Jay-Z 'sThe Blueprint hit #1

The Blueprint Jay-Z

Released: September 18, 2001 Charted: September 29, 2001 Peak: 13 US, 13 RB, 30 UK, 3 CN Sales (in millions): 2.3 US, 0.21 UK, 3.5 world (includes US and UK) Genre: rap

Tracks: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. The Ruler’s Back Takeover Izzo (H.O.V.A.) (7/21/01, 7a US, 2a RB, 21 UK) Girls, Girls, Girls (9/29/01, 15a US, 11 UK, 4 RB) Jigga That Nigga (11/3/01, 64a US, 26a RB) U Don’t Know Hola’ Hovito Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love) Never Change Song Cry (4/27/02, 45 RB) All I Need Renegade (with Eminem) Blueprint (Momma Loves Me) Total Running Time: 63:25

Rating: 4.148 out of 5.00 (average of 15 ratings) Quotable: Nobody in New York could match Jay-Z rhyme for rhyme and nobody in New York had fresher beats.” – Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: After the death of the Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z “claimed New York’s hip-hop throne” AMG At the time, “many smirked and some even snickered.” AMG However, he “solidified his position with gigantic hits like ‘Big Pimpin’ and ‘I Just Wanna Love You (Give It 2 Me).’” AMG On The Blueprint, “everything came together to assert Hova as the best rapper around” FO and “no one was smirking and no one dared snicker.” AMG “Everything that makes Jay-Z a true king can be heard on this LP. From the soulful seventies beats, the introduction of Kanye as his producer, to the way he tells stories with consummate ease.” FO “Nobody in New York could match Jay-Z rhyme for rhyme and nobody in New York had fresher beats – and many would argue that Jigga’s reign was not just confined to New York but was, in fact, national.” AMG “Jay-Z took on anyone and everyone who wanted to sit on his throne.” RS’20 For example, on Takeover, “one of the greatest diss tracks of all time,” FO “he brutally dismisses two of his most formidable opponents, Mobb Deep and Nas.” AMG “There’s little doubt that Jay-Z’s status as the top MC in the game is justified.” AMG “Leadoff single, Izzo (H.O.V.A.), dominated urban radio numerous weeks before the album hit the streets, generating so much demand that Def Jam had to push up the album’s street date because it was being so heavily bootlegged.” AMG “With dynamic production by Kanye West,” RS’20 and “a joyous sample of the Jackson 5’s ‘I Want You Back’” NRR it “gave him his first Top 10 single. Jay-Z elevates clever rhymes and innovations with an unmatched air of calm control and a cavalier confidence” RS’20 in a song complete “with a rumination on changing perceptions of black wealth.” NRR “Jay-Z continues the braggadocio with U Don’t Know.” Perhaps the most bombastic song on the album – if not Jay-Z’s career (‘I will not lose, ever’) – it doubles as a financial history of his life…He opens up about the wealth gathered as a drug dealer (‘So much coke that you could run a slalom’) before explaining a musical revelation (‘Could make forty [thousand dollars] off a brick, but one rhyme could beat that’) and offering an accounting of his millions – ‘Put me anywhere on God’s green Earth,’ he explains, ‘I triple my worth..’” NRR All the songs are “stunning, to the point where the album seems almost flawless.” AMG “The album packs a powerful range of topics and emotions into its 60-plus minutes.” NRR “When Hova isn’t taking shots at record executives, cops, critics, haters, biters, and his absent dad (and still, sadly, using the word “faggot”), he inches toward vulnerability on Song Cry.” RS’20 The song “reveals a version of the rapper willing to show emotion and admit mistakes,” NRR such as when “he reminisces over a lost love, his voice crackling with partially-supressed grief as he acknowledges the toll his infidelity took on the relationship.” NRR Far Out referred to that song and Never Change as “moments that will live in his legacy for a long time to come.” FO “Besides rhymes that challenge those on Reasonable Doubt as the most crafted of Jay-Z’s career to date in terms of not only lyrics but also flow and delivery, The Blueprint also boasts some of his most extravagant beats, courtesy of impressive newcomers Kayne West and Just Blaze.” AMG “If the rhymes and beats alone don’t make The Blueprint a career highlight for Jay-Z, the minimal guest appearances surely do.” AMG With the exception of a duet with Eminem, “listeners get exactly what they want: Jay-Z and nothing but Jay-Z, over beats so loaded with marvelously flipped samples the songs don't even need big vocal hooks.” AMG “Jay-Z spent the first half-decade of his career in a delicate balancing act: trying to stay true to the hard-edged sound and subject matter that drew fans to his debut, while capturing new crowds with the glitzy production and pop hooks that characterized his second. Perhaps more than any album in his career--and certainly more than any to that point – Blueprint accomplished that feat.” NRR “Uneven albums like Hard Knock Life were the crossover attempts.” AMG This is “a fully realized masterpiece” AMG and “easily Jay-Z’s greatest album of all time.” FO The album has the noted accomplishment of being the first of the 21st century to be selected by the National Recording Registry. It represents a peak in the career of “a son of Brooklyn’s notorious housing projects who became hip-hop’s first billionaire in 2019” NRR and would be crowned as the solo artist with the most number one albums for a solo artist. NRR

