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DISCID=660a1309
DTITLE=Bob Dylan / Saved
DYEAR=1980
DGENRE=Rock
TTITLE0=A Satisfied Mind
TTITLE1=Saved
TTITLE2=Covenant Woman
TTITLE3=What Can I Do for You?
TTITLE4=Solid Rock
TTITLE5=Pressing On
TTITLE6=In the Garden
TTITLE7=Saving Grace
TTITLE8=Are You Ready
EXTD=Originally Released June 20, 1980 \nCD Edition Released August 20
EXTD=, 1990\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW:  If Saved did anything, it proved th
EXTD=at the born-again Christianity of Slow Train Coming wasn't merely
EXTD= a passing fad, and that it did, in fact, mean something signific
EXTD=ant to Dylan. Whether it meant something significant to his audie
EXTD=nce was another matter entirely, since this is where his religion
EXTD= overshadows his music, turning the album into a sermon to an aud
EXTD=ience that is nearly certainly unconverted -- and never will be, 
EXTD=either. Dylan himself may be part of that audience, since he did 
EXTD=back away from such a staunchly dogged viewpoint not long afterwa
EXTD=rd, but that doesn't change Saved's status as being a fairly flat
EXTD= -- and, for Dylan, fairly pedestrian -- testament to his faith. 
EXTD=And, if Slow Train Coming found him at a fairly creative peak of 
EXTD=songwriting and supported by a supple backing band, he's turning 
EXTD=out routine songs here, and the backing follows suit, resulting i
EXTD=n his flattest record yet.  -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine\n\nAMAZON.
EXTD=COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nDylan's most outspoken Christian album..., J
EXTD=une 21, 2005\nReviewer: ewomack "ewomack" (MN USA)\n\nNo one woul
EXTD=d accuse 1980's "Saved" of subtlety. The lyrics unabashedly procl
EXTD=aim the Christian faith with lines such as "I've been saved by th
EXTD=e blood of the Lamb", "I want to thank you, Lord", "I was blinded
EXTD= by the devil", "covenant woman got a contract with the Lord", "W
EXTD=hen they came for him in the garden, did they know?", "Are you re
EXTD=ady for the judgement? Are you ready for that terrible swift swor
EXTD=d?" Not only that, the album's liner notes contained a Bible pass
EXTD=age. A few years before, Dylan had studied the Christian faith in
EXTD= California at the Vineyard Fellowship (his girlfriend at the tim
EXTD=e was also a member, and she apparently convinced a pastor to spe
EXTD=ak with Dylan; some consider this the origin of Dylan's so-called
EXTD= "Christian phase"). Soon after, Dylan released "Slow Train Comin
EXTD=g" to a warm critical and fan reception (he won a grammy for the 
EXTD=album and sales were more than satisfactory). But some fans weren
EXTD='t receptive to his new message. Legendary stories about shows at
EXTD= the Warfield Theater in San Fransisco still circulate. According
EXTD= to some, Dylan preached to the audience, and many left. Others c
EXTD=laim Dylan gave the performance of his life. All agree that the s
EXTD=hows were marked by Dylan's Christianity. \n\nWhether it was due 
EXTD=to the success of "Slow Train Coming" or Dylan's hardened religio
EXTD=us convictions, "Saved" puts it all out on the table. No double m
EXTD=eanings haunt this album. The opening song, a cover of "A Satisfi
EXTD=ed Mind", almost plays like Dylan's reconciliation with himself f
EXTD=or the harsh criticism he received for singing about his beliefs:
EXTD= "Once I was wading in fortune and fame... but suddenly it happen
EXTD=ed, I lost every dime, but I'm richer by far with a satisfied min
EXTD=d". Was Dylan telling his fans that he accepts the consequences o
