Bob Dylan All the Songs
Page 76
Even though Daniel Lanois, along with Brian Eno, is one of the architects of ambient music, he has always showed a real interest in traditional folk songs and rock and soul tunes. With Peter Gabriel he co-produced the soundtrack for the 1985 film Birdy, directed by Alan Parker.
Lanois has produced a variety of albums, including Robbie Robertson (1987), the first solo effort by the ex-guitarist of the Band, Dylan’s Oh Mercy, and the Neville Brothers’ Yellow Moon (1989). Later, he produced albums for other significant artists, among them U2’s Achtung Baby (1991), Emmylou Harris’s Wrecking Ball (1995), and Neil Young’s Le Noise (2010). Lanois and Dylan worked together again for the sessions of Dylan’s thirtieth album, Time Out of Mind, released in 1997. That is one of Dylan’s best albums, winning three Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, in 1998.
As a recording artist Lanois has released several solo albums, including Acadie (1989), For the Beauty of Wynona (1993), Shine (2003), Belladonna (2005), Rockets (2005), Here Is What Is and Purple Vista (2008), Black Dub (2010), and, most recently, Flesh and Machine in 2014.
Whether on his own albums or those of other artists, Lanois’s work always bears his sonic signature, a singular sound of complex beauty and visceral power, the result of great sensitivity. No matter what the manner or the technical means, no matter whether the methods are conventional or empirical, no matter whether analog or digital, Lanois has always sought, above all else, to bring real feeling to whatever he records or produces. This is the avowed goal of this great “record maker.”
Political World
Bob Dylan / 3:47
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar; Daniel Lanois: dobro; Mason Ruffner: guitar; Tony Hall: bass; Cyril Neville: percussion; Willie Green: drums / Recording Studio: The Studio, New Orleans: March 8, 1989 (Overdubs March–July 1989) / Producer: Daniel Lanois / Sound Engineers: Malcolm Burn and Mark Howard
Genesis and Lyrics
In Chronicles, Bob Dylan describes what inspired “Political World”: “One night when everyone was asleep and I was sitting at the kitchen table, nothing on the hillside but a shiny bed of lights—all that changed. I wrote about twenty verses for a song called ‘Political World’ and this was about the first of twenty songs I would write in the next month or so.”1 Everything is political, said Marx. Without adhering to the German philosopher and economist’s thesis, Dylan gives a pitiless condemnation of the modern world he lives in, governed by politics, where “love don’t have any place,” where “life is in mirrors, death disappears / Up the steps into the nearest bank.” Dylan rails against this world of materialism, which has become the dominant ideology, where “wisdom is thrown into jail” and “where courage is a thing of the past,” and calls for a return to spirituality. In this regard, “Political World” appears as an almost logical continuation of “With God on Our Side,” recorded twenty-six years earlier.
Production
From the first notes on guitar, Daniel Lanois plunges us into a dreamy, heavy, menacing but definitely original vibe. The fade-in subtly introduces the drum part, supported by an excellent bassline by Tony Hall. He puts an irresistible pulse to the piece on his four-string. Dylan has finally found his producer. No more concession to modern sounds that do not suit his style. This time only his voice counts, and his vocal is excellent, enriched with a light slap-back echo—“the Elvis echo,” as Lanois has called it. Of course, some may find the production too sophisticated, too “overproduced,” but the production is finally at the level of Dylan’s talent. Both guitars, Lanois’s and Dylan’s, were added by overdub between March and July. The basic rhythm track of “Political World” was recorded on March 8 in two takes. The first was chosen.
FOR DYLANOLOGISTS
The phrase “climb into the frame” in the last verse of “Political World” is extracted from “Love Calls You by Your Name,” a song by Leonard Cohen on the 1970 album Songs of Love and Hate.
