Album Reviews7/10
Street-Legal at 48: Bob Dylan’s Overstuffed, Magnetic Mess Deserves Its Rehabilitation
A retrospective look at Bob Dylan's divisive 1978 album Street-Legal, a messy but ambitious bridge between two eras.
CLAY TRIBUNE / THE ARCHIVE
Category: Album Reviews
Records we have scored.
Album Reviews7/10
Bob Dylan’s Slow Train Coming Trades Rock Stardom for Sermons, and Mostly Pulls It Off: 7/10
A review of Bob Dylan's 1979 born-again album Slow Train Coming, where conviction and repetition collide.
Album Reviews4/10
Shot of Love: Dylan’s Gospel Fire Flickers Out, With Two Bright Exceptions
A look back at Bob Dylan's 1981 gospel-trilogy closer Shot of Love — uneven, messy, but with two or three real flashes of brilliance.
Album Reviews4/10
Self Portrait Review: Bob Dylan’s Sprawling 1970 Detour Fails to Reveal Anything
Bob Dylan's 1970 double album Self Portrait is a sprawling, messy collection of covers, live tracks, and stray originals that baffled critics and remains a fascinating failure.
Album Reviews7/10
On Planet Waves, The Band Backs Songs of Marriage and Home Instead of Prophecy
A look back at Bob Dylan's 1974 album Planet Waves, his warm, uneven return to form with The Band.
Album Reviews9/10
New Morning at 56: Bob Dylan Steps Back Into the Light
Bob Dylan's New Morning turns 1970's Self Portrait backlash into a warm, human comeback record. A track-by-track look back.
Album Reviews10/10
The Voice Nobody Expected: How Nashville Skyline’s Smooth Country Croon Earns a Perfect 10
Bob Dylan's 1969 Nashville Skyline trades protest for warm country songs. A masterwork of restraint, joy, and a transformed voice, earning a perfect score.
Album Reviews3/10
Knocked Out Loaded at 40: Bob Dylan’s Scattered Mid-’80s Misfire Has One Great Song
Bob Dylan's 1986 album Knocked Out Loaded is a scattered, uneven collection saved only by the 11-minute epic Brownsville Girl. A weak entry in his catalog.
Album Reviews9/10
John Wesley Harding: Dylan’s Masterpiece of Subtraction
A look back at Bob Dylan's 1967 masterpiece John Wesley Harding, a stripped-down folk retreat into parable and myth.
Album Reviews7/10
Infidels Marks the Retreat From Gospel Certainty — and Its Greatest Track, Blind Willie McTell, Never Made the Record
Bob Dylan's 1983 album Infidels marks his return to rock, blending politics and personal reflection. A solid comeback with standout tracks, though not a masterpiece.