Dylan's had a lot of ups and downs in his career. Before the Flood was recorded during an arguable drought for Dylan and The Band, who took to the road in 1974 with a live album planned. They professionally recorded the tracks over several concerts in the US and the result is a frantic, energetic rocking Dylan without the string-filled gypsiness of 1976's Desire.
In "Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I Go Mine)" — a hit in the 2000s when it was remixed for the radio — Dylan is belting out the end of each verse, practically yelling the entire album for the duration. There's an air of urgency to his voice, like he's trying to be heard by an audience quickly becoming disinterested in Dylan's allure. I'd mark this album as a triumph at the start of Dylan's fall. After Blood on the Tracks and the admirable Desire, Dylan would succumb to Christian influences that would wreck later efforts like '79s Slow Train Coming.
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But seriously, I should have posted something from Nashville Skyline. What the hell happened to his voice? It's amazing. I love Dylan. He's crazy.
ReplyDeleteOr how about his new Christmas album. Oh man! Crazy! He's so crazy, in a good way.
All Dylan is so good!
ReplyDeletebe careful how you say he 'succumbed' to Christian influences... that stuff was good too!
Also, Stuart, this wouldn't be the start of his fall, this album is the start of his 70s comeback... after this he has 'Blood On The Tracks' and 'Desire'... albums which many critics argue are better than his 60s work.
but still, great pick, great album.
love!
you're probably right but you cant seriously like slow train comin?
ReplyDeleteJust thought I'd supplement my "drought" comment: Appearing in New York Times on January 1974 is the article "Dylan Is His Own Dilemma; Pop," which I can't read fully but can guess from the headline that it's referring to this uncertain period.
ReplyDeleteIndeed his "drought" was remedied by this album (in my opinion) and the two subsequent (in everyone else's), but after a retirement of sorts this certainly was during a dry spell for a man who not five years earlier was a big big deal to many many people across the world.
http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00F1EFB385F107A93C2AB178AD85F408785F9&scp=1&sq=dylan%20band%201974&st=cse