Bob Dylan
Oh Mercy

THE REVIEW

The year was 1989, and it had been since the time of Infidels that Bob Dylan hadn't released works worthy of his abilities and fame: a series of poorly crafted albums ruined by reckless productions in poor taste. The first step was to give a "sound" that would highlight the qualities of the songs, and thus the production was entrusted to the brilliant Daniel Lanois. The album that came out was Oh Mercy, and the result was astonishing!

From the very first notes, the listener is introduced to a magical world, made of dense and warm sounds, as songs of overwhelming beauty pass by, with a superior intensity that only Dylan can give with his touch.
How can one not be stunned in front of "Man In The Long Black Coat," people like Tom Waits or Nick Cave (to name just two) have always been trying to write moments so splendid and vigorous.

Oh Mercy, an album, the reality, a real dream or rather: the reality of "a series of dreams" that tells us of places where tears fall, of mountains full of lost sheep, of bells tolling the loss of innocence, of people who suffer and struggle at night due to the disease of Vanity, invisible borders, roads framed by African trees where threatening breezes blow.
A world where everything is a compromise, where everything is broken, from the roads to the hearts, a world without love, without dignity, where good is no longer distinguished from evil, a world overshadowed by the figure of the man in the long black coat, thief of dreams, thief of love, leaving us alone with our regrets and memories, alone in a world of falling stars, that burn in a few moments and vanish into the immense darkness, where a lonely voice whispers, screams, invokes, and repeats the same word: mercy!