Knocked Out Loaded
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| Knocked Out Loaded | |||||
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| Studio album by Bob Dylan | |||||
| Released | July 14, 1986 | ||||
| Recorded | Spring 1986 | ||||
| Genre | Rock | ||||
| Length | 36:11 | ||||
| Label | Columbia | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
| Bob Dylan chronology | |||||
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Knocked Out Loaded is singer-songwriter Bob Dylan's 24th studio album, released by Columbia Records in 1986.
The album was received poorly upon release, and is still considered by some critics to be one of Dylan's least-engaging efforts. However, the 11-minute epic "Brownsville Girl" — co-written by Sam Shepard — is often considered among his best work,[citation needed] and "Maybe Someday" has gained notoriety[citation needed] for its allusion to a line from T. S. Eliot's Journey of the Magi.
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[edit] Composition
It includes three cover songs, three collaborations with other songwriters, and two solo compositions by Dylan himself. Most of the album was recorded in the spring of 1986 (several tracks built on instrumental tracks from 1985 sessions), but one track, Got My Mind Made Up, was reportedly recorded during a one-day break in the Dylan/Tom Petty "True Confessions" tour in June.
[edit] Reception
The album earned mostly negative reactions, with only a rewritten version of an outtake (New Danville Girl) recorded during the Empire Burlesque sessions, receiving uniform praise. Robert Christgau praised Brownsville Girl as "one of the greatest and most ridiculous of [Dylan's] great ridiculous epics. Doesn't matter who came up with such lines as 'She said even the swap meets around here are getting corrupt' and 'I didn't know whether to duck or run, so I ran' — they're classic Dylan."
The album as a whole was generally (but not universally) panned, as was its followup, Down in the Groove. "Knocked Out Loaded is ultimately a depressing affair," wrote Anthony DeCurtis in his review published in Rolling Stone Magazine, "because its slipshod, patchwork nature suggests that Dylan released this LP not because he had anything in particular to say, but to cash in on his 1986 tour. Even worse, it suggests Dylan's utter lack of artistic direction."
Sales for Knocked Out Loaded were considered weak, as it peaked at #53 on U.S. charts and #35 in the UK.
Dylan has virtually never played songs from this LP in concert; Driftin' Too Far From Shore, with 14 performances (all but one in 1988), is the most frequently heard. Four songs remain unplayed, while the other three have together been aired only five times.
In recent years this album has been reevaluated by many critics and listeners and its stock has risen considerably; a small group of fans have been hailing the disc as his finest and least-understood work. It appears Knocked Out Loaded has become something of a cult record.
Columbia has yet to remaster this album, but it is available on compact disc.
[edit] Outtakes
The following songs were recorded during the Knocked Out Loaded sessions. None of the tracks are circulating. The tracks without writer credits may or may not be original Dylan compositions.
- The Beautiful Life
- Come Back Baby, One More Time
- I Need Your Love
- Lonely Avenue
- So Good
- Too Late, She’s Gone (Tim Davis, Ricky Clinton Ryan)
- Unchain My Heart (James Freddy, Agnes Jones)
- Wild & Wicked World (J. D. Miller, George Sherry)
- Without Love (Clyde McPhatter?)
- You’ll Never Walk Alone (Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II)
[edit] Track listing
- You Wanna Ramble (Little Junior Parker) – 3:14
- They Killed Him (Kris Kristofferson) – 4:00
- Driftin' Too Far From Shore (Bob Dylan) – 3:39
- Precious Memories (Trad. Arr. Bob Dylan) – 3:13
- Maybe Someday (Bob Dylan) – 3:17
- Brownsville Girl (Bob Dylan, Sam Shepard) – 11:00
- Got My Mind Made Up (Bob Dylan, Tom Petty) – 2:53
- Under Your Spell (Bob Dylan, Carole Bayer Sager) – 3:58
[edit] Personnel
- Britt Bacon – engineer
- Mike Berment – steel drums
- Peggie Blu – background vocals
- Majason Bracey – background vocals
- Clem Burke – drums
- T-Bone Burnett – guitar
- Mike Campbell – guitar
- Carolyn Dennis – background vocals
- Steve Douglas – saxophone
- Bob Dylan – guitar, harmonica, keyboards, vocals
- Howie Epstein – bass
- Judy Feltus – engineer
- Anton Fig – drums
- Lara Firestone – background vocals
- Greg Fulginiti – mastering
- Milton Gabriel – steel drums
- Keysha Gwin – background vocals
- Don Heffington – drums
- Muffy Hendrix – background vocals
- April Hendrix-Haberlan – background vocals
- Ira Ingber – guitar
- James Jamerson, Jr. – bass
- Dewey B. Jones II – background vocals
- Phil Jones – conga
- Al Kooper – keyboards
- Stan Lynch – drums
- Steve Madaio – trumpet
- Queen Esther Marrow – background vocals
- Larry Mayhand – background vocals
- John McKenzie – bass
- Vince Melamed – keyboards
- Larry Meyers – mandolin
- Angel Newell – background vocals
- Herbert Newell – background vocals
- John Paris – bass
- Bryan Parris – steel drums
- Al Perkins – steel guitar
- Tom Petty – guitar
- Crystal Pounds – background vocals
- Raymond Lee Pounds – drums
- Madelyn Quebec – background vocals
- Vito San Filippo – bass
- Carl Sealove – bass
- Patrick Seymour – keyboards
- Jack Sherman – guitar
- Daina Smith – background vocals
- Donald Smith – engineer
- Don Smith – engineer
- Maia Smith – vocals
- Medena Smith – background vocals
- Dave Stewart – guitar
- Benmont Tench – keyboards
- Annette May Thomas – background vocals
- Damien Turnbough – background vocals
- George Tutko – engineer
- Ronnie Wood – guitar
- Chyna Wright – background vocals
- Elesecia Wright – background vocals
- Tiffany Wright – background vocals
[edit] External links
- Knocked Out Loaded Analysis Page link|
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