"Love and Theft" ~ Bob Dylan

This is a great album, but his vocals seem to have suffered a bit and his once great looks have been ravaged by time. The photos makes him look old and tired and his singing has taken a turn fot the worst. Nice hat though. I love his ability to write seemingly wordy lyrics that still manage to work. This is a very nice album, that fits perfect after a hards day work whilst drinking a beer or drink. Tracks such as Floater, Cry a while show that this is an artist that is here to stay and he is almost a legend by now.

A Contrarian's View of Dylan

Love & Theft is to Time Out Of Mind what Under The Red Sky is to Oh Mercy!: a fun, goofy follow-up to a dark, murky, serious Daniel Lanois produced comeback. Although the perception of it has waned a little since, I don't know why Love & Theft was so hailed at first while Under The Red Sky was so reviled. Perhaps the four years (instead of one) that separated Love & Theft from its predecessor gave rise to fears that Time Out Of Mind was going to be Bob's last big hurrah. Maybe producing it himself with his touring band instead of using flavor-of-the-month Don Was and his stable of rock stars, helped lower expectations a bit. Who knows? I liked it when it first came out - and I still like it. Lyrically it's his funniest since Another Side Of Bob Dylan. Knock-knock jokes? Booty call? Hunting bare? "Throw your panties over board"? "I'm sitting on my watch so I can be on time"? "Call down to room service/ Said send up a room"? I know Bob's words don't usually affect me that much, but this is great stuff. And musically - it's all over the map (crooners, blues, `50s rockers), but thanks to the touring band backing him, it's still cohesive. Most of the songs are more versions of the 3 (or less) chord blues ("Tweedle Dum & Tweedle Dee", "Summer Days", "Lonesome Day Blues", and "Honest With Me"). Yet, "Moonlight" and "Bye And Bye" use some the most complicated jazzy chords since "If Dogs Run Free" from New Morning. And to keep the album from getting too monotonous, the occasional accordion, banjo or violin just shows up. As hard as it may be to believe, Bob's latest really is one of his best.

A late-career triumph for Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan was all but written-off as a vital, viable musician in the 1980s. But the last 15 years have witnessed a gradual and stunning rebirth of this timeless artist. 1989's "Oh Mercy" was a good album that hinted of greater things to come. Dylan's 1992 and 1993 acoustic covers gave him a chance to delve back into the roots of his (and all) music. His last two albums, 1997's "Time Out of Mind" and 2001's "Love and Theft," stand as evidence of a legendary singer/songwriter coming gloriously back into his own.



I like "Time Out of Mind" an awful lot. Song for song, maybe it's better than "Love and Theft." But I prefer "Love and Theft" overall. Whereas "TOOM" is dark and brooding, "L&T" is a breath of fresh air. Bob's band is dead-on perfect here, leaping nimbly from blues to jazz to folk to rockabilly; and Bob's gravelly twang meets the music and the mood just as perfectly. I cannot describe how great it is to hear 60-year old Dylan (so famously prone to moroseness) sounding like a man and a spirit reborn. He gives his best vocal performance here in decades, finding rhythm in complex lyrics, where only he could.



I've always loved Bob's blues songs, and "Lonesome Day Blues" is one of his very best. "Cry A While" is musically fascinating with its stop-start tempo and inspiring lyrics. "Po' Boy" and "Floater" are quiet riots, stunning displays of Bob's vocal timing. (He's still got it, folks!) "Mississippi" is about as catchy as Bob gets these days. And the balance of the songs are wonderful, as well, though some work better live than they do on "L&T".



Anyhow, a great success for a great musician/artist. "Time Out of Mind" may have been Dylan's official comeback, but "Love and Theft" proves that "TOOM"'s success was no fluke.

Awesome Album Awesome Sound in SACD Surround

Ok. I admit it. I downloaded this album on mp3 a few years back and I did not like it.

I was curious about the sacd version. As on previous sacds, the improved quality improved the album.

And this cd with the surround 5.1 is awesome. I'm suprised others have not reviews this album.

Continues to be the best

We always expect top-notch writing from Dylan, and of course he delivers here. But what really shocked me was how unbelievably musical it is. A breath of fresh air, with a return to the roots of rock & roll. Great blues, jazz, and gospel influence, with some of the best guitar work you can hear. I agree with others who said it doesn't matter that this is from one of the greats, it's just good music, period. Head and shoulders above anything else being released now days. Get this record.

My advice - borrow it from a library before you buy it.

I agree with the reviewers who wrote that they can't stand this CD. I'm one of those who like some of Dylan's music, and who can't stand some of it, too.



I borrowed it from a library, and am now returning it. Glad I didn't buy it.