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Customer Reviews of Desire

Dylan (nearly) at his story-telling, heartfelt best
I wasn't expecting this one to be so good! There's a picture of Joseph Conrad on the album sleeve; is that to show his influence on these songs? Probably. "Hurricane" and "Joey" are mythic folk tales based on real people, just like in the early days. They're epic and totally American. I love the melodrama of "One More Cup of Coffee" and the heartbreaking gentle yearning of "Oh, Sister." "Time is an ocean/But it ends at the shore." Whew! Emmylou Harris' voice is just the perfect counterpoint to Dylan's that it really stirs your emotions, but it doesn't exploit them. Lately I've really been digging "Romance in Durango," particularly for its evocative lyrics that get at details--""I will wear new boots/and an earring made of gold/You will shine like diamonds in your wedding gown" and the overwhelming line, "The face of God will appear/With his serpent eyes of obsidian." Oh, perfect. And the twist at the end of "Black Diamond Bay," and that cute mention of Walter Cronkite. I think, though, that "Sara," while it has its moments, isn't really all that well written. Some of the lines are real clunkers, and the rhyme scheme seems forced. PS: the CD doesn't contain the long liner notes that Allen Ginsberg wrote for the original vinyl. If you haven't read them, it's worth digging around used record stores or asking friends for.

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Exceptional, partly becauseof Emmylou Harris and the violin.
I'm not an expert in Dylan, but I've grown up with my parents hooked on him, so I'm not really inexpirienced either. Being born in 81, I'm perharps not the typical listener of Dylan, and while I don't find his earlier works ("Blood On The Tracks", "Blonde on Blonde") very interesting; "Desire" is a true masterpiece.

The CD opens with the catching "Hurricane" wich shows Dylan's unique ability to sing a story. The lyrics are great, and the music is wonderful, especialy the violin. "Joey", "Isis" and "Black Diamond Bay" are other superb examples of Dylan's story-singing, and have furthermore excellent music (again, the violin and the background vocals of Emmylou Harris lifts it from the great to the superb). "One more Cup Of Coffee), "Oh sister", "Joey" and "Sara" are exceptionally beutiful (partly because of Emmylou Harris), and while "Mozambique" and "Romance in Durango", at my oppinion, doesn't keep up with the exceptional standard of the rest, they are shurely great songs.

Therefore, I think that "Desire" is an excellent album, that also has appeal to lots of listeners, who normally diesn't find Dylan that inspiering. It deserves and ought to be heard by everyone!

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A forgotten gem from the 70s
I'm tempted to give this wonderful album five stars on the strenght of "Oh Sister", "Sara" and the folk/rock ballad "Romance In Durango" alone. But the rest of the album doesn't quite live up to these three collective centerpieces, although both "One More Cup Of Coffee" (which benefits from the vocals of a young Emmylou Harris) and "Black Diamond Bay" are great songs as well.

"Oh Sister" and "Durango" are two of the most melodious songs Dylan has ever written, and rarely has he committed such pleasant, expressive and confident vocals to tape as he does on one of the very best songs of his long career, the beautiful "Romance In Durango".
He may have surprised listeners when he crooned "Lay Lady Lay" in a dark baritone back in 1969, but here he sings in his natural tenor voice, and even as nasal as Dylan is, he comes off as a very competent balladeer.

This in one of Dylan's very best (and most accessible) albums, the band is great, the arrangements are beautiful, and the songs shine.
Not to be missed.