You would be hard-pressed to find a moment where Bob Dylan felt lower than the start of the 1990s. Despite the success of Oh Mercy the year before, it does not sound as though this brief return to form galvanised him, in the studio or on stage. He would release Under the Red Sky, a miserable piece of work with the likes of Wiggle Wiggle included. What follows are two cover albums and a moment where Dylan contemplates being tapped out for songwriting charms. He was running on fumes long before this moment. But the desire to work and also have a rest is a creative nightmare. It is something many face daily, this want to return to the studio, to the canvas, but lacking the energy or mindset to continue. Creativity comes in waves, and for Over-Step the Line, a compilation of 1990 performances from Dylan, you can hear the lack of energy.
Fine unofficial compilation work to say the least, a focus on the heavier instrumental pockets Dylan had been detailing at the time, that is what Over-Step the Line offers. Though the notes of Political World open this album, the suggestion of Dylan as a cultural commentator at the time is lost completely. He did not back his read on the world with stage performances to match the rage, the thoughtfulness, of Oh Mercy. That much is clear on Over Step the Line, not just in the at-the-time contemporary material but in the classics which litter the tracklist. Instrumentally, Dylan sounds fantastic. He assembles a firm ensemble on stage, a transitional period from the heavier rock and roll days of the 1980s into the vocal lead which would dominate the 1990s. You can hear it on No More One More Time, a quality cover from Dylan, though a surprising song choice. It does not take long for the compilation to get to those classic tracks, though.
Like a Rolling Stone is not just of solid quality, but proves to be a nice precursor to Empire Burlesque rip, Tight Connection to My Heart. The Highway 61 Revisited track reaches an instrumental peak as Dylan finds his way back from the brink, the off-kilter performance and sluggish-sounding wordplay brought into a recognisable tempo. The same goes for I Shall Be Released and Desolation Row, those gruff vocal choices threatening to collapse at any moment, yet through either magic or fear of what may go wrong, are held up brilliantly. A few deep cuts like Disease of Conceit and Shooting Star offer a chance to hear those Oh Mercy pieces in their full glory, with some brilliant guitar work featuring. Moments where a breathless Dylan hammers out a classic, other parts where he sounds responsive to the contemporary moments.
What must be remembered, and is brought on well with Over-Step the Line, is the contemporary material has done, and always will be, the core of a tour. There are spots for this hit or that song, but to expect Dylan to play just the hits is still a show several hours long. Take a look at the tracklist featured on this unofficial compilation and you get a feeling for the tone of each show. Any great compilation can replicate the stage experience with a show of its own making, and by compiling the efforts across a strange and often flat tour, Over-Step the Line finds new life in a low point. Everything is Broken and I Shall Be Released are excellent inclusions, a neat contrast of the tone, but a similarity in the worldview is painted brilliantly on paper. In performance, much is left to be desired.
