Saved: Bob Dylan in the 1980s | Discovering Bob Dylan, Ep. 22 

SCREW the critics and naysayers...the christian trilogy is a great chapter in Dylan's output . It's always has been there in his work and still is in some form or other!

Another great episode guys, thank you; love the interaction and high quality of discussion you both always bring to these! I think Saved is a classic case of most people not getting over the way over the top cover of the album; I include myself in that group, as I never bought or listened to this album until I became a Bob completist 20 or 30 years later. Just was put off by the whole vibe, both of this and of Shot of Love, so never gave them a spin. But the Biograph set of a few years later whetted my appetite for the songs, and when I did go back and listen, I was very pleasantly surprised. I think Saved and Solid Rock are great, full throated rockers, while Pressing On and Covenant Woman, In the Garden and Saving Grace are very good….not the highest quality album overall, but a solid 3.5+. This again is a case where Dylan’s conviction is true, and that comes across…he means it, and he and his band lean into it. I applaud Joe for his take on this one; I think he nailed it. And the shout out from Mr. Sevey to Bootleg 13, Trouble No More is spot on…the set really rocks, and broadly offer even better takes of almost all the songs here. Dylan’s heart and conviction will break in the mid-80’s, and with that the quality of the albums till ‘89…but this is an under appreciated album, as you both note, but a worthy one too often overlooked. Thx for reminding everyone, and thanks for the excellent series! Cheers, JPE

This is the only Dylan album that I passed on and never listened to. Punk and New Wave were bringing new and interesting stuff; in LA Christian Bob was not cool. (In the period, scribes reported that Dylan took son Jacob to a Clash concert at the Palladium; we were waiting for ... something). But it was the cover. Worst ever. My punk ears didn't need to hear what was behind that shit. Thanks for your review, tho, guys. Your insightful assessments have convinced me to give it a listen.

I’m 35 yr old Dylan fan who completely skipped his Christian trilogy because of bad reviews and what other fans had told me… I’ve been following series listening to albums in order ..it was first time listen and blown away by how much I’ve enjoyed both albums so far.. Dylan and the gospel sound was a perfect pairing imo

Joe has a lot of good points here that I agree with. I've always preferred this album to Slow Train Coming, which sounds just too much like late 70s excess. Saved feels like you're right in the middle of a Pentecostal revival or something like that - the production is really effective at putting you in a setting. Dylan S. is right on talking about Pressing On as the archetype of "gospel Dylan," it's a great song. Loving that Joe is so into Dylan's piano playing... I'm hoping he appreciates a certain piano-driven song coming up in the near future. Not gonna say which; I don't want to influence anything. Saved definitely is far from the best album in Bob's discography, but it definitely isn't bottom five like it is placed on so many rankings.

I know Slow Train Coming and like it, I don’t actually really know Saved. It doesn’t help that the cover looks like the type of cheesy illustration you’d get an a leaflet handed out to you inviting you to come along to the local church. This and the next few albums are probably the Dylan albums I’ve heard the least.

20 studio albums in about 20 years. What a prolific career up to this point. Outside of Self Portrait and Dylan, all the other records were really good or great. This man can write a lyric, but his melodies are really great also. This album isn't as good as Slow Train but it's still high quality. The Christian Trilogy is a special period for many people who previously weren't into Dylan. I find these songs heartfelt and honest. I still enjoy them

I'm with Joe, I prefer Saved to slow train coming

I think Joe nailed it. It’s a solid, toe tapping gospel-ish record that upon repeated listens seems to lack the depth of Dylan’s normal output, even the other two albums in the Christian trilogy. That said, I don’t listen to it enough that that becomes an issue. So every time is a bit of a friendly surprise. “Oh there goes Bobby D trying to do the Staples. That’s cute. I’m digging this groove!” As a record I think it is solid and likely would be my second in the trilogy. The live bootleg stuff is on fire!

