This Record is Doggone Good
Desire came out twelve days shy of a year after "Blood on the Tracks," but it wasn't a whole year without a new Dylan record, because The Basement Tapes came between them, though it was recorded something like eight years earlier. "Desire" is sort of new sound for Dylan as he is performing with the Rolling Thunder Review band and Scarlett Rivera's violin adds a haunting sound throughout.

"Hurricane" the lead off song marks kind of a return of Dylan to social commentary. Dylan did the song, because he was convinced of Mr. Carter's innocence. The song was first recorded with Emmylou Harris doing the vocal with Dylan, like she does on the other songs on the record, but apparently Colombia thought the song was libelous, so Dylan re-recorded it with Ronnie Blakely. I've heard both versions and the one used on the final release is a much better song. "Isis," is like a never ending story song that reminds me kind of "Idiot Wind." I love it, my favorite song on the record is "Black Diamond Bay." It tells a story of a Pacific Island that is destroyed by a volcano. The people on the island all react differently and when the narrator hears about it on the evening news, he gets up and gets another beer. He doesn't care and boy is there a lot of that going around. This is a superb record and one of Dylan's top sellers. Probably the reason for that is because it is so good.

Ken Douglas, author of Dead Ringer, Desperation Moon & Running Scared.

Despite some gems this is a mournful, sluggish album from Dylan
"Desire" (1976) is a mixed bag. "Hurricane" is an effective protest song and "Sara" is justly famous but much of the rest of the album is mournful, sluggish, and curiously unmoving. The mechanical "Joey" at 11 minutes long is a real test of patience.

Sprawling Mythological Journey
"Desire" is a truly epic album. Recalling the works of Carl Jung, Robert Graves (White Goddess), James Frazer (The Golden Bough), William Blake and the Beat Poets, Dylan weaves a dense tapestry of images and words. The narratives are dreamlike and elusive, like primitive folk-tales. Benefiting greatly from a recent remastering, this once dreary sounding recording returns with a tight, crisp, 'live' sound. One of the richest, deepest, and evocative rock albums ever recorded. Highlights: Isis, Black Diamond Bay, Sara, Oh Sister.

Dylan Returned
After Blood on the Tracks, Dylan followed it up with Desire and his return from musical obscurity was complete with the album that spawned the Rolling Thunder Revue. Most of the reviewers take Joey with a certain amount of surprise, but not me. I think Joey is Dylan as satirist, after all, how many bad guys have ended up as folk heroes, and why can't Crazy Joe be included in with this crowd? Sara has to be Dylan at his most depressing best with a plaintive, agonizing love song to his wife as the marriage is breaking up. While I suspect that the Dylan purists will cringe, with Blood on the Tracks, Desire, and Hard Rain you have the essential Bob Dylan of the 70's with music that has withstood the test of time just as strongly as the music of Bob Dylan the 60's folkie. I'll take him both ways without regret.

My first Bob Dylan album, but here are translations of foreign words in two of the songs
I have listened to this CD since I was in fourth grade. I love Hurricane, it tells a true story of a falsely accused African-American boxer. Two songs on this Cd are a combination of American-English and some foreign words. Romance in Durango has a chorus that is part Spanish and part American-English. If you've never been exposed to Spanish language, here's a translation:
No llores, mi querida Dios nos vigila-Don't you cry, my dear God watches
Agarrame, mi vida-You get me, my life
Another song on this CD, Black Diamond Bay is mostly American-English, but has some French words. Here's the translation, again, for those of you who have never been exposed to French language:
monsieur-Mister
Attendez-vous, s'il vous plait-You wait, please
Je vous aime beaucoup-I like you a lot
Many songs on this Cd are longer than a typical song, but they are still enjoyable.