Where Teardrops Fall
Bob Dylan / 2:33
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, piano; Daniel Lanois: lap steel; Paul Synegal: guitar; Alton Rubin: accordion; John Hart: saxophone; Larry Jolivet: bass; David Rubin Jr.: washboard; Alton Rubin Jr.: drums / Recording Studio: The Studio, New Orleans: March 21 and 22, 1989 (Overdubs March–July 1989) / Producer: Daniel Lanois / Sound Engineers: Malcolm Burn and Mark Howard
Genesis and Lyrics
Here Dylan strikes the soft chord of romanticism with an ambience evoking Wuthering Heights, a “stormy night,” a “flickering light,” and the sadness of a departure: “In the shadows of moonlight / You can show me a new place to start.” This is the place “where teardrops fall,” a very nostalgic song that, once again, is inspired by Psalm 56, verse 9: “You keep count of my wanderings / put my tears into your flask, / into Your record.”
Production
With “Where Teardrops Fall,” Dylan felt that “All of a sudden I know that I’m in the right place doing the right thing at the right time and Lanois is the right cat. Felt like I had turned a corner and was seeing the sight of a god’s face.”1 In fact, Dylan showed this ballad to the Cajun singer Rockin’ Dopsie, and they recorded it in just five minutes without rehearsing. Just how Dylan likes to work.
While not technically perfect, this piece has a soul. The musicians provide a perfect accompaniment, with a traditional washboard for rhythm and an astonishing sax solo that comes out of nowhere. “In the finale of the song, Dopsie’s saxophone player, John Hart, played a sobbing solo that nearly took my breath away,”1 Dylan recalled in his memoir. Lanois added many overdubs, including a dobro and a 12-string guitar, but only his excellent lap steel guitar is really essential.
Everything Is Broken
Bob Dylan / 3:15
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar, harmonica
Daniel Lanois: dobro
Brian Stoltz: guitar
Tony Hall: bass
Willie Green: drums
Daryl Johnson: drums
Malcolm Burn: tambourine
Recording Studio:
The Studio, New Orleans: March 14, 1989 (Overdubs April–July 1989)
Technical Team
Producer: Daniel Lanois
Sound Engineers: Malcolm Burn and Mark Howard
Genesis and Lyrics
In Chronicles, Dylan explains the genesis of “Everything Is Broken” as follows: “Once when I was lying on the beach in Coney Island, I saw a portable radio in the sand… I could have remembered that image at the top of the song. But I had seen a lot of other things broken… [they] make you feel ill at ease.”1 The text of “Everything Is Broken” was fundamentally altered before the songwriter decided to record it. Originally, the song, titled “Broken Days,” was about a “broken” relationship. Dylan sang, “I sent you roses once from a heart that truly grieved.” Then he gave the song a more political dimension, denouncing modern society, where nothing works and, more important, where there is no escape because wherever you go everything breaks into pieces. The message is even more cynical than “Political World.”
Production
“Everything Is Broken” is a typical Louisiana, or swamp, blues song. James Isaac Moore, known as Slim Harpo, was one of its leading proponents. The tune has the same vibe, both nonchalant and rhythmic, punctuated by guitars with very pronounced vibrato and a highly reverberated harmonica. Lanois did not consider this song good enough for the album. Dylan persuaded him otherwise, and they finally recorded “Everything Is Broken” live on March 14 in the vast living room of the house. Dylan played Lanois’s Telecaster and shared the guitar duties with Stoltz. Lanois played dobro. The song sounded right immediately. After making some alterations to the lyrics, Dylan rerecorded it on April 3 with an exquisite harmonica solo. Other overdubs, including tambourine, bass, and guitars, were recorded in June and July. The excellent alternative version can be found on The Bootleg Series Volume 8: Tell Tale Signs: Rare & Unreleased 1989–2006.
“Everything Is Broken” was release
d as a single in October 1989. It seems that there were two B-sides: “Death Is Not the End” (from Down in the Groove) and “Dead Man, Dead Man” (a live version recorded at the Saenger Theater in New Orleans on November 10, 1981). “Everything Is Broken” did not make the charts, but Dylan has played it onstage nearly three hundred times since a concert at the Beacon Theatre in New York on October 10, 1989.
COVERS
One of the best adaptations of “Everything Is Broken” is a cover version released on Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s album Trouble Is… (1997).
