I really need to catch up on my Dylan. Ive got all his albums up until Love and Theft. I havent yet heard Modern Times or Together Through Life. Anyone got any opinions on the latter 2 I can go by until I get my hands on them? This is an uncalled-for mistake on my part.[img=/images/smiley/msn/sad_smile.gif][/img]
I really liked Together Through Life, actually more so than Time Out Of Mind, which was the only post-Desire album I found worthwhile. I think "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'", the first single, is actually pretty representative for the album, so if you like that, you'll probably want the album: link
What struck me as most appealing is the different attitude. Even on Time Out Of Mind, and much more so on other late-Dylan, I thought it sounded like Dylan struggling to make his voice work on songs he couldn't handle anymore. On Together Through Life, he found a new style where there's no strain between the songs and his voice - they're just a match.
So, I was *really* pleasantly surprised by Together Through Life. Then, he came out with Christmas in the Heart, which I found so absolutely awful that I just skipped over Tempest. Then, when I heard about Shadows in the Night, I decided to give him a chance, and he actually sounded pretty nice on old standards, though I definitely prefer Together Through Life.
That's a good one. The best I can do is recommend two records you should have a listen to, realizing that Dylan's records are a lot more diverse than you might expect (and range all the way from "absolutely awesome" to "downright dreadful", occasionally even on the same album).
I would say, listen to "Highway 61 Revisited" and "Blood On The Tracks". If there's nothing on either of those records you like, then Dylan probably isn't for you. If there *is* anything you like, we can probably find one or more albums you'll love (and one of them might be "Blood On The Tracks" ;-P)
"Blood on the Tracks" and "Blonde On Blonde" are probably the two Dylan albums I listened to the most. The former is an especially good soundtrack to a breakup, and the latter's "Stuck Inside of Mobile..." and the Beatlesque "Absolutely Sweet Marie" are amongst my favorite Dylan songs.