Saved(Bob Dylan album)
| Saved | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio albumby | ||||
| Released | June 23, 1980 | |||
| Recorded | February 11–15, 1980 | |||
| Studio | Muscle Shoals,Sheffield, Alabama[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 42:39 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Barry BeckettandJerry Wexler | |||
| Bob Dylanchronology | ||||
| ||||
| Re-released cover | ||||
 | ||||
Savedis the twentieth studio album by American singer-songwriterBob Dylan,released on June 23, 1980, byColumbia Records.Savedwas the second album of Dylan's "Christian trilogy". It expanded on themes explored on its predecessorSlow Train Coming,with gospel arrangements and lyrics extolling the importance of a strong personal faith.
Artwork
[edit]The cover ofSavedoriginally featured a painting byTony WrightofJesus Christ's hand reaching down to touch the hands of his believers. However, this cover was subsequently replaced by a painting of Dylan on stage performing during that time period in order to downplay the overtly religious nature of the original cover. It has since been changed back on some re-releases. A quote inside the sleevenotes reads: "'Behold, the days come, sayeth the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah' (Jeremiah31:31) ".[4]
Release and reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| CCM Magazine | [4] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | C+[6] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [7] |
| Entertainment Weekly | C−[8] |
| Tom Hull | B−[11] |
| Rolling Stone | [9] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [10] |
The album hit No. 3 on the UK charts, reached No. 24 on the US charts and did not go gold.CCM Magazinedescribed the album as an "open declaration of Dylan's deepening faith."[4]Critical reaction to the album was mixed.Robert Christgauawarded the album a "C+", which is described by Christgau as "most likely a failed experiment or a pleasant piece of hackwork".[12]Writing forRolling Stone,Kurt Loderpraised Dylan's backing band, but felt that several songs were hampered by overtly religious messages, although he did single out "In the Garden" for having a "lovely, billowing arrangement". Loder stated that Dylan's efforts at a gospel album were not as remarkable as others "not just because he lacks the vocal equipment but because he's too inventive, too big for the genre", but summarisedSavedas a gospel work with "some distinction".[13]In 2020,Rolling StoneincludedSavedin their "80 Greatest albums of 1980" list, praising Dylan for being "at the peak of his vocal powers, and he’s rarely played with a better bunch of musicians".[14]
Record Worldsaid of the single "Solid Rock" that "Dylan's latest inspiration is perhaps his greatest, as evidenced by this compelling rocker."[15]
Track listing
[edit]All tracks are written by Bob Dylan, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Satisfied Mind" | Red Hayes,Jack Rhodes | 1:57 |
| 2. | "Saved" | Tim Drummond,Bob Dylan | 4:00 |
| 3. | "Covenant Woman" | 6:02 | |
| 4. | "What Can I Do for You?" | 5:54 | |
| 5. | "Solid Rock" | 3:55 | |
| Total length: | 21:48 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Pressing On" | 5:11 |
| 2. | "In the Garden" | 5:58 |
| 3. | "Saving Grace" | 5:01 |
| 4. | "Are You Ready" | 4:41 |
| Total length: | 20:51 | |
Personnel
[edit]- Bob Dylan– guitar, harmonica, keyboards, vocals
- Carolyn Dennis– backing vocals
- Tim Drummond– bass guitar
- Regina Havis – backing vocals
- Jim Keltner– drums
- Clydie King– backing vocals
- Spooner Oldham– keyboards
- Fred Tackett– guitar
- Monalisa Young – backing vocals
- Terry Young – keyboards, backing vocals
Technical
- Barry Beckett– production
- Gregg Hamm –engineering
- Bobby Hata –mastering
- Mary Beth McLemore – assistant engineering
- Arthur Rosato – photography
- Jerry Wexler– production
- Paul Wexler – mastering supervision
- Tony Wright– artwork
Releases
[edit]Originally released in 1980 on LP and cassette, the album was first reprinted in 1985 and released on CD in 1990.Savedwas remastered in 2013 for the release ofThe Complete Album Collection Vol. One.
References
[edit]- ^"Billboard Magazine"(PDF).Billboard. February 2, 1980. p. 12.RetrievedMarch 11,2017.
- ^Chase, Chris (November 6, 2015)."Ranking all of Bob Dylan's songs, from No. 1 to No. 359".USA Today.RetrievedDecember 28,2020.
Dylan's three Christian-rock albums are derisively referred to as the "Unholy Three," even though they produced a number of great songs, including this one and the aforementioned Gotta Serve Somebody.
- ^Weininger, David (November 13, 2017)."Bob Dylan's 'Trouble No More' — Salvation In A Box Set".WBUR.RetrievedFebruary 25,2021.
Until this release, virtually the only access we've had to Dylan's gospel music has been the three studio albums he made during this era: "Slow Train Coming" (1979), "Saved" (1980) and "Shot of Love" (1981).
- ^abc"Reviews / Bob DylanSaved".CCM Magazine.3(1): 27. July 1980.
- ^Erlewine, Stephen Thomas.SavedatAllMusic
- ^"Robert Christgau review".
- ^Larkin, Colin(2007).The Encyclopedia of Popular Music(4th ed.).Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0195313734.
- ^"Entertainment Weekly review".EW.com.
- ^Loder, Kurt (September 18, 1980)."Rolling Stone: Bob Dylan: Saved: Music Reviews".Rolling Stone.Archived fromthe originalon June 26, 2007.RetrievedSeptember 10,2011.
- ^"Bob Dylan: Album Guide".rollingstone.com.Archived fromthe originalon September 18, 2013.RetrievedFebruary 20,2017.
- ^Hull, Tom(June 21, 2014)."Rhapsody Streamnotes: June 21, 2014".tomhull.com.RetrievedMarch 1,2020.
- ^"Robert Christgau: CG: Bob Dylan".
- ^"Saved".Rolling Stone.Archived fromthe originalon March 11, 2018.RetrievedSeptember 11,2017.
- ^"The 80 Greatest Albums of 1980 What came out of all this was, arguably, the greatest year for great albums ever".Rolling Stone.November 11, 2020.RetrievedNovember 12,2020.
- ^"Hits of the World"(PDF).Record World.July 12, 1980. p. 1.RetrievedFebruary 20,2023.
