The Album Cover
For this new album, a straightforward photo showing Dylan in concert was chosen for the cover. The photographer and the designer are not credited. This cliché image, portraying Dylan sitting by himself onstage holding an acoustic guitar—probably a Martin D-42K—was taken either during the True Confessions Tour with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (June 9 to August 6, 1986) or during the Temples in Flames Tour (September 5 to October 17, 1987).
On the back sleeve, Dylan is shown onstage during a sound check speaking to a woman, probably one of his backup singers or even his wife, Carolyn Dennis. Before choosing this cover photo, Dylan had approached the American illustrator and cartoonist Rick Griffin, a psychedelic artist known for his posters for the Grateful Dead. Griffin produced a preliminary study in a Western, psychedelic style, showing Dylan riding a horse backward while playing guitar. Unfortunately, Columbia was opposed, and the drawing was not selected.
The Recording
The songs of Down in the Groove were only taped in three recording studios, the Power Station in New York City, Townhouse Studios in London, and, primarily, Sunset Sound in Hollywood. However, the recordings lacked the unity required to ensure a cohesive album. No production details are mentioned on the album cover, which speaks for itself. And, once again, the album has a never-ending list of musicians: four guitarists, six drummers, seven bassists, four keyboard players, seven backup singers, and Full Force as a vocal group. Over thirty musicians for ten songs!
Chronologically, the first title selected came from the sessions for Infidels, co-produced with Mark Knopfler. “Death Is Not the End” was recorded on May 2, 1983, and revived for Down in the Groove. There followed two sessions at Townhouse Studios in London on August 27 and 28, 1986. Dylan had been in the English capital since August 17 to record songs for the soundtrack of the final feature film directed by Richard Marquand, Hearts of Fire, starring Dylan, Rupert Everett, and Fiona Flanagan. The film received poor reviews and was pulled from theaters shortly after its release. Dylan was obviously going through a tough period. In addition, soon after the movie was released, the director died of a stroke. Some gossipmongers said the bad film killed him. The only interesting and positive point of the album is the alternative mix of “Had a Dream about You, Baby,” a song initially written for the Hearts of Fire soundtrack, featuring Eric Clapton and Ron Wood on guitar. The following spring, Dylan returned to Sunset Sound to resume recording. From March 5 to June 23, 1987, he recorded the last eight songs of Down in the Groove in ten sessions, half of which were for overdubs.
Technical Details
“Had a Dream about You, Baby” was the only song recorded at the Townhouse Studios in West London, England. Built in 1978 by the charismatic CEO of Virgin Airways, Richard Branson, Townhouse Studios quickly became one of the most popular recording studios in the world. Many prominent artists recorded at Townhouse, including Elton John, Bryan Ferry, Oasis, Queen, and Phil Collins, among others. Immediately after the release of Phil Collins’s hit “In the Air Tonight” (1981), one of the biggest hits in pop history, the studio gained its reputation. At the time, it was equipped with an SSL 4000B console. Townhouse Studios closed in 2008.
The other recording complex used by Dylan to record most of Down in the Groove was Sunset Sound in Hollywood, California. This legendary studio was created in 1958 by Walt Disney’s director and musical producer Tutti Camarata. Sunset Sound saw the recording (in whole or in part) of some of the monuments of rock music of the twentieth century: Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys (1966), Strange Days by the Doors (1967), Van Halen II (1979), Led Zeppelin’s II and IV (1969 and 1971), and Exile on Main Street by the Rolling Stones (1972). The studio was equipped with a Neve console, the same kind Dylan used for his album. Stephen Shelton (Tom Waits, David Lee Roth) was the sound engineer.
The Instruments
Among the guitars Dylan used in concert at this time were a Takamine EG-260 and a Martin D-42K, though it is unclear which he used in the studio. For this new LP, he played three different harmonicas, in D, G, and A.
FOR DYLANOLOGISTS
An error by Columbia: the original pressing of Down in the Groove for the Argentine market included “The Usual” and “Got Love If You Want It.”
