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Amazon.co.uk Review
Dylan shows an unlikely innocence and a greater sense of the world around him on this 1976 follow-up to the more cynical and introspective Blood on the Tracks. Working with lyricist Jacques Levy, Dylan offers a work with rougher edges and greater urgency that is distinguished by the prominence of Scarlet Rivera's melancholy violin and Emmylou Harris's bare harmonies. The album features two of Dylan's famous wrongly accused-and-misunderstood-criminal sagas but truly peaks elsewhere. Exotic imagery meshes with simple melody on "Isis," one of Dylan's most appealing rambles. The droning piano and plodding drums propel a mystical journey that contains some of his most insightful (and most ridiculous) lyrics about paranoia, trust, betrayal, and, of course, desire. ("What drives me to you is what drives me insane.") In the end Dylan shows no signs of being jaded by love's fickleness. Delicate and heartbreaking, the finale "Sara" is a gift to his ex-wife that eloquently recounts the wonders of a relationship, perhaps in an attempt to revive it. --Marc Greilsamer
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Audio CD
I came to listen to 'Desire' with no previous knowledge of Bob
Dylan's music. Of course, I had heard of him and was aware that he had written a number of classic songs, but I had never heard his music.
Anyway, 'Desire' is now one of the best albums in my collection, and is unfairly overshadowed by 1975's 'Blood on the Tracks', the second Dylan album I heard.
'Desire' features some original violin from Scarlet Rivera, and haunting harmonies from country singer Emmylou Harris. But it is Dylan's songs that stand out. He certainly does not have the most conventional of voices, but he works around this and produces a stellar collection of songs - I wouldn't want it any other way.
"Hurricane" and "Joey" tell of gangster land and murders, both apparently true stories and both told with Dylan's opinions (he strenuously protests boxer Hurricane Carter's innocence after he was accused of a triple murder back in the 1960s) in mind. "Mozambique" and "Oh, Sister" are both highly pleasant songs and highlights, but they aren't as powerful or immediately awe-inspiring as the rest of the material.
"One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below)" is haunting and sounds mildly Eastern, with great harmonies from Emmylou Harris. "Black Diamond Bay" is upbeat and breathlessly tells a story set in Greece, while the Latin-flavoured "Romance in Durango" shows how diverse Bob Dylan can be.
"Isis" is a major highlight of the record, with some mystical imagery and a lingering melody. Finally, "Sara" features some of Dylan's most tuneful vocals and is a heartfelt ode to his wife, whom he separated before the making of 'Desire'. The album also carries a gypsy vibe, in part thanks to the Rolling Thunder Revue of 1975, a travelling medicine show with a number of highly regarded musicians including Dylan, Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell.
'Desire' is certainly one of Bob Dylan's greatest records and just as good, if not better, than 'Blood on the Tracks'.
Dylan's music. Of course, I had heard of him and was aware that he had written a number of classic songs, but I had never heard his music.
Anyway, 'Desire' is now one of the best albums in my collection, and is unfairly overshadowed by 1975's 'Blood on the Tracks', the second Dylan album I heard.
'Desire' features some original violin from Scarlet Rivera, and haunting harmonies from country singer Emmylou Harris. But it is Dylan's songs that stand out. He certainly does not have the most conventional of voices, but he works around this and produces a stellar collection of songs - I wouldn't want it any other way.
"Hurricane" and "Joey" tell of gangster land and murders, both apparently true stories and both told with Dylan's opinions (he strenuously protests boxer Hurricane Carter's innocence after he was accused of a triple murder back in the 1960s) in mind. "Mozambique" and "Oh, Sister" are both highly pleasant songs and highlights, but they aren't as powerful or immediately awe-inspiring as the rest of the material.
"One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below)" is haunting and sounds mildly Eastern, with great harmonies from Emmylou Harris. "Black Diamond Bay" is upbeat and breathlessly tells a story set in Greece, while the Latin-flavoured "Romance in Durango" shows how diverse Bob Dylan can be.
"Isis" is a major highlight of the record, with some mystical imagery and a lingering melody. Finally, "Sara" features some of Dylan's most tuneful vocals and is a heartfelt ode to his wife, whom he separated before the making of 'Desire'. The album also carries a gypsy vibe, in part thanks to the Rolling Thunder Revue of 1975, a travelling medicine show with a number of highly regarded musicians including Dylan, Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell.
