Bob Dylan All the Songs
Page 63
Lloyd Barry: trumpet
Ronnie Eades: baritone saxophone
Harvey Thompson: tenor saxophone
Charles Rose: trombone
Recording Studio
Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Sheffield, Alabama: May 3, 1979 (Overdubs May 4, 5, 6, 10, and 11, 1979)
Technical Team
Producers: Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett
Sound Engineer: Gregg Hamm
Genesis and Lyrics
“Slow Train” is one of two songs (“Do Right to Me Baby” is the other) written by Dylan while on his Street Legal tour. Unlike the other songs on the album, this song contains no explicit allusions to the Bible, even though it was originally called “Holy Slow Train.” It is a protest song of a new type, because it criticizes an overtly nationalist ideal. The song targets American capitalists and protests against the inequitable economic system. Dylan rails against the unbridled and boundless malice embodied by unscrupulous businessmen (“Big-time negotiators, false healers and women haters”) who cause people to starve while “grain elevators are bursting” and have the power to turn people into “puppets.” The chorus, “There’s a slow, slow train comin’ up around the bend,” has two interpretations: the “slow train” could be the train of redemption or the train leading to madness and even the apocalypse.
At the time of its release, “Slow Train” harshly divided critics. According to Charles Shaar Murray of New Muscial Express, Dylan “has divided the world into Good and Evil according to the precepts of a narrow and fundamentalist creed.”112 Jann Wenner of Rolling Stone wrote that “‘Slow Train’ is univocally in the tradition of ‘state of the union’ songs that Bob Dylan has put on every record he’s ever done… [and] is nothing less than Dylan’s most mature and profound song about America.”121
Production
A very strong performance recorded on May 3 (basic rhythmic track) allowed the musicians to show excellent cohesion and perfect instrumental arrangements. Musically, “Slow Train,” although a blues-rock song, has a reggae sound. The drums and bass create an ideal groove around which Beckett plays his piano and organ part (overdub on May 11), supported by the backup vocalists providing soul-accented harmonies, the Muscle Shoals Horns (overdub on May 10), and Knopfler’s guitars (May 5). Knopfler provides two rhythmic patterns, panoramic from right to left, on either his Fender Stratocaster or his Telecaster, and the lead guitar. He demonstrates once again his exceptional touch on his Gibson ES 335. Dylan’s vocals are excellent. They are almost close to the protest tone of his early years. Apparently, he does not play any instrument (if so, it is buried in the mix).
FOR DYLANOLOGISTS
After the release of “Slow Train Coming,” some journalists compared Dylan to the evangelist Hal Lindsey, who in his book The Late Great Planet Earth predicted a “final” conflict between Jews and Arabs, the battle of Armageddon.
Gonna Change My Way Of Thinking
Bob Dylan / 5:29
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals
Mark Knopfler: guitar
Barry Beckett: piano, organ
Tim Drummond: bass
Pick Withers: drums
Mickey Buckins: percussion
Harrison Calloway Jr.: trumpet
Ronnie Eades: baritone saxophone
Harvey Thompson: tenor saxophone
Charles Rose: trombone
Recording Studio
Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Sheffield, Alabama: May 2, 1979 (Overdubs May 5 and 11, 1979)
Technical Team
Producers: Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett
Sound Engineer: Gregg Hamm
Genesis and Lyrics
When listening to this song, many of Dylan’s early fans may wonder if they are dreaming, or even if they are having a nightmare. Of course, the songwriter announces his transformation: “Gonna change my way of thinking.” But to then do the exact opposite of what he advocated fifteen years ago is something else entirely. In the first half of the 1960s, Dylan refused to appear as the spokesperson of the youth protest, peace, and progressive movements. In 1979, with “Gonna Change My Way of Thinking,” he became a preacher. In the seven verses he sings, “He who is not for Me is against Me.” This line is taken directly from the Gospel of Matthew (12:30). What does this line mean? That there can be no neutrality in the struggle of Christ against Satan? The meaning of the line is either that we follow Christ and resist the devil or that we follow the devil and oppose Christ. There can be no alternative… Dylan has made his choice. He sings, “Gonna put my good foot forward / And stop being influenced by fools,” and of “Sons becoming husbands of their mothers / And old men turning young daughters into whores.” He refuses to endure “so much oppression.” For Dylan, there is only one authority, the kingdom of God.
