Tune in tonight at 7pm Atlantic for Tonight’s Listening Party Album: Knocked Out Loaded
(6pm Eastern, 5pm Central, 3pm Pacific, 11pm London, 10am Sydney)

Knocked Out Loaded is the twenty-fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on July 14, 1986 by Columbia Records.  The album was received poorly upon release, and is still considered by some critics to be one of Dylan’s least-engaging efforts. However, the 11-minute epic “Brownsville Girl”, co-written by Sam Shepard, has been cited as one of his best songs by some critics.

Tune in tonight at 7pm Atlantic for Tonight’s Listening Party Album: Empire Burlesque
(6pm Eastern, 5pm Central, 3pm Pacific, 11pm London, 10am Sydney)

Empire Burlesque is the twenty-third studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on June 10, 1985 on Columbia Records. Self-produced, the album peaked at number thirty-three in the US and at number eleven in the UK.

Accompanied by multiple session musicians—including Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers members, Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench and Howie Epstein—the album features a distinct “80s style” aesthetic. Fans and critics continue to debate the album’s merits, especially when compared to his 1960s and 1970s output.

Tune in tonight at 7pm Atlantic for Tonight’s Listening Party Album: Infidels
(6pm Eastern, 5pm Central, 3pm Pacific, 11pm London, 10am Sydney)

Infidels is the twenty-second studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on October 27, 1983 by Columbia Records.

Produced by Mark Knopfler and Dylan himself, Infidels is seen as his return to secular music, following a conversion to Christianity, three evangelical, gospel records and a subsequent return to a less religious lifestyle. Though he has never abandoned religious imagery, Infidels gained much attention for its focus on more personal themes of love and loss, in addition to commentary on the environment and geopolitics. Christopher Connelly of Rolling Stone called those gospel albums just prior to Infidels “lifeless”, and saw Infidels as making Bob Dylan’s career viable again. According to Connelly and others, Infidels is Dylan’s best poetic and melodic work since Blood on the Tracks.

The critical reaction was the strongest for Dylan in years, almost universally hailed for its songwriting and performances. The album also fared well commercially, reaching #20 in the US and going gold, and #9 in the UK. Still, many fans and critics were disappointed that several songs were inexplicably cut from the album just prior to mastering—primarily “Blind Willie McTell”, considered a career highlight by many critics, and not officially released until it appeared on The Bootleg Series Volume III eight years later.

Tune in tonight at 7pm Atlantic for Tonight’s Listening Party Album: Shot of Love
(6pm Eastern, 5pm Central, 3pm Pacific, 11pm London, 10am Sydney)

Shot of Love is the twenty-first studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on August 10, 1981 by Columbia Records. It is considered to be Dylan’s last of a trilogy of Christian albums. Arrangements are rooted more in rock’n’roll, and less in gospel than Dylan’s two previous albums.

At the time of its release, Shot of Love received mixed reviews; Paul Nelson of Rolling Stone criticised the album, though he did single out the last track “Every Grain of Sand,” as a stand-out. Shot of Love, while reaching UK #6, continued Dylan’s US commercial decline, reaching #33 during a brief chart stay. Bono of Irish band U2 described Shot of Love as one of his favourites, particularly due to Dylan’s singing ability.

Tune in tonight at 7pm Atlantic for Tonight’s Listening Party Album: Saved
(6pm Eastern, 5pm Central, 3pm Pacific, 11pm London, 10am Sydney)

Saved is the twentieth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on June 23, 1980, by Columbia Records. Saved was the second album of Dylan’s “Christian trilogy”, following his conversion to born-again Christianity. It expanded on themes explored on its predecessor Slow Train Coming, with gospel arrangements and lyrics extolling the importance of a strong personal faith. The album hit No. 3 on the UK charts, reached No. 24 on the US charts and did not go gold. CCM Magazine described the album as an “open declaration of Dylan’s deepening faith.” Critical reaction to the album was mixed.