Dylan's musical timeout is over

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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.