Desire (Remastered) [Original recording remastered]

Hurricane finds him back in a "The Times They Are A'Changin" mood, singing a high energy protest song that just rocks along for more than eight minutes.

Isis is one of his greatest story songs, one of the few that I can think of that actually have a distinct plot. Most of his other longer songs are more rambling, like Idiot Wind or Like A Rolling Stone (though there's nothing wrong with that.)

Mozambique is an anamoly in all of rock music. A song about the pleasures of vacationing in a country that very soon after this release (if not before) was a war torn hellish place. Very up beat and lively, a great song.

One More Cup Of Coffee is quite possibly my favourite song by Dylan, it speaks to me though I don't know why. From the soft, dark acostic opening, then the thud of the bass and when Scarlet Rivera's violin finally enters the mix, I'm in heaven. Dylan's singing on this track is spectacular. His voice is high and his phrasing sounds almost Indian, or Middle Eastern and the songs lyrics further that feeling.

Oh Sister is another stand out track that I find extraordinarily gripping. There is a sublime beauty to it. From the opening strains of the violin, to the duet with EmmyLou Harris (though she sings on a lot of the tracks, it's particularily effective on this one.) I find the harmony and interplay between the harmonica and violin to be amazing. This isn't a song. It's more like a hymn. Even the lyrics could lend themselves to a Christian theme, if you beleive that we are all brothers and sisters and God is our father. This could have been a preview of the later albums to come, namely "Slow Train Coming", "Saved" and "Shot Of Love".

Joey is another Isis style tale, though about a real man this time, a gangster with a heart of gold. The longest cut on the disk, I had a heard time enjoying this track due to it's length, but then I stopped watching the clock and started listening to the words and now I quite like it. One technical note about it though. The chorus sounds awful. it is grainy and distorted, even on the remastered version.

Romance In Durango and Black Diamond Bay are two more Isis songs that I don't find stand out to well, but are still great in context of the album.

The final song is Sara. I think this is the most personal song that Bob has ever written. Sure there was a lot of pain and heartache in "Blood On The Tracks" but with the exception of Idiot Wind, most of it is hidden in metaphor. This song is an open longing for his ex wife, from how the two met to watching their children playing in the sand. We hear that Sara was the inspiration for Sad-Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands. This song is more autobiographical than "Chronicles: One" the book that he wrote. Any one who doesn't feel his heartbreak on this track is a monster.

All in all five stars. Now an overview. I find the entire album has the best drumming I've heard on a dylan studio effort. Howie Wyeth did an amazing job. The production on the cd is a little subpar, there's lots of distortion and sharp edges, but it somehow works, making the album feel raw and yet breathtakingly beautiful all at once. Pick it up if it's the only thing you do.