"Love and Theft" (yes, those quotation marks are part of the album title) is one of the most important Dylan albums to me. Of course, I heard the classics first, but this was the first Dylan album I anticipated, sought out when it was released, & digested along with the rest of the world in real time. (Well, not immediately when it was released, since it dropped on 9/11/2001 & like most of America my thoughts were occupied by other things.) Consequently, it may be the Dylan album I've spent the most time with, so please take it with a grain of salt when I say that not only is this the best Dylan album since the 1980s, but unless he shakes up something major (which he has been known to do), it might be his last great album.
The bulk of the album is heavily influenced by early 20th-century Americana like lounge music, Dixieland, barrelhouse, etc. (See the jazzy organ & gentle brushwork of "Bye and Bye" or the louche picking of "Floater," "Moonlight" & "Po' Boy.") Most of the rest of the songs work in deep blues grooves, whether it's the accented 2-step of "Summer Days," the electrified Chicago style of "Lonesome Day," the amped-up blues rock of "Honest With Me" or the half-time/double-time shifts of "Cry a While." But for me the soul of the album is found in the simple folk-rock of "Mississippi," which was apparently written for Sheryl Crow, & I have a private theory that Dylan decided to record it himself after she did such a subpar job with it. With its twinkling mandolin hook & dramatic, ascending pre-chorus progression, it displays Dylan's peak talents as a writer of love songs (an oft-overlooked element of his artistry). The song manages to be hopeful yet practical, epic yet personal, grounded yet still able to believe in magic. With the plainspoken intrigue of late Dylan, this song's narrator is a frustrated lover who thinks he has finally figured out how to let go of what doesn't matter & hold on to what does. "Stick with me anyhow/Things should start to get interesting right about now." Count him down, but never count him out.
Another highlight for me is "High Water" which acts simultaneously as an ode to Charley Patton, a dissection of the American south in all its problematic beauty, & a dire assessment of the current state of world affairs. The circular banjo picking & wordless chants sound ominous even if you have no idea what he's talking about, but the lyrical mood of the album as a whole can be described as apocalyptic. He's frustrated with the hypocrisy of modern life & most people's seeming unwillingness to confront it. "I don't see what everybody in the world is up against." He's also in a fiery mood & isn't to be fucked with this time around: "I'm not quite as cool & forgiving as I sound"; "I'm preaching peace & harmony, the blessings of tranquility, but I know when the time is right to strike"; "set fire to the place as a parting gift."
At the same time, though, Dylan's cracking a lot of jokes on this album--something mostly absent from the reflective Time Out of Mind, minus the odd Erica Jong reference. Most of these jokes are unapologetically corny: "Man said 'Freddy,' I said 'Freddy who?' He said 'Freddy or not here I come." Then there's "Politician's got on his jogging shoes/Must be running for office," which is a major groaner, but luckily he follows it up with the gobsmacking line "sucking the blood out of the genius of generosity," which is one of the most concise, cutting indictments of American political life I've ever had the pleasure of hearing.
Like I said, I played the shit out of this CD between 2001 & 2006, so don't take my word as gospel, but there isn't a single song I skip on here. Even the one I'm least enamored with (opener "Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum" never did a lot for me), is still a decent mood setter & doesn't overstay its welcome. Much of the mood & style here would continue in Modern Times & Together Through Life, with a bit of diminishing returns along the way, until Bob decided to switch the whole thing up & make a Christmas album. Like I said, don't count the boy out.
No comments:
Post a Comment