Oh Mercy | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 12, 1989 | |||
Recorded | February–April 1989 | |||
Studio | Mobile studio at 1305 Soniat St., New Orleans | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 38:46 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | Daniel Lanois | |||
Bob Dylan chronology | ||||
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Singles from Oh Mercy | ||||
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Oh Mercy is the 26th album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on September 12, 1989, [1] by Columbia Records. Produced by Daniel Lanois, it was hailed by critics as a triumph for Dylan, after a string of poorly reviewed albums. Oh Mercy gave Dylan his best chart showing in years, reaching No. 30 on the Billboard charts in the United States and No. 6 in the UK.
The composition of the songs at Dylan's home in Malibu [2] and the recording of the album in New Orleans are described by Dylan in detail in the "Oh Mercy" chapter of his memoir Chronicles: Volume One . [3] Engineer Mark Howard noted that Dylan had previously attempted to record the songs with Ronnie Wood but was dissatisfied with the results: "There’s a whole version of Oh Mercy that was recorded with Ron Wood already. But I think Dylan had maybe decided he didn’t like what had happened". [4] In the spring or summer of 1988, U2 singer Bono put Dylan in touch with producer Daniel Lanois, and the two agreed to work together although the recording sessions would not commence until early 1989. [5] Dylan biographer Clinton Heylin notes that Dylan finished recording the basic tracks for the album on March 29, 1989 but added new vocals (and other overdubs) for almost all the tracks the following month. [6]
In their book Bob Dylan - All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track, authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon call Oh Mercy "a renaissance" for Dylan and write of the recording sessions: "The arrangements are very reminiscent of Yellow Moon by the Neville Brothers, and Dylan eventually got familiar with this particular atmosphere. Lanois claimed Oh Mercy was a record you listen to at night because it was 'designed at night': 'Bob had a rule, we only recorded at night. I think he's right about that: the body is ready to accommodate a certain tempo at nighttime. I think it's something to do with the pushing and pulling of the moon. At nighttime we're ready to be more mysterious and dark. Oh Mercy is about that'. He added that if there was one lesson he learned from Dylan, it was working relentlessly while searching first and foremost for efficiency and speed. And he concluded, 'Oh Mercy was two guys on a back porch, that kind of vibe'. As for the songwriter, he recognized 'There's something magical about this record' and felt sincere admiration for the work of the Canadian producer". [7]
During a Sound Opinions interview broadcast on Chicago FM radio, Lanois told Chicago Tribune critic Greg Kot that "Series of Dreams" was his pick for the opening track, but ultimately, the final decision was Dylan's. [8] Music critic Tim Riley would echo these sentiments, writing that "'Series of Dreams' should have been the working title song to Oh Mercy, not a leftover pendant." [9] "Series of Dreams" would become the final track on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991 , and was later included on 1994's Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Volume 3 .
"Dignity", another outtake, was performed live during a 1994 appearance on MTV Unplugged , and the same performance was later issued on the accompanying album. A remixed version of "Dignity" featuring new overdubs by producer Brendan O'Brien was also released on Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Volume 3 , while the original Lanois production would not see release until the soundtrack album of the television show Touched by an Angel .
Listed as "Broken Days/Three of Us" on the track sheets, the original version of "Everything Is Broken" was briefly issued on-line as an exclusive download on Apple Computer's iTunes music store. [10] In 2008, it was remastered from a better source and reissued on The Bootleg Series Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs . Described by Heylin as an "evocation of a fragmented relationship", the lyrics were later rewritten and overdubbed with new vocals and an additional guitar part.[ citation needed ]
Two more outtakes, "Born in Time" and "God Knows", were set aside and later re-written and re-recorded for Dylan's next album, Under the Red Sky . Versions of both songs from the Oh Mercy sessions were also included on The Bootleg Series Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs . "The Oh Mercy outtake of 'Born In Time' was one of those Dylan performances that so surrendered itself to the moment that to decry the lyrical slips would be to mock sincerity itself", wrote author Clinton Heylin. [11]
The photo on the cover of the album shows a mural that Dylan came across on a wall of a Chinese restaurant in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen on 9th Avenue and 53rd Street. The artist, Trotsky, who created the image of two people dancing was located (he lived near the mural) and permission was granted. [12] [13]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Robert Christgau | B [15] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | A− [17] |
MusicHound | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
After disappointing sales with Knocked Out Loaded and Down in the Groove , Oh Mercy was hailed as a comeback. [20] Consensus was strong enough to place Oh Mercy at No. 15 in The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop Critics Poll for 1989. [21] Also in 1989, Oh Mercy was ranked No. 44 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s. [22]
Oh Mercy's production drew praise from a majority of critics. Robert Christgau of The Village Voice wrote, "Daniel Lanois's understated care and easy beat suit [Dylan's] casual ways, and three or four songs might sound like something late at night on the radio, or after the great flood. All are modest and tuneful enough to make you forgive 'Disease of Conceit,' which is neither." But as Heylin notes, "Though many a critic who had despaired at the sound of Dylan's more recent albums enthused about the sound on Oh Mercy, it was evident that rock music's foremost lyric writer had also rediscovered his previous flair with words". [23]
Rock critic Bill Wyman criticized the production but praised the songs. "Taken over by Daniel Lanois, master of a shimmering and distinctive electronically processed guitar sound...[the album] is overdone", writes Wyman. "It's irritating to hear Dylan's songs so manipulated, but there are sufficient nice tracks—"Most of the Time", "Shooting Star", both simple and direct, among them—to make this by far the most coherent and listenable collection of his own songs Dylan has released since Desire". [24]
Though it did not enter Billboard's Top 20, Oh Mercy remained a consistent seller, enough to be considered a modest commercial success.