Production
“Gonna Change My Way of Thinking” is an electric-blues song in A, with a characteristic sound. Performed by Muscle Shoals Horns and Mark Knopfler, the song has an authentic Southern sound. Knopfler gives a great riff, probably on his Gibson ES 335 (or else his Telecaster?), somewhat reminiscent of “Cocaine” by J. J. Cale. He is accompanied by Beckett on the piano, who provides a very good keyboard part (overdub on May 11), using convincing blues licks, and by an excellent brass part overdubbed the same day. Bass and drums give the necessary weight to the song. Pick Withers is helped by percussionist Mickey Buckins’s striking cowbell and tambourine to better emphasize the tempo (overdub on May 11). Dylan sings in an angry voice, very rock in style, that fits perfectly with his lyrics, and does not play any instrument.
FOR DYLANOLOGISTS
In 2003 the album Gotta Serve Somebody: The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan was released, including a great version of “Gonna Change My Way of Thinking,” a duet between Dylan and Mavis Staples.
Do Right To Me Baby (Do Unto Others)
Bob Dylan / 3:54
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar
Mark Knopfler: guitar
Barry Beckett: electric piano
Tim Drummond: bass
Pick Withers: drums
Recording Studio
Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Sheffield, Alabama: May 4, 1979
Technical Team
Producers: Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett
Sound Engineer: Gregg Hamm
Genesis and Lyrics
“Do Right to Me Baby (Do Unto Others)” could be the first song Bob Dylan wrote celebrating his entry into the world of Christ. It is inspired by the precepts of the first verse of the seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, “Pass no judgment, and you will not be judged.” Dylan begins by singing, “Don’t wanna judge nobody, don’t wanna be judged.” Similarly, the last verse is a paraphrase of the twelfth verse of the seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew: “Therefore, that you want men to do to you, you also must likewise do to them; this, in fact, is what the Law and the Prophets mean.”
Between these two couplets, Dylan lays down the principles of the golden rule, which can be defined as follows: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This concept appears in Christianity, but equally prominently in many other religions, including Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism. More than that, it is a universal message that resonates with agnostics and atheists as well.
Production
On May 4, 1979, four takes of “Do Right to Me Baby (Do Unto Others)” were recorded. The final take was chosen for the album. There were no overdub sessions for this song, meaning that Dylan played electric rhythm guitar and did a pretty good job, launching the first notes of the song. Knopfler plays on his National Reso-Phonic guitar, in arpeggios with an impressive technique, as good as his work on the electric lead guitar. Pick Withers, Knopfler’s bandmate from Dire Straits, skillfully follows on the brushes, doing his best to ensure a good musical groove, accompanied by a great bass part by Tim Drummond. Finally, there is the beautiful electric piano part by Barry Beckett, alternating harmonic support and heartfelt licks for rh
ythm. “Do Right to Me Baby (Do Unto Others)” is a great piece.
Dylan introduced the song for the first time at a concert in Hollywood, Florida, on December 16, 1978, eight months before the release of Slow Train Coming. This concert also marked the end of the world tour, begun in Tokyo on February 20, and celebrated the songwriter’s new spirituality. According to Clinton Heylin, “He introduced another new song. ‘Do Right to Me Baby (Do Unto Others)’ was the first song he had ever written around a dictum from the Bible.”
