Perspire

Overall Album Score: 9.2 out of 10

Well, first let me address why I'm about the only music critic on the planet to give Desire a significantly higher score than the score I gave to Blood on the Tracks.

Slap me across the face and kick me in the groin, but when other critics scream "OVERPRODUCED" at a song, I'm less likely to budge. I like it when songs are layered and layered with sound. It makes the song more interesting and enjoyable to me. Bob Dylan, for years, never really gave much of a hillbillied hooey about his song arrangements and production. His old folk albums, including even Another Side of Bob Dylan, took me practice to appreciate. (However, since they had a lot of excellent songs on it, it didn't take me *a lot* of practice ... but I think you get the picture.) Blood on the Tracks, while this album is extremely well produced, is still rather minimal. I also complained frequently in that review that those songs are so danged normal!

And along comes Desire ... an album with all sorts of interesting songs on them, many of which are just layered and layered with sound! Dylan invites Emmylou Harris to duet with him on many of these songs, and, my favorite bit, an excellent violinist (Scarlett Rivera) who plays some absolutely gorgeous accompanying notes!

In fact, I believe that you can boil the entire reason to why Desire received a half-point more than Blood on the Tracks down to this violinist. ...I can't stress how much I adore it! Oooooooohhohohohohoh! That completely *makes* this album for me!

Another major reason why the other critics score Blood on the Tracks higher than Desire is for the lyrics. Never before since The Times They Are A-Changin' has Bob Dylan written lyrics about anything specific before! For example, "Hurricane" is specifically about the unfair jailing of the boxer. ...And many of the other songs are about specific subjects as well. Although, some of them aren't. Nevertheless, I have already made my position about lyrics ... how I never like to judge them ... but even I can see how the simpler lyrics can affect a Dylan album. Part of the reason for this change, presumably, is that Dylan for some strange reason invited Jacques Levy in to collaborate with the lyrics. ... This, of course, makes no sense to me ... lyrics were always Bob's strongest talent ... I would suggest that Dylan ought to have brought someone to help with the melodies, but ... DUDE! ... these melodies are so wonderful that Bob didn't need help with those, anyway ... what excellent melodies ...

This is an excellent album! This might even be a good buy for people who are afraid of 'revolutionary-era' Dylan, but who don't like country-rock enough to want to purchase John Wesley Harding and Nashville Skyline.

Overall Album Score: 9.2 out of 10 (Along with John Wesley Harding and Nashville Skyline, this is among Bob Dylan's most satisfying albums ... on the musical level. Desire is a wonderful album ... It's marred only slightly by some relatively overbearing songs. But the melodies are great!)

Average Song Score: 9.2 (What an excellent set of songs! This is one of Bob Dylan's most concentrated set of excellent melodies ... and it's definitely Bob's most concentrated set of excellent arrangements.)

Album Tilt: 9.5 (Wow! I sat through this album more than four times before I reviewed it, which is twice as much as I normally sit through an album before I review it, and I loved it every single time.)

Artist Rating: 9.0 (There are slight points off for the lyrics being so normal ... I guess ...)

Track Reviews

Hurricane 10plus/10

It's a protest song and the lyrics are about something specific. (Back when I reviewed Dylan's old protest folk album, I remember saying that he was at it worst whenever he wrote protest songs about a specific event.) Nevertheless, the melody here is REALLY GREAT. It even has a chorus! *A genuine chorus*! And it's really a sort of pop song. Bob Dylan *never* writes pop songs ... and he finally writes one, and it's the greatest thing I've ever heard since ... since ... I don't know. It's a sprawling 8:32 minutes, and never once could it even hope to get boring! Musically, the song probably could have ended safely after three minutes, but, on that same note, this song is so wonderful that the insane length is entirely welcome. That Middle-Eastern violin was absolutely the perfect touch, too. It wouldn't have scored quite as high without it. I absolutely love this... This is probably Bob's most wonderful song since "Like a Rolling Stone" ten years before this.

Isis 9/10

This pales most strongly compared to "Hurricane," but it's still a good song. The melody is fine ... The lyrics aren't very personal or protesty ... they're more surrealistic! That Middle Eastern violin is still here ... and it's still wonderful. Really. I give that violin two very enthusiastic thumbs up.

Mozambique 10/10

This is Bob Dylan's most poppiest song yet! It's been called "breezy" by the All-Music Guide, and I can do nothing but agree with them. This is a very breezy song! It also has a fantastic melody ... It's kind of complicated, too, yet it succeeds. Songs like these are among the most intriguing on the planet.

One More Cup of Coffee 9.5/10

To go along with that Middle-Eastern violin going off all over the place during these songs, Dylan delivers a Middle-Eastern sounding song. It's a very good melody, and it was also very well-performed.

