Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"All that and more and then some", May 24, 2004
Like caviar and oysters perhaps this recording is an acquired taste...and it needs several hearings to fully appreciate, after which it becomes addictive; it has a down-home Mississippi muddy feel that makes it Dylan's grittiest album, and one of my favorites. His voice sounds like freshly poured gravel, adding to its charm and old time blues quality.
The musicianship is extraordinary: Larry Campbell is fabulous on guitar, violin, banjo and mandolin, as is Charlie Sexton on guitar, Tony Garnier on bass, Augie Meyers on organ and accordion, and David Kemper will knock your socks off on drums.The songs are melodic and words poetic and powerful. The CD insert is a single sheet fold-out, so does not include the lyrics, but they are worth searching out to read and relish the brilliance, see the light and darkness, hope and affliction, and the balance of humor. "Po' Boy" even has a knock knock joke:
Knockin' on the door,
I say "who is it and where are you from ?"
Man says "Freddy !"
I say "Freddy who ?"
He says, "Freddy or not, here I come".
There is greatness in this CD, even though it might not seem so with casual listening. Plumb the depths and it will reward you. Total playing time is 57'30.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sonic gold, June 21, 2004
It's hard to believe the powers that be saw fit to remaster this album and not Time Out Of Mind, considering that this was only two years old when it got the super audio treatment. Nevertheless, the album does see improvement on the SACD layer. Listen to the old and new versions of "Sugar Baby" and you'll know that you're now in the presence of a superior recording, one that captures more fully the grit in Bob's voice and the tone of instruments that, in places, can't even be heard on the original pressing. The producers make another interesting choice here: rather than pulling the vocals out of the mix and running them through the center channel, as some of the other 5.1 mixes in the remastered series do, they remain on the front speakers, buried in the band as befits this, the most band-reliant Dylan album in a while.As for the actual music, it didn't get all that critical acclaim for nothing. The passage of time may have dulled the "This could be his best ever" rhetoric, but Love and Theft is still a high point in the Dylan catalog, among his most consistent and listenable records. Despite being released on, of all days, 9/11, this isn't a socially-important record like his earliest work, but it's easier to put in the player and enjoy without so frequently pondering injustice; it isn't a stunning heartbreak record like Blood on the Tracks, but you can tap your feet and sing along to "Summer Days" and "Honest With Me." There's room for all of those sides of Bob Dylan in his catalog, and hearing him explore this side, and mine the history of American music for sonic gold, is well worth the price of admission.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Sound is Better on This Great CD, Hard to Believe!, October 2, 2003
I've heard it said that Bob Dylan said of this record that it's like "a greatest hits without the hits." Well, when you listen to this masterpiece, that's exactly the kind of feel you get for this album. It's like each of the songs is an old friend, like we've heard them all before. How did Dylan do that? Maybe it's because he recorded "Love and Theft" with his touring band and they were all so used to playing with each other. It shows. In a way this album reminds me of "Blood on the Tracks" the album that I consider Mr. Ds best. Every song on "The Tracks" belongs there, an integral part of the whole. Sure every song stands alone, but together they make a masterpiece. That's the way it is with "Love and Theft." I don't know if this is the best album Mr. D has ever done, cuz I still listen "The Tracks," all the time, but if it's not the best, it's certainly number two. And who knows, after listening to it for another year or so, I may reevaluate that, but for now I'll give "Love and Theft" five stars. This CD is so good it'll make you cry.Reviewed by Stephanie Sane
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Bob Dylan: "The sound of Hank Williams's voice went through me like an electric rod and I managed to get a hold of a few of his 78s... I played them endlessly... When I hear Hank sing, all movement ceases. The slightest whisper seems sacrilege." Read more musical excerpts from Chronicles, Vol. 1 on our Music You Should Hear page.
by Bob Dylan 
