Time Out Of Mind

3.1 + If someone told me this was their favorite Dylan album, I'd punch them in the dick.

Bored out of mind

This album sounds like Dylan's "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech, and in fact, he almost died after releasing it. Thankfully, he's still around, but that does nothing to diminish the album's dark look at mortality. It's brutally honest, like any Dylan record, but this one feels moreso. Best track: Not Dark Yet

What a vibe. This album transports you. It picks you up and drops you into the midwest in the early 20th century, pours you a Jack Daniels, offers you a cigarette and tells you it's late night tales. An album that puts the world to rights. A few tracks could have lost a minute or ten which drops a half mark, but as we don't have half marks it gets the five.

This is Old Dylan at his darkest and I mean that in the very best way. Dylan's voice has aged so well. Granted, his early voice wasn't the best so it's not a far trip to "better" but, even so, Old Dylan's voice is a pleasure to listen to. It feels like it has finally grown to match his powerful songwriting. The end result is an amazing piece of art that cuts hard.

This is a highly regarded Dylan that I never really warmed to. Maybe it's the languid pace of the songs, or maybe the swampy bluesy feel that was never my thing. Maybe its the foggy atmospheric Daniel Langlois production or the old mam world-weary voice that keeps me at arms length. In any case a Dylan album that is near the bottom of the list for this Dylan fan. 2.5 🌟

Song writing of the highest standard, brilliant from start to finish. A beautiful and immersive album.

Captivating album. It really feels like you’re hearing the last breaths of Bob Dylan, as he’s nearing the end. It’s rough, yearning, full of pathos. But what really struck me about the album was the way it’s recorded! I read about the album production beforehand… how everything was done live, in this one-mic-in-the-room style, how the effects on Bob’s voice were printed on the performance as he sang. I had read all this background, but I honestly didn’t expect to hear that much of a difference in the sound. Man was I wrong! It’s such a unique-sounding album, sonically. It sounds full and live but also fuzzy, like an hazy, impressionistic version of a 50’s blues record. Something about the recording makes it feel so out of time, so strange… and made me on my toes for the whole listen. You know, 5 stars! It had me all the way through.

July 28, 2021 I really like the gravelly texture of old Dylan voice, which feels like it fits better with some of his songwriting than young Dylan voice. He sounds jaded and cynical and wise - exactly the right person to be meditating on mortality.

Though I'm not as big of a fan of Dylan after Desire, I must say this is quite an enjoyable record where he seems to have established a sort of template/persona of sorts for his subsequent records. How Dylan got his groove back.

Excellent album from the latter half of Dylan's career. Daniel Lanois' production aesthetic goes really well with these songs, giving them a heavy atmosphere and mood. It's not dark yet, but it's getting there. 4 stars.

This one presented me with a bit of a quandary. One one hand Bob Dylan is an amazing lyricist and writes a solid tune - acoustic and electric. On the other hand I find his nasally voice kind of irritating.

Me one week ago, listening to Blood on the Tracks: "Oh wow, Bob Dylan did make good music after the '60s! Maybe I was wrong." Me today: "Maybe he just didn't make good music after 1975." This is tremendously boring. His voice is like a weak Tom Waits parody, which isn't good because Tom Waits is already like a goofy Leonard Cohen parody. Such a long, aimless album. Only one track on here that I enjoyed, the rest felt like I was sitting in a coffee shop trying to have a conversation over the aspiring local artist playing for the night. Wikipedia says "Time Out of Mind is hailed as one of Dylan's best albums." Whoever wrote that must work at Lids because that's nothing but cap. Dylan, I've given you two 4.5 star ratings so far, that makes this one even more disappointing. This doesn't belong here. Favorite tracks: Not Dark Yet (but maybe it should be Bob; go home). Album art: Looks like a trashy picture for a greatest hits, Starbucks compilation CD. I think my distaste for the music is seeping in here, but this is very bland. The least interesting Dylan cover I've seen so far, so it fits I guess. 1.5/5

I really love the sound he created with this one. Not Dark Yet is one of my favorite songs.

