Bob Dylan
opened the '80s as a born-again Christian and closed the decade with
Oh Mercy
, a critical comeback that rejuvenated his career. In between came a decade in the wilderness, where he found religion and lost it, went with the flow of MTV, hit the road with
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
and
the Grateful Dead
, anchored the
Traveling Wilburys
supergroup, and released seven studio albums while he banked a bunch of unreleased material that had drifted out over the years.
Dylan
had some hits along the way -- 1983's
Infidels
and 1985's
Empire Burlesque
both went gold -- but this is generally considered an unfocused era of excess. Produced by
Jesse Lauter
Sean O'Brien
, the 2014 tribute
Bob Dylan in the '80s: Vol. 1
attempts to kick-start conversations by offering 17 covers from this neglected decade by a bunch of modern indie artists (the expanded digital and vinly versions contain another seven songs). Apart from
,
's '80s singles are avoided, as are several '80s songs that are often covered ("Emotionally Yours," selections from 1989's acclaimed
, which is strangely and deliberately side-stepped), and 1990's
Under the Red Sky
is grandfathered in, likely because it's the last collection of original tunes
would produce until 1997 (his time in the wilderness lasted much longer than a decade, but the early '90s were devoted to folk covers and live albums). This doesn't mean the album isn't anchored by relatively familiar songs:
Craig Finn
of
the Hold Steady
does a straightforward "Sweetheart Like You,"
Built to Spill
appealingly lurch their way through "Jokerman,"
Dawn Landes
&
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
sweetly sing "Dark Eyes," and
Yellowbirds
pay effective homage to the ethereal "Series of Dreams." Although
Aaron Freeman
's "Wiggle Wiggle" winks at the bad taste that peppered these '80s albums -- he arranges it as an early
Ween
tune, then has the sense of humor to bring in
Slash
for a cameo, just like
Bob
did on the original -- this is an earnest bunch of covers, dedicated to bringing these songs back into the
canon. Most versions pull off the nifty trick of being faithful to
's and their act's own sound.
Glen Hansard
turns "Pressing On" into something that'd fit on the
Once
soundtrack;
Lucius
gives "When the Night Comes Falling from the Sky" a new wave grandeur;
Langhorne Slim & the Law
kick up dust on "Got My Mind Made Up";
Blitzen Trapper
split the difference between past and present on "Unbelievable";
Deer Tick
amble through a calypso on "Night After Night," and
Tea Leaf Green
thread in polyrhythms throughout "Waiting to Get Beat." Some of these versions work better than others, but they're all imaginative and worthy and, best of all, they prove the producers' thesis that there is a lot to discover within
's '80s catalog. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine