Desire - Bob Dylan - album review

Conventional wisdom has it that "Desire" was Bob Dylan's last record before his career entered another creative dip, lasting the best part of two decades. This may indeed be true, but the album merits examination, as one of the most enigmatic and intriguing of the great man's career.

One difficulty which some new listeners may encounter with "Desire" is that of "accessibility". The record is cloaked in an intangible shroud of mystery and vague nebulousness.  It is only when one sees through this cloud that the confidence and substance of the record can be fully savoured.

It is a more eclectic and varied album, lyrically at least, than "Blood On The Tracks", with the songs addressing a range of topics, from social injustice and relationships to travel and spirituality. Amid the diversity, some cohesion is supplied by the violin and the vocals of Emmylou Harris. These elements lend a pleasingly melodic and exotic texture to proceedings. It is surprising to note how little guitar work features here.

The mournful and reflective nature of some of the compositions, and the outward impression of sonic ennui and melancholy, are deceptive. I detect a real freedom about the work here, of a singer-songwriter warming to his task, bolstered by the presence of new collaborators and a sense of liberation from any straitjackets. The songs are perhaps less immediately engaging emotionally, but the subject matter is challenging, provocative and fresh. The songwriting tie-up with Jacques Levy doubtless contributed to the impetus and creative vigour. In places even Dylan's singing exhibits a certain exuberance.

"Hurricane" is the imposing and relentless opener, one of the most notable protest songs ever recorded. Unlike many protest numbers, this one stands up musically in its own right, and the melody and backing also ideally complement the message. If anyone doubted Dylan's capacity to still turn out music of power and relevance in the mid-1970s, this was their answer. Still as potent and resonant almost four decades later.

Serving as the other "bookend" of "Desire" is "Sara", one of  Dylan's most nakedly personal and candid songs, harking back to "Blood On The Tracks" in some ways. The presence at either end of the album of emphatic social commentary and frank confession is proof that all the bases of singer-songwriterdom were comfortably mastered, although Dylan stood, consciously or otherwise, outside any particular movement or "scene" by 1976.

Of the songs in between, "Isis" is to me the most affecting, combining lyrically the flavour of Dylan's mid-60s work with his less cryptic and oblique later style.

If there is a theme to this album, one could argue that it is preoccupied with drifters, outlaws and outcasts, if one also notes the presence of such songs as "One More Cup Of Coffee", "Joey" and "Romance In Durango". Whether this direction was itself a commentary on the times, or on anyone's state of mind, is open to question.

On first listen, "Desire" can seem like some of the jaded and listless American singer-songwriter fare being released circa 1976. However, it has much more vibrancy, focus and depth than that, and stands as possibly Dylan's last truly important record.

Blood On The Tracks - Bob Dylan - album review

It is a truism that albums, or records generally, assume greater personal relevance or resonance if they touch on a raw area of experience for the listener.  The words and themes begin to loom much larger in the consciousness.

For me, an example of this is Bob Dylan's Blood On The Tracks, released in early 1975. Until comparatively recently, I had respected this as a collection of frank, confessional and well-crafted songs, and could understand the eulogies which placed this album among the foremost achievements in Dylan's career. However, listening to it in recent months has infused this music with a new poignancy and power for me.

The writing and recording of this collection of songs took place amid personal turmoil and upheaval for the songwriter.  These factors undoubtedly helped to catalyse matters, although it is also fair to argue that Dylan's artistic vitality was on something of an upswing anyway as the mid-Seventies approached.

In strict musical terms there is little which is out of the ordinary on Blood On The Tracks, but it is the combination of lyrics, and the atmosphere evoked by the melodies and soundscape, which creates the overall effect. In fact, some might find the diet of acoustic guitars a little samey and stodgy, but in general the compelling poetry and songcraft override such qualms.

The record opens with three or four memorable songs, on which much of the album's reputation is founded.

Many people who have never heard the record assume (like I once did) that this is almost a concept album, but I think that this is a misrepresentation.  Yes, the lyrics to most of the tracks address issues of regret, loneliness and melancholy, but there is sufficient variation in context and scenario to make each song self-contained and autonomous.  The opener "Tangled Up in Blue" sets the tone, but it would be a mistake to assume that every song is just a derivation of this one.

The album is filled with powerful tracks, but for me the most affecting by far is "Simple Twist Of Fate".  A masterly amalgam of Dylan's lyrical styles, it achieves the rare distinction of compelling the listener to conjure up visual images, as well as acute emotions, in his or her mind.

"You're A Big Girl Now" has a resolutely mid-Seventies sheen and ambience, reminding me of a oppressively humid and mournful summer's evening.  Some very pleading and heartfelt vocal lines from the great man, and rich but wistful chord changes, contribute to the overall effect.

The next number, "Idiot Wind", almost has a "runaway" quality about it, and the lyrics and singing contain a blend of indignation and resignation.  This is all augmented and complemented by the "airless" production, promoted in part by the organ.

At the mid-point, "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" serves to inject some more simplicity and spontaneity, harking back to Dylan's pre-1967 output, albeit with tinges of the melodic and production motifs which run through this whole album.

Of the later tracks, (I will skip the Dylan-by-numbers of "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts"), the most impactful is the heart-wrenching "If You See Her, Say Hello", which has a genuine pathos, even by the standards of Blood On The Tracks.  The singing also feels spontaneous, rather than the result of some affectation.

"Shelter From The Storm" is another one which is redolent of Dylan's compositions circa 1964/65, but less oblique lyrically, and it retains the interest, and ticks thematic boxes, sufficiently to feel at home in this company.  One of this record's unheralded strengths is the mixture of dense and stripped-down arrangements, which temper what could have become a feeling of claustrophobia.

Many "classic" albums tend to have a real tour-de-force for a closing track, a bookend of real stamp.  "Buckets of Rain" scarcely qualifies as such, but its downbeat and ascetic pallor is strangely appropriate here.

In purely musical terms quite conservative, Blood On The Tracks nevertheless has a sincerity, directness and emotional punch which make it special.  In its own way, as substantial as anything produced by Bob Dylan.