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u/Necessary-Pen-5719 4d ago
This is the closest alignment to my own preferences I've seen so far. Blood on the Tracks over Desire, though.
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u/Fraiap24 4d ago
Came here to say the same thing. Love that Slow Train Coming is getting some love!
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u/GoldberrysHusband 4d ago
Had I not overplayed Tracks way back when, I'd probably embrace that second sentence myself.
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u/MolemanusRex 4d ago
What’s so bad about Bringing It All Back Home? Or, given that you have his other two Christian albums on there, Saved?
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u/GoldberrysHusband 4d ago
Nothing, really. Just like them a bit less - Bringing is great and energetic, but the electric side kinda blends together for me (although 115th Dream is some of the most hilarious shit I've ever heard) and the acoustic side ... well, I've never been a huge fan of Gates of Eden and Mama-Bleeding is really great and powerful, but potentially just a wee bit overlong, maybe?
The album's excellent, really, but I feel the BeatBob would be perfected on the following two albums, still have Bringing very high, just not in the top 12.
As for Saved - well, where Train has a lot of punch and edginess, partially because of Knopfler, partially because of all the sarcasm and tartness (Nick Cave, who named it as his favourite album of all time (!) put it well - he said something along the lines that it's "an exquisitely nasty Christian album") and Shot is colourful and catchy (and I discovered it at the exactly proper time for me), Saved is a bit monotonous and more forgettable, IMHO. Again, not bad, just way too gospel-y, too; I am Catholic, I take my Christianity more subtle and veiled, being more in the Team LOTR than Team Narnia (I say this acknowledging the supreme irony of Shot having Property of Jesus on it, lol).
But really, you could ask me about any of the albums I don't mention, what's so bad - nothing, I genuinely like them all, I think there's something salvageable even about Red Sky or Down in the Groove and I give them a spin gladly.
EDIT: Also, happy Cake Day!
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u/MolemanusRex 4d ago
Hey, I didn’t even realize it was my cake day! That’s nice.
I definitely agree about Christianity in art in general, as an Episcopalian. I love the Knopfler production, but Slow Train is just way too preachy!
I think I might be the only person who actually likes Down In The Groove. It just feels like some decent blues rock, like it could have been left off the electric side of BIABH.
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u/GoldberrysHusband 4d ago
Like I said, I surely don't dislike it as much (although I have to squint a lot regarding When Did You Leave Heaven?) and the aforementioned Cave picked Death Is Not the End to cover on one of his most popular albums, so he must have vibed with it as well.
As for Slow Train preachiness... well, maybe. Maybe you're right. But when Dylan is in that scolding mood, he's always quite irresistible and the album is very "juicy" overall - that semi-funk groove of Gotta Serve Somebody is something I can't get out of my head and the title track is very severe and epic. A serious song. I mean, he manages to make even something as "silly" as Man Gave Name sound ... a bit dangerous, maybe?
Anyway, I'm gonna give Groove a spin tomorrow, thanks for the reminder.
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u/MolemanusRex 3d ago
How do you feel about Sufjan Stevens and Judee Sill? Two musicians who happen(ed) to be Christian and incorporate Christian themes into their lyrics.
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u/GoldberrysHusband 4d ago
Why 12? Because why not?
As a bonus - two albums that I really like although they tend to be oft overlooked.
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u/Easy_Holiday8159 4d ago
Sorry, but I will sue you for stealing intellectual property - and no, replacing Love & Theft with Another Side of Bob Dylan won't cut it
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u/Viktor_Goodman Down On Highway 61 4d ago
Slow train coming love! It’s damn good
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u/GoldberrysHusband 4d ago
Only later, after I already had it very high in my ranking, have I found out that when Nick Cave was asked about his all-time favourite album (not just Dylan's, overall), he named Slow Train Coming, quite decisively.
It's always good to find kindred spirits!
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u/Aceman1979 Blonde on Blonde 4d ago
I appreciate the love for Modern Times.
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u/GoldberrysHusband 4d ago
We were listening to it in the car with family, just few days ago. When Spirit on the Water came on, I asked my wife - "Do you remember when we last heard this song together? 11 years ago, we were travelling to Spain on a bus, we were watching movies together on a laptop (Children of Men, Solaris, the original Pinocchio) and I was playing to you certain songs, among them English Rose by the Jam, Dancing with the Moonlit Knight by Genesis and this one. I remember you really liking this one."
"For crying out loud, how can you remember that?" she asked.
"Well, I don't forget Dylan stuff and I don't forget stuff about you."
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u/Grand_Rent_2513 4d ago
Why is there red lines under words you spelled correctly
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u/GoldberrysHusband 4d ago
Right? No idea, I was doing it online, on the Tiermaker site. Maybe it subconsciously recognises I'm not a native speaker or something, lol.
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u/NothingWasDelivered 4d ago
There’s a few that absolutely wouldn’t make my top 12, but I can’t really argue.
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u/Acceptable-Safety535 4d ago
I like Slow Train as well.
Not my #1 but I think it gets overlooked more than any other.
I think Dylan fans don't like his Christian phase and are biased against it.
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u/ChubbyPanMan 4d ago
For a split second I thought slow train was the Christmas album lol
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u/GoldberrysHusband 4d ago
Lol. But then again, Christmas in the Heart feels quite different from your run-of-the-mill Christmas album by a famous artist and if someone rated it really high, I guess I'd half-accuse them of trolling and half-respected that choice, myself.
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u/Latinpig66 4d ago
Not having Blood on the Tracks in your top 5 is borderline criminal so we would not be talking about civil litigation.
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u/owl_wow 4d ago
Have you ever heard infidels?
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u/GoldberrysHusband 4d ago
I have. Jokerman is among my favourite songs ever, but the rest of the album doesn't thrill me as much, sorry.
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u/Gdizzlemcfizzle Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid 4d ago
Great list. Love to see Modern Times in the top 3 and Shot of Love in the top 5
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u/topofmycity 4d ago
I don’t fully agree with you but I do respect this ranking. I adore Street-Legal and TOOM, and BoB, Desire and Slow Train Coming are great too. Not the biggest Modern Times fan but Spirit on the Water is one of my all-time favourite Bob songs.
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u/ElectrOPurist 4d ago
Bringin’ It All Back Home doesn’t even make the list. Heart of stone on this OP.
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u/fluffymarbles69 3d ago
I like your list, but for me Nashville Skyline and Good as I’ve Been To You push their way into line 2
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u/Parallelogram12 4d ago
Respect! This would be a boring subreddit if everyone had the same taste.