EXTD=f singing about God? Hard to say, but the choice of that song was
EXTD= a provocative one. \n\nThe album contains some great gospel-ting
EXTD=ed music. The title song, "Saved", is a rousing get on your feet 
EXTD=number with great guitar riffs and catchy hooks. "Covenant Woman"
EXTD= recalls Dylan's great ballads. "Solid Rock" again brings the cro
EXTD=wd to their feet with a thumping rhythm. "In the Garden" retells 
EXTD=the Gethsemane story from the Gospels, and probably qualifies as 
EXTD=the album's most intense number. The album closes with a bluesy w
EXTD=arning. "Are you Ready" states "When destruction cometh swiftly, 
EXTD=And there's no time to say a fare-thee-well, Have you decided whe
EXTD=ther you want to be In heaven or in hell?" Some accused Dylan of 
EXTD=giving in to the harsh side of Christianity and deemphasizing its
EXTD= loving charitable side. With lines such as "Are you ready for th
EXTD=e judgment? Are you ready for that terrible swift sword? Are you 
EXTD=ready for Armageddon? Are you ready for the day of the Lord?" it'
EXTD=s not too hard to understand that criticism. Nonetheless, the mus
EXTD=ic on "Saved" is some of the best Dylan produced in the 1980s. \n
EXTD=\n"Saved" remains Dylan's most Christian album. He never again su
EXTD=ng so nakedly about faith. Some found this a relief. Others kept 
EXTD=wondering about the status of Dylan's faith. Rumors abound that h
EXTD=e re-converted to Judaism (he was born into a Jewish family). Spe
EXTD=culations bounced like raquetballs. As usual with Dylan, no defin
EXTD=ite answers appeared. He went on to make, arguably, two more "Chr
EXTD=istian albums". Though they weren't nearly as outspoken or as blu
EXTD=nt as "Saved".\n\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nA Contrarian's 
EXTD=View of Dylan, November 6, 2004\nReviewer: Scot P. Livingston (De
EXTD=nver, CO United States)\nMost people see Saved and Slow Train Com
EXTD=ing as two sides to the same coin. And while they may share a com
EXTD=mon lyrical focus, for my money Slow Train Coming has a lot more 
EXTD=in common with its predecessor, Street Legal, than it does with S
EXTD=aved. Looking past the words, Slow Train Coming's songs sound a l
EXTD=ot Street Legal's. They're basic pop-rocks songs with the same ba
EXTD=sic arrangement of horns and backing singers. Sure you've got Jer
EXTD=ry Wexler doing a much better job recording it, and Mark Knopfler
EXTD= adding some more zing on the guitar, but really it always sounde
EXTD=d like Bob just added the word Jesus to whatever songs he was wor
EXTD=king on at the time of his conversion. Really, Saved is the first
EXTD= of the quote-unquote born again albums that really sound like it
EXTD=. The music here is Gospel. I don't get why Slow Train Coming is 
EXTD=always more respected than Saved either. I mean if the Jesus word
EXTD=s bother you, you're not getting much help from either album. I t
EXTD=hink at the time, Slow Train Coming was seen as a weird one-off d
EXTD=iversion, but the fear with Saved was that this would be all that
EXTD= Bob would sing about from here on out. Plus with the music so cl
EXTD=early Gospel, it's harder to pretend that the lyrics aren't reall
EXTD=y so dogmatic. I think the two are just about equal in terms of q
EXTD=uality. I love the extended genre exercise into the Gospel milieu
EXTD=. The title track, as well as "Solid Rock" really rock out. "A Sa
EXTD=tisfied Mind" is a slip, but a brief one. "Covenant Woman" is rea
EXTD=lly the only bad song on here. It's a solid uncompromising album.
