A two-album play, second of two such Saturday shows after last week playing The Rolling Stones’ Steel Wheels and Neil Young’s Freedom, highlighting ‘comeback’ albums released in 1989 by major artists who had relatively spotty results earlier in the decade. This week, Bob Dylan’s Oh Mercy and Eric Clapton’s Journeyman. My thoughts on each album under the respective records’ song lists.
1. Political World
2. Where Teardrops Fall
3. Everything Is Broken
4. Ring Them Bells
5. Man In The Long Black Coat
6. Most Of The Time
7. What Good Am I?
8. Disease Of Conceit
9. What Was It You Wanted
10. Shooting Star
Perhaps fueled by working with the likes of Tom Petty, George Harrison, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne in the Traveling Wilburys, Dylan in 1989 unleashed – with help from producer extraordinaire Daniel Lanois’s atmospheric touch – one of his best-ever albums. Oh Mercy is a sterling listen front to back which includes several of my personal favorite Dylan tunes led by Man In The Long Black Coat amid, really, a perfect 10 tracks. Some critics suggested it was his best since 1975’s Blood On The Tracks. I’d say it’s simply among his best, period.
1. Pretending
2. Anything For Your Love
3. Bad Love
4. Running On Faith
5. Hard Times
6. Hound Dog
7. No Alibis
8. Run So Far
9. Old Love
10. Breaking Point
11. Lead Me On
12. Before You Accuse Me
At least something of a return to form after some shoddy, typically alas 1980s overly slick, overproduced albeit commercially successful albums. Journeyman is still relatively slick but, thankfully, the production this time doesn’t overwhelm the music and some truly quality slow blues like Old Love, written with Robert Cray, take priority in the overall mix of music.