After being the highlight of the Gospel Tour, “Covenant Woman” was recorded in nine takes during the first session for Saved on February 11, 1980. Aside from the lyrics, the tune is a pop ballad, without any gospel color. Overdubs were probably done, as two acoustic and two electric guitars are heard. Dylan did not like the results of the session. There might have been a second session on February 15 to redo it completely.
FOR DYLANOLOGISTS
The “covenant woman” of the song might be not Mary Alice Artes, but vocalist Helena Springs, with whom Dylan had a brief affair and an abrupt breakup shortly before the beginning of the Saved sessions.
What Can I Do For You?
Bob Dylan / 5:55
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar, harmonica (?); Fred Tackett: guitar; Spooner Oldham: organ; Barry Beckett: electric piano; Terry Young: piano; Tim Drummond: bass; Jim Keltner: drums; Clydie King, Mona Lisa Young, and Regina Havis: backup vocals / Recording Studio: Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Sheffield, Alabama: February 12, 1980 / Producers: Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett / Sound Engineer: Gregg Hamm
Genesis and Production
In the form of a new prayer originating in his newfound faith in Jesus Christ, Bob Dylan here expresses thanks to God, who has given everything to him, “pulled [him] out of bondage,” and “made [him] renewed inside”—Jesus Christ, who has “given [him] life to live.” He knows he will never give back as much as he has received, but he still asks in the chorus, “What can I do for You?… / How can I live for You?” The answer is in the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Ephesians: “Above all, take up the great shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one” (6:16).
“What Can I Do for You?” was recorded in two takes on February 12, 1980, including a false start. With a guitar sound colored by the chorus/flanger effect, organ, and chorus with gospel airs, this song was another tribute by Dylan to the One who had inspired his faith. It stands out not only for his emotional singing, but for his saturated, rock-style harmonica solo (in E-flat), somewhat similar to the revolutionary harmonica player Little Walter. To hear a great harmonica player, simply listen to Dylan with the organ from 5:05 on.
Solid Rock
Bob Dylan / 3:58
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar; Fred Tackett: guitar; Spooner Oldham: organ; Barry Beckett: piano; Terry Young: percussion, backup vocals; Tim Drummond: bass; Jim Keltner: drums; Clydie King, Mona Lisa Young, and Regina Havis: backup vocals / Recording Studio: Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Sheffield, Alabama: February 12, 1980 (Overdubs February 13, 1980) / Producers: Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett / Sound Engineer: Gregg Hamm
Genesis and Production
“Well, I’m hangin’ on to a solid rock / Made before the foundation of the world,” sings Dylan at the beginning of this song. This “solid rock” is Jesus Christ, who turned him away from the wrong path and opened his eyes. During the Gospel Tour on November 26, 1979, in Tempe, Arizona, Dylan introduced “Solid Rock” with these words: “Now, Jesus Christ is that solid rock. He’s supposed to come two times. He came once already. See, that’s the thing. He’s been here already. Now, He’s coming back again. You gotta be prepared for this. Because, no matter what you read in the newspapers, that’s all deceit. The real truth is that He’s coming back already.”126 These words echo the Gospel according to Matthew (25:34): “Then the King will say to those on his right hand, ‘You have my Father’s blessing; come, enter and possess the kingdom that has been ready for you since the world was made.’” Dylan offered, at the same time, an act of repentance. He sings that Jesus Christ was “chastised, for me He was hated” and that “He was rejected by a world that He created.”
“Solid Rock” is a rock song, as the name says, not really a gospel song, despite the superb chorus by the backup vocalists. Dylan’s vocals are backed by Fred Tackett’s funky rhythm as well as solo lead guitar. This upbeat piece allows Dylan to anchor his relevation with a firm and energetic voice. The recording of “Solid Rock” required seven takes on February 12, the last being retained and used as the basis for vocal overdubs the following day.