'Desire' is certainly one of Bob Dylan's greatest records and just as good, if not better, than 'Blood on the Tracks'.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By Guido
Format:Audio CD
I don't normally write reviews, but I couldn't help it reading what some people think about this album. So, if you don't like Dylan, don't understand the greatest songwriter of this (or any other) generation, then don't bother listening to this album, don't buy it and DON'T, for goodness' sake, write reviews!
Listen to Romance in Durango, listen to Black Diamond Bay (Yes, Hurricane, Joey, they are all great) and hear the master storyteller at work. Follow the story in "Durango" and if you fail to shiver as he sings "I feel a sharp pain" then you are made of stone.
Fail to smile as you are taken to Black Diamond Bay where all the characters show up almost af if leftovers from Desolation Row and you have no sense of humour. Then hear Joey and don't sympathise with a nasty criminal? Go on, I dare you, open your ears and LISTEN!
Now it's up to you, for me this is one of the top 3 Dylan albums, and possibly his very best.
Listen to Romance in Durango, listen to Black Diamond Bay (Yes, Hurricane, Joey, they are all great) and hear the master storyteller at work. Follow the story in "Durango" and if you fail to shiver as he sings "I feel a sharp pain" then you are made of stone.
Fail to smile as you are taken to Black Diamond Bay where all the characters show up almost af if leftovers from Desolation Row and you have no sense of humour. Then hear Joey and don't sympathise with a nasty criminal? Go on, I dare you, open your ears and LISTEN!
Now it's up to you, for me this is one of the top 3 Dylan albums, and possibly his very best.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Close your eyes and listen to Romance in Durango and you can almost see the movie unfold like the best Spaghetti Western Sergio Leone never made.
Point the CD back a few tracks and you're once again in movie land, this time at the hapless hotel/casino on Black Diamond Bay (the twist in the last verse is done with such amazing eloquence it really does take you aback).
Lie back and listen to Mozambique (one of Bob's happy songs - an art of his that is often criminally over looked) and you can almost feel the sun beating down on you and hear the beach bar calling.
Then there is Sara - one of the most heart rending songs you'll ever hear and a rare glimpse right through the mist at what lies beneath the songs.
The bottom line is any one of these songs could have made it as a movie (the Hurricane famously did, although this isn't really Bob's own story). But hey - why dilute these gems on the screen when the songs tell you all you need to know.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bought for my Sister Gillian.
I bought this CD for my Sister.
I know she'll be Very Happy with it as she told me it's her favourite Bob Dylan album but it had somehow gone missing recently from her Music... Read more
I know she'll be Very Happy with it as she told me it's her favourite Bob Dylan album but it had somehow gone missing recently from her Music... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. Mark Deacon.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bob at his best
I have only just got into Dylan! Weird I know, as I'm into my 50's now. I had always liked his earlier stuff - ie 'freewheeling Bob Dylan' - and his later work passed me by. Read more
Published 1 month ago by S. Balderson
5.0 out of 5 stars
great
trying to get cds on all my old records, still sounds good so many years later and brings back some great memories.
Published 2 months ago by dwelfie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Favourite Dylan Album
Blood on the Tracks used to be favourite but this is just amazing. After a couple of listens I was hooked and couldn't stop listening to it - every song is special, but Joey &... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Rick
5.0 out of 5 stars
CD casing cracked
Cd hard plastic case was cracked so I have to return package for replacement. What a hassle. This is the second CD I have received recently with the casing cracked. Read more
Published 4 months ago by redglass
5.0 out of 5 stars
Desire - this is...
an album i had years ago - i forgot just how good it is. Romance in durango and black diamond bay rate among the best of dylan, and dylan's the best.
Published 4 months ago by Derek Slater
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Dylan Fan
As a Dylan fan any album from the guy is great and this one hits the mark as always. Bluesy, rocking, poetic, political it's all here. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Proby
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sublime storytelling in rhyme
A genius at work exhibiting his sublime storytelling in rhyme. He takes you on a journey from everyday reality through the canyons of his imagination. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Danny Fitzpatrick
5.0 out of 5 stars
Desire: Bob Dylan - This is a hurricane of an album
This 1976 album is the seventeenth from icon Bob Dylan, and marks another change in style for this ever evolving artist, and would prove controversial even by his standards. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Victor
5.0 out of 5 stars
bob's finest moment?
I was blown away by this album when a friend lent it me in 1980 and I have kept on playing it since.
Quite simply Dylan's finest.... Read more
Quite simply Dylan's finest.... Read more
Published 9 months ago by David Newbold
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