816 Bob Dylan - Time Out of Mind (1997)

 816 Bob Dylan - Time Out of Mind (1997)

Studio Album - Country Blues




About the Act:

Bob Dylan is a singer/songwriter/artist who is one of the most influential and successful songwriters in the world ever. He has had an enormous cultural impact, especially in his native America. He started in 1961 as a folk singer coming out of the beat generation, and annoyed a lot of his fans when he embraced electric instruments in 1965/6. He toured and recorded with his band "The Band". He explored country music in the early 70s, became a Born-Again Christian in the late 70s and produced several Christian-related albums. His career has meandered a bit since then but he is still active.


About the Album:

This was Bob Dylan's 30th studio album and was regarded by many to be a return to form for him. It was produced by Daniel Lanois, but Bob was reputedly unhappy with the final sound.


My History with this Album:

None


Review:

Well this is a momentous moment, the first Bob Dylan album in the list. I think it will surprise no-one to hear that it will not be the last.

A few albums ago I reviewed Mule Variations by Tom Waits. This album reminded me of that album, in sound and approach. It feels like a collection of Americana, songs that sound much older than they actually are, and is very warmly and atmospherically recorded. It is a beautiful listen on headphones, where the richness of the tones come through. There are a lot of guitars and keys (and other things as well) that are presented in an understated sort of way, mellow and unassuming, with simple, repeated riffs, very little in the way of solos or tunes from instruments, it's all about creating a living-room feel of backing, people chugging away at their job, as if they are happy to be doing their two chords every four bars or whatever it is, because it is laying the bedrock for Bob to sing. There is no doubt that this is what the album is about.

Bob is known for his nasal drawl, but by this stage in his career his voice has dropped and is quite gravelly. True, not as gravelly as Tom Waits (mentioned earlier) but still gravelly enough that you suspect he has gargled with somebody's drive. The songs are Americana too, songs that have the feel of telling stories, and the major theme is one of romance and love. Some happy, some less so. There is a pattern too, which is instead of verses and choruses, they are mostly just verses where the last line is the same every verse like a kind of refrain.

Stylistically, I might think of it as more Blues than Country, but with elements of both. There is the occasional dobro (resophonic guitar) or slide guitar.

I've spent a long time on description, and there comes a point in every album review when I say how much I liked it. I think I'm delaying that because I'm not sure. I'm pretty sure I did enjoy it, but I'm not sure how much. Enough. Oh, and oddly, the last song seems to be about Scotland.

7.5/10


Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/185DHT5SvszXRrezx3lOjt

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7DuEolpo-QFqlroFZ9YCA9idpfgJjV8B

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Out_of_Mind_(Bob_Dylan_album)



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