FOR DYLANOLOGISTS
“Solid Rock” was released as a single with “Covenant Woman” on the B-side in June 1980, but the record failed to make the charts.
Pressing On
Bob Dylan / 5:14
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, piano (?); Fred Tackett: guitar; Spooner Oldham: organ; Tim Drummond: bass; Jim Keltner: drums; Clydie King, Mona Lisa Young, Regina Havis, and Terry Young: backup vocals / Recording Studio: Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Sheffield, Alabama: February 13, 1980 / Producers: Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett / Sound Engineer: Gregg Hamm
Genesis and Production
This song invites listeners to look toward the future, not the past. “Pressing On” is a continuation of Dont Look Back, a 1967 documentary film by D. A. Pennebaker covering Dylan’s 1965 US and UK tours. Since his conversion to Christianity, the songwriter has explored new horizons. For Dylan, “Pressing On” represents his persistent belief in God in spite of those who block his path or doubt. The first verse is broadly inspired by chapter 6, verses 30 and 32, of the Gospel according to John. Dylan sings, “Many try to stop me, shake me up in my mind / Say, ‘Prove to me that He is Lord, show me a sign’ / What kind of sign they need when it all come from within / When what’s lost has been found, what’s to come has already been?”
The recording session for “Pressing On” took place on February 13. Nine takes were recorded that day. The last was selected for the album, most likely because of the truly solemn communion between Dylan’s singing and that of the other vocalists. Indeed, Dylan sings a superb gospel, a transporting vocal performance, and seems to play piano as well. The musicians backing Dylan match the level of emotion released by his amazing singing, and the vocalists pick up to deliver a stunning performance. Although no overdub was reported, two acoustic guitars are heard.
In The Garden
Bob Dylan / 5:58
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar; Fred Tackett: guitar; Spooner Oldham: organ; Barry Beckett: piano; Tim Drummond: bass; Jim Keltner: drums; Clydie King, Mona Lisa Young, Regina Havis, and Terry Young (?): backup vocals / Recording Studio: Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Sheffield, Alabama: February 14, 1980 / Producers: Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett / Sound Engineer: Gregg Hamm
Genesis and Production
This song refers to Jesus’s arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane and his resurrection. Dylan was inspired by the Gospel According to John, specifically the Passion of Christ. In the fourth line of the first verse, his sings the command of Jesus to Peter (18:11): “Did they hear when He told Peter, ‘Peter, put up your sword’?” The third verse also contains two explicit references, “When He healed the blind and crippled, did they see?,” referring to chapter 9, verses 1 through 12, and “When he said, ‘Pick up your bed and walk’” to chapter 5, verse 8. The last verse contains a line from the Gospel according to Matthew (28:18), “All power is given to me in heaven and on earth.”
Dylan gives a remarkable vocal performance, supported by his fabulous backup singers and excellent musicians. “In the Garden” was recorded on February 14 in three complete takes. The last one was chosen for Saved. It seems that many guitar overdubs were performed, although they do not appear on the studio recording sheets.
FOR DYLANOLOGISTS
Bob Dylan ended his concerts on the Gospel Tour with “Pressing On.”
Saving Grace
Bob Dylan / 5:05
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar; Fred Tackett: guitar; Spooner Oldham: organ; Terry Young: piano; Tim Drummond: bass; Jim Keltner: drums / Recording Studio: Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Sheffield, Alabama: February 13, 1980 / Producers: Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett / Sound Engineer: Gregg Hamm
Genesis and Production
“Saving Grace” was the first song Dylan wrote for the album Saved in September 1979 while working on other titles in collaboration with
Helena Springs. The song is a poignant testament to his newfound faith. He talks about his past—which would inevitably condemn him to eternal damnation—and, above all, his resurrection, before admitting in the last verse, “The wicked know no peace and you just can’t fake it / There’s only one road and it leads to Calvary.” The song, however, ends with a message of hope: “It gets discouraging at times, but I know I’ll make it / By the saving grace that’s over me.”