Bob Dylan No. 5, but I’ve had a nice six month break from him on this generator TBH my interest in Bob Dylan's music is flagging post-70s, but as much as I hate to admit it, the critics are right: he did have his mojo back by this point. The blues are roarin', the ballads heartwrenching, the lyrics funny. My attention span was a little fried by the time the 16 minute-long closer came around, but I did chuckle some at the detailed excuses to get out of drawing that waitress. HL: "Standing in the Doorway", "Trying to Get To Heaven", "Not Dark Yet", "Make You Feel My Love", "Highlands" January 9, 2024

If a whisky dive bar was an album its this !

A stone cold return to form after the frankly abysmal previous 20 years (give or take).

I didn't expect this to be so good!

I listened to this the day that Tr*mp won the US presidential election. I was depressed. As far as Dylan sounds go, this is the stuff I tend to prefer. However, I keep reading how he didn't like the production on this album, which means I just don't care for the "typical" Dylan sound. That's not news. I was vibing along until I hit that final track which felt like it lasted for 16 hours, just like this week feels like it has lasted 16 years. Minus one star just for that, for making this terrible day in this terrible week seem even longer than it already is.

I’ve been thinking about Bob Dylan a bit lately. I’ve never really been a fan of his, to the point of actively disliking his music at points in my life. Some of that has to do with Bob Dylan fans - you know the type, the Bob Dylan Gen X/Older millennial super fan, who play folk songs at coffee shops and think they are actually Bob Dylan. You can probably travel to just about any small town in America, spend some time there and encounter one. That’s not the whole of it, and that’s not even really his fault. Musically, he isn’t necessarily for me, the vocals, his delivery, the folk/americana sound…doesn’t really do anything for me. Sure, there’s some songs that I think are good, but as a whole, this dude isn’t really for me. He is an excellent lyricist, however, and his songs, in the hands of someone other than Bob Dylan, often turn out to be major hits, like All Along the Watchtower or Mr. Tambourine Man being the most obvious examples. So it’s a weird circle to square. He can clearly write a good song, but to my ears, he doesn’t always execute them well, or more accurately, he executes them in a way that doesn’t appeal to me. Now, as for the reason I’ve been thinking about Bob Dylan lately….I was recently made aware of a Dylan performance on David Letterman’s show in the 1980’s where he performs the song “Jokerman” with the punk band The Plugz. The end result is an amazing power-pop song and it squares that circle I mentioned before in a very meta way: Bob Dylan “covering” a Bob Dylan song and turning it into gold. If you’re going to watch that Letterman performance, I’d recommend listening to the studio version of the song first to familiarize yourself with it, if you’re not already familiar. It’s on the “Infidels” album and that version is…ok. The Letterman version is so good, that it has me kind of doing a 180 on Bob Dylan. Like not a full 180, but enough of a change that I’m sitting here writing a short novel about Bob Dylan. But it’s not just me…Uber-prolific Canadian singer-songwriter Daniel Romano and his excellent band, The Outfit, are such fans of that that performance that they released a re-imagining of the entire “Infidels” album as though it were performed by Bob Dylan & the Plugz. They recorded their version “Jokerman” perfectly in-sync with the Letterman performance and used that as a basis to flesh out the rest of the songs on the album in the same punk/power pop style. It is an *excellent* record, but it lends credence to my feeling that Dylan writes good songs, but executes them oddly. (You can find “Daniel Romano’s Outfit - Do (What Could Have Been) Infidels” on YouTube along with their version of “Jokerman” synced up perfectly with Dylan’s Letterman performance) As for “Time Out of Mind”, the songs here are relatively straightforward and I think that Dylan benefits greatly from Daniel Lanois’ production. It’s spacious and open and Lanois’ pedal steel playing gives otherwise standard sounding songs a more ethereal quality. It’s a very good album, but as I’ve said, Dylan isn’t usually for me and a little seems to go a long way here - especially by the time I got to the 16 minute closer, “Highlands”, which could’ve been 10 minutes shorter and achieved the same goal.

Genius

Low, slow, dark and groovy. I like it. Tom Waits vibes.

Created an incredible vibe that is consistent through the whole album. Bob showing how he can paint the most vivid pictures with his words. Great mix. Full sound with lots of space. You can feel the room they made the record in.

Great later Bob album.

Great lyricism is everything. Not my favorite Bob Dylan album but his average lyrics are still better than most other songwriters. 4.5/5.