Widely agree with Dylan here, I also clearly prefer Slow Train for its more multi-faceted songwriting and the super transparent, slick production. However, Saved definitely has its moments and I'm glad there's another 4 in Joe's ranking.

i was guilty of being 20+ years late on finding appreciation for Saved ,Slow Train and Street Legal .... Amen

Half way!! Congrats guys. ❤ this series!!

Saved was a huge disappointment after Slow Train Coming but I need to listen to it again, after over 20 years...

I much prefer the Trouble No More bootleg release over Saved. I never listen to Saved. Just not for me.

Shot of love would probably make my top 10-15

Ok, Joe's right this time: it does have excellent production and musical choices, but the lyrics and Bob's voice, no good!

Strange but yeah I too don't mind this. I easily prefer it to the grating previous album which has 2 hooky but so-so singalong songs to reel listener in and remainder is poor. Here, he's less delirious. Covenant Woman is good and I'll go so far as to say it's a good entire back half of album. "That's how you sell the show!" Hahaha. Tremendous Sevey percussion at 37:34!

As an Evangelical, I get why some are put off by the Jesus stuff, especially when the lyrics aren’t as Dylanesque. But I like when folks like Joe can appreciate the music, just as ai can with Harrison’s Krishna stuff or the Beach Boys’ TM stuff. And I like Dylan’s straightforward stuff more than the songs being sung in church these days.

Poor sound on this album with possible exception of Covenant Woman. That was always my first impression.

Looking ahead to Shot of Love, it’s a really cool album. Most of the songs are fantastic. I would say it is really good but not quite as great and Slow Train. I really love most of the songs but there are a few tracks that I don’t think deserved to be on the album (Lenny Bruce) or are really good songs that just weren’t captured great on record, so much better live (Heart of Mine, Dead Man Dead Man). However I will say that lyrically it is a more dense album than Saved and there is more “lore” around this record. There are so many great tracks that didn’t make the album (Angelina, Caribbean Wind, Yes Sir No Sir, Let It Be Me). I hope Joe enjoys it!

Yes Joe the production is a lot better. I LOVE this album. It's one of my favorite Dylan albums and I don't care what anyone says it's great. Definitely my favorite of the Christian trilogy and it's better than Slow Train. It's raw, visceral and from the heart and works together so well. Covenant woman is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. This period of Dylan's catalog is fantastic.

I'm thrilled that Joe ended up really liking this album. I've never agreed with the commonly held belief that this was the album in the Christian trilogy where Bob had taken it "too far". It is amazing how many people were spooked by the original album cover which IMO is innocent artwork that is far less troubling than something like the "Where You Been" cover which I dislike just as much as Joe does. My one nitpick is that I don't agree with the idea of "well, I need to dock this album's score because when I listen to it a half dozen times in a row, I'm not picking up anything new on subsequent listens". I think that criticism can be applied to the vast majority of albums out there and I'd be surprised if anyone is grading Aretha's albums against that "each listen must yield a new reveal" benchmark. I'm glad Jason wears his love for this album as a badge of honor and can rank it on the edge of his Top 10 Dylan albums without fear of backlash.

I recall reading that the band was quite tired when they recorded it. That tracks with my experience--every one of these songs is improved with a live performance. The songs are the sort that depend on the energy of a live crowd. I love the live "Solid Rock" and "Pressing On". To be honest, I'm a bit shocked that Joe likes it as much as he does. In general, Dylan made poor decisions and gave little effort when it came to albums in the 80s -- he didn't care about albums in general during this time; performance was more important to him. Saved started that trend. As for the bootleg series vol 13, I love "Ain't no man Righteous" and "Making a Liar Out of Me"

The reverse psychology is working...keep lowering those expectations. Actually, I just listened to this yesterday for the first time in 30 years or so. It's a lot better than I remember.

No idea why RU-vid suddenly decided to suggest this to me, but I’ve now binged through every episode and caught up! As we head into the ‘80s are we gonna cover the Traveling Wilburys too?

I like Saved alot, but kinda for the opposite reasons than Joe. For a long time I had no patience for it, due to the generally negative reviews and the awful cover. But over time I have reassessed my opinion of it, partly due to the album growing on me, and due to watching or reading reviews by critics who really like the album, such as John Heaton. So, unlike Joe, the album has improved for me with repeated listens. I love Satisfied Mind, Pressing On, THAT harmonica solo, and the two rockers, Saved and Solid Rock. In some ways, though, the album is perhaps a missed opportunity. It sounds a bit rushed, and if they had maybe spent more time on the production and the cover and added a couple of the many outtakes, it could have been a classic. Still, imo a very good album that is highly underrated and like Self Portrait doesn't deserve alot of the lazy criticism it generally receives. Stuart

I have never heard a better defense of Saved. I think it was recorded in a truck that they brought by the building and that may be some reason why it sounds flat and uninspired. The songwriting is really good, regardless of the production, the signing. Some of the live stuff is really good. Abraham Martin and John is wonderful.

What I liked about Slow Train was the originality of his gospel lyrics. What was disappointing about Saved were the lyrics which I found to be mostly re hashed Christian cliches. Live, I think this was one of if not the hottest ensemble he had but I found the performance lifeless on Saved.

You know Dylan has self admittedly pulled stunts to make himself less appealing to escape the lime light. I wonder if the 80s was in large part him doing the same thing. He in my opinion lost a bit of that old charm that he had in the 60s and 70s. But each to their own I guess. I like his 90s stuff better than his 80s stuff

Not sure why, but I find the idea of this album fascinating. And, I haven't even heard it. I like physical media and this one was always hard to find. The fact that it gets ranked as one of his worst and the cover is also considered one of the worst covers just made it attractive to me. Glad that you both kind of dig it. I guess I will finally stream it and see what I think.

Dylan had a great comment .. " i like the idea of it more than i like it " to paraphrase... that's how I feel about a lot of stuff. sometimes i am pleasantly surprised when i go back and listen . Joe's input made me want to dig this one out. I don't even keep it with my other bdylan albums like I'm punishing it or something. i like this phase and i totally dig the live bootleg series stuff but i was going to skip it as i have been listening along with all your episodes. now where did i put that f. ing thing ! fingers crossed for Infidels .one of my favs

Interesting that Saved doesn’t get better with repeated listens. No point in me listening again then. I’ve listened to it twice and I’ll never get that 80 minutes back.

Love this album! I especially love Covenant Woman. When you have a covenant woman like I do, the lyrics are awesome and they often bring tears to my eyes.

There is a phenomenon in religious-spiritual circles where the individual has a strong experience, be it mystical, communal or ideological and runs out with certainty, absolute conviction and often arrogance in "preaching" to others this new found "truth" without the benefit of years of contemplation and maturity that beings some authentic wisdom to the table. I did that at one time. For me this is what this period represented for Dylan, and this "preachiness" leaked into other, later albums. I don't want to dismiss the fact that because of his prodigious talent, Dylan could still put out some songs that penetrated this veneer. "Every Grain of Sand" , from Shot of Love is a pretty great song and there are other worthwhile efforts. But it's not for me. I am a post modernist and this fundamentalism for me is a regression. Although "You Got to Serve Somebody", for example, is musically somewhat mildly interesting, the lyrics are puerile. It is interesting to compare Dylan in this period with later Cohen. Cohen is majestic in his spirituality where Dylan mostly is banal. The tale of the tape is this period lasted a relatively short time and Dylan discarded it like shoes he quickly had worn out, although he retained apparently some remnants of belief in a higher power. He returned to his bread and butter wheelhouse which was reflections on living in contemporary America and personal songs, some of which related to that. A detour for a great artist, one that perhaps was necessary in terms of what he was going through (and people are not here to live according to our expectations) but a group of albums I have little interest in.

Don't worry dude, those half a star ratings are a-comin'!

Good analysis Joe, agree with your assessment. Saved has some very good songs and music that one doesn't feel compelled to return to often. Thanks for the Little Feat shoutout with Fred Tackett! Great job on Saved. Continue to appreciate both of your efforts, detail and interplay.