EXTD=\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nI'm so glad!, March 15, 2004\nR
EXTD=eviewer: Howard Sauertieg "Howard Sauertieg" (Harrisburg, PA USA)
EXTD=\nMr. Dylan's most strictly "Christian" album is not bad. Musical
EXTD=ly, it is quite stirring in places. Dylan's voice is deterioratin
EXTD=g here, but his enthusiasm for the "message" he's trying to conve
EXTD=y is always touching. He really sounds like a man who's been save
EXTD=d from "the fiery pit" in the nick of time. \nIn a way, SAVED is 
EXTD=Dylan's "gospel" equivalent to NASHVILLE SKYLINE, his "country" a
EXTD=lbum. He immersed himself in a genre, turned out some good-to-pas
EXTD=sable songs in the new idiom, then moved on to other things. Much
EXTD= of the criticism of Dylan's gospel work reeks of hypocrisy. Rock
EXTD= music "experts" like Dave Marsh did chastise Mr. Dylan for buyin
EXTD=g into a prepackaged ideology and trying to force it onto an unwi
EXTD=lling public, while simultaneously lavishing their worthless prai
EXTD=se on dead, quasi-literate black men like Blind Willie Johnson an
EXTD=d Blind Gary Davis, both of whom sang almost nothing but gospel o
EXTD=n street corners. (See the ROLLING STONE RECORD GUIDES of the 198
EXTD=0s.) So what if Dylan resembles more Blind Willie Johnson than he
EXTD= does Blind Willie McTell? Judge the music, not the man. Furtherm
EXTD=ore, the ideology of the "protest song" movement is fixed for all
EXTD= time, for anyone to adopt and make his own, if only to sell reco
EXTD=rds to a target audience and make a name for himself - as Dylan d
EXTD=id when he was young. \n\nSAVED isn't a failure because it's a Ch
EXTD=ristian album from end to end, or because its maker was an icon o
EXTD=f the "counterculture." The problem with SAVED, I think, is that 
EXTD=it was somewhat hastily thrown together between two evangelical t
EXTD=ours, and poorly recorded at that. Dylan's lyrics on SAVED are at
EXTD=ypically focused and straightforward, sometimes to the point of r
EXTD=idiculousness. "Are You Ready?" sounds like a Chick tract [crass 
EXTD=evangelical comic books, strategically placed in rest rooms and t
EXTD=elephone booths] set to music, though somehow it's one of Dylan's
EXTD= best gospel numbers, a nasty mid-tempo groove similar to "Gotta 
EXTD=Serve Somebody" but far more threatening in tone. "Solid Rock" is
EXTD= also very much "by the Book," lyrically, and likewise more compe
EXTD=lling on the basis of its music. "Solid Rock" and "Pressing On" h
EXTD=ammer home one of Dylan's favorite themes, that of the struggle t
EXTD=o maintain spiritual correctness against the contrary forces of p
EXTD=ersecution, ridicule, and one's own weakness. That's another pote
EXTD=ntially off-putting aspect of SAVED and Dylan's gospel work in ge
EXTD=neral - the singer frankly anticipates these "enemies" and flaunt
EXTD=s his struggle against them, as though he's doomed to suffer the 
EXTD=tortures of the damned for his correct beliefs. The album opens w
EXTD=ith a traditional tune, "Satisfied Mind," but Dylan sounds anythi
EXTD=ng but satisfied most of the time. The one "upbeat" tune is the t
EXTD=itle track; when the singer chants "I'm so glad," you can almost 
EXTD=hear the smile on his face. \n\nIn the period from STREET LEGAL (
EXTD=1978) to INFIDELS (1983), SAVED is the least eccentric Dylan albu
EXTD=m, and it's more raw and undisciplined (in a good way) than the r
EXTD=est. Unfortunately, the original mix doesn't do justice to the mu
EXTD=sic on this album. If SAVED ever gets a remix & the SACD treatmen
EXTD=t accorded to STREET LEGAL and some other Dylan manifestos, it wi
EXTD=ll get more of the respect it deserves.\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER 
EXTD=REVIEW\nWhat's good is bad, what's bad is good..., October 31, 20
EXTD=02\nReviewer: "sonofagunn_1776" (East Lansing, MI United States)\n
EXTD=You'll find out when you reach the top...\n* * *\n"Saved" is one 