“Saving Grace” was recorded on February 13, 1980. Four attempts (maybe five) were made. The third or fourth was selected for Saved. “Saving Grace” is another ballad with a more pop than gospel tone and probably with a solo on the electric (Stratocaster?) played by Dylan himself (around 1:56). His guitar is unfortunately out of tune, but he succeeds in giving a good performance. “Saving Grace” is a beautiful song, touched by Dylan’s emotional intonation.
FOR DYLANOLOGISTS
“Saving Grace” was consistently included in the Gospel Tour’s setlist. In 2013 Dylan sang it again, an indication that he had not lost his faith.
Are You Ready?
Bob Dylan / 4:41
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar; Fred Tackett: guitar; Spooner Oldham: organ; Barry Beckett: electric piano; Terry Young: piano; Tim Drummond: bass; Jim Keltner: drums; Clydie King, Mona Lisa Young, and Regina Havis: backup vocals / Recording Studio: Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Sheffield, Alabama: February 14, 1980 / Producers: Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett / Sound Engineer: Gregg Hamm
Genesis and Production
For the final track of Saved, Dylan based this song on a recurring theme since the beginning of his career, the apocalypse, but this time in relation to his conversion to Christianity. Dylan found his inspiration in biblical texts. “Are You Ready?” contains references to the book of Isaiah (47:11) (“Therefore evil shall come upon you, and you will not know how to master it”); the book of Revelation (2:16) (“So repent! If you do not, I shall come to you soon”); and, finally, to the Gospel according to Matthew (7:23) (“Then I will tell them to their face, ‘I never knew you; out of my sight, you and your wicked ways!’”).
“Are You Ready?” is a rather dark blues song with a threatening atmosphere. The group works together well: the rhythm is powerful, with an excellent guitar solo by Tackett, followed by Oldham at the organ, and Dylan again playing a strong blues harmonica (in C) with a saturated sound. After nine takes, “Are You Ready?” was finalized. The last one was retained for Saved, a very nice way to conclude Dylan’s twentieth studio album.
Dylan performed this song onstage for the first time on February 8, 1980, at the Municipal Auditorium in Charleston, West Virginia. He performed “Are You Ready?” at other shows until October 1981.
Shot
Of Love
Shot Of Love
Heart Of Mine
Property Of Jesus
Lenny Bruce
Watered-Down Love
The Groom’s Still Waiting At The Altar
Dead Man, Dead Man
In The Summertime
Trouble
Every Grain Of Sand
THE OUTTAKES
The Groom’s Still Waiting
At The Altar
Angelina
Caribbean Wind
Straw Hat
Gonna Love You Anyway
I Wish It Would Rain
It’s All Dangerous To Me
Need A Woman
Well Water
My Girl (It’s Growing)
My Oriental House
Wild Mountain Thyme
Borrowed Time
I Want You To Know That I Love You
Rockin’ Boat
Cold, Cold Heart
Is It Worth It?
You Changed My Life
Almost Persuaded
Movin’
Yes Sir, No Sir (Hallelujah)
Singing This Song For You
Reach Out
Fur Slippers
Let It Be Me
Ah Ah Ah
Magic
Bolero
Don’t Ever Take Yourself Away
Be Careful
The Girl From Louisville
The Ballad Of Ira Hayes
The King Is On The Throne
Don’t Let Her Know
Wind Blowing On The Water
All The Day Done
Minute By Minute
Glory Of Love
In A Battle
Mystery Train
DATE OF RELEASE
August 12, 1981
on Columbia Records
(REFERENCE COLUMBIA TC 37496)**
Shot of Love:
Trilogy, Act III
The Album
After the Gospel Tour, which ended on May 21, 1980, and the release of the album Saved on June 19, Bob Dylan was already thinking about his next LP. Throughout the summer, he wrote prolifically, still under the benevolent and spiritual influence of biblical texts. “Shot of Love” and “Watered-Down Love” were inspired by the Epistles of Paul to the Corinthians in the New Testament, “Dead Man, Dead Man” the Epistle of Paul to the Romans, “Heart of Mine” the book of Jeremiah in the Old Testament, and “In the Summertime” the Gospel according to Matthew in the New Testament. Most of these songs allowed the songwriter to return to his past and to his profound transformation since his encounter with Jesus Christ, who opened his eyes, both to himself and to the false prophets. These songs are at the same time carried by what might be called an apocalyptic breeze—especially “Trouble” and, even more, “Every Grain of Sand,” one of the purest masterpieces in Dylan’s repertoire.