As a pianist, I want to say 'thank you' to Joe for the piano comments. I'll never forget when I saw Bob Dylan in 2014. He didn't play any guitar. He either stood at the mic, or sang while playing keyboards. Every time he played a keyboard solo, it was magnificent! Bob Dylan is a VERY underrated keyboard player!

I’m a atheist, and I think that SAVED is one of the most rocking, jamming, balls-to-the-wall albums ever produced, the fact that it’s Gospel is fine with me. I’m from New Orleans, so Gospel music is par-for-the-course. I bought SAVED on the day of its release and have loved it from the get-go. The dynamics on the album are off-the-charts. It’s a thick sounding album, it’s raw, dirty, live-sounding, like Gospel/Blues should be; I’m glad that SAVED isn’t over-produced. It’s both feral and seductive simultaneously. SAVED hits you with both barrels blazing. I’m fine with the overtly Christian lyrics, because if it didn’t have them, then I wouldn’t know what the hell this album would be attempting to accomplish. I first saw Dylan in concert in 1981, during the SHOT OF LOVE (a more ‘80s sounding album production) tour. I was seated in the front row, directly in front of the three backup singers, who were a great show on their own. Secular songs began creeping in at that point, such as LENNY BRUCE, and Dylan had also resumed performing his old classics again. On a personal note, can you please enunciate the letter ‘T’ properly? I realize that this is only RU-vid, but ignoring the phonetics of the letter ‘T’ rather diminishes the professionalism of both your presentation and performance.

Oh yeah, the pounding of the keys on “Saved” is so good!

Ok so I think the production , musical performances and Bob’s vocals are very good on this record BUT…the songs are forgettable entirely for me. I just don’t think any songs are even in the top 200 of Dylan songs! The subject matter is fine, it’s the ART of the song that matters for me, this album is just not something I want to listen to. Are far as a song called “ SAVED” , I much prefer the Lieber-Stoller tongue in cheek song of the same name covered by THE BAND on Moondog Matinee. Originally done by Laverne Baker. Check it out!😁

The lack of depth is exacttly why it's hated by most Dylan fans, including me. And that was obvious upon first listen when it first came out. Hated it then, hate ii now. (Though Pressing On is good.)

I’m with Joe on this one. There is a lot to appreciate about this album. What it lacks in strong lyrical content, it makes up for in performances. Slow Train Coming is just a tad too preachy for me. I like the kinder and gentler approach that Dylan took on this album.

love that you posted this on a sunday

Not even remotely close to his worst album

For a good gospel interpretation of these songs give “Say Amen Somebody” a listen if you like gospel. A good collection of great gospel singers performing these songs from this trilogy.

Of the "Born Again" trilogy albums I've always thought that Slow Train was clearly the best of the three followed by Shot of Love with Saved taking up the rear. Having said that I've never considered Saved a bad album by any means and is undeserving of the bad press it has received.

Saved and Down in the Groove are the only Dylan albums that I’ve never listened to, but I’m definitely going to give Saved a chance now

I actually prefer this to Slow Train coming. When Bob is committed to the subject matter, you can hear it in his voice. In the same way that you don’t have to know Hollis Brown personally to feel his despair, you also don’t need to know ( or even accept)Jesus Christ to marvel at the beauty of these songs.

Pressing On is such a banger.

Question, what do you think about the song, Wagon Wheel? By old crow medicine show. I think it isn't really a song at all. It doesn't count as a song to me.

Who signed off on that cover?

"Shot of Love" is part of a trilogy the same way "Lodger" is part of a trilogy.

Dylan, give us the outtakes here as well. If love to hear them in advanced. Btw, i love Saved. I think Joe's review is spot on. During the review of Blood on the Tracks I want too sure about you, dude! But you've SAVED yourself with this review. (See what ive done?) But the way, i think you're placing too much emphasis on the "lore" idea. When these albums came out, we didn't have Wikipedia to read up on the lore. Except for the Basement Tapes, we didn't have none of that lore. I listened to Blood for decades and until i heard it on your review, i never knew any of that background: his brother suggested he rerecord half of it, etc. The album just was.

