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13/03/2006

Under The Red Sky - better than Oh Mercy, according to John Hinchey

Thanks to John Hinchey, author of Like A Complete Unknown, the must-have study of Dylan's '60s songs, www.stealinghomepress.com, for his comments on Under The Red Sky:

“I noticed the recent post on Under the Red Sky, and it occurred to me this might be the occasion to ask a question that has always befuddled me: why is everyone so down on that album?

“As far as I can tell, its detractors (ie almost everybody) can't get past "Wiggle Wiggle", which people seem to invoke as code for "Dylan's gone senile."

“Personally, I get a real kick out of that song--a children's song by a Dirty Old Man (and kids do love it), and I think the whole album, easily Dylan's most underrated, is, well, fabulous—better than "Oh Mercy," and even (possibly) better as a whole than Time Out of Mind, though nothing on it approaches the sublimity of TOOM's best songs (not much does).

“I might rate it too highly--I'm not interested in defending my view of the album. But I would be interested in hearing why those who disdain the record feel the way they do. It just puzzles me.

“And to add to the critics who have good things to say about it: Robert Christgau, who was very much down on Dylan at the time (he had called him a "crank" not too long before URS came out), wrote a very favorable review in the Village Voice that is still the most insightful piece I have read on it.

It's available online at:

http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/rock/dylan-90.php

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