Knocked Out Loaded
Knocked Out Loaded is the twenty-fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on July 14, 1986, by Columbia Records.[1] The album's title derives from the lyrics of the blues song "Junco Partner," originally recorded by James Booker.[2] The record was produced by Dylan himself and compiled primarily from outtakes of previous sessions, including those for his 1985 album Empire Burlesque, along with some new recordings made at studios such as Cherokee Studios and Skyline Studios in California.[3] It features eight tracks, five of which were written or co-written by Dylan—including solo compositions "Driftin' Too Far from Shore" and "Maybe Someday," and co-writes "Brownsville Girl" (with Sam Shepard), "Got My Mind Made Up" (with Tom Petty), and "Under Your Spell" (with Carole Bayer Sager)—while the others are covers of traditional gospel ("Precious Memories"), Kris Kristofferson's "They Killed Him," and Little Junior Parker's "You Wanna Ramble."[3] Notable guest musicians include Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' Mike Campbell on guitar, the Rolling Stones' Ron Wood on guitar, and diverse instrumentation such as steel drums and a children's choir.[1] Upon release, Knocked Out Loaded received mixed to negative critical reception, often criticized for its patchwork assembly and lack of cohesion, extending the polished but uninspired production style of Dylan's mid-1980s work.[3][4] Despite this, "Brownsville Girl" stands out as a surreal, narrative-driven highlight that showcases Dylan's storytelling prowess amid the album's otherwise slight offerings.[3] The album peaked at number 53 on the Billboard 200 but marked a low point in Dylan's commercial and artistic trajectory during the decade.[3]Background
Dylan's career context in the 1980s
Following his transformative folk-to-rock evolution in the 1960s and the introspective, relationship-focused albums of the early 1970s such as Blood on the Tracks (1975) and Desire (1976), Bob Dylan entered a profound spiritual phase in the late 1970s. In 1979, Dylan publicly announced his conversion to evangelical Christianity, influenced by personal encounters and biblical study, leading to a series of albums infused with religious themes: Slow Train Coming (1979), Saved (1980), and Shot of Love (1981).[5] This "born-again" period alienated some fans and critics who viewed it as a departure from his secular, socially conscious roots, though it showcased Dylan's willingness to explore faith openly in his songwriting.[6] By the early 1980s, Dylan began transitioning back to secular material, gradually phasing out overt proselytizing while retaining subtle spiritual undertones in his work.[5] This shift was evident in key releases like Infidels (1983), produced by Mark Knopfler and featuring collaborations with musicians such as Mick Taylor and Sly Dunbar, which marked a critical resurgence with its blend of rock energy and reflective lyrics on politics, religion, and personal disillusionment.[7] Critics hailed it as Dylan's strongest output since the 1970s, praising tracks like "Jokerman" for their poetic depth, though commercial success remained modest compared to his peak years.[8] However, Empire Burlesque (1985), with its slick production by Arthur Baker incorporating synthesizers and layered overdubs, faced harsher scrutiny for its uneven songwriting and overpolished sound, despite energetic highlights like "Tight Connection to My Heart (Has Anyone Seen My Love?)."[9] The album's mixed reception underscored Dylan's ongoing commercial struggles in the 1980s, as he grappled with adapting to contemporary rock production amid declining album sales and shifting audience expectations.[10] Dylan's artistic direction was increasingly shaped by personal relationships and collaborations, notably his partnership with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, which began in the mid-1980s through shared festival appearances and culminated in the 1986 "True Confessions" tour where the Heartbreakers served as Dylan's backing band.[11] This alliance injected fresh vitality into Dylan's performances, blending his raw style with the band's tight rock arrangements, and extended to co-writing efforts like the Heartbreakers' "Jammin' Me."[11] These 1980s networks also laid the groundwork for the Traveling Wilburys supergroup, formed in 1988 with Dylan, Petty, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, and Roy Orbison during informal studio sessions originally intended for a Harrison B-side; the group's collaborative spirit and hit single "Handle with Care" highlighted Dylan's embrace of ensemble creativity amid his solo challenges.[12] In the early 1980s, Dylan showed reluctance to tour extensively, limiting major outings after his 1981 gospel tours—which faced audience backlash—to sporadic appearances, such as a brief 1984 run, reflecting a period of introspection and studio focus over road demands.[13] This hiatus contributed to perceptions of career stagnation, but by mid-decade, Dylan pivoted toward more collaborative and improvisational recording methods, relying on loose jam sessions with rotating session musicians rather than rigid band structures, a approach evident in the ad-hoc assembly of tracks for albums like Empire Burlesque.[14] This less structured style allowed for experimentation but often resulted in fragmented results, mirroring Dylan's evolving, unpredictable creative process during the decade.[14]Conceptual origins
