Bob Dylan Oh Mercy

Personnel: Bob Dylan (vocals, 6- & 12-string guitars, guitar, harmonica, piano, organ); Daniel Lanois (guitar, lap steel, dobro, Omnichord); Mason Ruffner, Brian Stoltz, Paul Synegal (guitar); Rockin' Dopsie (accordion); John Hart (saxophone); Malcolm Burn (keyboards, tambourine); Tony Hall, Larry Jolivet (bass); Willie Green, Alton Rubin, Jr. (drums); David Rubin, Jr. (scrub board); Cyril Neville, Daryl Johnson (percussion).The second half of the 1980s was a dark time for hardcore Dylan fans, as their hero released a string of overproduced, lackluster albums, but the trend was gloriously reversed in 1989 with OH MERCY. The record was produced by Eno acolyte Daniel Lanois, and would help make the Canadian studio wizard a first-call producer, in addition to righting Dylan's reputation. Accordingly for an album made in New Orleans, OH MERCY has a thick, swampy, organic feel that echoes the blues roots so fundamental to Dylan's aesthetic, while simultaneously re-imagining them in a fr