Post by ChrisB on Dec 30, 2016 12:34:35 GMT
January 2017 - Bob Dylan - Desire (1976)
OK, I know that Dylan isn't exactly loved by a lot of members here, but I think this album may surprise some of those people if they give it a chance. If his goat-like bleating voice really puts you off, this might just be the album for you!
Desire is my favourite Dylan album and has been since I first heard it a little after it was released, maybe it's because the songwriting is quite a bit different to most of his earlier work. Much of it was co-written with Jacques Levy and many of the songs take the form of stories rather than poems.
Desire was Dylan's seventeenth album, recorded during 1975 and released in '76. It sat at number one in the US charts for five weeks, reached number 3 in the UK and was the NME album of the year. It has sold very well since and is now rated as a double platinum record.
There is some great violin playing by Scarlet Rivera and backing vocals are by Emmylou Harris. There were several notable musicians at the sessions, though they didn't all play on the final tracks. One of the things Dylan wanted to do for this ad subsequent recordings and performances was to form a settled band of regular members. This had been inspired by him watching The (then unrecorded) Patti Smith band playing together. The recording sessions were noted by many people as being extremely disorganised and Eric Clapton apparently departed after telling Dylan that he should use a smaller band.
The album is notable for several tracks that will possibly be unknown to those who are not Dylan fans. It opens with 'Hurricane' which was written as a protest against the conviction and imprisonment of professional boxer Rubin Carter for the murder of three people in a bar in 1966. It's a cracking story but there still remains some doubt as to whether Carter was guilty or not. Dylan was accused of naivete and meddling with the justice system but Carter was pardoned and released in 1985.
Isis great tale filled with lyrical imagery and symbolism.
Joey is a modern day Robin Hood tale about a mafia gangster - more naivete, but another good story!
The final track, Sara is about Dylan's wife of the time and has been described as the only song he has written where he steps out of his public persona and directly addresses a real person, with striking biographical accuracy. "A fevered cry of loss posing as sincere devotion." Sara turned up in the studio during the recording of the track and was shocked by the lyrics.
The chaos of the recording is described by Emmylou Harris where she talked of running through the lyrics of one track to herself immediately after she had been given them, only to realise that she was being recorded. "I thought, 'Oh, I can fix anything that sounds funky or out of tune with the engineer later' " But there were no second takes. "That album was like throwing paint on a canvas. And whatever happened was what it was supposed to be. I guess that's another part of the genius of Dylan: He knew exactly what he was doing."
You can get a new copy on Amazon at the moment for just 3 quid - here it is.
The album is on Spotify, but it seems to be blocked on YouTube by the record company.
Suggested related listening (the lesser goat-voiced albums!):
'Street Legal'
Not a single really famous Dylan song on the entire album but it's superb from start to finish.
Bob Dylan - 'Blood on the Tracks'
This was the album that preceded Desire and rather overshadows it in his catalogue. Personally, I think it's not quite so consistent but it does contain some superb tracks like Tangled Up in Blue, Simple Twist of Fate, Idiot Wind and Shelter from the Storm.
So, that's Desire by Bob Dylan.
Hope you like it!
OK, I know that Dylan isn't exactly loved by a lot of members here, but I think this album may surprise some of those people if they give it a chance. If his goat-like bleating voice really puts you off, this might just be the album for you!
Desire is my favourite Dylan album and has been since I first heard it a little after it was released, maybe it's because the songwriting is quite a bit different to most of his earlier work. Much of it was co-written with Jacques Levy and many of the songs take the form of stories rather than poems.
Desire was Dylan's seventeenth album, recorded during 1975 and released in '76. It sat at number one in the US charts for five weeks, reached number 3 in the UK and was the NME album of the year. It has sold very well since and is now rated as a double platinum record.
There is some great violin playing by Scarlet Rivera and backing vocals are by Emmylou Harris. There were several notable musicians at the sessions, though they didn't all play on the final tracks. One of the things Dylan wanted to do for this ad subsequent recordings and performances was to form a settled band of regular members. This had been inspired by him watching The (then unrecorded) Patti Smith band playing together. The recording sessions were noted by many people as being extremely disorganised and Eric Clapton apparently departed after telling Dylan that he should use a smaller band.
The album is notable for several tracks that will possibly be unknown to those who are not Dylan fans. It opens with 'Hurricane' which was written as a protest against the conviction and imprisonment of professional boxer Rubin Carter for the murder of three people in a bar in 1966. It's a cracking story but there still remains some doubt as to whether Carter was guilty or not. Dylan was accused of naivete and meddling with the justice system but Carter was pardoned and released in 1985.
Isis great tale filled with lyrical imagery and symbolism.
Joey is a modern day Robin Hood tale about a mafia gangster - more naivete, but another good story!
The final track, Sara is about Dylan's wife of the time and has been described as the only song he has written where he steps out of his public persona and directly addresses a real person, with striking biographical accuracy. "A fevered cry of loss posing as sincere devotion." Sara turned up in the studio during the recording of the track and was shocked by the lyrics.
The chaos of the recording is described by Emmylou Harris where she talked of running through the lyrics of one track to herself immediately after she had been given them, only to realise that she was being recorded. "I thought, 'Oh, I can fix anything that sounds funky or out of tune with the engineer later' " But there were no second takes. "That album was like throwing paint on a canvas. And whatever happened was what it was supposed to be. I guess that's another part of the genius of Dylan: He knew exactly what he was doing."
You can get a new copy on Amazon at the moment for just 3 quid - here it is.
The album is on Spotify, but it seems to be blocked on YouTube by the record company.
Suggested related listening (the lesser goat-voiced albums!):
'Street Legal'
Not a single really famous Dylan song on the entire album but it's superb from start to finish.
Bob Dylan - 'Blood on the Tracks'
This was the album that preceded Desire and rather overshadows it in his catalogue. Personally, I think it's not quite so consistent but it does contain some superb tracks like Tangled Up in Blue, Simple Twist of Fate, Idiot Wind and Shelter from the Storm.
So, that's Desire by Bob Dylan.
Hope you like it!
, 
