CD Odyssey Disc 843: Bob Dylan

With all my late work hours lately, the only thing I feel like I’ve had time for is writing my book, so today I got up early and went to the gym before the day could distract me any further. I am a bit out of shape, so I’m exhausted. However, unlike the flu of last week it is a good kind of exhausted.

Now on to one of the great albums of all time – and the first 5 star album in over 30 reviews here on the CD Odyssey.

Disc 843 is….Oh Mercy

Artist: Bob Dylan

Year of Release: 1989

What’s up with the Cover? It’s a photo of some street art by a guy named Trotsky. I doubt it was the original Russian revolutionary Trotsky, but you never know – in the early days of Soviet Russia they were OK with art that didn’t extoll the virtues of the revolution. Of course, that didn’t last. Outside of Prince’s backup band, revolutions are rarely a good time.

This particular piece of art is what I would rate “better than the bare brick wall.” Not a rousing endorsement for Mr. Trotsky but better than a kick in the ass with a frozen mukluk, as my stepfather used to say.

How I Came To Know It: I went through a phase of buying a lot of Dylan’s back catalogue, and this was one that caught my eye. I think it was because it had “Man in the Long Black Coat” and I’d recently got interested in the song through the 1995 Joan Osbourne album “Relish” (reviewed back at Disc 613).

How It Stacks Up:  I have 19 Bob Dylan albums which is barely more than half of his total discography. Out of those 19, “Oh Mercy” is easily one of the best. I’ll rank it 5^th.

Ratings: 5 stars

“Oh Mercy” is markedly different than the classic Bob Dylan albums of the mid-sixties, but don’t let that deter you; it is every bit their equal.

So many established artists let the eighties sound drag their talent through the mud, but on “Oh Mercy” Dylan rises above those challenges and delivers an exceptional album musically, in its production and in its lyrics.

Musically, this record has incredible range, and to my mind the most range Bob has shown in his career. On other albums he tends to explore a single musical idea. Early on this was playing with traditional folk songs, infused with a Beatnik poet sensibility. Then in the late sixties and early seventies he played around with country and western music. More recently he’s focused his talents around traditional blues arrangements.

“Oh Mercy” has elements of many different styles, ranging from blues numbers (“What Was It You Wanted”) rockabilly (“Everything is Broken”) somber folk songs (“Man in the Long Black Coat”) inspirational devotionals (“Ring Them Bells”) and heartfelt confessions (“What Good Am I?”). Despite all the different musical approaches, the album never feels disjointed or awkward. Every song dovetails to the next with the skill of a master furniture builder fitting a joint.

A big part of this is the production work of Daniel Lanois, who matches his signature ambient sound to Dylan’s genius without ever trodding on it. This is my second review in three albums featuring Lanois (he also produced Robbie Robertson’s solo album at Disc 841) but here he has so much more to work with. Sometimes it is just the crickets chirping in the background of “Man In the Long Black Coat” and sometimes it is Lanois’ guitar playing, full of reverb and emotional import but he always seems to know just what touches to add, and when to just let the song breathe.

An added bonus of Lanois rounding out Dylan’s usual jangle is that it generates what I think is Bob’s finest vocal performance ever. His nasal tone is muted and his singing is full of emotional impact. He hasn’t sounded this good since “John Wesley Harding.”

It helps that these songs have a lot to say. They get deep into your heart and make you examine the lives of the characters they study or (more often than not) challenge your own views on life, the universe and everything.

“Political World” and “Everything is Broken” showcase Dylan’s concern with a decaying society. It is a theme he has explored many times in the past, but these songs are just as strong as his earlier work, and are aided by very interesting musical choices that keep your ear as engaged as your mind.

“Ring Them Bells” and “What Good Am I?” are two of my favourite Dylan songs of all time. Both fill my heart with life’s tough questions, while at the same time empowering me to make a difference. “Ring Them Bells” has a lot of religious connotation and while I’m not religious you can’t help but feel inspired by the song’s optimistic conclusion:

“Ring them bells Saint Catherine from the top of the room

Ring them from the fortress for the lilies that bloom

Oh the lines are long and the fighting is strong

And they're breaking down the distance between right and wrong.”

These lines remind me of my favourite quote from the poet Rumi: “Out beyond ideas of right-doing and wrong-doing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.”

On the other side of the ledger, “Most of the Time” is such a perfect song of lost love it will remind you all over again of the last time your heart got broken. If that last time that happened wasn’t too bad, then it’ll remind you of the last really bad one. It ends with:

“Most of the time she ain't even in my mind

I wouldn't know her if I saw her

She's that far behind

Most of the time I can even be sure

If she was ever with me

Or if I was ever with her

Most of the time I'm halfway content

Most of the time I know exactly where it went

I don't cheat on myself I don't run and hide

Hide from the feelings that are buried inside

I don't compromise and I don't pretend

I don't even care if I ever see her again

Most of the time.”

Whew. Somehow the breakup song works so well with an unreliable narrator. An honest version of this song would be “Some of the Time” since if you’re writing songs about her, she ain’t out of your system. Of course Bob knows this, but watching the character he presents struggle through that truth makes the hurt that much more real.

I could write an essay about every song on this record, but I’ve already ranted overlong. Go buy this record.

Best tracks:  All tracks