dailydoseofdylan:

“Tryin’ To Get To Heaven” by Bob Dylan

I know a lot of people don’t particularly care for this “new Dylan” album (named after a line from a Baudelaire poem) because it doesn’t sound like the classic Blonde on Blonde-era Dylan. However, I find that with the help of producer Daniel Lanois (who produced U2’s The Joshua Tree, Robbie Robertson’s eponymous album, and Peter Gabriel’s So.),  Dylan once again reinvented his sound. Instead of being backed primarily with an acoustic guitar, now it’s an organ. The result is a more minimalist approach which perfectly supports his aging voice. 

And as for changing his sound, remember this is the guy who caused revolt among the hard-core folk fans in Newport when he showed up with a band and an electric guitar. The result then was the creation of a new genre: folk-rock. And let’s not even talk about the gospel-Dylan 70s or whatever he was trying to do in the 80s. The result now was a fresh, new sound from an artist who spent more time being celebrated than actually creating. But love it or hate it, this song is a very intimate look at a man who was still vitally creative.

“Tryin’ To Get To Heaven” by Bob Dylan
(Words/Music: Bob Dylan, Album: Time Out of Mind, Columbia 1997)

I wasn’t sure about this album when it came out because it didn’t sound like “classic” Dylan like Blonde on Blonde, but it grew on my. To this I attribute the fact that a good song is a good song regardless of instrumentation and mixing, but also because of minimalist and ethereal production of Daniel Lanois who brought us the sound of U2’s The Joshua Tree and Robbie Robertson’s eponymous albums. Once I realized that connection, the entire album seemed to make more sense.