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Desire is an album by folk musician Bob Dylan, released in 1976. Unlike Blood on the Tracks, in which all of the songs were related because they all were personally revealing, Desire is more messy and haphazard; it is more of a collective of songs. It is not often seen as the best Dylan album (Blood on the Tracks, Blonde on Blonde, and Highway 61 Revisited are more popular amongst fans and critics), but it is one of Dylan's finest moments. Desire peaked at number one on the Billboard Pop Albums chart.
The album's most recognizable song is "Hurricane", a song that tells the story of boxer Rubin Carter, who was convicted of the murder of three people in 1966. After meeting with Carter in prison in 1975 and meeting a group of his supporters, Dylan wrote "Hurricane." Dylan's renown storytelling skills shine in this song. He vividly describes the events leading up to Carter's arrest, from the beginning when the bodies are found, to the end Rubin's fate is decided. Dylan's scathing infliction in the song helps villanize the police, who Dylan accused of framing Carter, which helps the persuasiveness of the song. This song was one of Dylan's few protest songs of the 1970's and, fittingly enough, it was one of his most successful songs of the decade.
The longest song of the album is "Joey." It describes the life of gangster Joey Gallo. Though Gallo is a questionable character, Dylan sympathizes with him because he has morals: He refuses to kill innocent people and made peace with black men, and shielded his family when he was about to be shot as they were eating in a restaurant. Just as with "Hurricane," Dylan's storytelling skills helps persuade listeners to empathize with the subject of the song.
The final track, "Sara," is the most personal of the album. Dylan's relationship with his wife Sara had eroded to the point of them splitting up. The song was his last desperate attempt to win her back. Ultimately, it failed and they divorced a year later. The song was so unabashedly emotional it seemed more fitting for his previous album, Blood On The Tracks.
See also 1976 in music.
Trivia
- The track "One More Cup of Coffee" was later covered by the White Stripes.
Tracks
All tracks written by Bob Dylan and Jacques Levy, except "One More Cup of Coffee" and "Sara" (Dylan).
- "Hurricane" - 8:33
- "Isis" - 6:58
- "Mozambique" - 3:00
- "One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below)" - 3:43
- "Oh, Sister" - 4:05
- "Joey" - 11:05
- "Romance in Durango" - 5:50
- "Black Diamond Bay" - 7:30
- "Sara" - 5:29
Personnel
Personnel - Production
- Don DeVito - producer
- Luther Rix - conductor
- Stan Kalina - mastering
- Don Meehan - engineer
- Lou Waxman - recording director
- Ruth Bernal - cover photography
- Ken Regan - cover art
- John Berg - cover design
Resources
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