By the end of the 1980s, Bob Dylan was at a critical juncture in his career. He had journeyed through several years recording Christian-based music, and then, after a handful of poorly received albums, he was at a point of being considered a spent force.
But Dylan’s fortunes would soon turn around. While his foray with Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, George Harrison and Roy Orbison as part of the Traveling Wilburys would set the wheels in motion for a commercial comeback, it would be his teaming with producer Daniel Lanois that would finally reestablish his legendary status. Lanois went on to produce Dylan’s 1989 album Oh Mercy and 1997’s Time Out of Mind, both of which revitalized Dylan’s career and standing within the music community.
“He’s a very dedicated specialist and has a vast knowledge of records,” Lanois recalls today of Dylan. “He knows the records he loves. A lot of them are very old records that go all the way back to Rudy Vallée. [starts singing] ‘Swanee, how I love you, how I love you, my dear old Swanee.’
“I think Bob always appreciated the projection from the artists, the singers of that era, and I believe you can hear it in his tone as well. But it deserves to be said that Bob is not only a master of the word — he’s also a master of phrasing and has a very beautiful deep voice. And so, he’s got a lot of advantages.
“And he likes the sound of all of those records, those vibrant records from the ’50s; the early rock and roll records. And when we worked together, he recommended a bunch of those records for me to listen to. I knew some of them, and it was nice to go back to them and hear what Bob was talking about: the sound of something vibrant and unfolding, where it’s more of a document rather than building a monument.”
Largely we used Bob’s vocals off the floor. There’s always that feeling of something unfolding in the room.”
– Daniel Lanois
The approach can be heard throughout both albums, from the haunted atmosphere of “Man in the Long Black Coat” on Oh Mercy to the stark, late-career masterpiece “Not Dark Yet” on Time Out of Mind, songs that showcase the sense of space, spontaneity and emotional depth Lanois sought to capture in the studio.
To get to the heart and soul of Dylan’s artistry, Lanois worked to document Dylan’s unadulterated live-in-the-studio performances, using recording techniques the producer felt emphasized those vital elements at their best without losing any of the spontaneity.
“All of the vocals from Bob were live vocals,” Lanois says. “I might do a backup, a safety take or two, but largely we used Bob’s vocals off the floor. There’s always that feeling of something unfolding in the room.
“And so, on both of those records, you might be hearing the freshness and the vibrant vocal delivery, though there’s always a few lines that Bob wants to change or repair.
“That was interesting, especially on the first record I made with him, Oh Mercy. We were both playing acoustic guitars, and I decided to go with pickups on the guitars that then fed these little Fender amps hidden in a closet with cushions on them. So, it meant that if Bob was changing the lyrics, I wouldn’t have vocal leakage in the guitar microphone.
“And somebody might say, ‘Well, that’s a shame because you’re not miking a lovely acoustic instrument.’ But there’s something about the more metallic electric-acoustic sound that you can get from pickups. It’s part of the depth of field that shows up on that record, that Bob’s vocal is very vibrant and upfront and the guitars are a little more somber, hidden in the bushes.”
Lanois affirms that when it came to songwriting, Dylan was never satisfied with what he had written and would continue to revise his writing throughout the recording process. “Bob would come back the next day and say, ‘Dan, I think I bettered the lyrics. Let me try another third verse.’”
Dylan was also a creature of habit, preferring to record material in the dead of night, something he believed brought his music a mercurial ambience.
“It’s definitely a different feeling,” Lanois says. “We noticed in the studio that the nighttime defenses are down. Maybe it’s because you’re a little tired and so some of the morning concerns might not be there in the evening. It’s just built in. As the sun disappears, we’re meant to be in the lair rebuilding our strengths, so there’s no doubt the nighttime generally suggests satisfaction with slightly slower tempos.”
Lanois says that having the studio set up in a way that helped foster an environment that allowed Dylan to pursue whatever ideas he had was paramount to the recording process.
“When we hooked up the first time, it was in New Orleans and Bob was on tour, and he had stopped in to see how our sessions were going with the Neville Brothers,” Lanois explains. “We were making a record called Yellow Moon and it was an improvised setup. We were in a beautiful old six-story apartment building and I had the studio on one floor.
“You could think of it more like a traveling show technologically. Everything was on wheels, and at that point we’d gotten pretty good at assembling a studio, a conventional studio, because PA equipment had reached a point where you could have recording-type gear ready to roll. So I took advantage of that and made sure that I had people with me who were used to being on the road, and that worked out very well.”
Lanois says the preparation and expertise meant they could start recording at a moment’s notice, whenever Dylan wanted.
“When Bob and I began working together, we’d already solved all our problems and dealt with sound issues, so we weren’t wasting his time and could enjoy doing it. I’d have Bob’s vocal chain put together, and if he walked in saying, ‘I’m ready,’ we could get to work.”
Dylan’s lyrics are inspired by the feel of a groove, so it was critical for Lanois to create a solid rhythmic bed.
I think we got to a very soulful place, which I’m very proud of. But in regard to doing another record? Give Bob a call and ask him.”
— Daniel Lanois
“For the making of Time Out of Mind, Bob wanted me to listen to some great old records. So we listened to those together, and I went as far as building some grooves that were based on those old records,” he recalls.
“I did them in New York with a friend who had a little home studio. We went in there and played along with old rock and roll records — for example Little Walter. And then in the end, we just took Little Walter out and saw what kind of topping we had. We were just doing drums, no harmonic information. My friend played drums and I played percussion.”
Lanois calls the tracks he created “insurance policies.”
“We were making a blues-based record and you don’t want to fall into the blues-band bag,” he explains. “The grooves were something that I could feed to the drummers. I’d send them the rhythmic preparations, and that helped us get to a more unique place.”
Lanois has the utmost respect for Dylan and is very proud of the two albums he produced for him. So does he envisage a possible third album to complete the trilogy at some point in the future?
“I’m not going to predict any kind of future work with Bob,” he says. “He is certainly one of the greats, and we managed to make two records that people are still interested in and talk about. And I think we got to a very soulful place, which I’m very proud of. But in regard to doing another record? Give Bob a call and ask him.”
