Track Listing

1. Hurricane
2. Isis
3. Mozambique
4. One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below)
5. Oh, Sister
6. Joey
7. Romance in Durango
8. Black Diamond Bay
9. Sara

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12125 in Music
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2003-09-16
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Hybrid SACD - DSD, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .16 pounds

Customer Reviews

Bob, Emmylou, and Scarlet Rivera, too
If I had to choose only one of Bob Dylan's albums for the proverbial desert island adventure, it might just be 1976's "Desire." I'm still a little baffled by "Joey," the song our bard co-wrote in inexplicable praise of mobster Joey Gallo, but I'm also deeply moved by it. Scarlet Rivera's mournful violin and Emmylou Harris' beautiful falsetto duetting with Dylan makes it my favorite track even though I tend to side with the late Lester Bangs' famous essay ("Dylan's dalliance with mafia chic") in which he offered a line by line refutation of every admirable claim Dylan makes on Gallo's behalf.

Elsewhere, "Isis" contains some of the cleverest lyrics Dylan has written, and the often unheralded "Black Diamond Bay" is its equal. Then there's the the hauntingly beautiful "Oh, Sister" and Dylan's unabashed tribute to his ex-wife, "Sara." And I love "Mozambique," which deserved to be a hit single in that year when "Silly Love Songs" by Wings was a number one smash. What's the matter with people? Are they deaf?

Apparently some of them are. I've often read about how "Desire" fails to make the grade because of its lousy production. I admit I'm no audiophile, but it always sounded like one of Dylan's most polished efforts, and it sounds even better now. Sony has done an outstanding job with the remastering, but while they were at it, I wish they had added "Abandoned Love," one of Dylan's most infectious love songs, recorded for this album but shelved (ironically in favor of the aforementioned "Joey") until the release of "Biograph" nine years later.

Great New Sound for this Great Record
This record starts out with "Hurricane" Dylan's rage against the unjust jailing of Reuben "Hurricane" Carter for murder. Ronnie Blakely supplies backing vocals instead of Emmy Lou Harris who accompanies Mr. D on the rest of the record. That's because the folks in the suits thought the first version was too libelous. I've heard both versions, the one Ronnie is on is so much better. Dylan is much punchier, almost violet the way he sings the song. Scarlett's violin rips through the whole album, a ghostly sound. "Black Diamond Bay," is a song, a story, a movie waiting to be made. "Romance in Durango" another movie in waiting is reminiscent of the Marty Robbins' "Gunfighter Ballads." The lovely "Sara," a ballad to his (ex) wife. Five Stars.

Reviewed by Stephanie Sane

I Can't Seem to Get Enough of Desire
Desire is one album that I can't seem to get enough of. The long song "Hurricane" about how a black prize fighter ran afoul of New Jersey justice just because of the color of his skin will chill you to the core. Another long song, "Isis" will have you itchin' to travel as Dylan assaults your mind with image after image. The cowboy ballad, "Romance in Durango" will have you dreaming of Mexico and the Old West. "Sara" will have you waxing nostalgic for your lost love, if you've got one. But the real gem on this album is "Black Diamond Bay" a song about a volcano erupting on a South Pacific island, how the people there handle it and how those back in America don't even care. This is just one really good album.