Album: Empire Burlesque
Recorded: July 1984 to March 1985
Released: June 1985
Various famous names were involved in the recording of the album, including Benmont Tench and others from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Sly & Robbie (who also appeared on previous album Infidels) and Steve Van Zandt from Springsteen's E Street Band. Though Dylan was the producer, Arthur Baker (of New Order and Afrika Bambaataa fame) did the final mix. This gives Empire Burlesque a much more modern feel than most other Dylan albums from the 80s, and there were also three music videos (see below) recorded to make the record appeal to a wider audience.
The sight of Dylan producing radio-friendly nonsense like Emotionally Yours made we want to vomit the first time I saw the video, and it's especially the way he stretches the word emotionally that really makes me wretch. Opening song Tight Connection To My Heart is a slight improvement and is redeemed by its upbeat chorus, humorous video and occasional good line, such as "What looks large from a distance / close up ain’t never that big", which takes its inspiration from Cary Grant film Now and Forever. The title of the album (Empire Burlesque) and many of the song lyrics, with references to the Maltese Falcon and other classic films, reveal Dylan's deep love of Hollywood cinema.
Though much of the album is forgettable, the run of three songs that close the record are a cut above. Cheesy video aside, When The Night Comes Falling From The Sky is a genuinely well crafted song, and I like both the very 80s album version that was broadcast on MTV and also the darker, moodier version that was released as part of The Bootleg Series Vol 1-3. The apocalyptic tone continues with Something's Burning, Baby but the musical mood is much gloomier, with an ominous slow drumbeat. Though there are several clear biblical references in the song, it's hard to know if the "something burning" is hell below, or just the physical and emotional heat of secular love.
According to Dylan in his Chronicles, Baker suggested an acoustic song to finish the album and when Dylan came out of a lift at his hotel that night, he saw a prostitute with black eyeliner and dark eyes walking towards him, and his pity for her became the inspiration for the song. Dark Eyes really is a haunting way to close the album, and the last verse about the French girl whose hunger means she's subject to a "drunken man ... at the wheel", and who has to pay "a heavy price to the falling gods of speed and steel", creates a poignant picture of a woman trapped in prostitution. These chains of flashing images, which paint prophetic stories about mysterious women ensnared in economic misery, are a feature of some of Dylan's best songwriting during the 80s.
Album rating: C-
Recorded: July 1984 to March 1985
Released: June 1985
Songs / length: 10 / 46:24
Dylan took almost a year to record his 23rd studio album Empire Burlesque, an almost unprecedented amount of time for him and a sign of his directionless drifting during this period. This aimlessness is also reflected in the gaudy cover design of the album and the cover photo, showing Dylan wearing the sort of jacket that Don Johnson would sport in Miami Vice. On top of all that, there's the music, which is plagued with cheesy synths, poorly dubbed instruments and corny lyrics. 1985 was also the year of Dylan's very forgettable performance of Blowin' In The Wind at Live Aid, flanked by Ron Wood and Keith Richards, all of whom look worse for wear.
Dylan took almost a year to record his 23rd studio album Empire Burlesque, an almost unprecedented amount of time for him and a sign of his directionless drifting during this period. This aimlessness is also reflected in the gaudy cover design of the album and the cover photo, showing Dylan wearing the sort of jacket that Don Johnson would sport in Miami Vice. On top of all that, there's the music, which is plagued with cheesy synths, poorly dubbed instruments and corny lyrics. 1985 was also the year of Dylan's very forgettable performance of Blowin' In The Wind at Live Aid, flanked by Ron Wood and Keith Richards, all of whom look worse for wear.
Various famous names were involved in the recording of the album, including Benmont Tench and others from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Sly & Robbie (who also appeared on previous album Infidels) and Steve Van Zandt from Springsteen's E Street Band. Though Dylan was the producer, Arthur Baker (of New Order and Afrika Bambaataa fame) did the final mix. This gives Empire Burlesque a much more modern feel than most other Dylan albums from the 80s, and there were also three music videos (see below) recorded to make the record appeal to a wider audience.
The sight of Dylan producing radio-friendly nonsense like Emotionally Yours made we want to vomit the first time I saw the video, and it's especially the way he stretches the word emotionally that really makes me wretch. Opening song Tight Connection To My Heart is a slight improvement and is redeemed by its upbeat chorus, humorous video and occasional good line, such as "What looks large from a distance / close up ain’t never that big", which takes its inspiration from Cary Grant film Now and Forever. The title of the album (Empire Burlesque) and many of the song lyrics, with references to the Maltese Falcon and other classic films, reveal Dylan's deep love of Hollywood cinema.
Though much of the album is forgettable, the run of three songs that close the record are a cut above. Cheesy video aside, When The Night Comes Falling From The Sky is a genuinely well crafted song, and I like both the very 80s album version that was broadcast on MTV and also the darker, moodier version that was released as part of The Bootleg Series Vol 1-3. The apocalyptic tone continues with Something's Burning, Baby but the musical mood is much gloomier, with an ominous slow drumbeat. Though there are several clear biblical references in the song, it's hard to know if the "something burning" is hell below, or just the physical and emotional heat of secular love.
According to Dylan in his Chronicles, Baker suggested an acoustic song to finish the album and when Dylan came out of a lift at his hotel that night, he saw a prostitute with black eyeliner and dark eyes walking towards him, and his pity for her became the inspiration for the song. Dark Eyes really is a haunting way to close the album, and the last verse about the French girl whose hunger means she's subject to a "drunken man ... at the wheel", and who has to pay "a heavy price to the falling gods of speed and steel", creates a poignant picture of a woman trapped in prostitution. These chains of flashing images, which paint prophetic stories about mysterious women ensnared in economic misery, are a feature of some of Dylan's best songwriting during the 80s.
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