EXTD=of those albums that is a highway of diamonds...but it seems only
EXTD= a few of us are driving on this highway. This is one of Mr. Dyla
EXTD=n's most under-appreciated albums, and sadly so. Even the record 
EXTD=execs stripped it of its original album art (which can be viewed 
EXTD=at the bobdylan site). Nothing against the present artwork, but I
EXTD= prefer Tony Wright's original.\nIf the listening public were to 
EXTD=judge solely on the music itself, I believe many more would appre
EXTD=ciate this album. For a number of people, evidently, Mr. Dylan is
EXTD= just too darn vocal about his beliefs. Too bad for them, because
EXTD= this assortment of song is a joy to listen to. Goodness only kno
EXTD=ws how many times I've enjoyed the last three chords of "Satisfie
EXTD=d Mind" in anticipation of "Saved" (which in and of itself is wor
EXTD=th the price of the CD).\n\nI will admit this group of songs does
EXTD=n't seem to have the same cohesiveness of "Slow Train Coming," (t
EXTD=he only reason I gave it 4 stars, quite honestly) but enjoyed ind
EXTD=ividually the songs are strong and sound. Having seen the Massey 
EXTD=Hall show of 20 April 1980, I think it would have been advantageo
EXTD=us had there been some concert audio from the "Gospel Tour" recor
EXTD=ded to this album. The breaks between songs seemed to shift more 
EXTD=easily in concert. But perhaps I'm being overly critical. Then ag
EXTD=ain, there are a number of songs that Mr. Dylan has yet to record
EXTD= on a full-length record from those concerts..."Cover Down" comes
EXTD= to mind.\n\nBut dealing with the record at hand..."Saved," "Soli
EXTD=d Rock," and "In The Garden" are the essential highlights--with s
EXTD=olid beats and wonderful piano rhythms. "Covenant Woman" is quite
EXTD= moving, as well. "In The Garden" is along the same lines as "Slo
EXTD=w Train's" treasure, "When He Returns." The piano work is wonderf
EXTD=ul, and soul-rending. The vocals are superb.\n\nContemporary Chri
EXTD=stian artists Third Day do a pretty good version of "Saved" on th
EXTD=eir Worship CD, "Offerings." I'm partial to Mr. Dylan, but they d
EXTD=o the song justice. I highly recommend "Saved" to one and all...\n
EXTD=\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nYou don't get better than this, J
EXTD=anuary 16, 2001\nReviewer: C Rogers (New Zealand)\n\nWhen Dylan p
EXTD=roduced Slow Train Coming a lot of people thought that it was a b
EXTD=rief 'spiritual' phase he was going through. However when Saved w
EXTD=as produced it horrified the secular music world as he had obviou
EXTD=sly fallen victim to the christian faith. John Lennon called him 
EXTD=a traitor to his own jewish people and concert goers threw food a
EXTD=t him when he refused to sing songs from older albums. I remember
EXTD= walking past record stores who were almost giving the cassette o
EXTD=f Saved away (well, for .95 cents anyway). Yet it remains Dylans 
EXTD=most rockiest,clearest and arguably his most passionate album he 
EXTD=has ever produced. I absolutely love it and always go back to pla
EXTD=ying it. Time has shown that it was a 'phase' for Dylan, and when
EXTD= I went to a concert of his in 1986 with Tom Petty, all his passi
EXTD=on had gone..he didn't seem to know who he was or what he was sin
EXTD=ging about(the critics had a field day). His obviously has come b
EXTD=ack since then, but I remember this album as a pinnacle of a sing
EXTD=er who gave up his dignity and reputation to follow his heart...a
EXTD=nd isn't that where all good music comes from?\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CU
EXTD=STOMER REVIEW\nGlorious, July 17, 2000\nReviewer: B. W. Fairbanks
EXTD= "Brian W. Fairbanks" (Shaker Heights, OH United States) \n\nMore
EXTD= than 20 years after its release, the reputation of Bob Dylan's "
EXTD=Saved" remains in need of salvation itself. Reviled as one of his
EXTD= worst albums by critics and fans alike, it is actually one of hi