To celebrate the album's 20th anniversary, Montague Street Journal: The Art of Bob Dylan dedicated roughly half of its debut issue (published in 2009) to a roundtable discussion on Oh Mercy.
It was voted number 438 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums 3rd Edition (2000). [25] In 2006, Q magazine placed the album at No. 33 in its list of "40 Best Albums of the '80s". [26] During that same year, "Political World" appeared in the film Man of the Year . Michael Azerrad in a Rolling Stone article felt that "it would be unfair to compare Oh Mercy to Dylan's landmark Sixties recordings". [22]
Lou Reed selected "Disease of Conceit" as one of his favorite songs of 1989. [27]
All tracks are written by Bob Dylan
No. | Title | Recorded | Length |
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1. | "Political World" | March 8, 1989 (overdubbed March 21 and April 8, 1989) | 3:43 |
2. | "Where Teardrops Fall" | March 21 and 22, 1989 (overdubbed April 15–16, 1989) | 2:30 |
3. | "Everything Is Broken" | March 14 or 15, 1989 (overdubbed April 1 and 3, 1989) | 3:12 |
4. | "Ring Them Bells" | March 7, 1989 (overdubbed April 6, 1989) | 3:00 |
5. | "Man in the Long Black Coat" | March 29, 1989 (overdubbed April 4, 1989) | 4:30 |
Total length: | 16:55 |
No. | Title | Recorded | Length |
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1. | "Most of the Time" | March 12, 1989 (overdubbed April 19, 1989) | 5:02 |
2. | "What Good Am I?" | March 7, 1989 (overdubbed April 7, 1989) | 4:45 |
3. | "Disease of Conceit" | March 8, 1989 (overdubbed April 1989) | 3:41 |
4. | "What Was It You Wanted" | March 21, 1989 (overdubbed March 24 and April 3, 4 & 10, 1989) | 5:02 |
5. | "Shooting Star" | March 14 or 15, 1989 (overdubbed April 1–3, 1989) | 3:12 |
Total length: | 21:42 |
Production:
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Canada (Music Canada) [28] | Gold | 50,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [29] CBS | Gold | 25,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [30] Sony Music | Gold | 25,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [31] | Gold | 100,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
"4th Time Around" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, which was released as the 12th track on his seventh studio album Blonde on Blonde on June 20, 1966. The song was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. Commentators often interpret it as a parody of the Beatles' 1965 song "Norwegian Wood ". John Lennon composed "Norwegian Wood" after being influenced by the introspective lyrics of Dylan. Lennon later reflected on his feelings of paranoia when Dylan first played him "4th Time Around".
Under the Red Sky is the 27th studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on September 10, 1990, by Columbia Records. It was produced by Don Was, David Was, and Dylan.
World Gone Wrong is the 29th studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on October 26, 1993, by Columbia Records.
"Absolutely Sweet Marie" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, which was released on the third side of the double album and Dylan's seventh studio album, Blonde on Blonde (1966). The song was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. It was recorded at around 1:00 am on March 8, 1966, at Columbia Studio A, Nashville. Some commentators have interpreted the song as being about sexual frustration.
"The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. It was released as the fifth track on his eighth studio album John Wesley Harding (1967). The track was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. It was recorded in one take on October 17, 1967, at Columbia Studio A in Nashville. The song's lyrics refer to two friends, Frankie Lee and Judas Priest. Lee asks Priest for a loan of money and Priest offers it freely. Lee spends it in a brothel over 16 days, then dies of thirst in Priest's arms. It has been suggested by commentators that the song refers to Dylan's relationship with his manager Albert Grossman or to his contractual negotiations with his record company. The song received a largely negative critical reception. Dylan has performed the song live in concert 20 times, from 1987 to 2000.
"Tombstone Blues" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, which was released as the second track on his sixth studio album Highway 61 Revisited (1965). The song was written by Dylan, and produced by Bob Johnston. Critical interpretations of the song have suggested that the song references the Vietnam War and US President Lyndon Baines Johnson.
"Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan from his seventh studio album, Blonde on Blonde (1966). The song was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. It has nine verses, each featuring a distinct set of characters and circumstances. All 20 takes of "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again" were recorded in the early hours of February 17, 1966, at Columbia Records's A Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, with the last take selected for the album. This version also appears on Dylan's second compilation album, Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II (1971).
"Dignity" is a song by Bob Dylan, first released on Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Volume 3 on November 15, 1994, and also released as a CD single a month later. It was originally recorded in the spring of 1989 during the Oh Mercy studio sessions, but was not included on the album. It was also later anthologized on Dylan (2007).
"If Not for You" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan from his October 1970 album New Morning. It was issued as the A-side of a single in Europe in early 1971. The song is a love song to Dylan's first wife, Sara Dylan. He recorded it several times in 1970; the session for the released version took place in New York in August. He also recorded the song with George Harrison on May 1, soon after the break-up of the Beatles, a session that attracted much speculation in the music press. The May recording remained unreleased until its inclusion on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 in 1991.
"Most of the Time" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released as the sixth track of his 1989 album Oh Mercy. The song was written by Dylan and produced by Daniel Lanois. The album version of "Most of the Time" was recorded on March 12, 1989, in a mobile studio at 1305 Soniat St., New Orleans, and released on Oh Mercy in September of that year. Two studio out-takes from the same set of recording sessions were released on The Bootleg Series Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989–2006 in 2008, and a new version recorded on March 16, 1990, was issued as a promotional single and video in 1990.
"Everything is Broken" is an uptempo rock song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, and released as the first single from his 1989 album Oh Mercy, where it appears as the third track. It was later anthologized on the compilation albums The Essential Bob Dylan in 2000 and Dylan in 2007. The song spent eight weeks on Billboard's "Mainstream Rock Songs" chart, peaking at number eight on October 27, 1989. It was produced by Daniel Lanois.
"Man in the Long Black Coat" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released in 1989 as the fifth track on his album Oh Mercy. It is a minor-key folk ballad, often described as "haunting" and frequently cited as a highlight of the album. The song was produced by Daniel Lanois.
"Dirge" is a song by Bob Dylan. It was released on his 14th studio album Planet Waves in 1974. Notable for its acidic tone, "Dirge" has never been performed in concert.
"Nothing Was Delivered" is a song written by Bob Dylan that was originally recorded by Dylan and The Band in the Fall of 1967 during the sessions that generated The Basement Tapes. The song was first released by The Byrds on their 1968 album Sweetheart of the Rodeo.
"Obviously 5 Believers" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, which was released as the last track of side three of his double album Blonde on Blonde (1966), and was the B-side to the single release of "Just Like a Woman" for releases in America and some other countries. The song was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. It was recorded at Columbia Music Row Studios, in the early morning hours of a March 9–10, 1966 session. Four takes were recorded, although the first two were incomplete. It has been interpreted as a blues song about loneliness, with critics noting similarities in melody and structure to Memphis Minnie's "Chauffeur Blues". Dylan's vocals and the musicianship of the band on the track have both received critical acclaim, although the track has been regarded as insubstantial by some commentators.
"Ring Them Bells" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released in 1989 as the fourth track on his album Oh Mercy. It is a piano-driven, hymn-like ballad that is considered by many to be the best song on Oh Mercy and it is the track from that album that has been covered the most by other artists.
"Shooting Star" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released in 1989 as the tenth and final track on his album Oh Mercy. It was produced by Daniel Lanois.
"One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below)" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, which was released as the fourth track on his seventeenth studio album Desire (1976). The song was written by Dylan, and produced by Don DeVito. The album version of "One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below)" was recorded on July 30, 1975, and released on Desire in January 1976. Dylan said the song was influenced by his visit to a gypsy celebration at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer in France on his 34th birthday.
"I Shall Be Free No. 10" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, which was released as the fifth track on his fourth studio album Another Side of Bob Dylan (1964). The song was written by Dylan and produced by Tom Wilson. The song is a humorous talking blues, indebted to earlier songs including Lead Belly's "We Shall Be Free". Dylan opens the song by proclaiming that he is normal and average, but then acknowledges his reputation by singing the self-aware doggerel "Yippee! I'm a poet, and I know it/ Hope I don't blow it".
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