Bob Dylan’s late-era resurgence — after a bout of bad studio work in the mid 80s — happened in 1989. Since then, he’s released a spate of albums which rival his output from the early and mid-60s. Where to begin? These are his five best since that comeback.
5
Modern Times
Modern Times beats out “Love and Theft” because its slow moments aren’t as bogged down as those on “Love and Theft”. “Spirit on the Water” and “Beyond the Horizon” work better than “Bye and Bye” and “Moonlight.” What truly makes Modern Times a great piece of art is the use of jump blues, which not only reimagine ancient eras through a current lens but also rock. Give me “Thunder on the Mountain,” “Rollin’ and Tumblin’,” and “Someday Baby” any time. Plus, “Workingman’s Blues #2” is a stellar accompaniment to Haggard’s original.
4
Oh Mercy
The album that brought about his studio revival came in the form of Oh Mercy, If Dylan’s work improves in 1989, it’s in part thanks to the challenges he faced with famed magician Daniel Lanois. From this point forward in Dylan’s work, very few bad songs were ever released, and on Oh Mercy, the album is a series of solid songs. Though “Where Teardrops Fall” and “Disease of Conceit” won’t hold up to early 60’s work, the production on Oh Mercy keeps them from the bottom of the barrel.
3
Tempest
It’s the thematic consistency that catapults Tempest above other studio work. Tempest is where Dylan gets dark with blood on every track, at times bordering on sinister. “Pay In Blood” and “Scarlet Town,” the heart of the album, show Dylan no longer seeing the world as rotten but its inhabitants as well. Lest you think there’s no levity, though, “Tempest” blurs the events of the Titanic’s sinking to those in the film of the same name.
2
Rough and Rowdy Ways
No other album on the list rewards multiple listens like Dylan’s most recent studio album of originals, Rough and Rowdy Ways. It’s a slower, deeper album where Dylan uses his mystical method of piecing together bits of other works and his own one-liners. All are used to the great extent of creating an album of cockiness in the wisdom of old age. “I Contain Multitudes” could be one of his most perfect, later-year songs were it not for “Murder Most Foul,” a top three Dylan song, overshadowing it.
1
Time Out of Mind
If Oh Mercy wasn’t quite the return most thought it to be, then Time Out of Mind solidified that Dylan is still an essential artist. Those who complain about the late-at-night, murky, Lanois-produced soundscape must have played on the album and can’t hear their parts. This work is as near perfect as Dylan gets, evoking a specific time and place like few albums do. It’s that sonic atmosphere which holds the album together, yet the songs live fine without its production: “Tryin’ to Get to Heaven” and “Not Dark Yet” aren’t as much about Dylan’s mortality than our very own.
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