( 7 reviews )
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Posted: Apr 10 2008
I bought Oh Mercy at a store in Huntington Beach, California the day it came out in September of 1989. Vesta and I were living right across the street at the time, in a condo next to the pier, the beach sand right outside our front door. We were renters, had only three days left by the water, as we were going to Alaska, driving. We made good time, with this tape in the player, Dylan singing about a Political World and Where Teardrops Fall. What great voice he was in, what an improvement over Down in the Groove and Knocked Out Loaded. Gone where those R & B backup singers and good riddance as far as I was concerned. We were listening to "Man in the Long Black Coat" when we reached the border, the Canadian border guard asked, was this a new Dylan record. I said it was, he said he needed to get it. Cool guy he was. Two days later, were shooting along at about sixty five, listening to "Shooting Star" in our Mitsubishi Montero when we hit black ice. I tried to keep control of the car, but it was top heavy and we went rolling, sliding on the top, "Shooting Star" playing all the while. We ended up on the side, my side up, the engine racing, Bobby still blasting away about seeing a shooting star tonight. We survived without a scratch, just some bruises. The car was totaled. I listen to this record a lot now. It reminds me about seatbelts, because for some reason when we left the motel that morning I buckled up, something I never did back then. I do it now. I still have that old cassette, no player though. I've got iTunes now and my Mac just loves this record, which is as good and as relevant now as it was the day it came out. This is one of Dylan's best and a must own for an Dylan fan. Vesta and I were living on a sailboat in the Caribbean when Time Out of Mind came out. A friend in New Orleans FedExed it to us, the CD still hot off the presses. I picked it up at Customs in Trinidad, took it to the boat. We were anchored off the Yacht Club, on the northwestern part of the island nation and in the Gulf of Paria. Eager to hear the album, I hopped in the dinghy, motored out to the boat and put in on the player as we lifted anchor. We were headed out to Chacachacare, an island between Trinidad and Venezuela. It used to be a leper colony, is now abandoned and has a nice anchorage. It was dark that night and this is a dark record, perfect. We played it all night long, drinking Coke and rum. Once again, Dylan was back. And he was better than ever. Every song on this record is a keeper. "Not Dark Yet" is one of the best songs Dylan has ever done and "Highlands" may well be the best, if not, it's right up there. What a song, what a record this is and aren't we all just "trying to get to heaven before they close the door." Love and Theft came out on September 11, 2001 and as good as it is, it's release was probably overshadowed by something else that happened on that horrible day. Vesta and I were in the Caribbean, living on a sailboat at the time. We were at the Yachting Association in Trinidad, at the bar, drinking coffee when we saw it all unfold on the bar's outdoor TV. In no time the place was packet with foreign sailors and locals. I couldn't have gotten the record that day anyway, but did get if a few days later as my Dylan loving friend in New Orleans FedExed it to me. And I have to saw I listened to it a lot back then. We'd tune into the BBC, here about the awful events unfolding in New York and when we couldn't take it anymore we'd listen to three or four songs on this album, then it was back to the BBC. This is a worthy successor to Time Out of Mind and seems to pick up where Time leaves off. The music is outstanding, has both a jazzy and big band, good time, bluzy feel to it that only Dylan could put together. "Higher Water" for Charley Patton" is simply an outstanding song and "Po' Boy" really gets my feet a tappin'. This, like Time Out of Mind is one of Bob Dylan's best records and that's really saying something. Around so long and still getting better. Ken Douglas, author of Dead Ringer & Desperation Moon.
