In the mid-1990s I went back to the Bob Dylan of the 1980s and revised my opinion of his work that decade. At the time I thought it was a disaster, but with five years between myself and the end of the decade, I found myself returning and reappraising and as a frankly iffy new album with current mediocre bands performing cover songs “Dylan In The 80s, Vol 1” headed by producer Jesse Lauter and Sean O’Brien makes clear, Dylan had a great 80s.
I’ve reviewed every single one of these albums over the past five years but let’s take a quick look at them one more time.
Let’s start with
Slow Train Coming – 1979 -You can call him Zimmy confounds everybody by becoming a Born Again Christian, and the album, though it did have the title track and “Serve Somebody” was hurt by a predictable super session men backing band. But Dylan has never sung better. Plus, “Precious Angel” makes three, all on the first side. The second side? Not so much, though “Man Gave Names To All The Animals” is an uproariously funny nursery rhyme – B+
Saved – 1980 -The two covers that open the album are on the money, and “In The Garden” is pretty good but the singing isn’t as good and the passion isn’t all there either – B-
Shot of Love – 1981 – This is the one, three albums in he is capable of being both Dylan the wordsmith and Dylan the Christian. Most importantly, he released it and then re-released it with “The Groom Still Waiting At The Alter”, making a great album a flat out masterpiece. It is hard to know where to begin here but can we all agree that “Every Grain Of Sand” is as astounding a testament of faith, even if the central metaphor is appropriated from elsewhere – A
Empire Burlesque -1985 – Disco Bob! Don’t believe me? The O’Jays covered “Emotionally Yours” . And if he had including the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers version “When The Night comes falling from the Sky”, “Blind Willie McTell” and “Foot of Pride” it would habe been an “A-“ and not a “B”
Infidels – This is Jewish Boy, with “Neighborhood Bully” following fast on the feet of his being photographed at the wailing wall with his sons. A bigger band for him than you might think, “Jokerman” was central to his live show for a decade after that. Best of all, one of the greatest songs ever written about stardom “I And I” – B+
Down In The Groove – 1988 – considered by many to be his worst album, what price “100 Miles An Hour Down A One Way Street” and “Shenandoah” and “Rank Stranger To Me” three first rate cover songs. Plus “Silvio” and “Death Is Not The End” – B
Oh Mercy – 1989 – Important enough to take up an entire chapter in “Chronicles”, the Daniel Lanois produced return to form (har har) sounds a little aurally fucked to these ears and is saved by the sheer quality of the songs – A-
