Bob Dylan-Desire (1976)
Artist: Bob Dylan
Title: Desire
Label: Columbia
Format: 8-Track
Sell Date: 10/9/26
Condition: VG+/G Pro refurbish tested start to finish
Discogs Last Sold: 6/14/26 G+/no cover $2.99
Low: $2.99
Median: $5.99
Average: $6.15
High:$6.15
Current low price: $4.99 VG
Curren Number on Sale at Discogs: 2
Have/Want: 61/127
Where Sold: Toronto, ON, Canada
Time It Took To Sell: 2 years
Where and When Bought: Ebay auction lot
Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: A+
Sad To See It Go: No
The time has finally come where I get to write about my absolute favorite Bob Dylan album Desire. I first heard and got the "Hurricane" 45 in late 1975 around of for Christmas, before the album came out in early '76 while I was still in Kindergarden. I had all the 60's stuff passed down and Blood On The Tracks was heavily played by my mother throughout 1975 after my friends mother had it first. "Hurricane" had a particular impact on me as a child because it was story based. The idea that the authority you are supposed to trust is corruptable and everyone else is compromised resonated with me. Great characters like Arthur Dexter Bradley had to go along and be a nice fellow since his robbery partner in crime Bellow snitched on him. Patty Valentine is either is crying out dramatically or nodding her head. It wasn't that far off from what was going on at recess, so a kid could understand.
Adult negligance had always been distilled into childen's stories (think rock-a-bye baby), but this was an approach of the modern day and was played on Top 40 radio (WPRO-FM came in loud and clear to Worcester out of Providence, I remember hearing "Hurricane" on there, which was a rare place to hear Dylan back then). I got a copy of the 45 with the black and white photo of the boxer himself on the sleeve. I actually read the book The Sixteenth Round, finally, about 20 years ago. That read influenced Bob to do his big NYC benefit, capping off a general period of support with the single and it was compelling enough a book to believe some or even all of Carter's recollection of events. Who knew Bringing It All Back Home had a prison and Hell's Angels fanbase? I sure didn't.
So in March '76, I had my Dad get my mother Desire for her birthday from me. It was played relentlessly in my household that year start to finish. I was obsessed with it. For my birthday later that year I got a hand held cassette player, with my own tape copy of the album, so I wouldn't scratch it to shit like his 60's output, although I handled records better by that point. That was one of those albums covers I would fixate on, imagining the back cover photo montage as a photo for each track on the album. It was easy to figure out the tarot card was "Isis" and I was sure "Sara" was one of the women in there, but what photo represented "One More Cup Of Coffee? Who was this "producer" Don DeVito? It all sounded mysterious and certainly out of my experience. Even though I knew "Hurricane" from the single photo, I felt there was something visually undefined to represent him. The same photos were on the inner sleeve in black and white with some text that I didn't fully understand. I didn't understand Bob's book Tarantula either at 6 or at 16 either and haven't tried since.
The 8-track that I got in a lot, broke, got refurbished and just sold for eight bucks was cool in the way it totally ripped the track order apart. The artwork of course is gone save for the cover sticker and the track listing slapped on a black shell and the generic Columbia box to it came with to border the sticker long discarded before it got to me. The album in this format kicks off with "Isis" then "Mozambique" then "Oh, Sister." On track two "Romance In Durango" and "Black Diamond Bay" are not split apart, but "Joey" follows them and get the 8-track fade out'in. "One More Cup Of Coffee" closes track 3 and track 4 we get the "Hurricane" opener and the "Sara" close. Desire heard this way is not an experience for those who are chained to their habits and traditions. It's a radical shake up. I played it about 3 times straight when it came back from the refurbisher a few months ago.
Reality altered is sometimes a Desire itself.
FOR FURTHER REVIEW:
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963)
The Times They Are A-Changin' (1964)
Another Side of Bob Dylan (1964)
Watching The River Flow b/w Spanish Is The Loving Tongue (1971)
Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid (Original Soundtrack Recording) (1973)
Bob Dylan @ Forest Hills Stadium, Queens, NY 7/21/26
Bob Dylan @ Northwell at Jones Beach Theatre, Wantagh, NY 8/1/25
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