Welcome to the subreddit of the poet laureate of rock 'n' roll. The voice of the promise of the '60s counter-culture. The guy who forced folk into bed with rock. Who donned make-up in the '70s and disappeared into a haze of substance abuse. Who emerged to find Jesus. Who was written off as a has-been by the end of the '80s and who suddenly shifted gears, releasing some of the strongest music of his career beginning in the late '90s. Ladies and gentlemen — Columbia recording artist Bob Dylan!
I got a lot of comments on my 80s post. I've continued my journey to listen to all of Bob Dylan's albums and was going to do another post about his 90s output. However, I saw that he only had four 90s albums so I decided to just review the rest as I went along and then make a post about it.
Under The Red Sky (1990)
Rating: 5/10
This is a weird one for me. I actually like most of the songs on this album. But it just feels so... flat. I don't know what it is about it, but I just don't enjoy it as much as some of his other albums despite liking most of it. This one just feels sorta middle of the road for me. I don't think it's bad but I wouldn't rank it as being anywhere near his best work.
Also, I need to ask... what the hell was he on when he wrote "Wiggle Wiggle"? I don't mind the instrumental but the lyrics are just... pretty bad, especially coming from the guy who wrote songs like Subterranean Homesick Blues and Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts.
Good As I Been To You (1992)
Rating: 5.5/10
This album is just alright in my opinion. Sure it FEELS like a classic 60s acoustic Bob Dylan album but the majority of the songs just aren't memorable and a bit like Under the Red Sky it feels kinda flat. There were still some songs I enjoyed however, like "Hard Times" and "Froggie Went a Courtin'".
World Gone Wrong (1993)
Rating: 7/10
This was better than the previous album, though I have the same stance that it simply "feels" like a classic Bob Dylan album. The high points are a lot better on this one, though. The title track and Jack-a-Roe in particular are better than anything on the previous two albums.
Time Out of Mind (1997)
Rating: 9.5/10
GOD DAMN. This was a great album. Oh Mercy was cool, but to me this was Bob Dylan's REAL career comeback. Everything about this album is just such an improvement over the previous two decades of his career. This one, in my opinion, is the best thing he's done since Street Legal in 1978.
Love and Theft (2001)
Rating: 9.5/10
This album was just as good as Time Out Of Mind in my opinion, if not slightly better. Great and consistent all the way through, another solid listen. My favourite song on this album without a doubt is "Mississippi" but it's all good.
Modern Times (2006)
Rating: 5.5/10
Man, this one was kinda disappointing after the last two or three albums... Just wasn't a fan. Some songs were kinda cool, like "When the Deal Goes Down" and "The Levee's Gonna Break", but apart from that I just don't feel this one.
Together Through Life (2009)
Rating: 8/10
Another pretty good album from Bob Dylan. Not really on the same level as Time Out of Mind or Love and Theft for me but a pretty enjoyable album. It's a different one, but as I said in my last post on here Bob has always been trying out different types of music so it doesn't make it a bad album. Beyond Here Lies Nothing and It's All Good in particular are absolutely bangers.
Christmas in the Heart (2009)
Rating: 7/10
I think it says a lot about Bob Dylan's ability as a musician when his CHRISTMAS ALBUM is genuinely pretty good. Maybe I'm just in the holiday spirit, but I actually enjoyed this album quite a bit. He does some pretty good covers of Christmas classics, and he's clearly having fun recording the album which definitely helps the mood a lot.
Tempest (2012)
Rating: 9.5/10
Damn, this album was awesome. The 14 minute "Tempest" in particular is the main standout, although the also pretty long "Roll on John" (which I'm assuming is a tribute to John Lennon based on the lyrics) is pretty cool as well, as is "Narrow Way" and "Long and Wasted Years." Ahh, every song is just so good on this one.
Shadows in the Night (2015)
Rating: 4.5/10
God dammit Bob... YOU WERE DOING SO WELL! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO RELEASE THIS? Ugh... I'm sorry, but this album is just so boring. In the 21st century up to now, he had an okay album, a good album, a great album, and two amazing albums. THEN HE RELEASES THIS! This album is a basic collection of Frank Sinatra covers. The main issue is that if I wanna listen to Frank Sinatra, I'll listen to Frank Sinatra. I think there were two or three covers on here I actually enjoyed... the rest? Nah, don't care for it.