Oh, Sister 8.5/10

A little bit slower and drearier, this one is still quite strong, although, I don't think that the melody is *particularly* great here, although it's still quite decent. This almost sounds like more of an old 19th Century hymn ... you know, like something out of John Wesley Harding. I like it! This is one song in particular, though, that I wouldn't have liked to see extended at all. At a tiny bit over four minutes, it's at a length where it's definitely not too short, nor does it grow too old.

Joey 12/15

Now, this is LOOOOOOOOOOOONG! Eleven minutes! That's like half of an episode of The Simpsons! I can't believe that I could be watching half of an episode of The Simpsons and this song would be playing throughout the whole half of it! Unfortunately, this doesn't particularly strike me as a song that should have been extended for so long, but it really doesn't grow old. "Joey" has got an epic feel about it. It's also kinda French! The violinist must have lost his passport or something! And now he's a Frenchie! Anyway, the epicness of it means that it's perfectly okay that it's so danged long. Well, I'm playing this song as I'm writing this paragraph ... so I think I'm going to do something else as this song finishes itself ... excuse me for a moment ... I'll be back ...

Hello, I'm back! The song is over, and I still haven't gotten bored with it. I knew that I wouldn't get bored with it ... I've listened to it before ... obviously ...

Romance in Durango 8.5/10

Bonjour! ... Or maybe this is Italian ... Bonjourno! ... Oh, I don't care what language this stupid song is in. Whatever it is, it sounds European! And they speak so many languages in Europena that it's almost impossible to tell what language a European is speaking. ...Unless the Europena is speaking English. I can understand that okay. Actually, "Romance in Durango" is a little bit overblown. It sounds a lot like something that you might hear in a Mexican restaurant. ...Oh crap! They're not speaking Europena! They're speaking Mexican! "Durango" is in Mexiconia, isn't it? Yeah ... this is definitely Mexican ... And I think I'm going to put this song in my portable CD player and bring it to a Mexican restaurant ... so I can get in the mood for burritos! Ole!

Black Diamond Bay 9/10

Bob Dylan ... continues ... to write ... weird foreign songs ... He's still completely awesome, though. The melody here, again, is entirely super. That Middle-Eastern violin is back and *being cool* ... This song is about seven and a half minutes and, like every single other of Dylan's lengthy songs, it's engaging and it simply *doesn't* get old!

Sara 10/10

This one is a song about Bob Dylan's wife, Sara Dylan ... OBVIOUSLY! And it's OBVIOUSLY touches on their pending break-up. An it's OBVIOUSLY a very personal song for Bob Dylan. Ohhhhhh... and that violin is very touching here! ... In fact, this song is touching as a whole. It's very nostalgic and it'll be sure to bring a lump to your throat. This is an excellent album-closer!

I'm betting that you're desiring to leave me a comment about "Desire." I assure you that I also desire to leave you a comment about "Desire." Leave your desirable comments here!

aasmundgj@hotmail.com (Åsmund) received June 11, 2004

Desire is in my opinion the most perfect album of all times. It's catchy, but still dark and moody. And is both well produced, and spontanious. The gyspy violin, played by Scarlet Rivera, is just the perfect last thouch on a perfect album.

Hurricane (9/10)

Dylan is singing a protest song (for the first time since George Jackson in 1970) and it sounds great, catchy melody, and lyrics about a special case, which still seems to be universal.

Isis (9,5/10)

Wonderful! That slow beat which is driving the song foreward, the violin smooding out the banging rythm of the piano. And great surreal lyrics. "I married Isis on the fifth day of may..." Great vocal performance, too.

Mozambique (8/10)

The weakest song of the album. Still not bad. Catchy melody, but the lyrics are not up to the standard of the rest of the album, even if you look upon it as a satire of the civil war in Mozambique.

One More Cup Of Coffee (10+/10)

Just the most perfect song ever! The Gypsy violin fitting with the lyrics about gypsies. The soft, melancholic lyrics, sung in the hebrew cantilation manner, makes it sound like a song from ancient times.

Oh Sister (10/10)

Another masterpiece. The lyrics about love between brothers and sisters, with clear religious images. Beautiful!

Joey (9,5/10)

A great epic song. It is far too long, if you had not been dragged into the story, untill you see the whole thing in your mind.

Romance In Durango (10/10)

Another masterpiece. The cowboy ballad of the album. Smelling of chilli and mexican spices, way down in the desert of Estadio De Durango (the State of Durango). The Spanish lines are just right for the song. "No illores mi querída/ Dios nos vigila/.../Aggarame mi vida" (Don't be afraid, my dear/ God is protecting us/.../Take my life (for those who wondered what it meant)).

Black Diamond Bay (9,5/10)

A song I have learned to love over some time. A cool story, sat in an interesting context. And some of the best rhymes ever (veranda/and a)!

Sara (9,5/10)

Dylan's most heartbreaking song ever. So personal, so sad! "Don't ever leave me, don't ever go"

Don Ignacio responds: Thank you very much for sending me your elaborate thoughts about Desire. And you even detail lyrics, which is something that I typically stay away from.