It feels strange, giving such a low rating to one of Bob Dylan's more popular albums; I love Dylan, and I tend to prefer his well-liked recordings. Like the rest of the general public, I adore Blonde on Blonde and will probably never get tired of Blood on the Tracks. I would totally dig it if everybody wanted to hang out and listen to "Like A Rolling Stone" and "Mr. Tambourine Man" and all that. But when it comes time to throw this record on the turntable, I'll probably sneak off and read a book or something. What can I say? I really just plain can't stand this thing. I think it sounds false and cheesy and tossed-off. It's enthusiastic, but in a really contrived sort of way, like Bob and the gang got hammered on tequila during the recording sessions because they wanted to sound like they were cutting loose and having a real cool time and cuttin' some tunes and bein' all crazy, 'cuz, WHAT THE HELL DO WE KNOW, it's rock 'n' roll baby, y'know? That sort of thing.

What I'm trying to say is, this album sucks. The songs suck. "Mozambique" is so meaninglessly, appallingly, pathetically amateurish that it all but negates the existence of a masterpiece like "Visions Of Johanna." "Mozambique" is grating and dull and cliche-heavy, and not even remotely catchy, and the lyrics are painfully idiotic. Meanwhile, "One More Cup Of Coffee" is the only song I've ever heard that lends some credence to the idea that Bob Dylan has a bad voice. He over-sings the damn thing into next week, squealing and yelping and moaning like a gosh-darned fool. I'd say that his vocals ruin the song, but that would imply that "One More Cup Of Coffee" was a good song in the first place. Truth be told, it deserves no better than what Dylan did to it. Elsewhere, we've got the treacly, self-pitying "Sara," and the south-of-the-border condescension of "Romance In Durango." "Oh, Sister" is a decent ballad, but it drags and drags and drags 'til it ain't decent no more. And then there's "Joey," which is something of a masterpiece in the field of bad song-writing. It's an interminable ode to a fallen mobster, and it's drippy and sappy and over-sentimental, and it has all the emotional staying power of a Hallmark card, and it's full of cliches, and I hate it so, so, so much.

But Desire does get two stars. One of those stars is for "Isis," which is absolutely spectacular. It's what the rest of the album should've sounded like: Dreamy, dynamic, sweeping, mysterious, emotive, and something in the neighborhood of unforgettable. Another half star for "Hurricane," the epic hit single, which is forceful and bruised and damn catchy. Finally, Desire nets a quarter of a star for "Black Diamond Bay," which is what all of the filler tracks on this album should've sounded like: Charming, engrossing, and harrowing, but in a lightweight sort of way.

So, that adds up to 1.75 stars. And that rounds up to 2. What can I say? I'm a generous guy.

Desire came out twelve days shy of a year after "Blood on the Tracks," but it wasn't a whole year without a new Dylan record, because The Basement Tapes came between them, though it was recorded something like eight years earlier. "Desire" is sort of new sound for Dylan as he is performing with the Rolling Thunder Review band and Scarlett Rivera's violin adds a haunting sound throughout.

"Hurricane" the lead off song marks kind of a return of Dylan to social commentary. Dylan did the song, because he was convinced of Mr. Carter's innocence. The song was first recorded with Emmylou Harris doing the vocal with Dylan, like she does on the other songs on the record, but apparently Colombia thought the song was libelous, so Dylan re-recorded it with Ronnie Blakely. I've heard both versions and the one used on the final release is a much better song. "Isis," is like a never ending story song that reminds me kind of "Idiot Wind." I love it, my favorite song on the record is "Black Diamond Bay." It tells a story of a Pacific Island that is destroyed by a volcano. The people on the island all react differently and when the narrator hears about it on the evening news, he gets up and gets another beer. He doesn't care and boy is there a lot of that going around. This is a superb record and one of Dylan's top sellers. Probably the reason for that is because it is so good.

"Desire" (1976) is a mixed bag. "Hurricane" is an effective protest song and "Sara" is justly famous but much of the rest of the album is mournful, sluggish, and curiously unmoving. The mechanical "Joey" at 11 minutes long is a real test of patience.

"Desire" is a truly epic album. Recalling the works of Carl Jung, Robert Graves (White Goddess), James Frazer (The Golden Bough), William Blake and the Beat Poets, Dylan weaves a dense tapestry of images and words. The narratives are dreamlike and elusive, like primitive folk-tales. Benefiting greatly from a recent remastering, this once dreary sounding recording returns with a tight, crisp, 'live' sound. One of the richest, deepest, and evocative rock albums ever recorded. Highlights: Isis, Black Diamond Bay, Sara, Oh Sister.

After Blood on the Tracks, Dylan followed it up with Desire and his return from musical obscurity was complete with the album that spawned the Rolling Thunder Revue. Most of the reviewers take Joey with a certain amount of surprise, but not me. I think Joey is Dylan as satirist, after all, how many bad guys have ended up as folk heroes, and why can't Crazy Joe be included in with this crowd? Sara has to be Dylan at his most depressing best with a plaintive, agonizing love song to his wife as the marriage is breaking up. While I suspect that the Dylan purists will cringe, with Blood on the Tracks, Desire, and Hard Rain you have the essential Bob Dylan of the 70's with music that has withstood the test of time just as strongly as the music of Bob Dylan the 60's folkie. I'll take him both ways without regret.