Bob Dylan-Knocked Out Loaded (1986)

 

Artist: Bob Dylan

Title:  Knocked Out Loaded

Label: Columbia

Format: LP

Cat #: OC 40439

Year of Release: 1986

Country and Year of Edition Issue: US 1986 Carrolton Press

Listed Condition: VG+/VG in shrink with sticker and inner sleeve, 2" spine damage

Sell Date:11/15/21

Sell Price:$8.99

Discogs Last Sold: 10/10/21 $9.99 VG+/VG+

Low: $6.00

Median: $9.99

Average: $9.00

High: $11.47

Current low price: $9.99

Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 15

Have/Want: 297/59

Where Sold: Larchmont, NY

Time it took to sell: 6 years

Where and When Bought: Strawberries Worcester new upon release $5.99

Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: B

Sad To See It Go: No

Knocked Out Loaded was the final Bob record I bought on vinyl before switching to the new-fangled compact disc I'd been hearing so much about.  At some point I bought this again in that format, but deep into the aughts when I think I rebought it, it still wasn't remastered, and I was just completing for completion's sake.

The light has shined a bit more on the Sam Sheppard co-write "Brownsville Girl" and her teeth like pearls recently with the "New Danville Girl" demo getting some notice on the Springtime In New York edition Bob of the Bootleg series that just came out.  When it originally came out, I thought it to be a "great epic."  When it resurfaced on Greatest Hits Vol. 3, it felt like it found it's natural place among the best of that decade plus.  People try to say demos are better than the finished song, but I think in this case there are a couple things: the 80's drum mix and another writer's angle for a new release.  The connotation of New Danville is PA or maybe Danbury CT.  Small town northeast.  Brownsville to me means Brooklyn, maybe because I'm a neighborhood over on the Bushwick/Ridgewood line.

When released I thought Knocked Out Loaded was as serious as any other Bob release.  As with most major label product in the mid 80's, the drums seem canned and obtrusive.  Opening with a couple covers is a bit out of left field.  "You Wanna Ramble" is a revised cover of Little Junior Parker's "I Wanna Ramble" from 1955.  Kris Kristofferson's "They Killed Him" comes next, though it looks like he didn't release it until 1987.   No "bad" Bob record is ever truly "bad."  The production abomination of a children's choir in the Kris Kristofferson cover of "They Killed Him" drowns an impassioned vocal in sentiment. Bob seems to be shooting for something along the lines of "We Are The World."  Maybe it was someone else's work that made Bob try for an 80's "Abraham, Martin and John."  Dion hit that concept out of the park.  Listening to the Deadified rehearsal, he doesn't have the vocal passion here, that seems transposed to Jerry's lead.  This song is something that might work better on the piano with his current band.

"Drifting Too Far From Shore" has session pro Anton Fig's snare cranked, obliterating Ron Wood's guitar efforts to subliminal.  Bob plays keyboards on this and that seems in the background also.  This seems such a standard in my head I forgot it was indeed from Knocked Out Loaded.  "Precious Memories" goes into reggae-gospel with Larry Mayers adding mandolin.  "Maybe Someday" has a weird start with the vocal just kicking in.

After 'Brownsville Girl we get another co-write this time with then tour-mate Tom Petty, "Got My Mind Made Up."  Hearing this you hear why Petty does Petty best.   I don't know if Tom might've been the Wilbury to do this one.  '"Under Your Spell" I always liked with the inclusion of the album title within the lyric.  I'm a sucker for a title in a lyric that isn't the title of a lyric.

The Knocked Out Loaded sessions could stand a date with Jack Frost and an engineer before Oh Mercy and Never-Ending Tour get a grand treatment.  Maybe with Down In The Groove and some Petty and Dead live tracks, unless those tours get their own focused Bootleg Series releases.  

See you at the Wang Center tonight!