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Jay-Z AMG All Music Guide review by Jason Birchmeier FO Far Out (7/16/2021). “The 21 Best Albums of the 21st Century” by Jack Whatley, Joe Taysom, and Tom Taylor NRR National Recording Registry essay by Zack O’Malley Greenburg RS’20 Rolling Stone (9/22/2020). “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time” WK Wikipedia First posted 3/30/2008; last updated 4/28/2022.

 

Bruce Springsteen performed “My City of Ruins” for 9/11 tribute

My City of Ruins Bruce Springsteen

Writer(s): Bruce Springsteen (see lyrics here) First Performed: December 17, 2000 Released: July 30, 2002 (album cut from The Rising) Peak: 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 3.3 video, -- streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Bruce Springsteen wrote “My City of Ruins” in November 2000 for a Christmas benefit show in Asbury Park, New Jersey which was focused on the revitalizing of that city. Asbury Park was a resort town near where Springsteen grew up that had been popular in the late 19th century and early 20th century, but deteriorated as a result of various factors including the Great Depression, the opening of the Garden State Parkway, and race riots. WK Springsteen starts the song by describing the city with imagery such as boarded-up windows and men loitering on a street corner. However, he later evokes a cry for the city to “rise up” from its decay. He performed it for the first time at Asbury Park Convention Hall on December 17, 2000. WK After the September 11, 2001 attacks, the song took on a different meaning, “offering a message of hope and rising from the ruins.” WK Springsteen performed the song live with a few altered lyrics on September 21, 2001 for America: A Tribute to Heroes. He opened the national telethon calling the song “a prayer for our fallen brothers and sisters.” WK A studio recording of the song followed and was included in the July 2002 release of his twelfth studio album, The Rising. Other significant performances have included an appearance at the 2006 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in response to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and again in 2009 as a tribute to the victims of an earthquake in the Italian city of l’Aquila. WK The song gained attention again after the February 22, 2011 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand when it became an official anthem for the city. WK It was subsequently released as a single in New Zealand, reaching #17. Springsteen also performed the song at the December 12, 2012 Concert for Sandy Relief, a response to Hurricane Sandy. WK At the 32nd annual Kennedy Center Honors which paid tribute to Springsteen and others on December 29, 2009, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam performed the song. His version charted, reaching #92 on the Billboard Hot 100. WK Proceeds went to Artists for Peace and Justice Haiti Relief. SF Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Bruce Springsteen SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 2/28/2023.

Tori Amos released covers album Strange Little Girls

Strange Little Girls Tori Amos

Released: September 18, 2001 Peak: 4 US, 16 UK, 8 CN, 7 AU Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, -- world (includes US and UK) Genre: adult alternative singer/songwriter

Tracks: Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. New Age (Lou Reed) [4:37] ’97 Bonnie & Clyde (Marshall Mathers, Jeff Bass, Mark Bass) [5:46] Strange Little Girl (Brian Duffy, Dave Greenfield, Hans Warmling, Hugh Cornwell, Jean-Jacques Burnel) [3:50] (11/13/01, --) Enjoy the Silence (Martin Gore) [4:10] I’m Not in Love (Eric Stewart, Graham Gouldman) [5:39] Rattlesnakes (Lloyd Cole, Neil Clark) [3:59] Time (Tom Waits) [5:23] Heart of Gold (Neil Young) [4:00] I Don’t Like Mondays (Bob Geldof) [4:21] Happiness Is a Warm Gun (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) [9:55] Raining Blood (Jeff Hanneman, Kerry King) [6:22] Real Men (Joe Jackson) [4:07] Total Running Time: 62:09

