"Bob Dylan - Oh Mercy"

I'm always apprehensive about picking up anything Dylan did in the '80s. The decade wasn't too kind to him (his three evangelist Christian albums at the beginning of the decade are so abyssmal in certain ways that next to no one will listen to them), and the albums he made that were worthwhile still contained a seed of doubt and a bit of distrust. Most of his '80s work was simply too smooth, too glossy, too glitzy. In short, not Dylan. Dylan's music, while well-crafted, has always had a rough-and-tumble quality to it that disappeared for a lot of his '80s work. Combine it with a dearth of decent songs, awkward and preachy (literally) lyrics that simply aped dogma, and a public that was turning to new wave and punk, and Dylan really seemed out of place in the 1980s.

Oh Mercy was something of a comeback for Dylan, and certainly the most interesting solo work he'd done since 1983's Infidels. The production, provided by Daniel Lanois (who would also helm Dylan's late '90s Grammy-winning record Time Out of Mind, a record which owes much to Oh Mercy sonically speaking), creates a rather foreboding, haunting atmosphere, a perfect match to the lyrics and melodies Dylan wrote.

Musically, this album works better than anything Dylan had recorded since the late '70s. Haunting ballads, piano-driven contemplations, and tight rockers fill this record, and the instruments sound like they've been played in an echo chamber. The murky, atmospheric production works in the songs' favor, giving them an otherworldly feel.

Lyrically, Dylan is back in fine form. "Political World" kicks off the album with a litany of the problems with the modern world, while "Everything is Broken" dealves even deeper into the bruised and wounded psyche of contemporary society. "Ring Them Bells" is one of Dylan's most thoughtful contemplations on the nature of the soul, mankind, and the place where the two meet, and its subtle instrumentation and vocal delivery work perfectly. "Most of the Time," "What Good am I?" and "Shooting Star" are some of Dylan's most searching ballads, exploring ideas of loss, regret, purpose, and what might have been (or ought to be). In fact, "Most of the Time" is one of the best songs Dylan has written, whether in the '80s or in his peak days of the '60s or '70s. There's a stately grace and maturity to the song which is offset by the adolescent idea of being okay with the break up "most of the time." The lyrics bely this that assertion--the narrator is trying too hard to convince someone, either the object of his affection or himself, that he's okay with not being with her anymore, and only serves to prove that he is not over her. The song also features one of the best (and few) bridges Dylan ever wrote, and the song scales to new heights to meet it, then gears back down into its meloncholy groove to finish the song off.

Oh Mercy was an album that proved Dylan still had his skills and his wits about him. Musically and lyrically, it recalled Dylan at his best--not because he simply aped the styles and themes which made him famous, but because he tapped into the same creative force which drove those early masterpieces. He recalled his best work by making a record of equal caliber, something which most musicians entering in their third or fourth decade of music would have a difficult time duplicating. Oh Mercy is a minor masterpiece, a latter-day Dylan album that fans of the young visionary Dylan can admire and enjoy.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: Bob Dylan, "What was it you Wanted"