(Sony)
Mind out of time is more like it. I don’t understand all of the mid-60’s comparisons this record is getting. The overall tone of those records was a pure and utter joy — he knew what he had, and he figured he’d have it forever. What he’s finally finally replaced it with is something totally different: the overall tone of this record is world-weary resignation. He knew what he had, and he knows that it’s gone forever. Weird: common wisdom says that it took a near-death experience for Dylan to lose his mid-60’s muse; could it be that another near-death experience kicked off his late 90’s muse?
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Written for the 1997 Village Voice Pazz & Jop Poll