Dylan in the 80's

It may sound preposterous but I consider Bob Dylan to be something of a prophet, in the Old Testament sense of the word. He not only sees the world with astounding clarity, he has the talent/courage to share his vision with others. And he's always done so without almost any compromise or deference to fashion.

Nowhere is this more evident than in his work from the 1980s, a period unfairly maligned as his most uninspired. I first got interested in this period when I borrowed the Bootleg Series Vol.1-3 box-set from a friend and discovered that, much to my surprise, all of the best songs on it were from the mid-1980s. Why didn't he release this stuff?!

Before I list the songs to support this claim, here are two particularly pertinent quotes:

1985: "We're all sinners. People seem to think that because their sins are different from other people's sins, they're not sinners. People don't like to think of themselves as sinners. It makes them feel uncomfortable. 'What do you mean a sinner?' It puts them at a disadvantage in their mind. Most people walking around have this strange conception that they're born good, that they're really good people - but the world has just made a mess of their lives... But it's not hard for me to identify with anybody who's on the wrong side. We're all on the wrong side, really."

1986: "Well, for me, there is no right, and there is no left. There's truth and there's untruth, you know? There's honesty and there's hypocrisy. Look in the Bible, you don't see nothing about right or left... I hate to keep beating people over the head with the Bible, but that's the only instrument I know, the only thing that stays true."

22 Great Dylan Songs from the 80s, in Chronological Order:

1. Pressing On - Saved [1980]
2. In The Garden - Saved [1980]
3. Every Grain of Sand - Shot Of Love [1981]
4. The Groom's Still Waiting At The Altar - Shot of Love [1981]
5. Caribbean Wind - Biograph [1981]
6. You Changed My Life - Bootleg Series, Vol.3 [1982]
7. Jokerman - Infidels [1983]
8. Don't Fall Apart On Me Tonight - Infidels [1983]
9. Foot Of Pride - Bootleg Series, Vol.3 [1983]
10. Blind Willie McTell - Bootleg Series, Vol.3 [1983]
11. Lord, Protect My Child - Bootleg Series, Vol.3 [1983]
12. When The Night Comes Falling From The Sky - Bootleg Series, Vol.3 [1985]
13. Emotionally Yours - Empire Burlesque [1985]
14. Tight Connection - Empire Burlesque [1985]
15. Brownsville Girl - Knocked Out Loaded [1986]
16. Band Of The Hand - Band Of The Hand Soundtrack [1986]
17. Silvio - Down In The Groove [1988]
18. Death Is Not The End - Down In The Groove [1988]
19. Tweeter And The Monkeyman - Traveling Wilburys, Vol.1 [1988]
20. Ring Them Bells - Oh Mercy [1989]
21. Man In The Long Black Coat - Oh Mercy [1989]
22. Shooting Star - Oh Mercy [1989]