Can't comment on either SAVED or SHOT OF LOVE, other than those songs that ended up on compilations or, as mentioned, hearing the jaw-dropping version of "Pressing On" from I'M NOT THERE. Enjoyed listening to your two very different views of this, the second in the so-called "Christian Trilogy". I'll certainly pick this up if I even see a cheap, used copy somewhere. I think Bob Dylan's '80s albums are frustratingly inconsistent but also fascinating and somewhat under rated. Looking forward to how these discussions play out. Great work, guys!

Slow Train Coming - 2 stars Saved - 4 stars Sounds like Joe liked Saved more than STC, so bravo Joe. As Joe pointed out, Saved is more worshipful than preachy, unlike Slow Train Coming (which has Dylan's worst lyrics AND singing IMHO). The Gospel elements are well done, and "Solid Rock" does indeed rock.

Great discussion as always...! I own 39 of Bob's studio albums and most of the bootlegs, your review has given me the push to get Saved at last...😇

I agree with all the negative things said here about the record. It is boring, lyrically and musically. The very first boring Dylan album! I can't stand the "rock" sound. I do like his highly emotional gospel voice very much, the live versions (plus the gospel singers) I heard on YT are impressive and they just work. This album doesn't work for me at all. The only song that I could call "good", although something is still lacking, is "In the Garden".

I told you Saved is great! I totally agree with Joe in that I prefer the production on Saved to Slow Train. It is a more raw and authentic gospel record. I also think it’s more consistent than Slow Train, even if it doesn’t have the recognizable classics like Gotta Serve Somebody and Slow Train. Satisfied Mind and Saved are a great one-two opener. Jim Keltner (who is back touring with Bob on his recent tour, just saw the live show at the Hollywood Bowl last week!) plays amazing drums on that track. I really cannot get enough of Covenant Woman and What Can I Do For You which are such triumphs in atmosphere and the art of allowing space in the music to create the right mood. These are two intimate tracks, and the harmonica on the latter track has to be up there as one of Bob’s very best harmonica solos. The live version of What Can I Do For You from the bootleg series is even more epic. Solid Rock is also insanely good. This is a tune that would literally get people going on the dance floor with the funky bass line and the ripping guitar solo! Side one is a masterpiece. And the best track on the album opens side two: Pressing On. The lyrics are so simple but at the same time pack so much punch. One of Bob’s best songs and performances period. The rest of side two is solid, if not as strong as side one. In The Garden has really cool chord changes, but Saving Grace and Are You Ready aren’t the strongest closers. Overall it’s a brilliant album, probably just outside the top ten for me. I give it 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Having the luxury of looking back on Dylan’s amazing 60 plus year career, we can see certain patterns that have played out that weren’t so clear at the time. Dylan is first and foremost a fan of all kinds of music. He is a musicologist and a living breathing jukebox of American song and musical styles. When he first came up his style of songwriting changed the game. One of the criticisms was that he was an outlier and had such a unique gift for what he does that he was incapable of writing great songs in a conventional style. He addressed it consciously with Nashville Skyline diving into the Country Music Space. After Rolling Thunder and The Last Waltz and the death of Elvis Presley, Dylan wanted to show he could go toe to toe with big arena and Vegas acts like Neil Diamond. He went to Jerry Weintraub to produce his around the world arena (alimony tour) in full jumpsuit regalia to flex those muscles. Not to imply anything about Dylan’s religious sincerity during his Christian period which was genuinely passionate but, this was also his foray into gospel, another musical genre he cherished. As we know he went back to his folk roots in the 90’s to reconnect with his muse and bring this material to a new audience, he did it again to uncover the music of Frank Sinatra years later. The religious period is Dylan being Dylan and embracing all his musical loves and identities.

The album cover alone was ominous.

