Despite its loud and predictable rockability opening and the lacklustre lyrics at the heart of Down in the Groove’s opening track, there is a resurgence of quality for Bob Dylan. An artist adrift in the 1980s and struggling to hit on anything that was all that pertinent to the genre or popular phase of the time. An unenviable place to be, but for Dylan to rattle on through and release Down in the Groove is the only way to move out of that so-called slump. Eric Clapton on guitar, Steve Jones and Mark Knopfler guest spots, it is not as though quality is not behind Down in the Groove. The problem that marks this piece decades on from its release then, is not knowing how to celebrate the large span of talent.
Take Let’s Stick Together as a clear sign of that, an opening piece that holds within it all the tropes of the classic Dylan track. Separately they are engaging and fun, but together it creates a wall of sound that is almost impossible to break through. That instrumental period of loud and noisy tracks is a cult blessing in disguise, a real and rewarding blanket of sound that wraps itself around some loose and free lyrics. Follow-up track When Did You Leave Heaven? is a great example of how that soundscape can work well. Once more pairing originals with covers, Dylan’s vocal range through Down in the Groove is enjoyable and fairly freewheeling at times. Quality flows from this 1988 release in the strangest of places.
From the now-famed Death Is Not the End (in-part thanks to a superior Nick Cave cover) and the step-back from those gospel tones that were the death knell of Dylan’s previous works. Had a Dream About You, Baby is the dreamchild of Mitchell Froom and Beau Hill’s exceptional keyboard playing. Down in the Groove is completely covered in collaboration, a reliance Dylan was leaning on more and more. Even Ugliest Girl in the World, while not the most lyrically inspired, provides some more of that wall of sound, as sickly and explosive as it is, there are moments where Down in the Groove becomes exceptionally enjoyable. Silvio is light and fun, while album closers Shenandoah and Rank Strangers to Me are a delightful pairing that highlights a real, consistent pace found throughout.
A debate over when exactly Dylan hit rock bottom for his career has waged on for some time. It is not from Down in the Groove, though. These tracks are a retaliation to the awkward and stuttering simplicity of Knocked Out Loaded. Considering Oh Mercy was right around the corner, it would be far too brief a stint at the bottom should Down in the Groove, with its delightful collection of solid rock riffs, be considered his worst effort. Far, far better than most of the albums following the post-Slow Train Coming period, although not much better than the middling designs of his music at the time. Strong covers and some relative quality spread throughout mark Down in the Groove not as a rock bottom, but as a resurgence.
