The Dylan media player requires Flash 9
Slow Train Coming (1979)
(19 votes)
Album Info
All songs written by Bob Dylan
Recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio
Engineer -- Gregg Hamm
Assistant Engineer -- David Yates
Keyboards -- Barry Beckett
Drums -- Pick Withers
Bass -- Tim Drummond
Guitars -- Mark Knopfler, Bob Dylan
Horns -- Muscle Shoals Horns
Arrangements by Harrison Calloway
Background Vocals -- Carolyn Dennis, Helena Springs, Regina Havis
Percussion -- Barry Beckett, Mickey Buckins
Original Mastering Supervision -- Paul Wexler, Amigo Studios, Burbank, CA
Original Mastering Engineer -- Bobby Hatta
Digitally Remastered for Compact Disc by Joe Gastwirt, CMS Digital studios
Mark Knopfler & Pick Withers appear courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc.
Produced by Jerry Wexler & Barry Beckett
Comments
Train
Well, i'm not a believer and this album is not gonna change that, but bob still great
Good Crazy Bob
I am not religious, but this album is great. I view it more of a political statement at times than a religious album because he seems to attack politcs and society at large. The sound is great and the passion really makes this one of his classics. I think it is more enjoyable now because we all know that Dylan got out of his born again phase and is back to being normal.
my dearest
Well, it's very hard to said This is my dearest Bob Dylan album because I have at least ten dearest Bob Dylan's albums. I remember that I was moving from Split (Croatia) to Rijeka (also Croatia) and I was recording on the tape (3 cassette tapes) my dearest Bob's songs from my LP's. When I come to Slow train, and try to select songs, I realized that I can't do it then I simply recorded the whole album. There is no hits on this record and I don't like it so much because it is a "new born album" and because of religion. I just like that soft sound. It's just fit to me, drive me inside very slowly, like my spirit is flying across the empty desert, it's just make me happy, free. I'm enjoying myself.
i pray that i can meet bob soon
mmmmhmm this cd makes me want to go to church. i love precious angel i think it is romantic and sexy and pure.
I agree
No Rating
I totally agree with your comment.
I love this site. I usually don't read liner notes, so I didn't know that Mark Knopfler collaborated on this.
Slow Train Coming (1979)
My favourite tracks on the album are:
1. Gotta Serve Somebody
2. Slow Train
3. When He Returns
The January 2007 issue of 'Mojo' rated this album Dylan's 11th best album - I consider it to be his 12th best album.
I am an agnostic - but I still like this album because I feel as if Dylan was being true to himself - and wasn't swayed by what others thought.
I think that 'Gotta Serve Somebody' is a great opening track for getting across what Dylan was getting across - it sets the mood really well.
Masterpiece!
This album has and will stand the test of time.
Bob beared his soul on this one (literally). You can hear hime lay it out there as his voice cracks and strains on the following on the song "When He Returns":
For all those who have eyes and all those who have ears
It is only He who can reduce me to tears.
Don't you cry and don't you die and don't you burn...
Brilliant sound on the album and wonderful guitar work by Mark Knopfler.
WOW.
Masterpiece!
No Rating
This album has and will stand the test of time.
Bob beared his soul on this one (literally). You can hear hime lay it out there as his voice cracks and strains on the following on the song "When He Returns":
For all those who have eyes and all those who have ears
It is only He who can reduce me to tears.
Don't you cry and don't you die and don't you burn...
Brilliant sound on the album and wonderful guitar work by Mark Knopfler.
WOW.
Thank you! From Norway (and Sweden) :-)
Even though I'd been singing in a Norwegian gospel choir for about 9 years until 1989 - and we did sing some of Bob Dylan's songs - I had never heard any of the songs from "Slow Train Coming", except "Man gave name to all the animals", in Swedish ("Adam gav namn åt alla djuren i Edens Lustgård"); and I wonder if the name of the Swedish artist was Ingemar Johansson (forgive me if I wrong)?
A couple of years ago I listened to this CD for the first time, and my favorite songs are: "Precious Angel", "I believe in you", "When You Gonna Wake Up" and "When He Returns". I am grateful that SOME of the many great, famous artists of the world are not ashamed of mentioning the name of God and Jesus! :-) Because we should not be ashamed of what He has done for us; forgiven us and showed the world what love is! So, thank you so very much, Bob Dylan!