EXTD=s best. The follow-up to the previous year's "Slow Train Coming,"
EXTD= it did not rack up the impressive sales of that effort, perhaps 
EXTD=because the novelty of a born again Dylan had worn off by the tim
EXTD=e of its release, but its less pedantic tone should make it more 
EXTD=palatable to those who found "Slow Train" offensive. If "Slow Tra
EXTD=in Coming" was a religious tract meant to bring non-believers to 
EXTD=their knees, "Saved" is a worship service, a joyous celebration t
EXTD=hat could even make the devil shout "Hallelujah!" \nThe opening t
EXTD=rack, an impromptu cover of "Satisfied Mind," is glorious in its 
EXTD=simplicity, and if the title song and "Covenant Woman" fail to ke
EXTD=ep the momentum going, it returns with a bang when Dylan rolls ou
EXTD=t the incredible "Solid Rock" followed by three outstanding track
EXTD=s that represent some kind of highlight for gospel music: "Pressi
EXTD=ng On," "In the Garden," and "Saving Grace." There's far less fin
EXTD=ger pointing than on "Slow Train Coming," and more signs of the l
EXTD=ove and forgiveness that the Good Book is supposed to represent. 
EXTD=What is really on display here, though, is Dylan's amazing talent
EXTD=. Just as he segued from folk to rock, and proved an essential fo
EXTD=rce in both, he turns to gospel music as if he had been born to i
EXTD=t. When the man is inspired--and the heartbreaking harmonica at t
EXTD=he close of "What Can I Do For You?" is all the proof anyone need
EXTD=s to realize he is--nobody can touch him. "Saved" is a great albu
EXTD=m, and an absolute must for every serious fan of the 20th century
EXTD='s greatest troubadour.\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nIf John 
EXTD=Calvin had a guitar..., January 24, 2000\nReviewer: Mike Johnson 
EXTD=(a smalltown, Alabama United States)\nYou don't want to miss this
EXTD= one: classic rock with r'n'b and gospel tendencies underpinning 
EXTD=sound biblical doctrine. Dylan says he was blinded by the " /born
EXTD= already ruined/ Stone cold /as I stepped out of the womb. By His
EXTD= grace I have been touched, by His Word I have been healed, By Hi
EXTD=s hand I've been delivered, by His Spirit I've been sealed; I've 
EXTD=been saved By the Blood of the Lamb..." Dylan puts the blame wher
EXTD=e it belongs: the fallen state of man. And then, with a flourish 
EXTD=that would make the apostle Paul smile, Dylan puts the credit for
EXTD= the cure squarely where it belongs: the grace of God. The biblic
EXTD=al theme is very strong here. Actually, Dylan seems more concerne
EXTD=d with the prominence of the Bible in his thought than does the V
EXTD=ineyard movement that was instrumental in his conversion. Dylan's
EXTD= is no signs-and-wonders-gospel. "Many try to stop me, shake me u
EXTD=p in my mind Say, "Prove to me that He is Lord, show me a sign. W
EXTD=hat kind of sign they need when it all come from within?" Dylan s
EXTD=hows more concern for the "quiet man of the heart" than for a rel
EXTD=igion of miraculous display. Two other cuts should be mentioned h
EXTD=ere. "Covenant Woman" explores the role of romantic love in the c
EXTD=ontext of a life of faith. The next cut-the heartfelt "What Can I
EXTD= Do For You?"-is, to borrow a multi-platinum phrase from elsewher
EXTD=e, a lovesong for a Savior. Dylan paints the theme of love with b
EXTD=road strokes. Too bad Mark Knoppfler and Pick Withers didn't show
EXTD= up for these sessions as they did on "Slow Train." (After all, i
EXTD=sn't it possible that "Precious Angel" is actually the apex of Di
EXTD=re Straits?) But, no matter. This album rocks. If you can imagine
EXTD= John Calvin fronting a rock-and-roll band-and who can't? (lol)-t
EXTD=hen you should get "Saved."\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nA Sh
EXTD=ining Showcase Of Dylan's Talent., October 2, 1998\nReviewer: Dou
EXTD=glas MacRae (Toronto)\nA strong follow-up to Slow Train Comin', t
EXTD=his collection of songs pays homage to the American gospel tradit
