A Street Legal Named Desire.
I can remember the very first time that I heard ‘Desire’ by Bob Dylan. I had been going through a period of looking into his music and I was becoming very familiar with his classic songs like; ‘Don’t Think Twice’, ‘The Mighty Quinn’, ‘I Shall Be Released’ and ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’. However, nothing had prepared me for what I was about to hear… Dylan had always been famed for his protest songs but this album tackled them from a whole new way altogether. ‘Desire’ was a record that Dylan created at the apex of his long career and the overall sound is just as original today.
When ‘Hurricane’ kicked in I sat open-mouthed in absolute disbelief. I knew that Dylan had turned his hand to many different things over his career but this was just amazing. The way that he had incorporated the violin in his music was totally jaw-dropping. By the time that ‘Isis’ came on I was absolutely transfixed. The great Bob Dylan really had out-done himself with this record.
For me, the album is rich with an Eastern sound. One of the best examples of this is the way that Dylan sings on ‘One More Cup of Coffee’. This track, along with ‘Sara’, is one of my favourites. As far as I’m concerned, they are some of the best that he has ever recorded. These two tracks are totally sublime and every single word, instrument and chord change is utter perfection. God alone knows what inspired Dylan to adopt this sound for ‘Desire’ but it couldn’t have worked any better.
If you are new to the songs of Dylan, then forget all about his other stuff (even the classics such as ‘Blood on the Tracks’ and ‘Slow Train Coming’). Get down to that second hand record shop and buy yourself a copy of ‘Desire’. I can guarantee that you will not be disappointed.
By the way, I just looked up this great company who agreed to give us a good discount on the Tin packaging for the group. I need input!