Let’s Stick Together
Wilbert Harrison / 3:09
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar, harmonica
Danny Kortchmar: guitar
Randy Jackson: bass
Steve Jordan: drums
?: maracas
Recording Studio
Sunset Sound / Studio 2, Hollywood, California: May 1, 1987
Technical Team
Producer: Bob Dylan
Sound Engineer: Stephen Shelton
Genesis and Lyrics
Singer and multi-instrumentalist Wilbert Harrison, a rhythm ’n’ blues player, has the distinction of having released two hits a few years apart with “Let’s Stick Together” in 1962 and “Let’s Work Together” in 1970. Harrison’s two songs have the same melody and structure, but the lyrics are different. “Let’s Stick Together” is a mid-tempo twelve-bar shuffle-style blues song. After Harrison’s “Let’s Work Together,” the California blues-rock band Canned Heat cut an energetic version for their album Future Blues, released in 1970. This version reached number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Six years later, Bryan Ferry covered the song, reaching number 4 in the United Kingdom. Ten years after Ferry, Dylan recorded a great bluesy version of “Let’s Stick Together.” The essential message, that marriage is sacred, resonated with the songwriter.
Production
“Let’s Stick Together” is the third song recorded by Bob Dylan at Sunset Sound in Hollywood on May 1, 1987. Dylan is accompanied by guitarist Daniel Kortchmar, who also took part in the sessions for Shot of Love, bassist Randy Jackson (Jean-Luc Ponty, Blue Öyster Cult, Bruce Springsteen, Roger Waters), and drummer Steve Jordan (discovered in the early 1980s by the Blues Brothers). Dylan’s version has a slower tempo than the original version and apparently less “roots.” But he was not mistaken in choosing it as the opening song for the album: it is strong, dynamic blues rock. The sound is much warmer than on his previous two albums, the band plays well together, and the 1980s clichés are mostly absent. Both guitars are excellent (with its very pronounced vibrato, Kortchmar’s is superb), and Dylan’s harmonica (in D) elevates the song. It had been a long time since the songwriter sounded so good, singing with confidence and delivering an aggressive vocal. The only regret: the bass merited a better mix and lacks punch. An unknown musician plays maracas from the beginning of the song.
FOR DYLANOLOGISTS
Randy Jackson and Steve Jordan played on Aretha Franklin’s cover of “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” (1986) in the movie of the same name. Jordan later joined Keith Richards and the X-Pensive Winos.
When Did You Leave Heaven?
Walter Bullock / Richard A. Whiting / 2:15
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar; Jack Sherman: guitar (?); Madelyn Quebec: vocals, keyboards, sythesizer; Stephen Shelton: drums / Recording Studio: Sunset Sound / Studio 2, Hollywood, California: April 3 or 11, 1987 / Producer: Bob Dylan / Sound Engineer: Stephen Shelton
Genesis and Production
Richard A. Whiting was a composer whose melodies accompanied the great successes of Hollywood from the late 1920s to the early 1940s. In 1936, Whiting and lyricist Walter Bullock’s song “When Did You Leave Heaven?” from the 1936 film Sing, Baby, Sing, directed by Sidney Lanfield, was nominated for a Grammy Award. As the title suggests, the theme is religious: Jesus, who lived in heaven, came down to earth to save humankind.
Dylan’s take on the standard was surprising—he gave it a techno-pop touch. Updated to fit the style of the 1980s, he added a synthesizer, played by his backup singer Madelyn Quebec, and the sound of a drum machine, presumably programmed by the sound engineer, Stephen Shelton. Although the liner notes do not credit another guitarist besides Dylan, a second guitar i
s heard. According to studio record sheets, it was played by Jack Sherman, guitarist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers from 1983 to 1985. There is no bass or, if so, only in the background of the mix.
COVERS
Many artists have covered “When Did You Leave Heaven?,” including Louis Armstrong, Lisa Ekdahl, Big Bill Broonzy, Eric Clapton, Johnny “Guitar” Watson, and Little Jimmy Scott.
