Tag Archives: Desire

by

Song of the Day #6,110: ‘Oh, Sister’ – Bob Dylan

Concluding a countdown of my favorite albums of 1976…

#1 – Desire – Bob Dylan

Desire might be my eighth or ninth favorite Bob Dylan album, but that’s enough to make it my favorite release of 1976.

This album is a showcase of Dylan as a collaborator. He co-wrote most of the songs’ lyrics with psychologist Jacques Levy; Emmylou Harris’ backing vocals add grace and texture; and most important, Scarlet Rivera’s violin gives the record a rich air of mystery. Desire sounds like nothing else he ever recorded.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #4,032: ‘Isis’ – Bob Dylan

A few years ago I made a quick reference to a website called PopSpots, where a man named Bob Egan tracks down and documents the exact locations of album covers.

The PopSpot I referenced was the cover of Billy Joel’s 52nd Street. That was a relatively easy one (the location is right there in the title), but Egan still did a very thorough job of finding the exact location despite 40 years of New York City development.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #2,109: ‘Hurricane’ – Bob Dylan

hurricane_carterRubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter died in his sleep on Easter Sunday, nearly 30 years after he was freed from prison.

Carter was incarcerated for 19 years for a murder he didn’t commit, after being convicted by an all-white jury based on the testimony of two criminals who later recanted.

Carter’s story was dramatized in the 1999 film Hurricane, starring Denzel Washington, and more memorably in Bob Dylan’s 1975 song of the same name, the opening track on Desire.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #1,442: ‘Black Diamond Bay’ – Bob Dylan

When I recently counted down my list of favorite 70s albums, Blood on the Tracks was the only Bob Dylan album to make the cut. I considered adding The Basement Tapes and especially Desire to that list but ultimately decided to make room for other artists.

Listening to ‘Black Diamond Bay,’ today’s Random Weekend selection, I find myself rethinking that decision. Desire is a fabulous collection, as lyrically rich and sonically beautiful as anything Dylan has recorded.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #665: ‘Sara’ – Bob Dylan

Desire is packed with great songs, including epic true stories of boxer Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter and gangster Joey Gallo (in the songs ‘Hurricane’ and ‘Joey,’ respectively).

I will always associate ‘Hurricane’ with the fabulous scene from Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused in which Wooderson and company enter The Emporium in slow-mo as Dylan’s song plays. If you haven’t seen Dazed and Confused, shut down your computer and make it happen right away. One of my favorite movies of all-time; a true American classic.

Continue reading →