Rating: 3.408 out of 5.00 (average of 11 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: “Something that goes unspoken in the cult of Tori Amos is that she knows the value of press and that she knows how to exploit it. So, six albums into her career, and several years since she captured headlines, she released Strange Little Girls, a collection of covers intended to strike a dagger into the heart of how males view females in pop songs. To be honest, you wouldn’t know that from listening to the record, but you might have an idea by looking at the four separate collector-oriented covers, and reading the reviews, previews, and interviews Tori did prior to and at the time of release.” AMG “The only track that really feels that way is Eminem’s 97 Bonnie and Clyde, where Amos heightens the tension by close-mic’ing her vocals and reading with a hammy theatricalness that results in a cut about as chilling as the original, but without the context.” AMG “After that, there really aren’t many songs that sound like they’re a female switch in perspective, apart from maybe the Stranglers’ title track (which she does a nice job with), and it’s very hard to tell what she’s trying to say with these songs. Is she the fat blonde actress in the Velvet Underground’s New Age? Mother Superior in the Beatles’ Happiness is a Warm Gun (recorded with an anti-gun recitation from her father)? Is she the chair in Depeche Mode’s Enjoy the Silence? How does Tom Waits’ Time fit into the equation?” AMG “Tori never tells us, either lyrically or through her musical arrangements – witness the bizarre deconstruction of Neil Young’s Heart of Gold, another song that doesn’t seem to fit her theme, so she dresses it up in flanged guitar and neo-trip-hop beats.” AMG “Tori’s sexual politics are so poorly constructed, appearing almost nonexistent, that the music by default rises to the forefront and it almost meets the demands. For the most part, this is a solid record – overly produced and not as inventive as her takes on ‘Angie’ and ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit,’ but rarely as wretched as ‘Heart of Gold.’ Though there’s a bit too much surface sheen, it’s a solid record, yet it’s not particularly distinctive, so the pre-release hype about the gender deconstructions of Strange Little Girls makes sense, because the only way this distinguishes itself is through its stated intention – and if the album doesn’t make the intentions specific, it’s best to get the word out any way possible. And while all that press may have given the impression that this is something new, something different – precisely what it was meant to do – it really is nothing more than another, pretty good Tori Amos record, only not quite as interesting because she didn’t write the tunes.” AMG Personally, the DMDB saw an intriguing story line that played out, based on the track order. First, the album introduces an eccentric girl through tracks like Strange Little Girl. Then, we see her struggling with an unrequited relationship (I’m Not in Love, ‘Heart of Gold’). Finally, she is pushed over the edge and goes on a murderous rampage (I Don’t Like Mondays, ‘Happiness Is a Warm Gun,’ Raining Blood). In the end, the listener is left with Tori’s take on Joe Jackson’s already phenomenal commentary on our stereotypes of men (Real Men), only now it takes on a very different meaning. The listener wonders if the album’s character is struggling with male/female identities, potentially even gender identity crisis, that has led to her behavior. It may not have been Tori’s intent, but it is how the DMDB interpreted it.

Resources and Related Links: AMG All Music Guide review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 3/24/2008; last updated 6/3/2022.

Wilco released Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Wilco

Released: September 18, 2001 Charted: May 4, 2002 Peak: 13 US, 40 UK, 43 AU Sales (in millions): 0.67 US Genre: alternative country rock

Tracks: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. I Am Trying to Break Your Heart Kamera Radio Cure War on War (5/21/02, --) Jesus, Etc. Ashes of American Flags Heavy Metal Drummer I’m the Man Who Loves You Pot Kettle Black Poor Places Reservations Total Running Time: 51:51 The Players: Jeff Tweedy (vocals, guitar) John Stirratt (bass) Leroy Bach (keyboards, guitar, bass, saxophone) Glenn Kotche (drums) Jay Bennett (mixing, multiple instruments)