When You Gonna Wake Up
Bob Dylan / 5:30
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals
Mark Knopfler: guitar
Barry Beckett: electric piano, organ
Tim Drummond: bass
Pick Withers: drums
Mickey Buckins: percussion
Harrison Calloway Jr.: trumpet Lloyd Barry: trumpet
Ronnie Eades: baritone saxophone
Harvey Thompson: tenor saxophone
Charles Rose: trombone
Recording Studio
Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Sheffield, Alabama: May 2, 1979 (Overdubs May 4, 6, 10, and 11, 1979)
Technical Team
Producers: Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett
Sound Engineer: Gregg Hamm
Genesis and Lyrics
With the eyes of a new convert, Dylan describes what the world has become as the result of humanity’s distance from God’s word. He rejects counterfeit philosophies with the same vigor. He sings, “Karl Marx has got ya by the throat, Henry Kissinger’s got you tied up in knots” and sees with the same disgust “adulterers in churches and pornography in the schools.” “You got gangsters in power and lawbreakers making rules,” he chastises before asking, “When you gonna wake up?” He builds off a line from the third chapter of the book of Revelation, “Wake up, and keep the things that remain, which you were about to throw away, for I have found no works of yours perfected before my God.” In 1981 Neil Spencer of the New Musical Express interviewed Dylan about the meaning of “strengthen the things that remain” from “When You Gonna Wake Up.” Dylan explained, “Well, the things that remain would be the basic qualities that don’t change, the values that do still exist. It says in the Bible, ‘resist not evil, but overcome evil with good.’ And the values that can overcome evil are the ones to strengthen.”20
Production
Three takes were recorded on May 2, 1979. The third rhythm track was used for overdubs. Between bass, drums, rhythm guitar, and electric piano, “When You Gonna Wake Up” is a superb example of the musicians’ collaboration. They are all excellent, and they prove it. Unfortunately, the song itself is uneven; the chorus is not up to the verses. The decision to differentiate the chorus with an abrupt rhythmic change does nothing but break the groove previously established. It’s a shame, but the mistake is not repeated. Later there is an organ solo played by the talented keyboardist and co-producer Barry Beckett, and Mark Knopfler more modestly ensures a rhythm on his guitar (overdub on May 6). The Muscle Shoals Horns added their soul flair on May 10, and the next day the percussionist Mickey Buckins overdubbed claves and tambourines. At the insistence of Jerry Wexler, Dylan overdubbed a new vocal with confidence. It is a very good performance. His vocals never sounded so clear and precise. Jerry Wexler’s insistence that Dylan not sing while the musicians were laying down the instrumental arrangement was clearly a good decision.
Man Gave Names To All The Animals
Bob Dylan / 4:27
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals
Mark Knopfler: guitar
Barry Beckett: electric piano, organ
Tim Drummond: bass
Pick Withers: drums
Carolyn Dennis, Helena Springs, and Regina Havis: backup vocals
Recording Studio
Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Sheffield, Alabama: May 4, 1979 (Overdub May 7, 1979)
Technical Team
Producers: Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett
Sound Engineer: Gregg Hamm
Genesis and Lyrics
Slow Train Coming is a dark record, portraying Western civilization as distant from God. The only exception is “Man Gave Names to All the Animals.” This song is like a fountain of youth. The lyrics were inspired by the book of Genesis (2:19–20), in which Adam names the animals. They appeal to young people but are contemplative.
Throughout the song, Dylan gives one or two characteristics to each animal so that the child can easily guess which one he means. He sings, “Big furry paws and he liked to howl / Great big furry back and furry hair / Ah, think I’ll call it a bear.” Verse after verse, he names each animal: the cow, the pig… In the final stanza, however, he refuses to say the name of the animal: “He saw an animal as smooth as glass,” “Slithering his way through the grass / Saw him disappear by a tree near a lake.” Of course it is the snake, the nachash in Hebrew, that appeared to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
Dylan was not sure if he wanted to include “Man Gave Names to All the Animals” on the album. However, after he heard backup vocalist Regina Havis’s three-year-old son laughing at the animals, he changed his mind.