(A Norwegian)
SLUMDOG Fantastic album. I'm
SLUMDOG
Fantastic album. I'm not religious but i love this one.
To the preacher dude that wants Bob to pray for the unbelievers-----------------Fuck Off! Get a grip of yourself man and chill out a bit! It's comments like that that really put me off religious people. Live and let live!
One of Dylan's best (post-'75)!
Another great Dylan album! I love his oscillation between religious and socio-cultural themes. Brilliant lyrics and brilliant sound!
Looking Back
Slow Train is actually the first Dylan album I ever owned. I bought it on vinyl sometime in 1981. I was 19 years old, and had just become a Christian, and just moved to California from Canada. I had heard Dylan's 60s songs, and when I was in high school, Street Legal and Desire were popular, but Dylan just didn't interest me until that time. After listening to Slow Train several times, Dylan's music became an obsession for me. I started buying up all of his 60s and 70s albums on vinyl.
Slow Train has a connection with Infidels in the terrific guitar work of Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits.
The Dylan gospel sound did not start with this album. It started with Street Legal, when Dylan brought in the female background vocalists, who were present on every album until Down in the Groove (Infidels is an exception, but only because of the omission of several outtakes, which included Clydie King). Of course, Desire also had female background vocalists, but Emmy-Lou Harris's style was not like the gospel sound on the later albums. Clydie King is one of the more prominent vocalists on Dylan's 80s albums. Her voice is a terrific compliment to Bob's. It's interesting to look into the various manifestations of Dylan's female gospel choir on each of these albums. They are not always the same group of singers.
Anyway, Slow Train is one of those Dylan albums that ends on just the right chord with "When He Returns." For me, the final song is important, and I much prefer a slow tempo heartwrenching "exclamation point," like this one, or like "Every Grain Of Sand" on Shot of Love, to a so-so yawner like "Where Are You Tonight" from Street Legal, or "Don't Fall Apart On Me Tonight" from Infidels.
My all time favorite number from this album though, is "Gonna Change My Way Of Thinking." One of Dylan's best blues/gospel songs. Terrific lyrics and awesome blues groove.
Another gem is the final song, When He Returns. This is, after all what the gospel is all about - when Christ returns to reign in glory.
If you haven't gotten into Dylan yet, this is a great place to start, even if you are not a believer.
I Believe in this album
I love this album, and think it is one of Dylan's best. Most of the songs have great music and lyrics, but the standout is "I Believe In You." I took notice to that song when I heard it on "Gotta Serve Somebody" gospel album. That song is a Dylan classic.
armageddon coming
The music is extremely enjoyable and the producer job is brilliant. The songs are good enough, but this wouldn't have been half of what it is without the hands of master Wexler. The fact also says a lot about Dylan's taste and wisdom to choose his collaborators. No need to talk about guitar hero Knopfler, who makes an excellent work, as usual. At this point Dylan might have gone insane, but insanity has always been a good source of musical inspiration.
what an album!
No Rating
ok - sorry i'm from germany and my english isn't really good
but this album!!! - i love it!
when i was a young boy - that was the only way to describe my fatal situation between my youngerness and the older generation (parents, teachers, chiefs by the job and so on)
at that time i was nearly 17 years old (today 41)
the songs:
- Gotta Serve Somebody
- Slow Train Coming
- Gonna Change My Way Of Thinking
and espescially:
- When You Gonna Wake Up
gave me the power to hold on and don't give up when i was a young boy...
greetz and love from berlin
and i hope for OBAMA - and that (your and joan's)
Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C (for MLK)
becomes reality now in another way!!!!
(at 4. fourth november)
Through the grass
No Rating
I showed my 6-year-old sister-in-law "Man Gave Names To All The Animals" - She gets upset when I exclaim "giraffe" at end of the last verse.
There was a kids’ book... I can only kind old library books... I want to buy it for the kid I have not had.
Jesus!
No Rating
Clear conversion call!
A Very Strong Album
This is good music regardless of whether it is "gospel" or has religious lyrics or whatever. I Believe in You is pretty powerful.