Rating: 4.047 out of 5.00 (average of 28 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: “Few bands can call themselves contemporaries of both the heartbreakingly earnest self-destruction of Whiskeytown and the alienating experimentation of Radiohead’s post-millennial releases, but on the painstaking Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Wilco seem to have done just that. In early 2001, the Chicago-area band focused on recording their fourth album, which ultimately led to the departure of guitarist Jay Bennett and tensions with their record label.” AMG Wilco wouldn’t change the album and Reprise Records dropped them. Welco bought the studio tapes for $50,000, left the label, AMG and posted the album for free on the internet. RS’20 “Two-hundred-thousand downloads later, Nonesuch Records (owned by the same company as Reprise) released the album, and it became critical and commercial gold.” RS’20 “The turmoil surrounding the recording and distribution of the album in no way diminishes the sheer quality of the genre-spanning pop songs written by frontman Jeff Tweedy and his bandmates. After throwing off the limiting shackles of the alt-country tag that they had been saddled with through their 1996 double album Being There, Wilco experimented heavily with the elaborate constructs surrounding their simple melodies on Summerteeth. The long-anticipated Yankee Hotel Foxtrot continues their genre-jumping and worthwhile experimentation.” AMG “Its pretty acoustic-guitar melodies battled noise, skidded into dissonance, or got chopped off abruptly. Its lyrics pitted hope against doubt, with all bets off.” RS’20 “The sprawling, nonsensical I Am Trying to Break Your Heart is as charmingly bleak as anything Tweedy has written to date, while the positively joyous Heavy Metal Drummer jangles through bright choruses and summery reminiscences. Similarly, Kamera dispels the opening track’s gray with a warm acoustic guitar and mixer/multi-instrumentalist/ ‘fifth Beatle’ Jim O’Rourke’s unusual production.” AMG “The true high points of the album are when the songwriting is at its most introspective, as it is during the heartwrenching Ashes of American Flags, which takes on an eerie poignancy in the wake of the attacks at the World Trade Center. ‘All my lies are always wishes,’ Tweedy sings, ‘I know I would die if I could come back new.’” AMG “As is the case with many great artists, the evolution of the band can push the music into places that many listeners (and record companies for that matter) may not be comfortable with, but, in the case of Wilco, their growth has steadily led them into more progressive territory. While their songs still maintain the loose intimacy that was apparent on their debut A.M., the music has matured to reveal a complexity that is rare in pop music, yet showcased perfectly on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.” AMG

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Wilco AMG All Music Guide review by Zac Johnson RS’20 Rolling Stone (9/22/2020). “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time” WK Wikipedia First posted 3/29/2008; last updated 4/23/2022.

