'Down In The Groove' - is it really such a bad album?
CHRISTOPHER ROLLASON
Having been listening recently to 'Down In the Groove', I am by no
means sure that I can agree with Clinton Heylin that this is Dylan's
'worst album'.
It is true that this album contains only two genuine Dylan originals,
'Death Is Not The End' and 'Had A Dream About You, Baby' ('Silvio' and
'Ugliest Girl' have Dylan tunes to Robert Hunter lyrics), and the
selection of cover versions might seem wilfully obscure, apart from
'Let's Stick Together'. I certainly programme out 'Ugliest Girl',
which I think is in bad taste.
However, there _are_ good tracks on this album. 'Silvio' has had some
attention on rmd, and has been ensured a new lease of life by
inclusion on 'Greatest Hits III' and in recent live sets. I would also
defend three other tracks.
'Death Is Not The End' is a carefully wrought, moving declaration of
religious faith (whether or not one agrees with the beliefs
expressed), of the hope symbolized by the 'tree of life' (blooming
within the Gates of Eden?) in the face of a world of violence and
corruption; I would include 'when the cities are on fire with the
burning flesh of men' as one of Dylan's most frightening lines, on a
par with 'they're selling postcards of the hanging' or 'they say
Dignity was the first to leave'.
'Shenandoah' strikes me as a successful recreation of a traditional
song, with a suitably atmospheric backing (is it an Appalachian
dulcimer I hear?; there is certainly an instrument not mentioned in
the credits), which Dylan sings with both dramatic feel and
sensitivity. He narrates the frontier saga with clarity and
enthusiasm, and the harmonica break comes just at the right moment,
marking a gap in the story (does the Native American chief Shenandoah
accept the white man's suit for his daughter, if only provisionally? -
we aren't told his answer). It seems to me this is a _more_ successful
reading of a traditional song than 'Precious Memories' on 'Knocked Out
Loaded', and looks forward to GAIBTY and WGW.
Finally, I find 'Rank Strangers to Me' a very moving performance. I
don't know who the author, 'A. Brumley', may have been, but I would
class Dylan's version along with his covers of 'A Satisfied Mind' and
'Lone Pilgrim' as, in all three cases, successful variations on the
theme of a life summed up. Dylan's elongated vocals on this song make
a haunting lament and invite the listener to reflect on the
possibilities of communication in the existing society (call it
'alienated', 'fallen' or whatever, but something is wrong if we are
strangers to each other, yet realize that somewhere, some day it could
be different - call that 'heaven' or 'utopia', or some other name). I
would add that I would like to hear Emmylou Harris do this song - it
would not have been out of place on her 'Angel Band' album.
I conclude that, even if some of the tracks are lightweight, DITG is
rather more than just a bunch of songs thrown together - there is
enough salvageable material to reward the dedicated listener. I would
say the same of 'Self Portrait', and even of the non-Dylan-authorized
'Dylan (A Fool Such As I)'. Indeed, is there _any_ substantive Dylan
album that is all bad? If one has to name a 'worst album', I might
feel obliged to pick 'Knocked Out Loaded' - _except_ that among the
dross there shines 'Brownsville Girl', which just happens to be one of
Bob's all-time masterpieces ...
Christopher Rollason
Metz, France
roll...@dialup.francenet.fr
'but would not change my free thoughts for a throne' (Byron)
Ben Taylor
CHRISTOPHER ROLLASON <roll...@dialup.francenet.fr> writes:
>I conclude that, even if some of the tracks are lightweight, DITG is
>rather more than just a bunch of songs thrown together - there is
>enough salvageable material to reward the dedicated listener.
You've make a convincing case for the quality of certain songs on "Down
In The Groove" (no argument with that) but do they really fit together
into the unity of an album? I can't hear any worthy cohesion and so in
that sense it is indeed Dylan's "worse album". "Knocked Out Loaded" has
awful songs but it's easy to see how they relate to each other just by
paying attention to the sound. "Down In The Groove" is made up of some
high quality pieces from different unrelated jigsaws (plus some from
those horrific ones of the wide open nondescript sky....).
Ben Taylor
--
bpta...@laguna.demon.co.uk
ms. understood
In article
<GY6jtBAZ...@laguna.demon.co.uk>,
Ben Taylor <bpta...@laguna.demon.co.uk>
wrote:
>
>CHRISTOPHER ROLLASON
<roll...@dialup.francenet.fr> writes:
_down in the groove_ is one of dylan's few
raw self-inflected albums tracing
romantic suffering to its eventual
release into isolated individualism.
the others are _nashville skyline_, which
depicts the narrator as a zenlike, blithe,
gentle, simple, melodically ephemeral romantic
spirit.
_blood on the tracks_ is a detailed portrait
of love gone wrong and its aftermath.
_down in the groove_ paints a desperate
phase in the odyssey of a man living in the
lonely oblivion of middle-age, "when all
that you held sacred falls down and will
not mend" -- a ragged cubist portrait, not a
naturalistic still-life
_world gone wrong_ shows the eventual calm
synthesized from elegiac condensation -- "a
broke-down engine, ain't got no driving wheel"
-- eventually finding lonely peace through
"seas so severe."
Mike
Yes, it SUCKS very badly.
John H. Zureick
It's great. Might be one of the best Dylan album covers ever.
Won't make anybody forget Blonde on Blonde but definitely a fun
album with great songs. Especially Shenendoah (sp?), Rank Stangers,
Silvio and Ugliest Girl.
dcqv
roll...@dialup.francenet.fr (CHRISTOPHER ROLLASON) wrote:
>Having been listening recently to 'Down In the Groove', I am by no
>means sure that I can agree with Clinton Heylin that this is Dylan's
>'worst album'.
>[snip]
If only it had "Go Away Little Boy" on it.
Paul Bullen
>Having been listening recently to 'Down In the Groove', I am by no
>means sure that I can agree with Clinton Heylin that this is Dylan's
>'worst album'.
I would have been very happy if Dylan had released one album comparable to
Down In the Groove for each of the last 6 years. I certainly hope that
people like Heylin and Riley did not discourage him from doing so. I am
quite happy listening to Dylan's covers of other people.
By the way, what the deal with Tim Riley (author of Hard Rain: A Dylan
Commentary, 1992)?
Paul Bullen * Political Science * University of Chicago
Lorna Spenceley
I would also add "Ninety miles an hour" to the list - Dylan sings with
incredible power and passion on this soing of doomed love. I like the
accompanying bass vocals - an unusual touch for Dylan.
Nick Spenceley
EHendry
"DITG"...is it really?
YES!!!!!!!