dylan's xxxtian trilogy

Write in for Rock Solid, the unreleased live album recorded in Toronto in April of 1980. Best of all worlds, fiery band in fine form, and redeems for me some of the heinous production choices on these albums.

As polled, Slow Train Coming.

never cared for saved, but like shot of love and slow train coming as much as any minor dylan. slow train might be stronger overall but voted shot of love on basis of 'every grain of sand' and 'groom's still waiting at the the altar'.

since I can't vote for "Love & Theft" (trilogy schmilogy) I go with Saved: "In The Garden" is burning ecstasy & everything is battle-tested for the road, whereas on Slow Train Coming there's something of a mismatch between the confidence of the lyrics/singing & the minimalism of the arrangements: when it gets huge, on e.g. "I Believe In You", it's Bob doing the work; whereas on e.g. "In The Garden" it's the drums & those delicious backing vocals---I mean, listen to the howl after Bob sings that "all power is given to me in heaven and on earth" in the last verse.

Shot of Love, for the title track alone. Then there's Every Grain of Sand.

euler, why do you distinguish love & theft as a "christian" album on par with the three listed? i'm curious

I think every album Dylan's done since 1979 has been a Christian album, & I think Love & Theft's his best album since 1979.

Infidels is cranky and definitely "evangelical."

def.---"Death Is Not The End" was first cut during the Infidels sessions.

love & theft is one of my favorites of his since the 60s, partly because his sense of humor's back. i'm not sure i hear a whole lot of christian proselytizing or evangelical eruptions in it, or in infidels either, for that matter -- except for maybe "eighborhood bully," which you could take as a commentary on israel and the middle east? -- but certainly nothing as overt as what's listed in the poll. could be wrong though

"Jokerman"? "Union Sundown"? The rejected "Foot of Pride"?

I hate the album btw except for "Jokerman," "I & I," and maybe "Sweetheart Like You."

I agree that the overtness of the Christianity of these albums is missing from the later work, for the most part, but that's not a shocking development for a man as concerned about privacy as Dylan.

for sure

"Here's the thing with me and the religious thing. This is the flat-out truth: I find the religiosity and philosophy in the music. I don't find it anywhere else. Songs like 'Let Me Rest on a Peaceful Mountain' or 'I Saw the Light' -- that's my religion. I don't adhere to rabbis, preachers, evangelists, all of that. I've learned more from the songs than I've learned from any of this kind of entity. The songs are my lexicon. I believe the songs."

http://www.newsweek.com/1997/10/05/dylan-revisited.html

there are tons of biblical references in "jokerman" -- sodom and gommorrah, 'leviticus,' 'deuteronomy.' but "union sundown" is about as overtly christian as "masters of war," and less so than "knockin' on heaven's door." not to be the geir hongro of dylan's christian phase or anything

yeah, I know that interview, but it doesn't say anything re. Dylan's lack of faith, because he believes the songs; he's just talking about the media of his faith, not the lack thereof.

I should have been clearing: I used "evangelical" as shorthand for "punishing"

yeah, I don't want to make a big deal about the "reality" of Dylan's faith---the songs are what matter, as he says.

*clear

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

oops missed this. would've voted for slow train. though yeah, EZ's right, the bootlegs of this era are really where it's at.