We Will Never Forget: September 11, 2001

September 11, 2001 We Will Never Forget

On September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial planes in the United States and crashed two of them into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York and one into the Pentagon in Washington D.C. A fourth plane, en route to Washington, D.C., crashed in rural Pennsylvania when the passengers revolted. Nearly 3000 people were killed in the attacks. Ten days later, a telethon-style special called America: A Tribute to Heroes aired on television to raise money for the victims and their families, particularly New York City firefighters and police officers. It aired uninterrupted and commercial-free and was released on compact disc and DVD on December 4, 2001. It raised more than $200 million. Here were the performances: Bruce Springsteen “My City of Ruins” Stevie Wonder with Take 6 “Love’s in Need of Love Today” U2 with Dave Stewart, Natalie Imbruglia, and Morleigh Steinberg “Peace on Earth” and “Walk On” Faith Hill “There Will Come a Day” Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers “I Won’t Back Down” Enrique Iglesias “Hero” Neil Young “Imagine” (originally by John Lennon) Alicia Keys “Someday We’ll All Be Free” (originally by Donny Hathaway) Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst and West Borland with John Rzeznik of Goo Goo Dolls “Wish You Were Here” (originally by Pink Floyd) Billy Joel “New York State of Mind” Dixie Chicks “I Believe in Love” Dave Matthews “Everyday” Wyclef Jean “Redemption Song” (originally by Bob Marley & the Wailers) Mariah Carey “Hero” Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora “Livin’ on a Prayer” Sheryl Crow “Safe and Sound” Sting “Fragile” Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder and Mike McCready with Neil Young “Long Road” Paul Simon “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (originally by Simon & Garfunkel) Celine Dion “God Bless America” Willie Nelson with ensemble “America the Beautiful” Here’s a Spotify playlist of some of the songs performed for the telethon. Here are my thoughts not just on some of the songs performed for America: A Tribute to Heroes but other 9/11-related songs: Alan Jackson “Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning” Country music is often stereotyped as a redneck musical genre and it certainly has moments to confirm that. Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue” tapped into a revenge mentality with its “we’ll put a boot in your ass” line. However, Alan Jackson’s “Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning” was the song which best captured the overall sadness evoked by the average American. Sure, there were plenty of people who immediately wanted to throttle someone, but Jackson tapped into the emotion of those who just wanted to hold their loved ones close. Bruce Springsteen “We Shall Overcome” As a Jersey boy raised in the shadow of New York City, Bruce Springsteen made a career of tapping into Americana with tales of teen angst, blue collar workers, and a celebration of where one was born. His entire album The Rising was written as a tribute for 9/11. It included the song “My City of Ruins” which was written prior to 9/11, but took on immense power as a commentary on post-9/11 New York City when performed for the television special America: A Tribute to Heroes. However, by the end of the day September 11, 2001, Springsteen’s cover of “We Shall Overcome” was the one plastered across the news. This protest song has been covered by many, but took on a new poignancy through Springsteen’s reading of it in the context of a country suffering profound devastation. Eddie Vedder “My City of Ruins” In 2009, “My City of Ruins” sadly took on relevance again when its words seemed to be about New Orleans and the horror of Hurricane Katrina. Vedder performed the song for the Kennedy Center Honors as Springsteen looked on. Much like a visibly moved Springsteen, it is hard not to get choked up as one considers the song in the context of America’s two worst tragedies of the 21st century. All-Star Tribute “What’s Going On” Marvin Gaye’s classic “What’s Going On” has long been an anthem for pondering the state of the world. An all-star version of the song was recorded prior to 9/11 with the intent of benefiting AIDS programs in Africa. Bono, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez, Gwen Stefani, Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst, Destiny’s Child, Wyclef Jean, and Backstreet Boys were among the artists featured on the remake. When the song was released in October, a portion of the proceeds were also given to the American Red Cross’ fund for 9/11. Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst & Wes Borland with Johnny Rzeznik of Goo Goo Dolls “Wish You Were Here” I wish I could remember the context, but soon after the musical tributes starting flowing, I remember someone taking an unnecessary shot at Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit. If memory serves, the person was reflecting on who would be appropriate to tap into the pain and anguish Americans were feeling and slammed Durst as a musician no one could take seriously. With an assist from the Goo Goo Dolls’ Johnny Reznik, Durst proved otherwise on this Pink Floyd cover. At times the line “wish you were here” sounds like a memorial for the fallen. There’s a moment in the performance, though, when Durst looks straight into the camera and seemingly sings the line directly to Osama bin Laden as a dare to show his face. Melissa Etheridge “Tuesday Morning” Sure, it made a political statement, but even the most hard-nosed anti-gay right winger would have to think twice if they heard this song. Etheridge powerfully reminds us that Mark Bingham, one of the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93, was gay. As one of the heroes who attacked the hijackers on the plane seemingly bound for the White House, was his heroic effort any less than that of his heterosexual counterparts? Paul McCartney “Freedom” Paul McCartney was sitting on the tarmac at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City when the planes hit the Twin Towers. He wrote the song “Freedom” the next day in response. He commented in an interview that he wrote the song as a sort of “We Shall Overcome”. He explained that the song’s notion of fighting for freedom tapped into the idea that an immigrant coming to America was saying, “Don’t mess with my rights, buddy. Because I’m now free.” WK Sheryl Crow “Safe and Sound” I’ve never read anything to confirm this suspicion, but I suspect this song was originally written as a tribute to Kevin Gilbert. He was a little known singer/songwriter and musician (one of my personal favorites) who was part of the collective who brought Sheryl Crow’s Tuesday Night Music Club to the world. The pair dated and parted bitterly with more than a few fingers pointing at Crow that she was taking credit for more work than what she really did. This song could be interpreted as regret for how that relationship soured and sadness that Gilbert had died (he passed away in 1996). Of course, those feelings of pain and sadness also made for a fitting 9/11 tribute. Neil Young “Let’s Roll” Todd Beamer was one of the passengers on Flight 93 who stormed the cockpit, attacking the hijackers and foiling their initial plans. His final known words were “Are you guys ready? Let’s roll!” The phrase became a battle cry for Americans ready to fight back against terrorism. Neil Young turned it into a song on his Are You Passionate? album released in November of 2011. David Bowie “America” Bowie opened the October 20, 2001 Concert for New York City with his own appropriately themed “Heroes” paired with a cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “America”. The concert celebrated the police officers and fire fighters and other heroes who put their lives on the line to respond to the tragedy. Alicia Keys “Someday We’ll All Be Free” Donny Hathaway recorded this song for his 1973 album Extension of a Man. Over the years, it became an R&B standard covered by many artists. When Spike Lee used it for the film Malcolm X, it took on new meaning as a black anthem. When Alicia Keys, then one of the hottest new talents around, covered it for America: A Tribute to Heroes it became a message of hope for peace. Wyclef Jean “Redemption Song” Wyclef Jean performed another of the powerful covers for America: A Tribute to Heroes with his take on Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song”. Rita Marley, said her husband was already facing his own mortality when he wrote the song in 1979 after just being diagnosed with cancer. He based the song on a 1937 speech by Marcus Garvey which called for people to emancipate themselves from mental slavery. John Hiatt “When New York Had Her Heart Broke” Hiatt wrote this song in the days after 9/11 but had mixed feelings about recording it. It took ten years before he felt comfortable, finally putting it on his 2011 Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns set. It is marked by a powerful video which shows New York’s fire and police departments responding. For more important days in music history, check out the Dave’s Music Database history page. Resources and Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: “History Index” Billboard (9/9/2011). “From Bruce to Paul, 10 Unforgettable 9/11 Concert Moments” by Jason Newman TheWrap.com (9/7/2011). “Springsteen to Alan Jackson: Top 10 Tunes about 9/11” by Steve Pond Metromix Denver “Top 22 Songs about 9/11” First posted 9/11/2016; updated 9/29/2023.

Bob Dylan released Love and Theft

Love and Theft Bob Dylan

Released: September 11, 2001 Charted: September 29, 2001 Peak: 5 US, 3 UK, 3 CN, 6 AU Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 0.1 UK, 1.1 world (includes US and UK) Genre: folk rock

Tracks: Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum Mississippi Summer Days Bye and Bye Lonesome Day Blues Floater (Too Much to Ask) High Water (For Charley Patton) Moonlight Honest with Me Po’ Boy Cry a While Sugar Baby Total Running Time: 57:25

Rating: 3.882 out of 5.00 (average of 29 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: “The blood and glory of 1997’s Time Out of Mind” RS’20 “was a legitimate comeback, Bob Dylan's first collection of original songs in nearly ten years and a risky rumination on mortality.” AMG It “was the first Dylan album in years that had to live up to fans’ expectations. He didn’t just exceed them – he blew them up. Dylan sang in the voice of a grizzled drifter who’d visited every nook and cranny of America and gotten chased out of them all.” RS’20 “Its sequel, Love and Theft, is his true return to form, not just his best album since Blood on the Tracks, but the loosest, funniest, warmest record he’s made since The Basement Tapes.” AMG It “was full of corny vaudeville jokes and apocalyptic floods, from the guitar rave” RS’20 of “the fabulously swinging Summer Days” AMG “to the country lilt of Po’ Boy.” RS’20 “There are none of the foreboding, apocalyptic warnings that permeated Time Out of Mind and even underpinned ‘Things Have Changed,’ his Oscar-winning theme to Curtis Hanson's 2000 film Wonder Boys.” AMG “Just as important, Daniel Lanois’ deliberately arty, diffuse production has retreated into the mist, replaced by an uncluttered, resonant production that gives Dylan and his ace backing band room to breathe. And they run wild with that liberty, rocking the house with the grinding Lonesome Day Blues…They’re equally captivating on the slower songs, whether it's the breezily romantic Bye and Bye, the torch song Moonlight, or the epic reflective closer, Sugar Baby.” AMG “Musically, Dylan hasn’t been this natural or vital since he was with the Band, and even then, those records were never as relaxed and easy or even as hard-rocking as these. That alone would make Love and Theft a remarkable achievement, but they're supported by a tremendous set of songs that fully synthesize all the strands in his music, from the folksinger of the early ‘60s, through the absurdist storyteller of the mid-‘60s, through the traditionalist of the early ‘70s, to the grizzled professional of the ‘90s.” AMG “None of this is conscious, it’s all natural. There's an ease to his writing and a swagger to his performance unheard in years – he’s cracking jokes and murmuring wry asides, telling stories, crooning, and swinging. It’s reminiscent of his classic records, but he’s never made a record that’s been such sheer, giddy fun as this, and it stands proudly among his very best albums.” AMG

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Bob Dylan AMG All Music Guide review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine RS’20 Rolling Stone (9/22/2020). “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time” WK Wikipedia Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 3/30/2008; last updated 4/27/2022.