EXTD=ion of Pops Staples, Mahalia Jackson, Marion Williams, and Aretha
EXTD= Franklin. The writing is brilliant and the music equally good, w
EXTD=ith complex, varied arrangements. Saving Grace and Covenant Woman
EXTD= rank with his best ballads. They are sincere, and heartfelt poet
EXTD=ry. Saved and Solid Rock are great rock songs propelled along by 
EXTD=one of the best rhythm sections in rock - Jim Keltner on drums, a
EXTD=nd Tim Drummond on bass (Drummond also contributes as co-writer o
EXTD=n Saved). This is timeless inspirational music from someone who o
EXTD=bviously met his Lord and saw the love in his eyes. It stands alo
EXTD=ngside the best of Dylan's work. Some critics have called the son
EXTD=gwriting "less inspired" but I disagree. My only regret is that M
EXTD=ark Knopfler or Mick Taylor apparently couldn't make it for this 
EXTD=session, though Fred Tackett gives some excellent playing, especi
EXTD=ally on Saving Grace.\n\n\nHalf.com Details \nContributing artist
EXTD=s: Fred Tackett \nProducer: Barry Beckett, Jerry Wexler \n\nAlbum
EXTD= Notes\nPersonnel: Bob Dylan (vocals, guitar, harmonica); Terry Y
EXTD=oung (vocals, keyboards); Clydie King, Regina Havis, Mona Lisa Yo
EXTD=ung (vocals); Fred Tackett (guitar); Spooner Oldham (keyboards); 
EXTD=Tim Drummond (bass); Jim Keltner (drums); Barry Beckett.\n\nRecor
EXTD=ded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Sheffield, Alabama.\n\nEver th
EXTD=e spiritual nomad, the former Robert Zimmerman became a born-agai
EXTD=n Christian in the late '70s, a development strongly reflected in
EXTD= his work from that period. His second "Christian" album, SAVED c
EXTD=elebrates the change just as emphatically as it's predecessor SLO
EXTD=W TRAIN COMING, with Dylan declaring proclaiming his faith in no 
EXTD=uncertain terms on the title track. Even when he sings about the 
EXTD=opposite sex on "Covenant Woman," it's a lady who has a "contract
EXTD= with God."\nBacked by some of the most soulful musicians he's ev
EXTD=er recorded with, including Barry Beckett, Spooner Oldham and Jim
EXTD= Keltner, Dylan wrings an unprecedented degree of emotion from hi
EXTD=s tunes. He even sings the hell out of the old country-identified
EXTD= spiritual "A Satisfied Mind" to open the album. Closing things o
EXTD=ut, "Are You Ready" finds Dylan (backed by a gospel choir) exhort
EXTD=ing the listener to accept Jesus, over a sinuous funk-gospel vamp
EXTD=.\n\n\n\nROLLING STONE REVIEW\nOf all Bob Dylan's public personae
EXTD= over the past nineteen years, none has more confounded his long-
EXTD=time admirers than his latest incarnation as a born-again Christi
EXTD=an. Unveiling his new and obviously heartfelt beliefs on last yea
EXTD=r's Slow Train Coming, Dylan was a perfect caricature of a Bible-
EXTD=thumping convert, zealously proclaiming that "You either got fait
EXTD=h or you got unbelief/And there ain't no neutral ground" and prop
EXTD=hesying a day of judgment -- coming soon, of course -- "when men 
EXTD=will beg God to kill them/And they won't be able to die."\n\nThou
EXTD=gh producers Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett gave Dylan one of the
EXTD= cleanest sounds of his career--and Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler c
EXTD=ontributed the most lyrical electric guitar lines ever to grace a
EXTD= Dylan album--the result seemed curiously embalmed: a record bere
EXTD=ft of the rhythmic exuberance that has always characterized this 
EXTD=artist's best work. The songs themselves were graceless and chill
EXTD=y in their self-righteous certitude. Bob Dylan, whose search for 
EXTD=modern moral connections once summed up an entire generation, had
EXTD= found the Answer: "Repent, for the end is near."\n\nThis ancient
EXTD= wheeze long ago failed the simple test of time, and the clunky f
EXTD=ervor with which Dylan advanced it only made him sound ridiculous
EXTD=. Abandoning the greatest of human religious quests -- the intell