I'm with Joe on this one. After revisiting Slow Train Coming recently, I do feel the production is a little too mannered. Saved might not have the same lyrical standard as the previous album but I prefer it musically and Bob sounds absolutely committed on it. Pressing On has to be the highlight. I recently bought the Christian trilogy on vinyl so I'm looking forward to your takes on Shot Of Love, which has also gone up in my estimation.

I quite like Saved. Like that it’s quite raw in its production. I’m an atheist but can appreciate Dylan’s passion. Not in my top tier of his albums but do enjoy it when I dig it out for a listen. I love Dylan’s ramshackle lead guitar on Saving Grace and the beautiful harmonica on What Can I Do For You.

I'm reluctant to listen to an album that might be bland. Since Joe like this, like he prefered Street Legal to STC (Street Legal is at least 10 times better), I'm tempted to hear Saved on RU-vid. First I need to know how he likes Shot of Love (I bought it on CD and threw it away a year later).

I had the same experience with this one. One listen and I was ready to offer myself up to the all mighty . But as the listens went by it definitely slid down a bit, and I think you nailed why. Still my favourite in the trilogy though, considering I’m agnostic I get wayy too pumped listening to the title track 😂🙌🤶

Joe, that review was awesome, you articulate everything great, and not so great about Saved. It's devotional music so I do understand some of the antipathy towards it but you don't have to be into religion to find it compelling. Hearing Dylan in this mode is fascinating in itself and the performances are a tour de force (and I agree, a more rewarding listen than the curmudgeonly Slow Train Coming!). Can't wait to see what you make of Shot of Love!

I definitely think the Christian trilogy is overhated by some people, I like all of them. I do need to revisit Saved and Shot of Love because I have Slow Train higher but I have listened to it more than the other two. I own the Bootleg series CD that ties into this era and there is some great stuff on it too. Maybe I will do a full revisit for everything in time for Shot of Love (because lord knows I always need more projects!)

I really like Solid Rock - Jim Keltner must've really been into double bass drum stuff around this time. Relentless track!

This is my favourite of the Christian trilogy. I like the music more than the two other albums, and as a person raised in a Pentecostal family, I have always connected more to this, than Slow Train Coming

I agree with Dylan that the main theme of the 80s is great songs that don’t make the record

Dylan is a chameleon and his music changes and flows like a reed in the wind. And if you don't like the music in Saved; just wait as the music will be better soon.

Regardless of the content Covenant Woman is great song. Love it.

I dont listern to it a lot a few good songs on it i am not religous ar all but i dont put down anyone that is

Two of my favorite Bob Dylan songs are outtakes from Shot of Love, so Dylan teasing them here got me excited. As for Saved, it's a very bland album, definitely the least interesting one so far. it just all runs together, without a standout track like Precious Angel from Slow Train Comin'. Great episode!

While STC is clean, this is greasy AF. I like it now after revisiting it, and it bursts with a lot more energy to me than STC, reminds me a bit of Delaney& Bonnie Motel Shot. Btw, I love Solid Rock, one of his really underrated rockers. More interesting than STC, but the best of the trilogy is coming next( if Groom Still Waiting at the Altar counts as an album track)

Agree that Pressing On is highlight.

Even though I didn't get Shot Of Love until the late 80's, I bought it used and I had an original pressing, because I don't associate "Groom" with the album at all, just with the Biograph set. It definitely is one of the best tracks from those sessions and should have been included. It's when you get to Infidels that the track choices really got bizarre, although I didn't know that until the first Bootleg series album came out and at least two of the outtakes were better than anything on that album.

The religious music I like best is reggae. Rastafarians don't have vast power and influence haha, not to mention it sounds good. Check out New Mexico's Ras Elijah Tafari. I saw him speak at a Gaza vigil 🕊️☮️

Sweeeeeeet 🤘

Wow Joe! Excoriated…cool word of the week!!

🤠 Baggy Dylan? Solid Rock... Charlatans UK

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one's foes will be members of one's own household” (Matthew 10:34-36).

This is where Dylan went to hell, as far as I'm concerned. There's nothing that can save this one.

Thanks!