Great Bob Dylan album

He can sing in this one 😅 I like the last, 16min song so much

Geweldig album, rauwe stem, goede nummers, had ik niet verwacht van een late Dylan.

Thoughts after disc 1: Holy fuck, this is so goddamn good. 318 days in and I *finally* get my first Nick Cave album. I've never listened to a full one and I'm so happy this is my first. Absolutely fantastic in every way. I hope the second disc keeps it up... Thoughts after disc 2: Not as good as disc 1 on first listen, but still consistently excellent. Light 4.5 for now, but potential room to grow. 4.5/5

Bob Dylan released one of his best albums 35 years after his 1st. What. The atmosphere of this album is insane, feels like I'm in a dusty quiet bar playing cards and listening to Dylan and the band play. The lyrics are of course incredible, "You could say I was on anything, but a roll" fuckin amazing. I don't think this tops "Blood on the Tracks" for me but it's pretty close. What a legend Funny side story, my grandma knew Bob Dylan's cousins and they all said he was stuck up 😂

I <3 Bobby D

i'm sure that's the kind of music they play in heaven

5/5

These songs are spare and cold. That makes them memorable to me because this was the first Dylan album released in my lifetime that seemed to really matter. He’d released tons of music, but he was washed. This album was the start of a string of music that was relevant and felt real, important. I understand why some folks don’t like this one, but for me…this is great.

Enjoyed this far more than I'd like to admit...

5 stars

I'm surprised by how much I liked this. Although perhaps I shouldn't be too surprised, considering how much I *love* John Mayer and his moody, guitar-heavy music. 4.5/5 rounded up (-0.5 because the Garth Brooks' and Adele's versions of "Make You Feel My Love" are much better)

Never heard this album before. This album covers a variety of musical styles, but much of it reminds me of the guitar-driven funky grooves from Dylan's late 70s / early 80s period when he had Mark Knopfler on guitar. A lot of this album sounds reminiscent of early Dire Straits. The relatively straightforward lyrics match well with the music, and the production creates some nice atmosphere. Make You Feel My Love is one of the most disarming songs Dylan ever wrote, and I really like this arrangement, which focuses on his vocals. The album is accessible (except maybe the 16+ minute Highlands), emotional, and even a little playful (he seems to be sending up his own nasally vocals at multiple points in the album). This might be the best Dylan album I've ever heard. 5 stars.

"Time Out of Mind" is the 30th studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. It was his first original material since 1990's "Under the Red Sky." Dylan wanted the sound to be influenced by early blues musicians and told producer Daniel Lanois to listen to Charly Patton, Little Walter and Little Willie John. The album was recorded at Criteria in Miami where both Dylan and Lanois brought in their own musicians, a total of 12 contributed to the album, in addition to Dylan and Lanois. The album received mostly positive reviews and for many critics, "marked an artistic comeback after Dylan appeared to struggle with his musicial identity through the 1980's." It did well commercially hitting #10 on both the US and UK charts and won the 1998 Grammy for Album of the Year. The album opens with "Lovesick." A repeating warped guitar, haunted organ in the background and feint drums....very sparse. The desolate lyrics match the music with a theme of love lost. "Standing in the Doorway" is a slow tempo ballad. Dual, layered slide guitars give this a country feel. Really, a nice melody. Dylan's raspy, tender and yearning vocals lament on the death of his happiness and more love lost. The first single, "Not Dark Yet," is another slow beat and sparse song. His vocals are once again yearning. The organ gives this song spiritual vibe. Dylan explores his own mortality. "Cold Irons Bound" is a little more of a bluesy grind with harder edged guitars and drums. A distorted organ and buried, echoing vocals. A man is struggling with his sin and pride and trying to escape his cold irons bound. The music on this album is slow, plodding, grinding, subdued, sparse but at times spiritual. Dylan and the musicians did a fine job succeeding in capturing that early blues' vibe. The vocals are rapsy and mostly longing. The lyrics, really the heart of the album, are melancholic, searching and reflective with a lots of lost love. It is a compelling listen if a long one. An excellent album.

Bob Dylan is awesome

one of his best records ;-)

Always happy to hear Dylan: the poet, the road warrior. He speaks to my heart.

Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits was one of my favourite CD’s as a teenager. I loved the older stuff, but thought the quality declined later. So seeing the date, I was dubious when I put this on to play. But this was good, I really enjoyed it, there was groove and blues. I will definitely listen again

This is quite a lot of Dylan. I mean the last track is 16 straight minutes of him "talking to myself in a monologue" fuck me those are actually lyrics in this mammoth track. Having said that, it's also fuckin Dylan. GOAT.

A personal favorite due to timely lyrics from my generation's shaper

Great album by Dylan that I've never heard.

One of the best songwriters ever. Love his music and gravelly voice. 4.5 rounding up.

Why have I not heard this before. Great album and the matured voice is a revelation.

Very nice.

This has to be up there with Dylan's finest albums and certainly his best album of the last 30 years. It's a superb amalgam of blues, country, rockabilly and jazz and the music is ideally matched to the raspy quality of Dylan's voice. The songs have a generally melancholic, twilight air about them and are generally more personal in nature than the more surreal and mystical songs of 60s Dylan. The more you listen the better the songs get

Dylan is one of my favorite songwriters. But I've liked very few of his albums or songs as a performer. Until now. This album is so good. The sound so intimate, like you're right in the room with the band. It's probably a dark bar that serves fried foods and cheap drinks, in a small Midwestern lake town. Most everyone feels a little cynical yet nostalgic tonight, winter is in the air.

That's easy -> great artist, great album, great performance

Look, I’m a Bob fanatic, but I do try to keep some perspective. Before this album was released, I hadn’t really enjoyed one of his albums since 1989’s Oh Mercy, also produced by Daniel Lanois. I thought Bob had lost the plot with Slow Train Coming (1979 - an album I now love). I didn’t like any of the 6 albums he released in the 80’s between those 2. And I didn’t like any of the 3 albums he released in the 90’s before this one. As for his live performances, I found his versions of his classic songs harder to listen to on each tour he made here. He’s admitted that before Time Out Of Mind he’d lost his way. The album was immediately lauded on release. As for his live performances, I finally realised that he was always gonna mangle the classics, but what was left of his voice always sounded fine when he was singing a song that he’d recorded with the same voice. And so, his live performances of songs from this album have always entertained me. And it helps when he writes crackers like these - Love Sick (the live version that came with the bonus CD on my copy is better than the studio version); Standing In The Doorway & Million Miles are heartbreakers; Cold Irons Bound is just a great track; Make You Feel My Love has become a standard (although I’d rather listen to Adele’s version); Highlands is epic; but Not Dark Yet has always been my favourite, and the older I get, the more it moves me. And I haven’t even mentioned the quality of the songwriting or the band. He hasn’t done an album anywhere near as good as this since.

I loved every second of this album. It was like listening to music with my dad again. It's beautiful and soulful and just makes everything feel familiar somehow.

Thunder wonder plunder. The man is a poet! I never appreciated Dylan until recently. His voicing of social and political issues transcend generations and will keep his legacy alive for generations to come.

I own a copy, I bought it right after the album came out, I felt very strongly then that this was a great record. It's probably the only studio Dylan record that I listen to with some regularity. Giving it another listen now just reinforces that opinion, it's a great record.

Every track on this album is top notch Dylan

All time great; should be good

Gold ol’ Bob Dylan.

Just brilliant. Bob drags is through his influences with a bleeding heart and a voice that fits perfectly. There's something about the delayed delivery of the lines on Can't Wait that makes me laugh.

Song thoughts: Love Sick - smooth rhythms paired with Bob's ragged voice Dirt Road Blues - a classic folk western song. The electric guitar sounds great on this song. Standing in the Doorway - smooth soft rock paired with Bob's signature voice. Million Miles - love the blues sound to the song, Bob knows how to make music. Tryin' to Get to Heaven - Bob's unique voice is on display in this soft rock song. 'Til I Fell in Love with You - the instruments all work together perfectly. An easy song to just groove to. Not Dark Yet - another song where everything works together. Cold Irons Bound - love the bass line and intro. I can see this song playing over a scene where someone walks into a busy saloon. Make You Feel My Love - this is a classic song, if you haven't listened to Adele's version you should go and do that. This is another excellent version. Can't Wait - this song is funky and just makes you want to sway. Highlands - not many songs can be this long and not feel like a drag. This was an incredible album. Each song sounds unique while fitting the theme of the album. The instruments are always on point to blend with Bob's unique voice. I will definitely be coming back to this one!

