Bob Dylan – "Love And Theft"

A fantastic Dylan album. By the age of 60 Bob manager to release one of his better albums during the last 25 years up to now. Brilliant songs!

Time Out of Mind is great, but I was worried that it was just a one off return to greatness, like Oh Mercy, which would (also like Oh Mercy) be followed by a string of disappointments.
Oh me of little faith! I'll be goddamned if Dylan didn't up the ante further on this record with great swampy, rootsy and roaring electric blues that stands as strong as, say, Highway 61 Revisited. Plus, this one features lyrics that show a late stage maturation in song and in life-outlook, all without losing the biting and acerbic cleverness that's his trademark.
It's been almost seventeen years since this one hit shelves, and Bob has followed it up with six other consistently great records that will, like this one, go down in the history books as first-tier "capital A Art" from America's finest bard.

It was lost on me that this was released 16 years ago on 9/11/01, wow. This album has enough written about it and I'm not gonna say anything new except this album and these concerts were a rebirth for my love of this icon. I recall seeing several consecutive nights on this tour just being blown away at how damn tight this ensemble was, truly the best live Dylan shows I had seen up to that point. Love how fresh this release feels and it has such character, concept, feel that reminds me of his 60/70's releases that had a personality all their own. God Bless Bob.

When Bob Dylan stepped out with Love and Theft I walked down the street for a week with a sly smile on my face. Yeah, the man was back with an astounding release that was fresh and new, but carried some tiny blue sparks from the past, and those sparks where bouncing off the sidewalk from the heals of my boots.

Bob wastes no time drawing you in with "Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum," and "Sad & Lonesome Day" will take you right back to ‘Highway 61’ with an updated, stepped up version of "It Takes A Lot To Laugh, A Train To Cry," ... Bob has a penchant for road songs, and this number will not fail to knock you back a block or two; there are no finer blues riffs to be heard, ever. Then there’s "Honest With Me," where he took all he could from his sessions with the Wilburys, picks out ninety miles of straight road, drops the top on his 1950’s Pontiac and makes a bee line for the morning light. On "Sugar Baby" he gives us one of the most unexpected laments you will ever hear. Sure, it goes on for six minutes and forty seconds, but by no means is it a waste of time.

Bob has found something here ... that something is the complexity of himself, and I think he feels really good looking at himself and where he’s been. Bob seems to be standing in the middle of everything he has ever done, found his balance among so much music, found the courage to explore, and come up with a musical commentary on all of it. This album does not have a theme or story, it is not a group of songs which flow together, nor is it experimental ... it’s more like you’ve found yourself in Bob’s living room, and he’s just pulled some songs out of his back pocket that he hasn’t known where to put ... that is until now.

The album is mixed well, though with a bit more bass then most of us are used to on his records. His voice is fresh and clean, nothing seems dated, it is a recording in and of the moment. And what a splendid moment it is. And to Bob, as he lays out the line “I won’t come here no more if it bothers you,” I just have to laugh and say, "Not in the least Bob, not in the least, you just keep dropping by and I’ll keep cueing up whatever you have to show me."

Review by Jenell Kesler

God I hated this when I first heard it. It never grew on me, actually. At the time all of his live music sounded like this album, every single song a big relentless ruckus with tone-deaf vocals.

This is by far my favourite Bob Dylan album. It comes down to a combination of factors; the rich authentic instrumental tones, Bob in a wistful, playful, elegiac frame, the old timey settings. I never used to be a fan of Bob Dylan until I heard this album. Now I look forward to his releases. Still not a big fan of his seventies work though, there's something alienating about his aggressive ranting style in that period that turns me off. My loss I guess.