Bob Dylan - Desire

Finally got this. Despite all the hype and hoopla, this one is hardly as essential as I thought it would be. Sure it's good but Dylan has been better.

Best bits - the memorable violin breaks especially the ones on "Hurricane" which I already have on a comp. "One More Cup of Coffee" is the best song here, what with its semi-Arabic intonations. Of the "story" songs I found the story of "Joey" particularly gripping.

"Isis" and "Romance in Durango" pales next to their Rolling Thunder Revue versions, both on "Biograph" and "Live 1975", without the manic energy of the latter song nor the bluesy breaks on the former. They're still quite nice though but hardly sticks in my mind.

The warmest and richest song here is probably "Sara" which sees the Big-Nosed One simply accepting his loss, free of the hubristic venom and bile spouted on "Blood on the Tracks" and on which said album also see him imbibed with bitterness, which is absent in this song.