Customer Reviews

Down In The Groove

5 star:		(71)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(44)

 

 

By the late 1980s, the once sacrosanct Bob Dylan had reached the lowest point of his career. During the mid 1960s, he was untouchable, a critical darling, and on a creative roll that has not been seen since. Things had changed drastically in twenty years. By the end of the 1980s, before the release of OH MERCY, many people thought he finally gave up the ghost creatively. While in some respects Dylan's 80s material is unjustly crucified, in other respects the critical assault was totally accurate about how bad he really got during that decade.

DOWN IN THE GROOVE is one of the prime examples of how badly Dylan's art had decayed. DOWN bears the dubious distinction as being the worst studio album in Dylan's catalogue. While Columbia's revenge album DYLAN from 1973 is arguably worst, at least Dylan didn't sanction that release. This album, however, is truly the bottom of the barrel. Dylan lost all artistic direction during this era of his career.

Just for a little context, by 1988 a lot of people had lost faith in Dylan. He hadn't released a decent record in years. Critics and fans overall found EB, his album from 1985, guilty of glitzy production and bad, dated arrangements, a consensus that has only grown stronger in the ensuing (though for my money, EB is as good as anything he's recorded post 1975). Critics panned his 1986 album, KNOCKED OUT LOADED, which barely dented the charts . In 1987, he started in a movie that was so bad it was never released stateside ("Hearts of Fire"), though the soundtrack had some decent songs. That same year, he did a notoriously bad tour with the Grateful Dead. Then in 1988, he released this dismal album. Things were looking pretty bleak for the Dylan faithful.

DOWN IN THE GROOVE is something of a sequel to the other critically reviled studio record Dylan released two years earlier, the aforementioned KNOCKED OUT LOADED. Unlike KOL, DOWN never raises above mediocrity. If anything, DOWN proves that KOL's methodology was not random. KOL pulled songs from several different recording sessions spread out over several years, with each track having a different backing band and filled with collaborators. The only real difference in this regard is DOWN's recording sessions were closer together, but still spread out with different backing bands.

DOWN, unlike its predecessor KOL, which had a number of highlights, is almost entirely bad. KOL has a number of songs that are just engaging, even though there are a couple that are flat out bad. While nothing on DOWN matches the horror of the worst moments of KOL, almost nothing on DOWN reaches the high, or even the enjoyable, moments on KOL either.

DOWN is just filled with simplistic, generic music and obscure covers from Dylan's life. Mostly, though, these covers are uninspiring and forgettable. The first half of the album fares the worst, filled with boring, generic arrangments that are never grating on the ears, but also never truly memorable. The second half plays better than the first half, with a few nice tracks sprinkled throughout. The entire album is filled with boring, generic synths, guitars, drums, and basic, run of the mill instrumentation.

There are only two Dylan originals here. "Death is not the End," an INFIDELS outtake, is very simple and a mildly pleasant song, though never one of my favorite. The song is a 1983 recording with some backup vocals overdubbed in 1988. "Had a Dream About You Baby," like the rest of the album, has that distasteful 1980s aura of Dylan being truly out of ideas. First recorded and released for the "Hearts of Fire" soundtrack, Dylan used an alternate recording for DOWN.

The other two Dylan songs, cowritten with Robert Hunter, The Grateful Dead's official lyricist, are "Silvio" and "Ugliest Girl in the World." Brent Mydland, Weir, and Garcia do backup vocals on "Silvio," easily the best song on the album. "Ugliest Girl in the World," like most novelity tracks, may be funny the first couple of times but there's nothing to return too. "Ugliest Girl" isn't even that funny to begin with, and sounds so bad that maybe even the Dead rejected it.

Despite how damning this review is, there are some bright spots to DOWN. For one, "Shenendoah" ranks among his best interpretations of traditional songs he ever recorded. "Rank Strangers to Me" is a nice little number. "Let's Stick Together" sounds like a companion to KOL's "You Wanna Ramble," if not nearly as memorable.

What's really sad is while DOWN sounds truly uninspired, there are several songs recorded during this era which would not only strengthen the album, but redeem it from being truly despicable to at least a "below average" Dylan album, a step up, in this instance. There are a number of outtakes that would change the entire record. "The Usual" and "Night After Night," both appearing on the "Hearts of Fire" soundtrack, are pretty good songs, better than eight of the ten songs on this record. "Who Loves You More", a fantastic outtake from EB, would have fit in well here, as would the other EB outtake "Freedom For the Stallion." "Important Words", which was released accidentally on the Argentina version of DOWN, was set to be released but was removed, and would have assisted the record.

The real sadness, to me anyway, is the three best songs Dylan recorded during 1986-1987 are almost wholly unknown to the general record buying public, and all three should have been on here. The first is "Band of the Hand," a 1986 song which appears on a soundtrack to the movie of the same name. The song recalls SHOT OF LOVE's "Groom's Still Waiting at the Altar," is one of the most hard-rocking, memorable songs Dylan wrote in the last thirty five years. It should not be consigned to a forgotten soundtrack to a forgotten movie. The second song is the very obscure "Hearts of Fire" outtake "To Fall In Love With You," a five minute gut wrenching work that is better than anything on DOWN or KOL, with maybe the exception of "Brownsville Girl." That song ranks among Dylan's best unreleased material. The third outtake is the Solomon Burke cover "Sidewalks, Fences, and Walls", an outtake that began circulating in February 2007. It blows KOL and DOWN covers out of the water.