Knocked Out Loaded originated as a means for Bob Dylan to satisfy his ongoing contractual commitments to Columbia Records in the wake of his 1985 album Empire Burlesque, with the goal of expediting a new release to align with his touring schedule. The album was pieced together rapidly, drawing on previously recorded material to form a cohesive, if eclectic, collection without the need for extensive new composition during a period of artistic transition. This approach allowed Dylan to deliver the project efficiently, reflecting the practical pressures of his long-standing recording deal.[14] The record incorporated outtakes from earlier sessions, including tracks from the Infidels (1983) and Empire Burlesque eras, supplemented by fresh collaborations to complete the lineup. Songs like "Driftin' Too Far from Shore," recorded in 1984, and selections from 1985 sessions were revived and enhanced, highlighting Dylan's strategy of repurposing vault material amid a phase of inconsistent output. This patchwork assembly underscored the album's role as a bridge between past efforts and new explorations, filling the record with a mix of original compositions and interpretations. Specific overdubs from 1984–1986 sessions were added to refine these pieces.[15] In interviews around the album's release, Dylan expressed his aim to craft a "loaded" collection brimming with diverse influences, evoking a sense of abundance and variety in sound and theme. He envisioned it as an experimental endeavor, incorporating literary allusions such as the paraphrase of T.S. Eliot's "Journey of the Magi" in "Maybe Someday," where lines like "the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly" echo Eliot's depiction of a barren landscape. This nod to modernist poetry exemplified Dylan's intent to infuse the work with intellectual depth drawn from broader cultural sources.[16][17] The decision to include extended narrative tracks, such as the 11-minute "Brownsville Girl," and covers of traditional and gospel numbers like "You Wanna Ramble" and "Precious Memories," mirrored Dylan's experimental mindset during a time of creative stagnation in the mid-1980s. Facing blocks in songwriting innovation, he turned to longer forms and reinterpretations to reinvigorate his process, allowing for spontaneous jamming and collaborative input that contrasted with his more structured recent releases. This reflected a broader phase of artistic reinvention, prioritizing breadth over uniformity.[18]Recording and composition
Studio sessions
The recording sessions for Knocked Out Loaded took place over a fragmented period from late 1984 to mid-1986, reflecting Bob Dylan's busy touring commitments and collaborative approach that involved multiple studios across the United States and the United Kingdom. Primary locations included Cherokee Studios in Hollywood, California; The Church Studios in London; Delta Recording Studios in New York City; Skyline Studios (also known as Topanga Skyline Studio) in Topanga Park, California; and Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California.[1][3] Initial basic tracks were cut in December 1984 at Cherokee Studios, notably for "Brownsville Girl," co-written with playwright Sam Shepard, featuring musicians such as Ira Ingber on guitar, Vincent Melamed on keyboards, Carl Sealove on bass, and Don Heffington on drums.[19] These early sessions laid foundational elements for several songs, but progress stalled amid Dylan's 1985 tour schedule, which limited his studio involvement.[14] Activity resumed in early 1986, with overdubs and additional recordings occurring primarily between April and June at Skyline Studios and Sound City, where Dylan directed much of the work despite his intermittent presence due to ongoing performances.[20] Remote contributions were key, including sessions on February 9–10, 1986, at Festival Studios in Sydney, Australia, involving Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers—Mike Campbell on guitar, Benmont Tench on keyboards, Howie Epstein on bass, and Stan Lynch on drums—during Dylan's tour stop there.[20] The album's production emphasized overdubs on existing material rather than extensive new recordings, drawing from archival tapes of basic tracks originating as early as July 1984 at locations like Delta Studios and Cherokee Studios, which extended the overall timeline to nearly two years and underscored Dylan's method of assembling disparate elements from prior efforts.[20]Song selection and overdubs
