Unusually for this blog I am returning for a seconf day to the same artist. Yesterday I concentrated on the general outline of Dylan’s musical career, but today being Sunday I want to focus on his series of gospel songs which he produced in the late 1970’s. Slow Train Coming was his 19th studio album, released in August 1979, by Columbia Records. It was Dylan’s first album following his conversion to Christianity, and the songs either express personal faith, or stress the importance of Christian teachings and philosophy. The evangelical nature of the record alienated many of Dylan’s existing fans; at the same time, many Christians were drawn into his fan base. Slow Train Coming was listed at No. 16 in the 2001 book CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music.
The album was generally well-reviewed by music critics, and the single “Gotta Serve Somebody” became his first hit in three years, winning Dylan the inaugural Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance in 1980. The album peaked at No. 2 on the charts in the UK and went platinum in the US, where it reached No. 3. A high-definition 5.1 surround sound edition of the album was released on SACD by Columbia in 2003.
Saved his second gospel album was released in June 1980. It expanded on themes explored on its predecessor with gospel arrangements and lyrics extolling the importance of a strong personal faith. The album hit No. 3 on the UK charts, reached No. 24 on the US charts and did not go gold. CCM Magazine described the album as an “open declaration of Dylan’s deepening faith.”
Critical reaction to the album was mixed. Writing for Rolling Stone, Kurt Loder praised 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 summarised Saved as a gospel work with “some distinction”.
The cover of Saved originally featured a painting by Tony Wright of Jesus 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’ (Jeremiah 31:31)”.
Shot of Love, released in August 1981 is considered to be Dylan’s last of a trilogy of Christian albums. Arrangements are rooted more in rock, and less in gospel than Dylan’s two previous albums. At the time of its release, Shot of Love received mixed reviews; Pauk Nelson of Rolling Stone criticized the album, though he did single out the last track, “Every Grain of Sand”, as a stand-out. Shot of Love, while reaching UK No. 6, continued Dylan’s US commercial decline, reaching No. 33 during a brief chart stay. Bono of Irish band U2 described Shot of Love as one of his favorites, particularly due to Dylan’s singing ability.
