Dear Bill Wyman:
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I suggest you reevaluate, at the very least, Infidels, Oh Mercy and disc three of The Bootleg Series. 1983 was as prolific a year for Dylan as any since 1967, and his work in many ways more compelling. Far from having to turn to external sources to bemoan a “world gone wrong,” the tracks on Infidels and the seven or so that eventually turned up on The Bootleg Series are the work of a man with a profound (albeit disturbing) vision. The songs are finely constructed, the melodies durable, and the supple rhythms provided by Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare subtly intensify the mood. Dark and brooding may not be your favorite Dylan incarnation, but he’s an artist to be reckoned with on those terms.
“Blind Willie McTell” is not the work of a man going through the motions.
N. Burling