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( 3 of 3 found this review helpful ) Posted: Apr 10 2008
I bought Oh Mercy at a store in Huntington Beach, California the day it came out in September of 1989. Vesta and I were living right across the street at the time, in a condo next to the pier, the beach sand right outside our front door. We were renters, had only three days left by the water, as we were going to Alaska, driving. We made good time, with this tape in the player, Dylan singing about a Political World and Where Teardrops Fall. What great voice he was in, what an improvement over Down in the Groove and Knocked Out Loaded. Gone where those R & B backup singers and good riddance as far as I was concerned. We were listening to "Man in the Long Black Coat" when we reached the border, the Canadian border guard asked, was this a new Dylan record. I said it was, he said he needed to get it. Cool guy he was. Two days later, were shooting along at about sixty five, listening to "Shooting Star" in our Mitsubishi Montero when we hit black ice. I tried to keep control of the car, but it was top heavy and we went rolling, sliding on the top, "Shooting Star" playing all the while. We ended up on the side, my side up, the engine racing, Bobby still blasting away about seeing a shooting star tonight. We survived without a scratch, just some bruises. The car was totaled. I listen to this record a lot now. It reminds me about seatbelts, because for some reason when we left the motel that morning I buckled up, something I never did back then. I do it now. I still have that old cassette, no player though. I've got iTunes now and my Mac just loves this record, which is as good and as relevant now as it was the day it came out. This is one of Dylan's best and a must own for an Dylan fan. Vesta and I were living on a sailboat in the Caribbean when Time Out of Mind came out. A friend in New Orleans FedExed it to us, the CD still hot off the presses. I picked it up at Customs in Trinidad, took it to the boat. We were anchored off the Yacht Club, on the northwestern part of the island nation and in the Gulf of Paria. Eager to hear the album, I hopped in the dinghy, motored out to the boat and put in on the player as we lifted anchor. We were headed out to Chacachacare, an island between Trinidad and Venezuela. It used to be a leper colony, is now abandoned and has a nice anchorage. It was dark that night and this is a dark record, perfect. We played it all night long, drinking Coke and rum. Once again, Dylan was back. And he was better than ever. Every song on this record is a keeper. "Not Dark Yet" is one of the best songs Dylan has ever done and "Highlands" may well be the best, if not, it's right up there. What a song, what a record this is and aren't we all just "trying to get to heaven before they close the door." Love and Theft came out on September 11, 2001 and as good as it is, it's release was probably overshadowed by something else that happened on that horrible day. Vesta and I were in the Caribbean, living on a sailboat at the time. We were at the Yachting Association in Trinidad, at the bar, drinking coffee when we saw it all unfold on the bar's outdoor TV. In no time the place was packet with foreign sailors and locals. I couldn't have gotten the record that day anyway, but did get if a few days later as my Dylan loving friend in New Orleans FedExed it to me. And I have to saw I listened to it a lot back then. We'd tune into the BBC, here about the awful events unfolding in New York and when we couldn't take it anymore we'd listen to three or four songs on this album, then it was back to the BBC. This is a worthy successor to Time Out of Mind and seems to pick up where Time leaves off. The music is outstanding, has both a jazzy and big band, good time, bluzy feel to it that only Dylan could put together. "Higher Water" for Charley Patton" is simply an outstanding song and "Po' Boy" really gets my feet a tappin'. This, like Time Out of Mind is one of Bob Dylan's best records and that's really saying something. Around so long and still getting better.
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( 3 of 3 found this review helpful ) Posted: Apr 3 2006
"Oh Mercy" is again a new direction for Bob Dylan, or maybe it's another comeback record for him. He's taken so many directions, had so many comebacks on his journey, made so many fine records and this is one of the best, every song one to listen to over and over, to reflect on. How does he do that, keep making records like this? Topical songs like "Political World" and "Man in a Long Black Coat" merged with the dirge like song "Ring Them Bells" mingled in with the words in "Disease of Conceit" and "Most of the Time" lessons for us all. Nobody else could put a group of songs like this and make it work. This is certainly on of Bob Dylan's best records and one everybody who own any Dylan record should own and everybody should own a Dylan record. Many dylan fans believe "Blood on the Tracks" to be Dylan's most personal album, his most painful. But, in my opinion, "Time Out of Mind" tops that. I don't know what he was going through in his personal life when he wrote these songs, but it must have been bad. At least that's the way it seems to me. Darkly personal from a man who is hurting, that's the sense I get from this record, from "Love Sick" all the way through to "Highlands," which I consider to be just about one of the best story songs every written or performed by anyone, bar none. Dylan sings like he's taken a down turn since "Oh Mercy," the last record produced by Daniel Lanois. In between there were a couple albums of standards, blues and ballads, plus the Bootleg Series and Unplugged show, also Red Sky, which was pretty good, but not nearly the record this is. It's almost like Dylan went straight from "Oh Mercy" to "Time Out of Mind" and the transition is seemless. This is a beautiful record, darkly done, but beautiful nevertheless. My friends have talked about how Dylan sings somewhat like a honky tonker on "Love and Theft", but he also comes across as a crooner as well, especially on "Bye and Bye" and also on "Moonlight." He's a Jazz singing, upbeating performer too, just listen to "Summer Days" and "Lonesome Day Blues." He's a honky tonking gambler on "Poor Boy," a dirge singer, delivering lyrics stark and true on "Sugar Baby." Like always, Bob Dylan is so many things, on this album, just about his best record ever. I loved "Highway 61." Wept over "Blood on the Tracks." Rocked with "Infidels." But this, this is all those and more. I think maybe this is Bob Dylan's best.