Sally Sue Brown
Tom H. Stafford / Arthur Alexander / Earl Montgomery / 2:29
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar; Madelyn Quebec: vocals; Steve Jones: guitar; Kevin Savigar: keyboards; Paul Simonon: bass; Myron Grombacher: drums; Bobby King and Willie Green: backup vocals / Recording Studio: Sunset Sound / Studio 2, Hollywood, California: March 27, 1987 (Overdubs May 5, 1987) / Producer: Bob Dylan / Sound Engineer: Coke Johnson
Genesis and Production
Arthur Alexander is a country songwriter and soul singer whose songs have inspired many in the rock revolution. The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, among others, have covered “Anna (Go to Him)” and “You Better Move On.” Alexander wrote “Sally Sue Brown,” his first single, released in 1960, which he adapted in collaboration with Earl H. Montgomery and Tom Stafford.
In the song, Sally Sue Brown is “back in town”: “In that very tight skirt” and with her “big bright eyes,” she captures hearts and inspires the hottest fantasies. “Lay at your bed Sally Sue Brown / Please let me love you, baby / Don’t put me down.” It is a fiery statement, straight to the point.
Dylan recorded “Sally Sue Brown” on March 27, 1987, with two English musicians who, in the second half of the 1970s, shook the foundations of rock music: guitarist Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, and Paul Simonon, former bassist for the Clash. They were joined by keyboard player Kevin Savigar, who had played with Rod Stewart, George Harrison, and Willie Nelson; and Myron Grombacher, a former drummer for Pat Benatar. With this band, Dylan put down a very rock version of “Sally Sue Brown.” Bobby King and Willie Green’s vocals were added by overdub on May 5 in a doo-wop style. Compared to Alexander’s version, Dylan gave some warmth to the song, but didn’t take advantage of the two talented English ex-punks.
Death Is Not The End
Bob Dylan / 5:10
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar, harmonica; Mark Knopfler: guitar; Alan Clark: keyboards; Robbie Shakespeare: bass; Sly Dunbar: drums; Clydie King, Lou George, Beadle Curtis, Charles Gerard, Brian George, and Paul Anthony: backup vocals / Recording Studio: The Power Station / Studio A, New York: May 2, 1983 (Overdubs May 18, 1983) / Producers: Bob Dylan and Mark Knopfler / Sound Engineer: Neil Dorfsman
Genesis and Production
Dylan wrote “Death Is Not the End” in 1983, when he was still strongly influenced by Christian humanism. While the world crumbles, the narrator of the song remains hopeful. Even when you are lonely and all your dreams have vanished, “[When] the cities are on fire / With the burning flesh of men,” there is the prospect of eternal life: “Just remember that death is not the end.” The title of the song refers to the book of Isaiah (26:19): “But thy dead live, their bodies will rise again. They that sleep in the earth will awake and shout for joy; for thy dew is a dew of sparkling light, and the earth will bring those long dead to birth again.”
For his new opus, Dylan reused a cut from the sessions for Infidels recorded on May 2, 1983, which was co-produced with Mark Knopfler. Michael Krogsgaard has suggested that the song was reworked in May 1987, although no studio records confirm that. This is plausible because one of the two guitars sounds out of tune, and Knopfler would never have let that happen unless the recording was just a demo and corrections were planned for later. On May 18, 1983, Full Force added the backup vocals. The songwriter, however, did not consider including “Death Is Not the End” on Infidels, probably because it was too sad in contrast to the other titles.
COVERS
This song has been covered by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (featuring vocalist Anita Lane), Kylie Minogue, PJ Harvey, Shane MacGowan, and others.
Had A Dream About You, Baby
Bob Dylan / 2:54
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar; Eric Clapton: guitar; Beau Hill and Mitchell Froom: keyboards; Ron Wood: bass (?); Kip Winger: bass; Henry Spinetti: drums / Recording Studio: Townhouse Studios, London: August 27–28, 1986 / Producer: Beau Hill (?) / Sound Engineer: (?)
Genesis and Production
On August 17, 1986, Bob Dylan arrived in London to star in the musical film Hearts of Fire, directed by Richard Marquand. In October 1987, Columbia released the soundtrack, including three of Dylan’s songs: “The Usual” (by John Hiatt), “Night after Night,” and “Had a Dream about You, Baby.” Apparently, Dylan did not write any lyrics before landing in England, and at the last minute he sat down in front of a blank page. As a result, “Had a Dream about You, Baby” has some good lines, but nothing transcendent.
