Bob Dylan's Down in the Groove - your favourite track?

What do you think of Bob Dylan's 1988 LP? Which is your favourite track and why is it your favourite?

This one is much maligned, but I think it's underrated. I especially like the last three tracks.

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Previous polls in this series:
• Bob Dylan's Bringing It All Back Home - your favourite track? »
• Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited - your favourite track? »
• Bob Dylan's John Wesley Harding - your favourite track? »
• Bob Dylan's Self Portrait - your favourite track? »
• Bob Dylan's New Morning - your favourite track? »
• Bob Dylan's Planet Waves - your favourite track? »
• Bob Dylan's Desire - your favourite track? »
• Bob Dylan's Street-Legal - your favourite track? »
• Bob Dylan's Slow Train Coming - your favourite track? »
• Bob Dylan's Saved - your favourite track? »
• Bob Dylan's Shot of Love - your favourite track? »
• Bob Dylan's Infidels - your favourite track? »
• Bob Dylan's Empire Burlesque - your favourite track? »
• Bob Dylan's Oh Mercy - your favourite track? »
• Bob Dylan's Under the Red Sky - your favourite track? »
• Bob Dylan's Good as I Been to You - your favourite track? »
• Bob Dylan's World Gone Wrong - your favourite track? »
• Bob Dylan's Time Out of Mind - your favourite track? »
• Bob Dylan's Love and Theft - your favourite track? »
• Bob Dylan's Together Through Life - your favourite track? »
• Bob Dylan's Christmas in the Heart - your favourite track? »

Search function round-up: http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/search/38885594/?q=bob+dylan%27s+favourite+track&o=relevance&c[title_only]=1

Thank you for voting.

 

Death Is Not The End is really funny.

 

In what way?

 

"Death is Not the End". Nick Cave did a great cover version of it in the 90s. On his "Murder Ballads" album.

 

"Silvio"

It really stands out on the album. It's a great song that actually got a bit of FM airplay here in the summer of 1988.
I saw two shows on that tour over that summer (Hamilton and Toronto) and "Silvio" was the only song Dylan played from the newly released "Down In The Groove" album (which was, to us, another big disappointment after the pretty lame "Knocked Out Loaded")
I wondered what he was going to release next (and if it would be any good at all)
At the time, I sure didn't see the "Wilbury's" or "Oh Mercy" coming around the corner...

 

I think he overplayed 'Silvio' in concert. It's a good song, but Bob seems to regard it as one of his best, which I don't think it is.

 

The music, the lyrics, the subject - everything basically. Nick Cave recorded a great version in the right spirit.

 

I like this album........there, I said it.

"When Did You Leave Heaven?," "Death is not the End," and side 2 after the 1st song makes a very good listen.

I voted "90 MPH."

 

"Shenandoah" is a beautiful performance, so that gets my vote.

Also, a lot of critics seem to hate "Silvio," but I've never understood that.

 

Honestly, I can't even remember what's on this album, I don't think I've listened to it in more than 25 years. I always thought "Silvio" was pretty good, though never quite as good as the promise of it's first verse. Pretty much the only song I can remember from the album nearly 30 years later. I always loved the song "Rank Strangers to Me" on the Stanley Brothers, that's just a great song, can't really remember anything about the Dylan version on this album though. Maybe I'll dig out my 30 year old copy of the vinyl, but probably not. Gotta be barely played, near mint.

 

I chose Silvio. Shenendoah is a close second, but I really don't like any of the other songs. I was extremely disappointed when this album came out. I even liked Knocked Out Loaded, and it's no masterpiece. This album, along with Self Portrait and Under the Red Sky are my least favorite of his and I rarely play them. He redeemed himself though on Oh Mercy. I love that album.

 

Love this album.... Could be the deadhead in me but it was a good time in my life

 

I've always thought this record got a bad rap.
"Rank Strangers to Me".

 

Silvio is a fun romp. The album isnt so bad - always interesting to listen to a genius searching for his muse. Bit like the '88 shows. Loved them too.

 

Don't see the humour.

I've got this one behind Silvio. Great songs.

 

Dylan's version of the song is pretty good, but the Stanley Brothers, with that Appalachian thing going, really make that song.

Mine's mint, too...best tracks are Silvio, Death is not the End and I like 90 miles...

 

I guess if you're an aetheist it's funny...

I like HAD A DREAM ABOUT YOU BABY
it bounces along and feels nice...
however uninspired it may be

 

Wrong sense.

 

Not a fan of this one, but like Shenandoah and 90 Miles an hour. I can see why Silvio scores well because it sounds more like a traditional rock song and possibly because of who it was written with, but it's seriously meh...

 

Rank Strangers.

Dylan used to perform Silvio at almost every show for a year or two in the nineties. I hypothesised that he just likes to include a few throwaways in the setlist to balance the more intense songs.

Tim

 

i think its pretty well ranked. one of the few Dylan albums I listened to a a couple times and never came back to. and i was at the height of my dylanmania at the time. i guess rank strangers but its pretty slim pickins.

 

I went with Silvio, partly because even reading its title gives me an earworm.

I must say though, over the years my take on this album has changed. At the time it was released I was.... aghast. I mean, WTF? But I've mellowed to it over time. There are some genuinely good songs and performances here: Ugliest Girl in the World, 90 MPH, Shenandoah, Had a Dream About You, Baby.

It does feel a little disjointed, with the sound swaying between muddy and pristine, but I suppose in retrospect you can see he was building toward the dark and brooding Oh Mercy. Surprisingly this was one of the first albums I reached for out of the "Complete" box my mate loaned me.

 

Yeah I struggle to see the comedy in it too! But each to their own. My favourite is "When did you leave heaven," the moody synths offset Bobs wailing perfectly!

 

Another patchwork affair here, but there are plenty of good tracks. I went with "Rank Strangers To Me" but also like "Let's Stick Together" and "Shenandoah" in particular. "Silvio" became a staple of his shows in 90's and took on a life of it's own live. There is a great song in "When Did You Leave Heaven," but he should have developed it more and put some effort into it. The drum track is so bad that I think my dog could have played it better.

 

Yes, fully agree. Would love to hear a stripped-down version of this.