Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Weird but not without merit, August 11, 2002
When I first listened to this album, I thought it had the craziest, most nonsensical lyrics I had ever heard. Admittedly, some of the tracks still don't make much sense to me, but a few surprisingly good songs give this album a solid depth that is too little appreciated. Certainly, this is not the moralizing philosopher Dylan of old, but that's OK. It's pretty cool to hear Dylan playing a few songs seemingly just for fun. "Wiggle Wiggle" is total nonsense, but it's a pretty cool, catchy song nonetheless. "Under the Red Sky" does seem to be some kind of musical tribute to nursery rhymes, but its meaning quite escapes me. "10 000 Men" and "Cat's in the Well" are also weird songs with seemingly no meaning. The other tracks have varying degrees of substance to them. "Handy Dandy" confuses me somewhat, but if I had to interpret it, I would lean toward the autobiographical line of thought and steer clear of the Ronald Reagan "theory," in large part due to the fleeting echo of "Like a Rolling Stone" it exhibits. "Unbelievable," "TV Talkin' Song," and "God Knows" are pretty good tracks, with "God Knows" possessing a somewhat comforting quality to it. My two personal favorites here are "2 x 2" and "Born in Time," both of which happen to feature David Crosby's distinctive background vocals. "2 x 2" doesn't make a lot of sense, but the bridges with their unique blend of Dylan and Crosby vocals fill me with delight for some reason. "Born in Time" must be singled out for particular attention. I consider it one of Dylan's best songs of the 1990s, featuring particularly strong and powerful bridges. I really like this album, but it is definitely one of Dylan's weirdest releases. Dylan wrote every single song, so he must have had some purpose in mind, even if that purpose was to surprise his fans yet again or to just confound his critics. Overall, this music is not bad at all, and Dylan's vocals are strong if gravelly. A strong list of contributing musicians sometimes makes this feel like a fun jam session, with Dylan sometimes just having a good time making lines rhyme without reason. Among the notables who contributed to this album were George Harrison, Slash from Guns 'n' Roses, David Crosby, Bruce Hornsby, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Elton John. Clearly, this is an album only Dylan could have made, and its unique qualities make it one of the more interesting chapters in this incredible musician's long career. Despite the quality of these musicians, however, the whole sound of the album seems rather generic and uninspired, and I consider this the album's most telling weakness. I would not suggest you rush out to buy Under the Red Sky immediately, but on the other hand I would urge Dylan fans not to cross it off their purchase lists arbitrarily. After all, any album widely disparaged by the critics must have some merit to it.
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34 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Fun, June 21, 2000
Why does the world insist that Bob Dylan's every album be a narrative epic suitable for inclusion in the next Norton Anthology of Literature? Why isn't Bob Dylan allowed to have some fun when he wants? He is, in my book, and he does, on Under The red Sky. We don't persecute our famous blues artists for using simple rhymes and one or two chord melodies, the same should apply to Dylan, who, all his life, has had to contend with people who only know him as a "poet" or as author of Blowin in The Wind. Fact is, he really loves rock n roll, he really would love to be known for his blues vocals and sound, not just a folk record from 1963. Under The Red Sky demonstrates his love and mastery of simple, bluesy rock n roll. The album is loads of fun from start to finish. With a line up of legendary producer Don Was, along with the likes of George Harrison, Slash, David Crosby and the Vaughn brothers, this album offers the most consistent collection of good music since Blonde on Blonde. No, it is not the literary masterpiece of his 60's efforts, but it certainly matches the musical intensity of those long-gone days. Besides, some of the lyrics are very fun, such as the line from "Unbelievable," "It's inconceivable that someone could get this rich this quick." Well, Bob, you oughtta know!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Once again, a solid Dylan album that goes unnoticed, February 16, 1999
By A Customer
This is yet another Dylan album that has been ripped by critics. But, on deeper inspection, one will find that there are many memorable performances on this album, and it offers an interesting picture of who Bob Dylan is in 1991. Most of the Red Sky songs are constructed like children's rhymes, as an earlier reviewer noted. "Wiggle Wiggle" is lots of fun, the backing band is great, and Dylan's voice sounds pretty awesome (especially that last phrase "...like a big fat snake!..."). "Under The Red Sky" has beautiful words and a great G. Harrison slide guitar. "Unbelievable" drops the ball to a degree, in my opinion, with Dylan turning in a fairly lifeless vocal. The album's first hands-down masterwork is "Born In Time." This song absolutely shines, all the way through, it will move you to tears. Dylan's tender ennuciations really make this a keeper. "TV Talkin' Song" is interesting, but to my ears the accompaniment is kinda cheesy. Following this are what I consider to be the album's weakest songs, "10,000 Men" and "2x2." These performances just don't grab me, they're pleasant enough, but they don't unfold and draw you further in like Dylan's best stuff does. Then, true to form, Dylan turns around and goes for the hat trick with three killer tunes. "God Knows" rocks all over the place, and he's played it frequently since. "Handy Dandy" is classic, a great song and a great vocal by Dylan (I love when he yells "Pour him another brandy!" at the end). And "Cat's In The Well" is a fine closer with some great slide guitar. It's hard to know what Dylan was going with Red Sky. But there are enough great songs to make it worthwhile to any Dylan fan.
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Bob Dylan: "The 'Queen of the Folksingers,' that would have to be Joan Baez... The sight of her made me high. All that and there was her voice. A voice that drove out bad spirits. It was like she'd come down from another planet." Read more musical excerpts from Chronicles, Vol. 1 on our Music You Should Hear page.
is Bob Dylan's 