Dylan’s writing changed, or rather returned, to the allusive poetry of the 1960s. The most striking example is certainly “Every Grain of Sand,” strongly influenced by the mystical poetry of William Blake, as “My Back Pages” and “Chimes of Freedom” (Another Side of Bob Dylan) and “Gates of Eden” (Bringing It All Back Home) had been some years earlier. “The Groom’s Still Waiting at the Altar” and “Caribbean Wind” (excluded from the final selection of the original track listing of the album) also marked a dramatic change in Dylan’s writing. They both contain powerful biblical prophecies and a touch of surrealism. Finally, for the first time since Street Legal and Dylan’s conversion to Christianity, this album focuses on secular themes: it pays tribute to social critic and satirist Leonard Alfred Schneider, better known as Lenny Bruce, a key player of the counterculture era who was frankly contemptuous of all hypocrisy (political or religious) in the 1960s.
The Last Act of the Trilogy
In this final act of the Christian trilogy, Dylan changed his production team. After the tandem of Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett, three new producers presided over the future of this new opus: Bumps Blackwell (for the title song), whose name was associated with well-known African-American musicians including Little Richard, Sly & the Family Stone, Ray Charles, and Quincy Jones; Chuck Plotkin, who produced eight of the nine songs originally planned to be used on Shot of Love and was best known for his work with Bruce Springsteen; and, finally, Jimmy Iovine, who had worked with John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith, and Tom Petty and produced “Angelina,” “The Groom’s Still Waiting at the Altar,” and “Caribbean Wind,” all three excluded from the track listing of Shot of Love, Biograph, and The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3, at least the versions he himself mixed.
As for the musicians accompanying Dylan, in addition to Ringo Starr and Ron Wood, who dropped in unexpectedly, his instrumental team still included Tim Drummond (bass), Jim Keltner (drums), and Fred Tackett (guitar), plus the backup vocalists Clydie King and Carolyn Dennis. The new musicians were Benmont Tench, the excellent keyboardist for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers; Steve Ripley (guitar); Carl Pickhardt (piano); Steve Douglas (saxophone); Danny Kortchmar (guitar); and Regina McCrary and Madelyn Quebec in the chorus. All of them contributed to the production of a successful album, intermingling gospel and rock ’n’ roll.
The Album Cover
T
he cover sleeve displays an illustration of typical pop art by Pearl Beach, an artist who had also worked for Weather Report and the Neville Brothers. Did Dylan want to evoke the breeze of the “Caribbean Wind” or the chaos proclaimed throughout the album? The back cover shows a photograph by Howard Alk, who had already worked on the album Street Legal, showing the songwriter holding a rose. Initially, the photo was to be a Cadillac rolling on a carpet of clouds, but this was censored by Columbia (except in Brazil, probably due to an error).
The Recording
Shortly after writing most of the songs for LP Shot of Love, Dylan toured Los Angeles studios. According to Arthur Rosato, who had worked on Saved and later on Shot of Love, “Bob decided that we should check out some studios, so we’d record in people’s garage setups and do one song, then we went over to United Western and… recorded a bunch of stuff.”89
Bob Dylan All the Songs Page 65
