Dignity, Series of Dreams...that review should probably say something about the cocaine era finally waning, and people no longer thinking those big spacious studio drums and high shoulder padded blazers were good ideas.

What's funny too is that as critical as Dylan has been of his experience recording this album with Lanois (I swear 3/4 of Bob Dylan Chronicles was about it), it's pretty much the Genesis of the sound that he and his touring band have been playing for the last 20 years.

Amazon and Bobdylan.com both have pre-orders up for the cd and vinyl versions of Witmark and Mono sets. Wish the vinyl wasn't so expensive. $120/Witmark, $250/Mono set.

I've really enjoyed giving Oh Mercy a couple of spins (I'll even give it the dreaded "Best Dylan since Blood On The Tracks designation)

I don't think the production sounds dated at all. (I actually think Lanois stuff in general holds up pretty well.) Shit, compare Willie Nelson's version of "What Was It You Wanted" from 1993 but produced by Don Was--I think I'll always prefer Willie's version but THAT shit sounds dated.

Like contradiction, I'm something of an aficionado of Dylan's MTV Unplugged and I much prefer the versions of "Shooting Star" and "Dignity" (not on the album, of course, but from the sessions) from that show, but "Shooting Star" and pretty much everything here works for me.

Yep, this one is a keeper.

Dylan followed Oh Mercy, his most critically acclaimed album in years, with Under the Red Sky, a record that seemed like a conscious recoil from that album's depth and atmosphere. By signing Don Was, the king of mature retro-rock, as producer, he guaranteed that the record would be lean and direct, which is perhaps exactly what this collection of simplistic songs deserves. Still, this record feels a little ephemeral, a collection of songs that Dylan didn't really care that much about. In a way, that makes it a little easier to warm to than its predecessor, since it has a looseness that suits him well, especially with songs this deliberately lightweight. As such, Under the Red Sky is certainly lightweight, but rather appealing in its own lack of substance, since Dylan has never made a record so breezy, apart from (maybe) Down in the Groove. That doesn't make it a great, or even good, record, but it does have its own charms that will be worth searching out for Dylanphiles.

Don Was: The Most Reviled Producer Ever?

Discuss.

The saddest thing to realize here is that he was putting out albums every other year at this point, and they all SUCKED. Like, he could have held back a little and put out something not completely embarrassing.

Given the acclaim of The Bootleg Series and the perceived disappointment of Under the Red Sky, it seemed like it was time for Dylan to bounce back with a convincing album of original material. Instead, he delivered a record of folk songs, his first straight covers album ever, not to mention his first guitar, harmonica, and voice record since the early '60s. That alone would make it an anomaly, but Good as I Been to You is more than that, because it's a really good traditional folk album, having just enough familiar tunes — "Frankie and Albert," "Blackjack Davey," "Sitting on Top of the World," "Froggie Went A-Courtin'" — to provide an entryway to the less familiar numbers, which are delivered equally well. Yes, this could be seen as a rather unassuming record, but that's what's special about it. In 1992, not even folksingers were working with this material, but Dylan did, reviving folk's (and rock's) ties to the past at an unexpected time and with unexpectedly strong results. A minor high point in his catalog.

What the fuck is his obsession with Froggie Went a Courtin? I don't know if I can handle much more of this.

What the fuck is his obsession with Froggie Went a Courtin? I don't know if I can handle much more of this.