Ultimately, DOWN shows us that even our heroes are only human after all. While Dylan purposefully designed the 1970 release SELF-PORTRAIT as a dovetail to get his radical fans off his back, by 1988, it's clear that he's simply running out of steam. With Dylan flooding the market with so many subpar records and products, it's clear he had no audience he needed to shed anyway, because by 1988 a lot of people stopped caring about Dylan. While nothing is absolutely horrible about DOWN, there is hardly anything good to say, which is a shocking statement in and of itself about a Dylan album.

This is a depressing album. A really depressing album. How the mighty have fallen.

Down in the Groove is a special album for me because this was the first Dylan CD I ever bought. Certainly, it's not one of his better albums, typifying the Dylan doldrums of the early 1980s, but it does have a few bright spots amid its many faults. A significant problem with this CD is the absence of any type of flow; it sounds like 10 songs thrown together somewhat haphazardly. "Let's Stick Together" is a kicking opening song that gets the juices flowing. It is followed by the slow yet meaningful "When Did You Leave Heaven?" Then we shift back to a faster tune in "Sally Sue Brown," only to slip into the slowest song on the album, the simply poignant "Death is Not the End." Then it's back to a rocking beat with "Had A Dream About You Baby" (with Eric Clapton on guitar) and the conspicuously interesting "Ugliest Girl in the World," a song which I myself actually like. "Silvio" is the only possibly recognizable song on the album and is the only song I remember hearing Dylan perform live in concert soon after this CD's release. "Ninety Miles An Hour (Down a Dead End Street)" is one of the more meaningful songs found here, as is the strangely beautiful dirge "Rank Strangers To Me," but even these tracks are rather forgettable.

The overall weakness of Down in the Groove can be traced to a simple source--most of these songs were not written by Bob Dylan. The backup singers on this album just don't seem to suit Dylan, either, lending a strange R&B sound to several tunes. It is interesting to note that the 80s group Full Force (which few people besides me probably remember) performed the backup vocals on "Death is Not the End." All in all, this is really an uninspired album. Although it was my first Dylan CD, I would not recommend this for Dylan newbies. It's not as bad as the critics make it out to be, but its lack of focus and short length (less than 35 minutes) make it a low priority for those trying to build a Bob Dylan CD collection.

I never gave two hoots for Bob Dylan. Not two hoots! Then I moved into a new home, and, by golly, the previous occupant (could it have been God?) left behind several items from his record collection. And I do mean "record" collection. These were good old-fashioned American made vinyl LPs, not them fancy, schmancy little made in Japan or China or anywhere but the U.S. Christmas tree ornaments known as compact discs. The other records were by Lawrence Welk (whose rendition of "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" was the only version of a Dylan song I found tolerable) and the Lennon Sisters. I love 'em both, but because I love 'em, I already had those records. So, with my own record collection still packed away in boxes, but with a real need to hear some music, I slapped Bob Dylan's "Down in the Groove" on the stereo, expecting to be bored or possibly irritated out of my mind. Well, what can I say? One fine song followed another, building to an orgy of musical satisfaction that left me wondering where in God's heck I had been! Did I really live 62 years without "Silvio" rocking in my ears day and night? Did I really choose alcohol, and lots of it, to ease the burden of my loneliness rather than listen to Dylan mournfully moan through the bleak aural landscape of "Rank Strangers to Me"? Had my life truly been an empty shell all these years?

Listening to "Down in the Groove" was a revelation, an epiphany! For the first time in my life, my ears were rocked clean of all their deafening wax, and my eyes, blind for so long, were suddenly freed from their scales and I could see for miles and miles and miles and miles and miles, oh yeah! (I have since discovered The Who, as well). Well, I never did bother to unpack those Lawrence Welk, Lennon Sisters, and Don Ho albums from their boxes. Instead I took them down to Half Price Books--7000 albums--where they gave me five dollars (their usual rate no matter what you bring in) for the whole lot of 'em. I went out and bought two McDonalds BBQ chicken sandwiches and a cup of coffee, and still had some change left over. I may have been poor, but I was happy. Thank you, Mr. Down in the Groove. Yes, I mean you, Mr. Dylan.

