Many people have the impression that Bob Dylan eventually abandoned his Christian ‘phase’, but evidence contradicts this presumption.

In point of fact, Dylan really never disavowed his faith, or the music he made while in the throes of born-again Christianity. That music, like all of Dylan’s work, stands or falls on the listener’s ability to absorb and accept his perspective without overt judgment. If you listened closely enough, you would recognize that Dylan’s faith has always informed his lyrics, and as his perspective changed, so did his lyrical content.

The post-Born Again albums of the mid-eighties reflect this, as they capture Dylan incorporating his perspective of faith and applying it to secular matters. He didn’t ‘move on’. He simply broadened his palette by re-incorporating secular subject matter to his writing.

Another misconception is that Dylan’s music from the eighties is somehow inferior to the balance of his work. While his output may have been inconsistent, this show should prove that point to be patently untrue.

Here is a list of songs featured in this program;

Jokerman

Neighborhood Bully

Sweetheart Like You

License to Kill

Man of Peace

Don’t Fall Apart on Me Tonight

Union Sundown

Blind Willie McTell

I and I (live version)

Tight Connection to My Heart

Dark Eyes