EXTD=ectual pilgrimage toward personal transcendence -- Dylan settled 
EXTD=for mere religion. His art, which arose out of human complexity a
EXTD=nd moral ambiguities, was drastically diminished. With a single l
EXTD=eap of faith, he plummeted to the level of a spiritual pamphletee
EXTD=r. What made the Gospel According to Bob especially tough to take
EXTD= was his hook-line-and-sinker acceptance of the familiar fundamen
EXTD=talist litany, and his smugness in propounding it. Dylan hadn't s
EXTD=imply found Jesus but seemed to imply that he had His home phone 
EXTD=number as well.\n\n\n\nSaved is a much more aesthetically gratify
EXTD=ing LP than its predecessor, particularly because of the hope (mo
EXTD=stly musical, I admit) it offers that Dylan may eventually rise a
EXTD=bove the arid confines of Biblical literalism. Maybe he'll evolve
EXTD=, maybe he'll just walk away. Whichever the case, stagnation has 
EXTD=never been his style, and after Saved, there seems precious littl
EXTD=e left to say about salvation through dogma.\n\nLyrics aside, Dyl
EXTD=an's band is sharper and more spirited than I thought possible af
EXTD=ter its sluggish playing on Saturday Night Live last year. Dire S
EXTD=traits drummer Pick Withers, who performed a mostly metronomic fu
EXTD=nction on Slow Train Coming, has been replaced by rock & roll vet
EXTD=eran Jim Keltner, whose controlled yet emphatic cooking covers ev
EXTD=ery base without calling undue attention to itself. As a lead gui
EXTD=tarist. Fred Tackett still seems severely limited (either by God 
EXTD=or the arrangements), but he's amiably efficient and probably pre
EXTD=ferable to the departed Knopfler, whose rampant tastiness was ult
EXTD=imately more a distraction than an asset. Spooner Oldham's and Te
EXTD=rry Young's keyboards interweave easily throughout most of Saved'
EXTD=s nine tunes. With Keltner and bassist Tim Drummond irreverently 
EXTD=goosing things along, the group actually approaches flat-out rock
EXTD= & roll on two cuts: the careening gospel raveup, "Saved," and th
EXTD=e unabashedly syncopated "Solid Rock," which boasts a sinuous bar
EXTD=room riff that the Allman Brothers would feel right down-home wit
EXTD=h.\n\nPerhaps the most likable aspect of Bob Dylan's genius has a
EXTD=lways been his ability to evoke the phantom strains of traditiona
EXTD=l American music, from country blues to gospel to good old rock &
EXTD= roll. At his most spectacularly effective (with the Band on The 
EXTD=Basement Tapes, on the best parts of the Pat Garrett & Billy the 
EXTD=Kid soundtrack) he seemed to conjure up the nation's historical h
EXTD=eart with the strum of a few guitar chords. This gift -- utterly 
EXTD=absent from Slow Train Coming, which affected a faceless R&B ambi
EXTD=ance--is again in evidence on Saved, particularly in the bravely 
EXTD=eccentric, almost disembodied reading that Dylan gives the folk c
EXTD=lassic, "Satisfied Mind." He lays out the song's stately melody l
EXTD=ike a winding pilgrim's path through the wailing, tent-show melis
EXTD=matics of his three backup singers, Clydie King, Regina Havis and
EXTD= Mona Lisa Young.\n\nSubtly gathering harmonic power behind Dylan
EXTD='s rough but finely felt vocal, "Saving Grace" is so persuasive o
EXTD=n its ownterms that one can disregard the lyrical lapses ("There'
EXTD=s only one road, and it leads to Calvary") and accept the track a
EXTD=s a genuinely moving paean to some nonspecific Providence. In a s
EXTD=imilar manner, the serenely stoic "Pressing On" (in part, a melod
EXTD=ic descendant of the Band's "The Weight") utilizes a gentle gospe
EXTD=l piano and some inspired lead and backup singing to make a simpl
EXTD=e statement of spiritual commitment, with Dylan acknowledging bot
EXTD=h his past and present in the lines: "Shake the dust off of your 
EXTD=feet?? Don't look back/Nothing can hold you down/Nothing that you
EXTD= lack." Such a generous observation may bode well for the future.