The album Knocked Out Loaded features a diverse array of tracks curated to form a patchwork collection, comprising three cover songs, two songs written solely by Dylan, and three co-written tracks. Examples include covers like "You Wanna Ramble" (adapted from Little Junior Parker's blues standard) and "Precious Memories" (a traditional gospel song), alongside co-writes such as "Under Your Spell" (with Carole Bayer Sager), "Brownsville Girl" (with Sam Shepard, originally an outtake from the Empire Burlesque sessions reworked for this release), and "Got My Mind Made Up" (with Tom Petty).[1] This selection emphasized variety over cohesion, drawing from recent compositions, archival material, and external contributions to create a collage-like structure distinct from the more thematically unified albums Dylan had released previously.[16] The overdub process significantly shaped the album's sound, with 1986 sessions at studios like Skyline Recording in Topanga Canyon adding layers to basic tracks and demos recorded as early as 1984.[21] These overdubs incorporated elements such as horns (contributed by musicians including Jim Horn and Steve Douglas) and extensive backing vocals (featuring artists like Carol Dennis and the Regina McCrary Singers), enhancing the raw foundations of songs like "Brownsville Girl" and "Got My Mind Made Up" to give them a fuller, more contemporary polish.[21] Specific overdub dates included April 28–30 and May 1–2, 9, 14–23, and 26, 1986, transforming sparse earlier recordings into the album's eclectic final form.[21] While the album drew from a pool of material spanning Dylan's recent work, it excluded several potential tracks from prior sessions, such as unused outtakes from the Infidels era (1983), opting instead for the selected mix to maintain its non-thematic diversity.[22] Dylan expressed a deliberate rationale for this approach, selecting songs based on intuitive feel rather than imposing a unified theme, which he viewed as a departure from the conceptual focus of albums like Infidels or Empire Burlesque.[16] This curatorial choice underscored the album's experimental, assembled nature, prioritizing breadth across covers, partnerships, and solos over narrative consistency.Artwork and packaging
Cover design
The initial cover artwork for Knocked Out Loaded was commissioned from Rick Griffin, a renowned artist known for his work with the Grateful Dead, who produced a psychedelic design titled "All Jacked Up" featuring a Don Quixote-inspired figure on a donkey.[23] This concept was ultimately rejected by Bob Dylan and the label for being overly psychedelic and not aligning with the desired aesthetic.[23] Griffin's original painting later sold at a 2008 auction for $7,350.[24] The final cover adopted a pulp fiction style, reworking the January 1939 issue of the American magazine Spicy Adventure Stories, specifically the "Daughters of Doom" cover illustrated by H. L. Parkhurst.[2] The image depicts a woman in a yellow dress cradling a dazed, knocked-out boxer in tattered attire, directly evoking the album title's boxing metaphor of being overwhelmed or defeated.[25] This choice drew from 1940s adventure pulp aesthetics, emphasizing dramatic, sensational visuals typical of the era's magazines.[26] Art direction for the cover was handled by Charles Sappington, who adapted the vintage illustration while incorporating the album title and Dylan's name in bold, period-appropriate typography.[24] Although Sappington was credited, he later clarified his role was limited, distancing himself from the full creative process.[27]Inner sleeve and credits
The inner sleeve of the vinyl edition of Knocked Out Loaded features an extensive list of special thanks, acknowledging over 120 individuals and organizations, including musicians such as Tom Petty, as well as friends, family members like Dylan's daughter Desiree, and businesses.[1][24] Rather than traditional liner notes providing biographical or contextual essays, this section emphasizes cryptic and humorous acknowledgments, such as "Gal Shaped Just Like A Frog" and "Baby Boo Boo," which infuse Dylan's personal whimsy into the packaging.[1] The sleeve also details copyright and publishing information for each track, noting co-writers where relevant, including Sam Shepard on "Brownsville Girl," Tom Petty on "Got My Mind Made Up," and Carole Bayer Sager on "Under Your Spell."[28][4] While the vinyl includes a printed inner sleeve overlaid with a photograph, the CD packaging adds a booklet containing brief track descriptions and lyrics, enhancing accessibility for listeners.[28][29]Musical content
Track listing
Knocked Out Loaded features eight tracks, divided across two sides on the original vinyl release (Columbia FC 40056). The album's total runtime is 36:11.[3][2]| Side | No. | Title | Writer(s) | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1 | "You Wanna Ramble" | Little Junior Parker | 3:18 |
| A | 2 | "They Killed Him" | Kris Kristofferson | 4:03 |
| A | 3 | "Driftin' Too Far from Shore" | Bob Dylan | 3:40 |
| A | 4 | "Precious Memories" | J. B. F. Wright | 3:14 |
| A | 5 | "Maybe Someday" | Bob Dylan | 3:18 |
| B | 6 | "Brownsville Girl" | Bob Dylan, Sam Shepard | 11:00 |
| B | 7 | "Got My Mind Made Up" | Bob Dylan, Tom Petty | 2:55 |
| B | 8 | "Under Your Spell" | Bob Dylan, Carole Bayer Sager | 3:48 |