Fallen Angels (2016)
Rating: 3/10
Sigh... I don't even know what to say about this one really. It's pretty much just the previous album but, in my opinion, even more boring. I don't think I can say anything more without copy and pasting my previous review, except this time I only liked one of the songs instead of three of them, and it was right at the very end.
Triplicate (2017)
Rating: 3/10
When I heard that this was essentially the same as the last two albums, I knew from the start that I probably wasn't gonna like a TRIPLE album of the exact same thing. And that assumption held up. I actually prefer the songs on this album to the first, but it's just so long that it eventually got became difficult to listen to. A good song here and there just doesn't justify the album's length.
Rough and Rowdy Ways (2020)
Rating: 10/10
HOLY SHIT. This album has no business being as good as it is. I think the last Bob Dylan album I'd give a 10 to is either Desire or Street Legal, so the mid to late 1970s. I genuinely think this is Bob Dylan's best album in over 40 years. It just gets better as it goes along. It's not a traditional Bob Dylan album in the slightest, but that's part of what makes it so good. It doesn't pretend to be something it's not. Songs like "My Own Version of You", "Crossing the Rubicon", and "Key West" are great, but for me the real highlight is the 17 minute "Murder Most Foul". Genuinely one of the greatest songs he's ever done imo.
As a slight extra: I somehow missed The Basement Tapes while binging his albums, so I listened to that for the first time between Christmas in the Heart and Tempest. That was also an amazing album. 10/10
So... overall, I enjoyed listening to all of these albums. Bob Dylan has always been one of my favourite artists so it was nice finally getting to hear all of this music that I hadn't heard yet. Next up I'll be listening to the Bootleg Series although I don't think I'll review them.
This has been an interesting experience and if Bob Dylan ever does release another album I will look forward to it.
I think we have similar tastes in late Dylan. But damn you should give modern times another shot. Goes toe toe with the previous 2 and is head and shoulders better than anything after until RARW
Workingman's Blues #2 is one of his all time best. Up there with Key West and Brownsville Girl.
I’m putting in my vote for Nettie Moore to be the stand out on Modern Times
I would place Modern Times up there with the other albums from that decade but less than Love and theft, slightly more than Together Thru Life
Modern Times has Spirit on the Water and Thunder on the Mountain which are some of his strongest pieces. Also Under the Red Sky has Handy Dandy which is a masterpiece.
I got to the last sentence, and I’m sorry but now I’m questioning your entire comment
The music echos sounds of Like a Rolling Stone, closest he’s done to it. The character he creates is highly complex and he paints this complexity in a classic, like no other, Bob Dylan fashion. Also the song lends itself to multiple avenues of interpretation. Warrants a second third and even 4th chance. I hope it clicks for you like it has for me.
I’m cautiously intrigued… will give it another listen. Nice username btw
It was fun reading your reviews and getting what sounds like a first impression of these works. I appreciate your thoughts. I hard disagree on the traditional pop albums, especially Triplicate, but i think you more than made up for it with the rave review of Rough & Rowdy Ways. Haha It is indeed excellent.
I predict that Bob's crooner period will be looked back on favorably by some, and negatively by most. Like his Revivalist period. Coming from somebody who likes his Revivalist music well enough.
![[deleted]](https://www.redditstatic.com/shreddit/assets/snoovatar-back-64x64px.png){kind=small}
I like crooner Bob! Something just feels really thematically right about him returning to the great American songbook. Are they my personal favourite? No. But I think they're really comfy albums to listen to.
Re Wiggle Wiggle - Under the Red Sky started as an album with his grandchildren in mind - the whole thing holds together a bit better if you listen through that lens.
It's interesting that you find the two 90s album where he plays only traditional folk songs (good as I been to you, and world gone wrong) to have not that great of songs. To me those are some of the best songs ever written but I can also see how maybe preconceived notions could affect how much you like them. Like if you were thinking they were written by Bob then that could change how they feel. Totally fair enough also that you might just not be into them or that vein of folk was just interesting to me
I didn’t like Shadows In the Night on first listen, but I did like Fallen Angels, which then made me appreciate Shadows. The band is incredible on both, and I think Bob added something to those songs BG recording them.
The Complete Basement Tapes box set is essential listening. The holy grail of bootlegs.
