Album #18: Street-Legal

 Released June 15, 1978.


Poor Bob really wasn’t doing well while making this album. His divorce was being finalized, he was fighting for custody of his children, he couldn’t really find a producer he liked or musicians that satisfied him or even a studio to record in. He was getting ready for a tour in Japan and the organizers made it clear they only wanted to hear his hits.

When the album came out, it was almost universally panned by the critics, but it did sell well. And if you prowl around on the Dylan subreddit, you’ll find that it has a LOT of fans. 

I really liked some of the songs, especially “Changing of the Guard,” “No Time to Think” and “Where Are You Tonight?” Others, not so much. It was the first Dylan album I’ve listened to where his voice bothered me on some songs. Also, in general, I wasn’t crazy about the background singers. The musicians are great, though. Probably an album where I’ll go back & listen to certain songs, but not all of them.

He really does seem miserable. You can definitely feel him searching for some kind of salvation. Oh, wait a minute…

“No Time to Think”:

https://youtu.be/ommCRso46_Q?si=F32kc1tx43MAz4zx



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