Production
Six takes were cut of “Man Gave Names to All the Animals” on May 4, 1979. As in previous songs, the rhythm is impressive and efficient. Yet the song is reggae inspired, and none of the musicians is a specialist in that category. The bass/drum duo works perfectly, backed brilliantly by Beckett on electric piano and Knopfler on acoustic guitar. Accompanied by his three backup singers (recorded on May 7), Dylan provides a very good vocal performance, and his voice is distinct. Note the Cuban timbales far in the mix (at 1:48), yet no overdub session appears to have been made with percussionist Mickey Buckins. Is it a drum machine?
“Man Gave Names to All the Animals” was released as a single with various B-sides, depending on the country. The tune did not make the charts in either the United Kingdom or the United States. Rolling Stone said of the song, “It’s not very profound, but it’s clever at times.” “Man Gave Names to All the Animals” was first played onstage in San Francisco on November 1, 1979.
When He Returns
Bob Dylan / 4:31
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals
Barry Beckett: keyboards
Recording Studio
Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Sheffield, Alabama: May 4, 1979
Technical Team
Producers: Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett
Sound Engineer: Gregg Hamm
Genesis and Lyrics
The questions haunting Bob Dylan have not really changed since his debut in the clubs of Greenwich Village. This is obvious when comparing “When He Returns” and “Blowin’ in the Wind.” In his 1962 anthem, he wondered, “How many ears must one man have / Before he can hear people cry?” In “When He Returns” he asks himself, “How long can I listen to the lies of prejudice?” However, in both songs, Dylan uses the metaphor of a man who has eyes but does not see. What differs is the answer. In “Blowin’ in the Wind,” there is no answer; in “When He Returns,” the answer lies in trust in Christ. Consequently, this is a song of hope. Dylan sees the world on the edge of a cliff and sings, “Will I ever learn that there’ll be no peace, that the war won’t cease / Until He returns?” Yes, but hope will be reborn “when He returns.” Then, there will be no more wars, no infamy or falsification; on the contrary, “He’s got plans of His own to set up His throne,” and under his power harmony will reign. Once again, the songwriter is inspired by the Gospel according to Matthew (7:14), especially the Sermon on the Mount, to carry his good word: “But the gate that leads to life is small and the road is narrow, and those who find it are few.”
Production
Jerry Wexler remembers that “[it] was Dylan’s intention not to sing on the song at all, rather it was to be a lead ensemble by the otherwise backup female singers. [Barry] Beckett’s piano was an ad-lib accompaniment to a vocal Dylan had made as a demo for the s
ingers to use while rehearsing. Ultimately, however, Dylan abandoned his original notion, and after practicing overnight, he redid his vocal to fit the demo’s spontaneous piano track.”112 Dylan delivered a great interpretation of that gospel sound, which would have gained more strength with the chorus in the backup vocals.
Studio records that mention “When He Returns” list nine takes recorded on May 4, 1979. The first was recorded with Dylan and all his musicians. For the eight others, Dylan and Mark Knopfler were on guitar and Barry Beckett on piano. Which take was Wexler talking about?
Dylan sang “When He Returns” for the first time in public in San Francisco on November 1, 1979.
Slow Train Coming Outtakes
During the sessions for Slow Train Coming, three songs were excluded from the album. “Trouble in Mind” was released as the B-side of the single “Gotta Serve Somebody.” “Ain’t No Man Righteous, Not No One” was recorded in 1980 by the reggae band Jah Malla. Only “Ye Shall Be Changed” bore the seal of Bob Dylan on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3: Rare & Unreleased, 1961–1991.
Ye Shall Be Changed
Bob Dylan / 4:09
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar (?); Mark Knopfler: guitar; Barry Beckett: piano; Tim Drummond: bass; Pick Withers: drums / Recording Studio: Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Sheffield, Alabama: May 2, 1979 (Overdub May 4, 1979) / Producers: Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett / Sound Engineer: Gregg Hamm / Set Box: The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3: Rare & Unreleased, 1961–1991 (CD 3) / Date of Release: March 26, 1991