Desire, (*****) January 5, 1976. 17th Studio Album.
Desire brings an exotic, world music sound to Dylan’s repertoire, even as he returns to more topical songwriting. Scarlet Rivera, a violin player he found while waiting at a stop light, is all over this record, and Emmylou Harris is a perfect vocal foil for Dylan’s voice. For the first time Dylan employs a co-writer — experimental theater director Jaques Levy — who collaborates on half the songs, including a Billy the Kid-reverence for a New York gangster (“Joey”) and the adventure-seeking epic “Isis,” another of my all-time favorite songs. The album begins with “Hurricane,” the story of boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, who was eventually cleared after being wrongly convicted of a triple murder. And the album ends with “Sarah,” a final paeen to Dylan’s marriage, which ended in divorce a year later.
Top 10.
My college girlfriend, “Sarah”, turned me onto this album before I was into Dylan and I loved it immediately.
Helped start my journey…
She said “Where ya been?” I said “No place special”.
She said “You look different” I said “Well, I guess”
She said “You been gone” I said “That’s only natural”.
She said “You gonna stay?” I said “If ya want me to, yes”