Dylan’s musical timeout is over

Bob Dylan

Modern Times

Columbia

It took Bob Dylan about 30 years to fully recover from the trauma of being “Bob Dylan,” prophet, poet and the “voice of a generation.” As Martin Scorcese’s 2005 PBS documentary reminded us, Mr. Dylan was ridiculously young when he arrived in Manhattan, a brilliantly imaginative, omnivorous, playful, wisecracking youth who was clearly having a ball both onstage and off.

It’s heartbreaking to watch and listen, in the Scorcese film and many other documentaries and live recordings, as the pressures of fame slowly but inexorably curdle that joy, turning Mr. Dylan surly and suspicious, and finally driving him to reclusion in upstate New York.

According to “Chronicles,” the surprisingly candid autobiography he published last year, by the ‘80s Mr. Dylan had completely lost his focus. He was disgusted with the music business, disillusioned with a public that literally sorted through his trash, and most crucially, completely unable to access his muse.

Records and performances from the period are evidence of a wounded artist on the defensive, at times indifferent, afraid, or angry (and yes, still occasionally brilliant), but mostly aimless, unable to look his public in the eye, unable to assert his artistic will.

With keen self-awareness, Mr. Dylan took his first baby steps on the road to recovery. These involved subtle changes to his vocal and guitar-playing technique, and his decision to devote himself to the crucible of live performances.

Painstakingly filtering out impurities, in the early ‘90s Mr. Dylan went all the way back to his roots and released two well-received solo acoustic albums of traditional folk and blues songs.

Finally, in 1997, Mr. Dylan was ready to record his first album of new material in seven years. A startling work, haunted by death, rootlessness and lost love, “Time Out of Mind” was an unprecedented return to form, and it topped the critics’ polls and won the Grammy for “Album of the Year.”

But to Mr. Dylan, it marked the end of a painful chapter as much as a new beginning. As he told Rolling Stone recently, “‘Time Out of Mind’ was me getting back in and fighting my way out of the corner.” He’s been looking forward ever since.

The last few years have seen something of a Dylan renaissance. There was the follow-up to “Time Out of Mind,” the rambunctious “Love and Theft” in 2001, followed by the autobiography, the documentary, and earlier this year, the start of the disarming and delightful “Theme Time Radio Hour” on XM Satellite Radio.

Each show has Mr. Dylan spinning old records based around a particular theme (the most recent was “Friends & Neighbors”) while recounting a little music history, cracking jokes, answering his listener mail and being generally quite charming. The dour prophet is nowhere to be found.

Clearly, Mr. Dylan is at ease, and having fun. He’s looking the world in the eye again, and even letting us peek at his cards. This renewed spirit infuses Bob Dylan’s new album, “Modern Times.”

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