14th of July, 1986: 'Knocked Out Loaded' by Bob Dylan Is Released

When I first read the fact that I was about to write an article consisting of five things I like about Knocked Out Loaded, I was absolutely terrified and filled with dread. I was really thinking about abandoning this article altogether, but then I said, “No!” I said that I was going to show people that this album is actually pretty good and that they are just mean. It deserves its place in Bob Dylan’s discography as being a pretty different album in every sense of the word. It takes place in what I have personally called the “Cocaine Years.” It was very apparent that Bob Dylan was taking an awful lot of cocaine, and really, between Empire Burlesque and Knocked Out Loaded and even in the strange sound of Down in the Groove, I think it’s safe to say that the cocaine years didn’t do Dylan much service in terms of luck and money. This doesn’t mean, however, that the albums are trash and not worthy of their place in the Dylan canon. Let’s get on with this then. Without further introduction, I will explain five things I love about the album Knocked Out Loaded (1986). The album is regarded as one of his worst efforts (if not the worst effort). I, however, wouldn’t call it that. What I’m really trying to say here (and I will repeat myself if I have to) is that this album is good, you guys are just mean. Here are five things I love about the album Knocked Out Loaded (1986).

5. "Under Your Spell"

I have to admit that I absolutely adore the song “Under Your Spell” because of the sweet sound and atmosphere that it has within it. I feel that it’s safe to say that whilst this isn’t the first song on the album, it is definitely the album’s title track, since the words “knocked out loaded” are heard in this particular song. It adds this deep emotion to the album that you really don’t see of Bob Dylan since probably the song "Dark Eyes" on Empire Burlesque. It is really a beautiful song and requires a lot more appreciation than it gets right now.

4. The Epic Ballad

So I know the song “Brownsville Girl” isn’t liked by everyone, and some people even call it his worst song ever. But I feel like the song has a really good and thoroughly explored story—Bob Dylan also has a great way of telling it through this strange mixture of talking and backup singers. A cross between Bob Dylan being the “bard” where he sings the ballad to us and where he plays the storyteller where he talks or tells the story to us. I’ve always found this mixture of singing and talking to be really something quite extraordinary, and I appreciate Bob Dylan’s efforts to make his music different and exciting to listen to. I also feel like it adds to the nature of the “epic” style of the song blended with something very modern. I wonder what the meaning behind that mixture is.

3. "Maybe Someday"

I love it when Bob Dylan writes these songs that make you say, “Yes, I really can tell that Bob Dylan is actually having a good time for once. He’s really having some fun with this one!” This is definitely one of those songs. It sounds pretty good and pretty different compared to the other songs on the album, and again, there’s that clear element of Bob Dylan trying to be funny. I love the way this song rhymes too, because it almost feels too simple to be Bob Dylan’s song, but it is, and I think he did that entirely on purpose to stop people breathing down his neck about returning to form.

2. "You Wanna Ramble"

So this reason probably shouldn’t have been at number two, but I feel like it requires some more appreciation than it normally gets. This song is normally ridiculed for its lack of art, lack of form and overall, it just sounds terrible to most people. You could say that it has a serious lack of seriousness, and when you say it like that, you kind of realise that it was exactly what Bob Dylan was trying to achieve. Yes, he is trying to f*** with your head, and no, there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. He will always be one step ahead of you whether you like it or not. It serves as the first song on the album, and unlike “Under You Spell,” it has absolutely no mention of the title or serves no real purpose to the album art when it opens. It opens in a very strange way with a beat that really doesn’t fit the way the album is advertised. But if Bob Dylan were to be predictable, then he’d be boring. So consider him doing us service. What I really enjoy about this song is the backing singers and how well they do on the song because of that really catchy chorus. All in all, there are very good things about this song—you just have to take the time to look for them.

1. It Is Underappreciated

From the epic “Brownsville Girl” to the title track “Under Your Spell” to the thoroughly confusing “Precious Memories,” this album has a ton of difference to offer when it comes to cataloguing Bob Dylan’s career. There are different instrument arrangements, there are different writing styles that come from Dylan’s hand, and there are a range of backing singers, including the beautiful Carolyn Dennis (who would later become Bob Dylan’s wife). Each song has some form of originality, and each song is memorable as being a Bob Dylan song more than it’s remembered for being a part of the “Cocaine Years” when Bob Dylan penned the horrific Knocked Out Loaded (1986) (as some will say). There is nothing horrific about this album in reality. It’s just people who say that they can’t appreciate Bob Dylan staying one step ahead of them but haven’t realised that it’s always been like that. He went electric and they called him “Judas,” he disappeared into the “John Wesley Harding” era, he gave the middle finger to Columbia Records for a while and returned with the magnum opus “Blood on the Tracks.” He traveled into the violin style a la Hank Williams with Scarlet Rivera and Emmylou Harris and came out the other side into the Gospel Years. He then went through his Cocaine Years and almost f***ing died. Now, he’s doing Jazz! What I’m trying to say is you can’t hate him for doing something that is different to what he normally does because when you think about it, you can’t pin him down. You say he’s a folkie? I present to you Empire Burlesque. You say he’s a gospel singer? I present to you Freewheelin’. You say he’s a rock singer? I give you Triplicate. There’s just no telling what he can do, and if you dislike this album because of its sound, then that’s fine. But, if you dislike it for the fact it’s Bobby trying something different, then you really don’t have an argument.

Conclusion

I feel like this album receives very unnecessary amounts of hate because of the fact its produced differently to every other Bob Dylan album. I think this album actually gives us a great insight into what Bob Dylan was doing during these “Cocaine Years,” and you know, that strange appearance he did on Live Aid in America. He seemed to be trying to find a different audience, as the folkies of his days were getting on in life and yet, he wanted to retain the same amount of authenticity to his songs. To be honest, it is very highly regarded that Bob Dylan was the first and the last great songwriter. There will never be another one like him. You could say he began to change like that because he realised if he didn’t start swimming ,then he’d sink like a stone ‘cause the times they were a-changin’.