Desire - Bob Dylan > Reviews > Dylan's Masterpiece: Desire.

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money

Advantages:	Inspiring lyrics accompanied by lively, exotic music .  Hurricane .  Mozambique .
Disadvantages:	Joey is far too long .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Desire is my most enjoyable album. It is thought provoking but also musically beautiful. Desire is a complete classic.

I never thought much of Bob Dylan’s music until I heard Desire. The thoughtful lyrics and the calm distinct tones hit home. I realised Dylan was a genius mainly on account of his poetry but also through his musical appreciation.

I had always thought that Dylan was a whinging, unmusical bore. Desire was different. It was lively, optimistic and full of colour, epitomised by Mozambique. And even in contrast to this there are wonderfully provocative protest songs with Hurricane as his defining effort. Dylan’s voice is full of emotion and is most capably backed up on occasion by Emmylou Harris.

Desire was released in 1976 and is considered by many as "Dylan's last great album". I personally believe it is his very best and includes my all-time favourite song, Hurricane:

1. Hurricane (8.33)

A perfect concoction of music and lyrics: It is a protest song of the utmost poignancy. I love the lyrics to such an extent that I have quoted them in their entirety below. But it is not just the lyrics: the music is incredible: full of energy and a violin gives it a touch of class. Enjoyable beyond words despite its serious message. It is long but how can anyone want it to end earlier?

2. Isis (6.58)

"Isis, oh Isis you mystical child." Dylan sings. It is a story of mystery and intrigue. But there is humour and there is emotion. How can it be compared to a modern love ballad!?

3. Mozambique (3.00)

Another personal favourite. Mozambique is a wonderfully exotic song, full of colour and brilliantly lively. Its fast flowing nature is perfect in tandem with Dylan’s Edenic descriptions (e.g. “the sunny sky is aqua blue” etc.). Full of optimism and joviality this song alone makes me desire a place to live in Mozambique (although in reality I expect it is a very impoverished country).

4. One More Cup Of Coffee (3.45)

I love to lay back and listen to this ironically sluggish and dreamy track. Although the lyrics are rather unambitious, the song drifts along and I find myself in a trance-like state as Dylan’s harmonica takes over in a wonderful solo.

5. Oh, Sister (4.02)

It is very similar to One More Cup Of Coffee with its Spanish / Mexican atmosphere. The pace is slow and languid but the lyrics are strong and pleading. Emmylou Harris is effective in partnership with Bob. Simple and effective.

6. Joey (11.05)

A little disappointing. Dylan tells an interesting tale about the “king of the streets, child of clay… born in Red Hook Brooklyn” but why oh why did he make it so long!?

7. Romance In Durango (5.41)

Another Spanish / Mexican ballad. A great melody and an interesting tale but I do find it difficult to follow (as some of it is in Spanish!). Nevertheless the lyrics are, as ever, top class: “Hot chilli peppers in the blistering sun …” and the rhythm lively.

8. Black Diamond Bay (7.32)

Simply it is a nice song. Nothing more, nothing less. It drifts along in its pleasant, harmless way and I start to lose interest by its climax (again it is a little too long). Nevertheless the melody is relatively jolly and enjoyable and the harp is great to hear.

9. Sara (5.30)

It is a great closing track. Full of emotion and quite haunting but at the same time a tale of happy memories: a classic romantic tale (although admittedly a little sad seeing that Bob soon ended the relationship with Sara).

Many people dislike Dylan but I cannot see anyone not enjoying Desire. It is lively, interesting and most importantly ENJOYABLE (3 key ingredients to a happy life!!)

I have listened to many other Dylan albums but I found them considerably average in comparison to Desire, his masterpiece.

I recommend Desire to anyone with a brain, a touch of ambition and the ability to listen. GOOD LISTENING!

As promised here is the complete lyrics of the unforgettable HURRICANE ……

Pistol shots ring out in the barroom night
Enter Patty Valentine from the upper hall.
She sees the bartender in a pool of blood,
Cries out, "My God, they killed them all!"
Here comes the story of the Hurricane,
The man the authorities came to blame
For somethin' that he never done.
Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been
The champion of the world.

Three bodies lyin' there does Patty see
And another man named Bello, movin' around mysteriously.
"I didn't do it," he says, and he throws up his hands
"I was only robbin' the register, I hope you understand.
I saw them leavin'," he says, and he stops
"One of us had better call up the cops."
And so Patty calls the cops
And they arrive on the scene with their red lights flashin'
In the hot New Jersey night.

Meanwhile, far away in another part of town
Rubin Carter and a couple of friends are drivin' around.
Number one contender for the middleweight crown
Had no idea what kinda shit was about to go down
When a cop pulled him over to the side of the road
Just like the time before and the time before that.
In Paterson that's just the way things go.
If you're black you might as well not show up on the street
'Less you wanna draw the heat.

Alfred Bello had a partner and he had a rap for the cops.
Him and Arthur Dexter Bradley were just out prowlin' around
He said, "I saw two men runnin' out, they looked like middleweights
They jumped into a white car with out-of-state plates."
And Miss Patty Valentine just nodded her head.
Cop said, "Wait a minute, boys, this one's not dead"
So they took him to the infirmary
And though this man could hardly see
They told him that he could identify the guilty men.

Four in the mornin' and they haul Rubin in,
Take him to the hospital and they bring him upstairs.
The wounded man looks up through his one dyin' eye
Says, "Wha'd you bring him in here for? He ain't the guy!"
Yes, here's the story of the Hurricane,
The man the authorities came to blame
For somethin' that he never done.
Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been
The champion of the world.

Four months later, the ghettos are in flame,
Rubin's in South America, fightin' for his name
While Arthur Dexter Bradley's still in the robbery game
And the cops are puttin' the screws to him, lookin' for somebody to blame.
"Remember that murder that happened in a bar?"
"Remember you said you saw the getaway car?"
"You think you'd like to play ball with the law?"
"Think it might-a been that fighter that you saw runnin' that night?"
"Don't forget that you are white."

Arthur Dexter Bradley said, "I'm really not sure."
Cops said, "A poor boy like you could use a break
We got you for the motel job and we're talkin' to your friend Bello
Now you don't wanta have to go back to jail, be a nice fellow.
You'll be doin' society a favor.
That sonofabitch is brave and gettin' braver.
We want to put his ass in stir
We want to pin this triple murder on him
He ain't no Gentleman Jim."

Rubin could take a man out with just one punch
But he never did like to talk about it all that much.
It's my work, he'd say, and I do it for pay
And when it's over I'd just as soon go on my way
Up to some paradise
Where the trout streams flow and the air is nice
And ride a horse along a trail.
But then they took him to the jailhouse
Where they try to turn a man into a mouse.

All of Rubin's cards were marked in advance
The trial was a pig-circus, he never had a chance.
The judge made Rubin's witnesses drunkards from the slums
To the white folks who watched he was a revolutionary bum
And to the black folks he was just a crazy nigger.
No one doubted that he pulled the trigger.
And though they could not produce the gun,
The D.A. said he was the one who did the deed
And the all-white jury agreed.

Rubin Carter was falsely tried.
The crime was murder "one," guess who testified?
Bello and Bradley and they both baldly lied
And the newspapers, they all went along for the ride.
How can the life of such a man
Be in the palm of some fool's hand?
To see him obviously framed
Couldn't help but make me feel ashamed to live in a land
Where justice is a game.

Now all the criminals in their coats and their ties
Are free to drink martinis and watch the sun rise
While Rubin sits like Buddha in a ten-foot cell
An innocent man in a living hell.
That's the story of the Hurricane,
But it won't be over till they clear his name
And give him back the time he's done.
Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been
The champion of the world.