Helpful votes received on reviews:
88% (43 of 49)
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Reviews
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_Shot of Love_, the third of Dylan's so-called "born again" trilogy of albums, is, musically, among his strongest releases of the 80s, with his voice still in decent shape, complemented by sympathetic backup vocalists. What's more, the religious messages (most of the time) are not too heavy-handed ("Property of Jesus" is a possible exception). The title track makes an overt reference to Jesus but in a manner that could easily be interpreted as secular (or maybe mythopoetic) rather than faithful. It would not be unrealistically charitable to call "Every Grain of Sand" non-denominational, though the references (for example, to "every sparrow falling") are a direct echo of the gospels. If… Read more
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As a twain, the avant-garde (or "new music") and rock music have rarely met, and, when they have, they've usually been the wannabe noodlings of pop singers craving "serious" attention (think John Lennon or Lou Reed), or occasionally the inspired noodlings of gifted musicians who began in rock music (think Frank Zappa) but whose reach indeed exceeded that form. Seldom have trained classical musicians composed and played rock music with much credibility, either, but this psychedelic relic is an exception to the rule. I discovered this album only because of Joseph Byrd's arrangements on a Phil Ochs album of the same period (Pleasures of the Harbor). In recent years, The United States of… Read more
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful
It's nice to see that the "Valleys of Neptune" single has become Hendrix's highest charting single ever. But, listeners should note that this album is in fact not the first place that the song "Valleys of Neptune" has been legally released on CD. That distinction goes to the third disc of the 1989 Castle Communications release _'Live & Unreleased' The Radio Show_. This new release sounds like a more completed version that has come from the original master tapes, however, and it is about time that the song saw proper release in the way that it now has. Every song on the album is a very fine performance, though longtime Hendrix fans (and album purchasers) will have heard similar versions… Read more
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