Bob Dylan’s strange recipe leads to gooey middle

As I have read through Howard Sounes’ excellent Bob Dylan biography, Down the Highway, I have found myself compelled to listen to and explore all facets of Dylan’s catalog. Easy enough (and pleasant enough) to do with the canon, and certainly so with his more recent work, but what about that soft, saggy middle?

I came to Dylan, like many probably did, with Time Out of Mind. Yes, I had some of the early classics, but they were just that: classics. I didn’t consider him a valid, contemporary artist. Rather, he was a bona fide member of the oldies circuit who kept cranking out albums because he didn’t know any better. But with Time Out of Mind, I realized there was more – much, much more – to this artist.

It’s a daunting task, trying to keep up with Dylan. I filled in holes as I was compelled by outside influences. Reading about his Christian phase led me to Slow Train Coming, Saved and Shot of Love. The Bootleg series entry on the Rolling Thunder Revue led me to Desire. But there were several albums that I simply had ignored, from Knocked Out Loaded through Under the Red Sky. Oh Mercy doesn’t really belong on this list, as I bought the boxed set of SACD reissues several years ago that included it, and I fell in love with it.

What remains are three albums –Knocked Out Loaded, Down in the Groove and Under the Red Sky. They are pretty universally panned, and even charitable fans have a hard time being nice to more than a song or two on each. Why are these so troubled? Reading Sounes’ book, you could point to personal problems, drinking, financial woes or any number of issues. But to me it seems that a lack of band cohesion might be at least partly to blame.

I hit upon this while scrolling through the credits on Down in the Groove at bobdylan.com. I noticed that the bass on one song was played by Kip Winger. For those who don’t know, he is the titular leader of the hair metal band Winger. Why was Winger in the studio that day? I’m sure there’s a logical explanation, but that doesn’t make it any less strange that he joined Eric Clapton, Ron Wood, Mitchell Froom and others on “Had a Dream About You, Baby.”

Looking through the credits for those three albums, I was struck by how completely random some of the band configurations were. Dylan long has benefitted from throwing curve balls – changing keys, altering lyrics, etc. I’m sure the presence of some of these folks brought a spark to the proceedings. But there’s also something to be said for assembling a whipsmart band to tear through a batch of songs and provide a common thread through them.

What follows is a list of the eight songs that have the strangest batch of performers in Dylan’s catalog… according to me. Others, I’m very sure, would have differing opinions.

Under The Red Sky

“Wiggle Wiggle”: Bob Dylan – guitar, vocals; Slash – guitar; David Lindley – guitar; Jamie Muhoberac – organ; Randy Jackson – bass; Kenny Aronoff – drums

“Born In Time”: Bob Dylan – accordion, vocals; David Crosby – background vocals; Bruce Hornsby – piano; Robben Ford – guitar; Randy Jackson – bass; Kenny Aronoff – Drums; Paulinho Da Costa – percussion

“2 X 2″: Bob Dylan – acoustic guitar, vocals; David Crosby – background vocals; Elton John – piano; David Lindley – bouzouki; Randy Jackson – bass; Kenny Aronoff – Drums; Paulinho Da Costa – percussion

Down In The Groove

“Sally Sue Brown”: Bob Dylan – vocals, guitar; Steve Jones – guitar; Myron Grombacher – drums; Paul Simonon – bass; Kevin Savigar – keyboards; Madelyn Quebec – vocals; Bobby King, Willie Green – background vocals

“Had A Dream About You, Baby”: Bob Dylan – vocals, guitar; Eric Clapton – guitar; Ron Wood – bass; Kip Winger – bass; Beau Hill – keyboards; Mitchell Froom – keyboards; Henry Spinetti – drums

Knocked Out Loaded

“You Wanna Ramble”: Bob Dylan – guitar; T. Bone Burnett – guitar; James Jamerson Jr. – bass; Al Kooper – keyboards; Raymond Lee Pounds – drums; Carol Dennis, Madelyn Quebec, Muffy Hendrix, Annette May Thomas – background vocals

“Maybe Someday”: Bob Dylan – guitar; Mike Campbell – guitar; Howie Epstein – bass; Don Heffington – drums; Steve Douglas – saxophone; Steve Madaio – trumpet; Annette May Thomas, Carol Dennis, Madelyn Quebec, Elisecia Wright, Queen Esther Marrow, Peggi Blu –background vocals

“Under Your Spell”: Bob Dylan – guitar; Dave Stewart – guitar; Clem Burke – drums; Patrick Seymour – keyboards; John McKenzie – bass; Muffy Hendrix, Carol Dennis, Queen Esther Marrow, Elisecia Wright, Madelyn Quebec – background vocals