Track Listing

1. Let's Stick Together - Bob Dylan, Harrison, W.
2. When Did You Leave Heaven? - Bob Dylan, Bullock, Walter
3. Sally Sue Brown - Bob Dylan, Alexander, Arthur
4. Death Is Not the End - Bob Dylan, Dylan, Bob
5. Had a Dream About You, Baby - Bob Dylan, Dylan, Bob
6. Ugliest Girl in the World - Bob Dylan, Dylan, Bob
7. Silvio - Bob Dylan, Dylan, Bob
8. Ninety Miles an Hour (Down a Dead End Street) - Bob Dylan, Blair, Hal
9. Shenandoah - Bob Dylan,
10. Rank Strangers (To Me) - Bob Dylan, Brumley, Albert E.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #136797 in Music
• Released on: 1990-10-25
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

Speedy process. Was very pleased!
Ordered this for my grandson, and he was very happy to receive it so quickly!

Crashing Disappointment
Assigning three stars for an album review titled "Crashing disappointment" sounds too generous, I know, but as a reviewer who acknowledges Dylan as one of the great philosophers of human history, I find this far below the master's best work, but still worthy of the level of three-star respect. Perhaps I was most disappointed in relation to my previous Dylan purchase "Oh Mercy" which rated five stars based on a set of songs that just poured into my soul.

"Down in the Groove" plays more like "Empire Burlesque" instead of "Oh Mercy", the songs and lyrics of the quality one should expect from Dylan spread too thin. At least on the "Groove", the songs aren't ruined by a bizarre mix decisions as on "Burlesque."

Only "Death is not the End" and "Silvio" stand up to the best of Dylan's catalog. For the rest, most are covers of songs one won't find in most artists' repertoire, with good reason, given Dylan's decidedly unique arrangements (compare Dylan's "Shenandoah" to Springsteen's, for example). And the originals don't spark to life, even in the snappy uptempo--almost rockabilly--vibe that permeates the album.

As you might judge from the fact that the three most recent Dylan purchases I have mentioned ("Groove", "Burlesque", and "Oh Mercy") are from a relatively down period of Dylan's career, I am on a path to flesh out my iTunes with the complete Dylan catalog, and am far past the folk years, the early electric years, the gospel album years, and the recent soulful renaissance that actually began with Oh Mercy. So as I move through the lesser-known lights to complete the catalog, I don't expect to find another "Blood on the Tracks" set hidden amongst them, and judged next to the amazing body of songs on these albums over an incredible 45-year span, "Groove" is not great.

But many artists would like to have a song like "Silvio" to grace their best album, would they not? Here Dylan puts it on a throwaway album and keeps moving.

Now that's talent. Three stars. No less. Take your Dylan hating somewhere else.

Ragged & Beautiful
I love this album - the songs all sound like very casual demos & rough mixes. It sounds like Dylan has rummaged through a bunch of rehearsal material & put together a mix-tape! Relaxed & confident, this is a really fun collection. Highlights: When Did You Leave Heaven & Shenandoah. But there's lots to like here. I recommend coupling this with 'Knocked Out Loaded', they're really Side A & Side B of the same "album".