Ring Them Bells
Bob Dylan / 3:00
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, piano
Daniel Lanois: guitar
Malcolm Burn: keyboards
Recording Studio
The Studio, New Orleans: March 7, 1989 (Overdubs June–July 1989)
Technical Team
Producer: Daniel Lanois
Sound Engineers: Malcolm Burn and Mark Howard
Genesis and Lyrics
The Gospel according to Matthew (6:10) (“Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”) inspired “Ring Them Bells.” The bells ring to announce the celestial reign of God, who sent his son Jesus Christ to fulfill his divine will on earth and put the “lost sheep” back on the right track. These bells proclaim the end of humankind. Dylan invokes Saint Peter; Saint Martha, who witnessed the resurrection of her brother, Lazarus; and Saint Catherine of Alexandria, beheaded for having rejected the proposal of the emperor Maxentius. In his memoir, Dylan says that he was unable to express his feeling accurately in the last line, “Breaking down the distance between right or wrong.” “The line fit,” Dylan writes, “but it didn’t verify what I felt.” Going from good to bad was a concept entirely unknown to him, and he wanted to rework this line before recording it. “The concept didn’t exist in my subconscious mind. I’d always been confused about that kind of stuff, didn’t see any moral ideal played out there.”1 But even though he couldn’t fix the line, he nevertheless recorded it.
Production
In “Ring Them Bells,” Dylan, on piano and vocals, follows the tradition of the gospel. This beautiful song, recorded on March 7, allows the songwriter to express himself in a very precise way, in a voice full of solemnity and compassion. His piano playing is excellent, and Lanois’s arrangements have a sound both contemporary and timeless. Dylan originally thought of recording the piece unaccompanied. “That aside, Lanois captured the essence of it on this, put the magic into its heartbeat and pulse. We cut this song exactly the way I found it… two or three takes with me on the piano, Dan on guitar and Malcolm Burn on keyboards.”1 Although bass overdubs (June 27 and 28) and guitars (Lanois in July) were added but are inaudible in the mix, the dynamic of the arrangement and the keen and harmonic sense of the song establish “Ring Them Bells” as one of the triumphs of this of album.
Man In The Long Black Coat
Bob Dylan / 4:34
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar, harmonica
Daniel Lanois: dobro, percussion (?)
Malcolm Burn: keyboards, bass (?)
Recording Studio
The Studio, New Orleans: March 29, 1989 (Overdubs April–July 1989)
Technical Team
Producer: Daniel Lanois
Sound Engineers: Malcolm Burn and Mark Howard
Genesis and Lyrics
Who is this “man in the long black coat” with whom the heroine ran away? The incarnation of death, even the devil? But would Satan mention the Bible? More poetically, the mysterious man in a black coat could be the symbol of a journey, the loneliness of the pilgrim on the road seeking the truth. But Dylan does not want to reveal anything about the character’s identity or even about his female companion. Perhaps she wanted to leave the world of corruption behind. Dylan explained that “The lyrics try to tell you about someone whose body doesn’t belong to him,” a condemned man, “someone who loved life, but cannot live, and it rankles his soul that others should be able to live.”1
Production
Like “Ring Them Bells,” “Man in the Long Black Coat” was composed entirely in the studio. The music evokes the Soundtrack of a spaghetti Western, set in the Louisiana bayou with an imaginative J. J. Cale on guitar. Two takes were cut on March 29, 1989. The first was used to add Malcolm Burn’s bass overdub (in June?) and Daniel Lanois’s guitars in July. Lanois: “We spent a lot of time getting the ambience right, recording the neighborhood crickets—the genuine sound of the New Orleans night. It’s a song that was directly inspired by the environment and mood of the city.” The producer continues, “It’s a song about a turning point, one moment that might change a life forever—like running away to join the circus.” For the record, the sound of crickets came from Brian Eno’s sound database. The crickets were initially recorded for the Neville Brothers album Yellow Moon, released in 1989. The recording was especially designed to be used with a Yamaha DX7 synthesizer. Mark Howard, second engineer, remembers, “Malcolm just jumped on the keyboards and started playing these crickets, and it made it really haunting, and y’know, we did a couple of takes and, bang, that was that masterpiece done. That was the first time ever that hairs went up on my arm while I was recording music, it was magical.”139
Lanois was satisfied with the cut of the song. Dylan performed on six- and 12-string guitars added by overdub on April 4, as well as harmonica (in A). He also gave a great vocal performance, enhanced by Lanois’s producing. A percussion (or tom-tom) is heard on the rhythm track, probably played by Lanois as well.