One would think Bob was bent on sabotaging his career in the 80s. Botched albums like "Infidels" and strange offerings like "Knocked Out Loaded" confirmed that. This one usually falls into the "Dylan Albums You Must Avoid" category, but it's not that bad. In fact, some of it is very good. Yes, it's predominantly a collection of cover songs, but a few of his interpretations are wonderful: "90 Miles an Hour" and "Rank Strangers" have superb vocal phrasings. "Let's Stick Together" rocks beautifully. Okay, I could do without "Had a Dream About You" (one of Dylan's worst songs) and "Ugliest Girl in the World" (a failed attempt at reviving the old Dylan sense of humor). "Silvio" is a good song (and a highlight when I saw Dylan in '98), and I wish "Death Is Not the End" had been on "Infidels," the album it was originally intended for. I pull this out from time to time and enjoy listening to it. If you're not a Dylan fan and want to get something for the collection, I wouldn't suggest this by a long shot. But it's not the mess it was claimed to be when it was released in 1988.

"Down in the Groove" has been severely criticized by those who expect every Dylan album to be a serious statement. It's a bunch of interesting covers and four originals. The covers are varied, but well-performed, especially the last three tracks (the pop-country "Ninety Miles an Hour (Down a Dead End Street)", the traditional folk song "Shenandoah", and the mountain-gospel "Rank Strangers to Me"). "Ugliest Girl in the World" and "Silvio" are collaborations with Grateful Dead's Robert Hunter ("Silvio" has a very nice groove, "Ugliest..." is original but beats the joke to death).

Dylan has two solo compositions. "Had a Dream About You, Baby", with Eric Clapton and Ron Wood sitting in, is lightweight but well-done and bouncy, very reminiscent of the Travelling Wilburys work Bob was doing at the same time. The highlight of the record is "Death is Not the End", a quiet, beautifuly simple, but totally heartfelt statement of faith.

Like "Self-Portrait", "Down in the Groove" shows Dylan getting loose in the studio and not trying to make any big statements or artistic landmarks. This album is lumped with the inferior "Empire Burlesque" (which in my opinion really is Dylan's worst album) and "Knocked Out Loaded" (redeemed by "Brownsville Girl") from the same period, but it really marks the beginning of a comeback, which continued with the Wilburys albums and "Oh Mercy".

As a life-long Dylan addict I have come to expect great things from The Bob. I was not disappointed with Down In The Groove. This is one of my all time favorite Dylan collections. It is just what the title says; A very nice groove. That groove is carried by a well-balanced collection of interesting (and very solid) songs. Bob is not trying to impress or record hits here. He's simply catching some quality time with his guitar, playing songs he enjoys. Relax. Stop trying to figure out if this CD is good or bad, worthy or unworthy. If you get into that rut...you'll miss the groove. Just enjoy!

...in the groove, I suppose. I couldn't believe how strongly one of Dylan's biographers, Heylin, disliked this album of finely wrought renditions. I think this must be a record you have to have come upon back when it was released, and it would have helped to have had the inner question, as you popped the tape in while driving down the highway, "What's Dylan been up to these days?" That's how it happened with me, and it was a homey and invigorating experience. I almost thought he had written most of the songs here. I mean, they're good, time-tested songs; who ELSE would you like to have sing them but one of our finest interpreters? I agree with the reviewer below that "Shenandoah" is a fresh standout, and "Ninety Miles an Hour" I liked enough after years to place on a sampler of favorites.

This is the epitome of a CD with gems hidden amongst awful filler. Here are the gems:
Death Is Not The End
90 Miles An Hour
Shenadoah
Rank Strangers
These gems are so good they deserve the stars. Make a mix with just the above.

Most people who purchase this CD are die-hard Dylan fans who've already bought all the really good albums and are timidly sampling what's left. "Down in the Groove" is not the stinker it's been made out to be. I bought it for Senandoah and Rank Strangers, and to me it's worth it just for those two songs. The rest aren't bad. But face it, if you're a die-hard Dylan fan you're going to get around to buying this someday, and it's not the piece of garbage that's been reported. Just average. But Dylan on an average day is better than most anyone else at their best. And if you're a fan I don't have to tell you that.

The best explanation I can think of for the abundance of times this album has shown up on critics' lists of the worst albums ever released by major music acts is that they needed at least one Bob Dylan record for the list, to stir up the readers. And being that it was one of the most unassuming albums of his 80s slump, "Down in the Groove" was an obvious candidate for the dubious position on those inaccurate lists (and inaccurate they are - what kind of list claims a Dylan album is one of the worst but doesn't even mention John Lennon's "Unfinished Music"?).
Nobody's pretending "Down in the Groove" is on par with the landmark "Blonde on Blonde" or, shoot, even "Street Legal." But it's a fine album, even if Dylan himself would disagree with me. Though he often seems uninterested and not enthused, the material still manages to be simplistically effective, the two key examples being 'Death is Not the End' and the reflective 'Rank Strangers to Me.' Dylan wasn't too interesting in putting a wealth of original material on the album either, but it doesn't matter because the low-key demeanor makes it easier to grasp in one sitting than, say, "Infidels" (claimed by some to be his best album of the 80s). A couple of collaborations with Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter are welcome, as well as covers of 'Ninety Miles an Hour (Down a Dead End Street)' and heck, even the opening 'Let's Stick Together.'
And any album that finds Bob Dylan doing a good cover of 'Let's Stick Together' must be worth seeking out.