Time Out of Mind - Dylan, Bob (CD 1997)

Growing up as a teen in the eighties, Bob Dylan had become fodder for lame morning show deejays and cheesy late night talk show hosts. He was an easy target, showing up incoherent at times and bizarre at others. His music had lacked something, a fire that burned so strong at one time. I rooted for Bob, and wanted him to become relevant again.

The nineties were encouraging. Dylan took a break from songwriting, and did a few albums of covers. He was trying to find something he lost, by working on the mechanics of these old songs. It worked. Time Out of Mind gives us Dylan with skills sharpened and a deeper wisdom, the perspective of age.

Love Sick creeps in, with an organ and Bob's creaky and prophetic voice:
"I'm walkin'
through streets that are dead..."
The first time I heard those words, I knew he was back. Something exciting was going on again. The song has a simple structure. The subject matter is obvious from the title. He is sick of love, and trying to forget you. It is a very good song. Nothing that will change your life, but enjoyable to listen to.

Standing In The Doorway is classic Dylan. I love the slowness of the song. There is an expansiveness in the music that lets his words appear. He uses some beautiful imagery.
"The ghost of our old love
Has not gone away
Don't look like it will anytime soon.
You left me standin'
In the doorway crying.
Under the midnight moon."
I like that when you think the song is over, he just keeps telling the story. He sings it wistfully.
"Last night I danced with a stranger,
But she just reminded me you were the one.
You left me standing, in the doorway crying
In the darkland of the sun."
The song is very romantic and expressed expertly by Dylan. It has a nice flow.

Tryin' To Get To Heaven is excellent. It starts with an electric piano and cymbals.
"The air is getting hotter.
There's a rumbling in the sky.
I've been wading through the high muddy water,
With the heat rising in my eye.
Every day your memory grows dimmer.
It doesn't haunt me like it did before.
I've been walkin' through the middle of nowhere,
Tryin' to get to heaven before they close the door."
His writing is as strong as ever. You sense the sadness and regret of the later years. I find the song uplifting, and it takes a lot to lift me up.
...they tell me everything is gonna be all right.
I don't even know what all right even means.
....
Gonna sleep down in the parlor,
And relive my dreams.
I close my eyes and I wonder,
If everything is as hollow as it seems."
Man, do I ever know what he is talking about. That is what is so great about this cd. He gets to you at the deepest part of yourself. The last line is brilliant. It works on many levels.

Can't Wait is a slow boogie. It feels greasy. Bob sounds almost sexy. Reflection is the big theme again. The lyrics are blistering.
Well it's way past midnight,
and there's people all around,
some on their way up,
some on their way down.
The air burns,
and I'm trying to think straight.
And I don't know how much longer I can wait."
His singing is smart. He uses each pause to great effect. He sings some lines slow, some fast, as appropriate to what he is saying. See, you Dylan mockers! There is genius at work here. It is so smart it is easy to miss.

Highlands brings it to a close. It is a very mellow song. Kick back and enjoy the words. They are a trip.
"I'm listening to Neil Young,
I gotta turn up the sound.
Someone's always yelling,
Turn it down"
This song reminds me of his old mindfukks from the old days. It is as good as any of them. He shifts time and place. Parts of the song remind me of Picasso's paintings. You see things from all different angles at once. He does this with a restaurant scene, bantering with a waitress.
"She says, 'You're an artist?
Paint a picture of me.'
I said 'I would if I could,
but I don't do sketches from memory."
Think about that. The whole sixteen plus minute song is filled with lines like that. Underneath it all is a quiet groove. It is a funny but smart as hell.

Not every song here is a home run. There are a lot of triples. I can listen to it start to finish. Daniel Lanois deserves a huge amount of credit. His production is astounding. He creates soundscapes where Dylan can just lay back and let it fly.

If you like Dylan, buy this. If you are lukewarm, try it. He is back, and relevant. I hear his tour is outstanding.