One of the more important albums in my life. A return to form for the Master. Tight, snazzy sound. Lyrics contemplating one’s mortality. Dylan puts out one of his best all time albums at age 56.

This album is incredible

Cool

Love this album so so much

The best album of 1997. Yes, it's better than OK Computer.

I’m biased, but I love this album. It’s kinda wild to think that this album is 25 years old and that when Bob finished this album, the sixties were 25 years behind him. This is, by some measures, middle period Dylan. This album shows that behind his inscrutable poetry there is a man who feels sadness, humility, anger, and love. I would never introduce anyone to Dylan with this album, but it 100% deserves all the praise it gets. I know this review is already long, but I just have to shout out “Make You Feel My Love” as one of the most beautiful love songs ever written.

Another incredible Dylan album. It’s most comparable to Leonard Cohen’s You Want It Darker in terms of theme, but Dylan made it 25 years ago. Of course the lyrics are perfect, and Dylan’s voice maturation is so interesting, and it has excellent instrumentation. Just an all-around great album.

Stunning. I’d never visited Dylan’s work outside of the main albums and was suitably impressed. Excellent delivery and swampy blues lines. Very good.

Let's say you're having a barbeque at your house with a bunch of people. The weather is beautiful, everyone's been day drinking and having a great time but as it gets later in the day people gradually begin to head home until the sun's gone down and only a few friends remain. These friends are the real ones and maybe one of them rolls a joint or packs a pipe and conversation gets deep, not necessarily super-serious but one of those good deep conversations that make you smile. This is the album you put on for that occasion.

An album that took real time to settle and work its magic. On a cold wet day, travelling home in the car after a hard week away, terrible tail backs, a long journey ahead. On that day it connected and since then I have always admired this collection of songs. I have to be in the mood, you don't choose this album to be background music it needs attention. The production is a little "murky" the pace "pedestrian" but my word its an emotional ride. I got married to Make You Feel My Love, admittedly it was Adele's version cause the wife-to-be preferred it. But the words were perfect. A classic album by Dylan, and I think an essential record for any collection.

grande mestre

Yes please, give me more of these albums. I enjoy them very much.

That was incredible.

Dope

Excellent album with beautiful tracks. Not sure it would have been on thid list were it not Bob Dylan, but it's Dylan.

Amazing album. You’d be quick to write off Dylan at his age here with his gravelly voice but that only adds to this album’s rough and rowdy ways!

Excellent

“I’ve been to Sugar Town, I shook the sugar down, now I’m trying to get to heaven before they close the door.”

I love Bob Dylan now! Almost cried at some songs!

For Dylan to wander his way through most of the 70s trying figure out who he was only to come back with this album feels like Jesus emerging from 40 days in the desert and being tempted by the devil. It is dark, brooding and gritty. It’s almost as if he somehow knew that he would almost die shortly after this album was recorded. My only complaint is some of the overly echoey vocal effects. Other than that, this album ranks among Dylan’s very best and that is about the highest compliment I can give it.

Yo, I'm here for this. *vibes*

Some of his best writing on this one.