However, among the accompanying musicians were Eric Clapton and Ron Wood, who were at the recording sessions for the song at Townhouse Studios. Unfortunately, the stars that Dylan invited to play on the song had little impact on the final version. A guitar solo by Clapton, instead of just a riff, would have been great. The liner notes list both Ron Wood and Kip Winger on bass, and there are two guitars playing together (apparently one is not Dylan’s). The sound of the bass is not very strong. The guitarist from the Stones played his six-string guitar. “Had a Dream about You, Baby” is a promising rock song, but could have been so much more.
Ugliest Girl In The World
Bob Dylan / Robert Hunter / 3:32
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar, harmonica
Danny Kortchmar: guitar
Stephen Shelton: keyboards
Randy Jackson: bass
Steve Jordan: drums
Madelyn Quebec and Carolyn Dennis: backup vocals
Recording Studio
Sunset Sound / Studio 2, Hollywood, California: June 16, 1987
Technical Team
Producer: Bob Dylan
Sound Engineer: Stephen Shelton
Genesis and Lyrics
In the early 1960s, lyricist Robert Hunter and his friend Ken Kesey were volunteer test subjects for hallucinogens in a research project at Stanford University. These psychedelic experiences led Hunter to write some of the Grateful Dead’s iconic songs and become one of the most influential figures of the counterculture at that time. The complicity between Robert Hunter and Bob Dylan led them to co-write this song. The lyrics need to be taken with a grain of salt. This “ugliest girl in the world” is an absurd fable, a kind of exhilarating and liberating dip into nonsense. Dylan sings, “The woman that I love she got a hook in her nose /… She speaks with a stutter and she walks with a hop,” and adds immediately, “If I ever lose her I will go insane.”
Production
“Ugliest Girl in the World” is the fourth rock song on Down in the Groove. Here Dylan tries to reconnect with his roots, more or less abandoned in recent years. Although the piece is dynamic, it lacks real energy. The guitar parts nevertheless work well, especially the excellent acoustic, presumably played by Kortchmar. Dylan’s passages on harmonica (in D) elevate the piece. The rhythm between the electric guitar (Dylan?), Steve Jordan’s drumming, and Randy Jackson’s bass has a Rolling Stones feeling that would have fit on Keith Richard’s solo albums. Recorded on June 16, “Ugliest Girl in the World” has never been performed live.
COVERS
Austrian cyber artist and musician Michel Montecrossa has recorded “Ugliest Girl in the World” for the album Michel Montecrossa’s Michel & Bob Dylan Fest 2003, released in 2003.
Silvio
Bob Dylan / Robert Hunter / 3:06
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar; (?): guitar; (?): ukulele/mandolin; (?): keyboards; Nathan East: bass; Mike Baird: drums; Madelyn Quebec, Carolyn Dennis, Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, and Brent Mydland: backup vocals; (?): tambourine / Recording Studio: Sunset Sound / Studio 2, Hollywood, California: June 16 (?
), 1987 / Producer: Bob Dylan / Sound Engineer: Stephen Shelton
Genesis and Production
Bob Dylan composed the music and Robert Hunter wrote the lyrics for this song. For the second time on the album, Dylan’s collaborative efforts with the prominent songwriter of the Grateful Dead reach new heights. “Silvio” is the gem of the album. The lyrics, evoking the inexorable passing of time, could have been written by Dylan himself: “One of these days and it won’t be long / Going down in the valley and sing my song / I will sing it loud and sing it strong / Let the echo decide if I was right or wrong.”
“Silvio” is a very good song, a kind of acoustic folk-rock ballad. The rhythm is irresistible, and the combination of acoustic guitar (Dylan), drums, and bass works magnificently. The bass player is none other than the great Nathan East, who during the course of his career has accompanied giants like Earth, Wind & Fire, Michael Jackson, Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, and Diana Krall on her 2015 album Wallflower, named after Dylan’s song. Not all the musicians are identified, including a ukulele (or mandolin) player, a second acoustic guitarist, and a keyboard player. Note the exceptional participation of three Grateful Dead members, Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, and Brent Mydland, in the chorus.
Bob Dylan All the Songs Page 74
