thoughts on modern times 1

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1091&dept_id=425723&newsid=17197440&PAG=461&rfi=9

Hank Kalet wrote:

I won't disagree that the years in the wilderness didn't produce some great music -- "I and I" is as good a song as he produced during that period and one of his better generally, but I don't think you can compare "Empire Burlesque," an uneven record, with "Love and Theft." I think if he would have released three records in the 1980s, culling the best material from "Shot of Love," "Infidels," "Empire Burlesque" and "Knocked Out Loaded" we wouldn't be having this discussion. I liked "Oh Mercy" a lot, by the way, but just think time has not been as kind to the production.

Thanks for the response.

Hank

Hank,

It's a pleasure to hear from the author. I apologize if I came across rudely. You hint at something vital in appreciating work from that period, and that is that you can make playlists and burn them now so that one can come up with their own versions of albums. For sure I would agree that Knocked out Loaded, Down In the Groove, and Empire Burlesque are worth one album. They were released between 1985 and 1988, so lets say he started work on them in 1984. I wonder what was the rush? Had he waited till 1988 with the best material from these.... Of course that didn't happen. Lucky for us, we can correct this with digital media and not throw away the few precious babies with the bath water. If he had chosen the right songs for Infidels, and done a better job with Oh Mercy in this regard too, knowing now what else came out of those sessions, Infidels and Oh Mercy would now be seen great works, I think--not Blonde on Blonde, mind you, but very strong, deep, and satisfying. So in that spirit, I have "corrected" versions of these two album in iTunes, even though I do like the originals very much.

I'm still wondering what to make of Modern Times. Some of the songs I swore off after a couple of listenings, I'm liking very much now. I haven't been able to come around to Nettie Moore yet, but strangely enough, I find myself thinking random lines from it that stuck in my mind. I can't decide if I like the production, or if Dylan robbed some of the tracks of the vitality they were meant to have by having turned down do much. I enjoy listening to the band in all the tracks, but I find myself wanting them to let loose like they did on Love and Theft, an album which has grown in my estimation since it was released.


Hank Kalet wrote:

I won't disagree that the years in the wilderness didn't produce some great music -- "I and I" is as good a song as he produced during that period and one of his better generally, but I don't think you can compare "Empire Burlesque," an uneven record, with "Love and Theft." I think if he would have released three records in the 1980s, culling the best material from "Shot of Love," "Infidels," "Empire Burlesque" and "Knocked Out Loaded" we wouldn't be having this discussion. I liked "Oh Mercy" a lot, by the way, but just think time has not been as kind to the production.

Thanks for the response.

Hank