was more critical of it back then but I've also lost a lot of pretensions I used to have so who knows.

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MicShazam

So far, I generally like 70's Dylan better than 60's Dylan. The early albums shoplift a bit heavily from the past without necessarily adding much. Not that they're bad, but I'm having trouble really feeling excited about them either.

Dude111

I think Bobs 60s stuff is the best

Crowquill

"Love and Theft" (2001)

Last time I did this, I went through and re-read all my reviews before writing it this time ima just put on the album and kind of go in blind. I'm kind of scared to read a lot of my old takes, and I started this well over ten years ago ;_; Anyway, many things dropped September 11th, 2001 least of all this album. I don't know how much I've waxed poetic about old man Dylan before but I have a lot of issues with it. Vocals haven't ever really been the high point of Dylan but like sometimes it's just so wack.
Anyway, this album is one of the most aware of his aging voice and seems to really work with it. The music fits it, from the blues tracks to the throwbacks to early rock and roll. The opening track sounds like he's genuinely having fun. Mississippi is one of the high points for me, it's a beautiful folk song and the lyrics dance between Dylan's funny surrealism and blunt poignanty. It's probably my favorite Dylan song of the modern era, maybe of almost any and if you're gonna listen to just one song listen to it.
Favorite Lyric: "I was dreaming I was sleeping in Rosie’s bed / Walking through the leaves, falling from the trees / Feeling like a stranger nobody sees / So many things that we never will undo / I know you’re sorry, I’m sorry too."
Favorite Songs:[/QUOTE] Mississippi, High Water (For Charley Patton), Po' Boy

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DianneW

The Thing with Dylan is his songs are all about the music..I thought it was the lyrics until I realised the music was it...