Dave
CALM DOWN SON
I LOVE THIS ALBUM!! SOME PEOPLE OUT THERE JUST DONT KNOW GOOD MUSIC AND DONT KNOW THE HISTORY OF IT EITHER, GOSPEL MUSIC STARTED IT ALL.
I THINK ALL OF BOBS RECORDS ARE BEAUTIFUL WHO EVER DOES NOT APPREACIATE THEM GO LISTEN TO BRITNEY SPEARS OR ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE.
Good but like Infidels could have been much better
No Rating
My opinion on Slow Train is similiar to my comments about Infidels. With a slight change in song selection and sequencing it could have been a stronger album.
For one thing I am not a big fan of gotta serve somebody, but as Bob seems intent on reaching as wide an audience as possible I guess it can stand as the opening track. its too wordy for my liking, the verse with "you can call me zimmy" should have been dropped.
I think he should have included "Ye Shall be Changed" instead of "Man Gave Names". The arrangement of Precious Angel could have been tightened up a bit but this isnt a major issue. Gonna Change My Way of Thinking is bit dull to my ears. I think the song "Slow Train" is fantastic, one of the best things he ever recorded and should have been given more prominence. "When you gonna wake up" is great too
I would have structured the album like this:
Slow Train
Precious Angel
I Believe in You
Ye Shall Be Changed
Gonna Serve Somebody
When You Gonna Wake Up
Gonna Change Thinking
Do Right to me
When He Returns
by the way, I'm standing on a solid rock made before the foundation of the world.
Mark Knopfler
This one shocked about as much as when Bob "went electric". It's a Gospel record. Bob's a Christian now and he's sharing his faith with the world. Upon release, many condemned this album because Bob was turning his back on his audiences again. Whatever. "Precious Angel" is one of Dylan's finest moments and Mark Knopfler truly shine with his tasteful guitar playing throughout.
Dylan's Best: His Gospel Period
Pay attention to these lyrics. Do not ignore them.
God is trying to talk to you through this music. It is sad to see anti-religious bigots on this board who hate the message of Christ.
Bob, can you pray for them, please? This is fantastic music. If only Bob would make more of this music. He won a Grammy for this
for best Rock album.
Forget it is a religious album and enjoy it
A wonderful rythm album with a great influence by Mark Knopfler. Musically it's very good and interesting. Many hate the lyrics because it's religious, but I think it's well done. For me it's not so important what he says as how does he say it,and the overall is wonderful for me.
Slow Train Coming
This album bugged out a lot of people, particularly when it first came out, almost solely because of its unremitting message. But really if you ignore the lyrics, there’s a good record in here. Not great but good. And as the fear that Bob has totally lost his mind and will be doing nothing but singing Jesus songs for the rest of his life, this album’s stature has grown. Clearly, whether you agree or even care about what he’s singing about, he really means it. Personally I don’t care if the lyrics are about sins, salvation and Satan or if they’re about hoboes, immigrants and landlords. I’m only interested in the music. And musically, it’s a lot more consistent (though there are fewer stand-outs) than Street Legal. Although there aren’t any songs as good as the three good ones on that record, overall it’s much better. Clearly “New Pony” has re-inspired Bob to write more songs around a single riff. “Gotta Serve Somebody”, “Slow Train”, “Gonna Change My Way Of Thinking” and “When You Gonna Wake Up?” all follow this formula. They’re best songs on this album. The slower numbers, “Precious Angel”, “I Believe In You” and “When He Returns” are powerful, but not nearly as impressive. Also included is a whole new category for Dylan, Kid’s songs. Since the first songs most of us ever learn are Bible songs, it does make since. “Man Gave Names To All The Animals” is silly and fun (which is nice on such an otherwise heavy record). And “Do Right To Me Baby (Do Unto Others)”pulls the same trick as Street Legal's "We Better Talk This Over" adding an extra beat to every other measure (going from 4/4 to 5/4). It is one of the most musically complicated things Bob’s written since the jazz chords of “If Dogs Run Free” or the constantly shifting keys of “In Search Of Little Sadie”. Overall Slow Train Coming is a pretty good album, and despite being a fairly staunch atheist, I enjoy listening to it.
There is something wrong with the songs here
No Rating
"When He Returns" plays "Precious Angel".