UNDERRATED ALBUMS: He Was Smooth, He Was Rough, He Was More Than Enough

By the late 1980s, even Bob Dylan no longer believed in Bob Dylan. His albums had become increasingly labored and unimaginative, his live shows often descended into tuneless chaos, and he appeared withdrawn and sullen to even his closest friends. In his memoir, he remembers telling himself: "...I'm a '60s folk troubadour, a folk-rock relic, a wordsmith from bygone days, a fictitious head of state from a place nobody knows. I'm in the bottomless pit of cultural oblivion." Critics mostly agreed, giving poor marks to late '80s records like Knocked Out Loaded and Down in the Groove. Had the Spokesman of His Generation become the class clown?

Not quite. Even the disappointing Knocked Out Loaded contains some genius ("Brownsville Girl," co-written with Sam Shepard). If Bob was so down and out, how could he give that brilliant, jolting, punk rock performance on David Letterman's show? How could he surprise everyone by singing the hell out a Gershwin standard? The truth is, Bob's gift has never left him for too long. Just when he was contemplating retirement, he enjoyed a resurgence. First by participating in the Traveling Wilburys, and then with 1989's Oh Mercy, a moody return to critical favor.

Under the Red Sky, released the next year, did not share this success. One of the worst-selling albums of Bob's career, it was condemned by reviewers as a new creative low point. "The drag is that Dylan doesn't have much to say," groaned Rolling Stone, "or a really memorable way to say it." Other critics seized on the slick modern production by Don and David Was, known for their work with other geezer acts like the Rolling Stones and Bonnie Raitt. The album's apparent lack of depth, not to mention the unusual presence of guest artists, reinforced the idea that the River Bob had run dry.

I don't understand why Under the Red Sky has been so cruelly dismissed. True, Dylan would return in much sharper form with Time Out of Mind later in the decade, starting a hot streak that is still going strong. But to me, Under the Red Sky is one of Bob's most relaxed and enjoyable albums. It's silly and playful one moment ("Wiggle Wiggle"), quiet and philosophical the next ("God Knows"). "Unbelievable" rocks lean and mean, "Cat's in the Well" is a catchy blues, and "Born in Time" sports one of his most enticing melodies. When I listen to the record, I hear Bob Dylan dismantling his art to see if he can put it back together, bringing it all back home before he sets back out again.

As for the production, it is smoother than we're used to for a Dylan record, but not to its detriment. It's polished but also clean and sharp. Other producers had tried to modernize Bob by smothering him in synthesizers and canned echo (see Empire Burlesque). But the Was Brothers kept Bob's cranky croak front and center, making sure we knew who we were listening to. Dylan claims to have had little input into the record's sound, but maybe that's a good thing. It was certainly the producers' idea to have George Harrison lend his slide guitar to the title track, which alone makes the album worth its list price.

Dylan was so "completely disillusioned" by the experience he didn't record any new material for seven years, leaving the impression that Under the Red Sky almost killed his career. I disagree. I think Under the Red Sky is the sound of Bob Dylan recharging his batteries, quietly rediscovering his own creative spark and gearing up for one of rock's greatest twilight resurgences. Thank God he didn't let the sun set too early.

TODAY'S RECOMMENDATION: "Born in Time" by Bob Dylan
AVAILABLE ON: Under the Red Sky; iTunes