Guys we had a very good week in The Becca Records Club! I’m about to give my 5th 5-star rating here, but that’s not the point. The point is, I am a nut for late-period Bob Dylan. I’ve never listened to this, though I’ve heard it mentioned frequently. I’ve listened to 1989’s Oh Mercy (also produced by Lanois) and 2020’s Rough and Rowdy Ways many times, both of which I love. I find that Bob Dylan is a songwriter, and more importantly a singer, who only got better with age. It's not evidenced on all, but many of these later albums, and especially Time Out of Mind, which is just so stunningly beautiful. His voice sounds like leather and he manages to say so much more with so much less than he used to in the 60s and 70s. He masters the power of silence, of sometimes not saying anything at all and letting the music speak for itself. Musically, he isn’t afraid to get weird and challenge himself later in life too. Playing with different bands and session player. Introducing new genres and instruments, and not just introducing them, but inviting them in and allowing his own writings, voice, and tone to grow around them. You never listen to a Bob Dylan album and feel like he’s wearing someone else’s shoes. No, Bob Dylan always sounds true to himself, but he isn’t afraid to explore all the many shades of that self. And not just explore, but communicate what he’s found or seen with all of us. The lyrical content is as dark, haunting, and profound as any Dylan album I can think of. It’s up there with Blood on the Tracks. And for me, maybe even stands a little taller because of the age and experience he brings to this record. Sonically too, it has such dynamic range. It’s some of the best-sounding music I’ve ever come across, in terms of pure audiophilia. And hats off to Daniel Lanois for his production work here. I can get lost in these songs, his voice, forever. It’s like swimming in the greatest sea of all time. And he just keeps giving. He’s truly the greatest songwriter we have. And that talent, almost 40 years into his career, is on full display in Time Out of Mind. “Make You Feel My Love” is the only moment I can see feeling a bit off. Especially as it’s been covered and grown in the popular conscious after the release of this album. But as one reviewer put it, “In context, “Make You Feel My Love” is not a romantic bauble; it is an ironclad threat in a velvet glove, one final attempt to force love from the listener at any cost. “ And I couldn’t agree more. I think this “ballad” is one of the more tormented moments on the album and in many ways is its centerpiece. But my two favorites songs ares “Standing in the Doorway” and “Not Dark Yet.”

Awesome album.

I even liked it on spotify

Dylan has a brush with death again and decamps to the woods to write this album. He comes back pissed off. The sound of an angry aging man finding his muse again. Love it. Even Adele couldn't ruin his songs. Best Tracks: Love Sick; Not Dark Yet; Cold Irons Bound

This is not in my collection, but is now on the must-have list. Dylan at his most love sick, with a couple classic cuts, including Trying to get to Heaven, and Not Dark Yet

Beautifully rendered songs, atmospheric and bluesy. Dylan's vocal may have aged a little, but it suits the subject matter of these songs perfectly. His delivery is spot on, his songwriting dark, mournful and heart rending. This album is a total mood, but I enjoyed it immensely. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): Tryin' to Get to Heaven, Not Dark Yet, Million Miles, Standing in the Doorway, Dirt Road Blues, Cold Irons Bound, Highlands, 'Til I Fell in Love with You, Love Sick, Make You Feel My Love, Can't Wait

The only song I didn’t like was the cover of Make you Feel My Love. Nothing to maudlin, loved the country folky rhythmic vibe. 4.5 album, rounding up because this is some Dylan I can get behind!

OWN A NEW REISSUE Love this album. Such a step up over previous Dylan albums and sparked his renaissance. Production-wise sounds like radio transmitted from space. Muddy, distant, reverby. Lots of instruments in the murk. In that way kinda reminds me of Basement Tapes, in that maybe you won't catch everything unless you listen closely. So many good songs: Love Sick, Million Miles, Til I Fell in love with You, Highlands, etc. Maybe one or two middling old man Dylan tracks, as these late ones are expected to have. Top tier

Classic Dylan!

One thing listeners tend to learn about Bob Dylan is to never count him out. When he seems to be at his lowest ebb creatively, to the point of no return, he would come back with something so potent, so pure, so reaffirming that it would seem ridiculous to have ever doubted him. On Time Out of Mind, Bob (with the help of Daniel Lanois) once more turns all perceptions upside down and begins keeping up with a wave that hasn't subsided since, offering a continuation of the ever mystifying path taking that makes Bob Dylan well... you know. One of the more intriguing, interesting yet under the radar comebacks in music history.

Baladas de Dylan. Vinilo.

A masterpiece from the GOAT.

Never a huge Dylan fan,liked his music and lyrics.Don’t know how I missed this album absolutely loved it right up my musical alley..bluesy and great lyrics…a keeper

Magnificent output from Bob once again. He's just such an impressive artist, growing and changing with the times but also steadfast with his outstanding poetry and storytelling. It's what we love and expect from him. And it's his 30th studio album! He's a prolific artist who continues to create without ever becoming dull or irrelevant; instead he's only gotten better and better at his craft as the time passes. Unlike some of his contemporaries *cough* rolling stones *cough cough* who still write embarrassingly immature songs well into their twilight years. This is a deep, brooding, introspective masterpiece.

Baladas de Dylan. Vinilo.

A fun listen

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