FOR DYLANOLOGISTS
Bob Dylan compared “Man in the Long Black Coat” with Johnny Cash’s, “I Walk the Line.” In Chronicles, he wrote that Cash’s was “a song I’d always considered to be up there at the top, one of the most mysterious and revolutionary of all time.”1
Most Of The Time
Bob Dylan / 5:03
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar; Daniel Lanois: guitar; Malcolm Burn: keyboards; Tony Hall: bass; Cyril Neville: percussion / Recording Studio: The Studio, New Orleans: March 1989 (Overdubs April 1989) / Producer: Daniel Lanois / Sound Engineers: Malcolm Burn and Mark Howard
Genesis and Lyrics
The narrator of the song, who could well be Dylan’s alter ego, seems to come back to life after separating from his wife. “Most of the time,” he says, “I can keep both feet on the ground,” “I can deal with the situation right down to the bone,” “I’m clear focused all around,” and so on… In summary, “I don’t even notice she’s gone” and “[I] don’t even remember what her lips felt like on mine.” The theme is similar to “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” (The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan). But is the narrator telling us the truth? “Most of the Time” may answer that question with a resounding “not always.”
Production
Dylan said that he did have the melody of “Most of the Time” in mind when he went into the studio. “Dan thought he heard something. Something that turned into a slow, melancholy song… Trouble was that the lyrics weren’t putting me in there, where I wanted to be. It wasn’t busting out the way it should. I could have easily given up five or six lines if I had phrased the verses differently.”1
Putting magic into the essence of the song, Lanois created an amazingly dreamlike and haunting atmosphere. Very deep reverb, omnipresent delays, saturated guitar sounds (with or without vibrato), a Roland TR-808 drum machine set in a loop, percussion, a sonic blanket, bass, and acoustic guitar give the song one of the strongest vibes on the album. Dylan provided a superb vocal performance.
The recording dates are sometime in March and the vocal overdubs in April. On March 2, 1990, Dylan decided to rerecorded “Most of the Time” at Culver City Studios in California for a CD with a video clip to promote Oh Mercy. He was accompanied by David Lindley on guitar, Randy Jackson on bass, and Kenny Aronoff on drums.
FOR DYLANOLOGISTS
The alternate version of “Most of the Time
,” released on The Bootleg Series Volume 8: Tell Tale Signs, was played on acoustic guitar and harmonica, producing a very different sound from the version on Oh Mercy.
What Good Am I?
Bob Dylan / 4:45
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar, piano; Daniel Lanois: dobro; Malcolm Burn: keyboards, bass / Recording Studio: The Studio, New Orleans: March 7, 1989 (Overdubs March–July 1989) Producer: Daniel Lanois / Sound Engineers: Malcolm Burn and Mark Howard
Genesis and Lyrics
Dylan wrote of this song in Chronicles, “The entire song came to me all at once; don’t know what could have brought it on.”1 He seems to have written “What Good Am I?” in one sitting after seeing Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night, a play dating from 1941 about family life at its worst—“self-centered morphine addicts,” in the words of the songwriter. Dylan writes, “Sometimes you see things in life that make your heart turn rotten and your gut sick and nauseous and you try to capture that feeling without naming the specifics.”1 This is an introspective song, a kind of self-examination: “What good am I if I know and don’t do / If I see and don’t say, if I look right through you /… And I hear in my head what you say in your sleep?” Behind these questions, there is a clear sense of guilt.