EXTD=\n\n"Covenant Woman" could have been one of Bob Dylan's most enga
EXTD=ging love songs. A gospel-tinged ballad written in Dylan's mid-Si
EXTD=xties chordal style, it posits a God who "must have loved me oh s
EXTD=o much/To send me someone as fine as you." There's an American Go
EXTD=thic earnestness to such a sentiment that's rather winning. Yet t
EXTD=he song is sunk when Dylan explains that among his reasons for lo
EXTD=ving this woman is the fact that she's "got a contract with the L
EXTD=ord/Way up yonder, great will be her reward." He sounds like the 
EXTD=kind of guy who counts the spiritual spoons behind her back, and 
EXTD=it's more than a little irritating.\n\n"What Can I Do for You?" s
EXTD=uffers from its flat-footed form of address (he's propositioning 
EXTD=God, of course), but "In the Garden," which is also explicitly Bi
EXTD=blical, is blessed with a lovely, billowing arrangement, and Dyla
EXTD=n sings with stirring conviction. If nonbelievers could be conver
EXTD=ted by music alone, "In the Garden" would be the tune to do it.\n
EXTD=\n"Are You Ready" is as close as Dylan comes to R&B on this recor
EXTD=d. His harmonica playing harks back to Little Walter, and the sli
EXTD=ghtly claustrophobic production recalls that of Ray Charles' "Lon
EXTD=ely Avenue" (thanks, no doubt, to Jerry Wexler, who produced Char
EXTD=les in his heyday). "Are ya ready to meet Jesus?" the singer asks
EXTD=. "Are ya where ya oughta be?/Will He know ya when He sees ya?/Or
EXTD= will He say, 'Depart from me'?/Am I ready?" Interestingly, Dylan
EXTD= leaves that last question unanswered.\n\nThe only miracle worth 
EXTD=talking about here is Bob Dylan's artistic triumph -- qualified t
EXTD=hough it may be--over his dogmatic theme. Musically, Saved may be
EXTD= Dylan's most encouraging album since Desire, yet it's nowhere ne
EXTD=ar as good as it might have been were its star not hobbled by the
EXTD= received wisdom of his gospel-propagating cronies. Dylan doesn't
EXTD= stand much chance of becoming the white Andr Crouch (or even th
EXTD=e next Roy Acuff, who was no slouch with a gospel number either),
EXTD= not just because he lacks the vocal equipment but because he's t
EXTD=oo inventive, too big for the genre. Because he's Dylan.\n\nAs bo
EXTD=rn-again gospel LPs go. Saved is a work of some distinction. Now 
EXTD=that Bob Dylan's had his shots at that old-time religion, perhaps
EXTD= his secular fans may be forgiven for hoping that this, too, shal
EXTD=l pass. (RS 326 -- Sep 18, 1980)  -- KURT LODER
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