Time Out Of Mind＜完全生産限定盤/Gold Vinyl＞

1997年発売 ボブ・ディラン『タイム・アウト・オブ・マインド』(ゴールド・ヴァイナル)

ボブ・ディランのアルバム『タイム・アウト・オブ・マインド』(1997年作品)。当時7 年振りの全曲新曲によるアルバムとして注目され、『オー・マーシー』同様、ダニエル・ラノワを再びプロデューサーに起用して生まれたこのアルバムは『血の轍』に勝るとも劣らない傑作として人気がある。
11曲とも完成度の高い内容で、ディランの表現力もみごと。サウンドも緻密、かつ大胆。とくに16分におよぶ大作「ハイランズ」は圧巻。グラミー賞(最優秀アルバム賞)を受賞した。

After spending much of the '90s touring and simply not writing songs, Bob Dylan returned in 1997 with Time Out of Mind, his first collection of new material in seven years. Where Under the Red Sky, his last collection of original compositions, had a casual, tossed-off feel, Time Out of Mind is carefully considered, from the densely detailed songs to the dark, atmospheric production. Sonically, the album is reminiscent of Oh Mercy, the last album Dylan recorded with producer Daniel Lanois, but Time Out of Mind has a grittier foundation -- by and large, the songs are bitter and resigned, and Dylan gives them appropriately anguished performances. Lanois bathes them in hazy, ominous sounds, which may suit the spirit of the lyrics, but are often in opposition to Dylan's performances. Consequently, the album loses a little of its emotional impact, yet the songs themselves are uniformly powerful, adding up to Dylan's best overall collection in years. It's a better, more affecting record than Oh Mercy, not only because the songs have a stronger emotional pull, but because Lanois hasn't sanded away all the grit. As a result, the songs retain their power, leaving Time Out of Mind as one of the rare latter-day Dylan albums that meets his high standards. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine