The most disputed era of his career (a very popular opinion), Bob Dylan may not have seen the same love that found him from his, otherwise, successful music timeline. Recently, though, there seems to be resurgence of the big man in the '80s.
Classicalite caught up with Jesse Lauter, who coproduced the latest disc Bob Dylan in the '80s, along with pal Sean O' Brien. The project, he says, came to be that "a lot of people have been talking about the topic and [in accordance] have really invigorated the record."
"People have been talking about the record a lot lately, too" he continued
With a serious opportunity afoot, Lauter, with the help of Dylan's manager and his writing camp, produced an LP with the best (a matter of opinion, maybe) Dylan songs from his most maligned period.
The production includes artists such as Deer Tick, Reggie Watts and some other choice contemporaries.
"All of this is part of a history about Bob that's not generally told. It's a part of the story that's hardly heard and through this record that's what we're doing," says Lauter, leading the crusade against Dylan's hasty demographic.
The disc, which has been promoted through Spotify via a recent playlist, has been a long project-in-the-making for the producers.
That is to correct a previous post on the site, that the playlist is in fact a promotional tool for the LP and not a random act of kindness. Thus, the list encapsulates all original songs, some you may have heard but, then again, probably not.
"People took to those songs, not surprisingly," adds Lauter, "however, some other originals covered on the album aren't even on Spotify," which should add to how obscure they are.
The playlist includes select songs from Bootleg Series' Vol. 1-3, Shot of Love, Knocked Out Loaded, Under the Red Sky and Infidels.
And, per Lauter, while making the disc, anything produced during the decade was considered usable
"We said anything from the '80s to the '90s was fair game." And yet, Oh Mercy, an album even discussed, albeit harsh, by the Tambourine Man himself in his memoirs Chronicles, is notably missing.
"We didn't really take much from Oh Mercy," Lauter lamented
"I love Oh Mercy, it is a wonderful album, I love it to pieces, but we're trying to paint a picture away from that."
Perhaps Lauter is trying to unearth some of the more "obscure gems."
Even Dylan's original compositions with The Traveling Wilburys, you remember, that collab ensemble featuring George Harrison, Jeff Lyne, Roy Orbison (RIP), and Tom Petty, were up for grabs for the contributing musicians.
So with a nod to Dylanologists everywhere, Bob Dylan in the '80s should be in every proverbial store window (which, I assume, would now be iTunes), and with a Classicalite recommendation, pick up a copy before it gathers too much dust.
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