Sept 15th in Pop History

On this day, September 15th, in:  

• 1979 - Bob Dylan released the album Slow Train Coming. It was his first of three in his trilogy of Christian themed albums. 

Rolling Stone says of this album, “It takes only one listening to realize that Slow Train Coming (Columbia Records) is the best album Bob Dylan has made since The Basement Tapes (recorded with The Band in 1967). The more I hear the new album — at least fifty times since early July — the more I feel that it’s one of the finest records Dylan has ever made. In time, it is possible that it might even be considered his greatest.” 

The musicians on this record are the best Dylan has worked with since Highway 61 Revisited (1965), and Blonde on Blonde (1966), such as Mark Knopfler, lead guitarist for Dire Straits, whose solos match the intensity and anger of Dylan’s lyrics. To quote Rolling Stone again, “This piece of music comes as close as anything ever has to matching The Rolling Stones. The horn arrangements and rhythm guitar bring to mind Bitch and Brown Sugar. For years, Dylan has implied that he could outdo Mick Jagger, and if he ever wanted to prove the point, the song Gonna Change My Way of Thinking is it. It’s certainly as good as it gets.” 

Slow Train Coming was generally well-reviewed by music critics, and the single Gotta Serve Somebody became his first hit in three years, winning Dylan the inaugural Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance in 1980. I remember watching him perform the song, on his first ever appearance on Saturday Night Live, in his own characteristic style and with the skill of the rock star he had become. The album peaked at No. 2 on the charts in the UK and reached No. 3 in the US, where it went platinum. And for Dylan’s fans who dwell in the Christian community, Slow Train Coming was listed at No. 16 in the 2001 book CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music.

Slow Train Coming is the 19th studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on August 20, 1979. Slow Train Coming is the title song of the album. It was Dylan's first album following his conversion to faith in Christ, and the songs express his personal faith, and stress the importance of Christian teaching and Biblical truth. The evangelical feel of the record made some a little uncomfortable at first, but it was hard to argue with the quality of the record he created. The professional production was second to none.

As a result, instead of scaring people away, Dylan only expanded his fan base, once they heard the record. After a several-year rough patch for Dylan releases, he was badly in need of a homerun. Enter Slow Train Coming, an album which hit it out of the park, with the bases loaded! The album sold over a million copies in the US alone. 

If you’ve never listened to this great record, take a few minutes and check out the Spotify link below. 

The single Gotta Serve Somebody on Spotify:

The album Slow Train Coming on Spotify:

And continuing on Sept. 15th…

• 1956 - Elvis Presley's monumental double-sided hit Hound Dog / Don't Be Cruel was the  # 1 song on the R&B chart 

• 1964 - The Beatles were ordered off the stage midway through their concert at the Public Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio by authorities so the screaming crowd could calm down 

• 1975 - John Denver released the great album Windsong 

• 1984 - Purple Rain, which had taken over from Born in the U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen, was # 1 on the Album chart for the seventh week for Prince 

• 2003 - ABBA overtook Elvis Presley and the Beatles as the most tributed act in the Rock Era with more ABBA tribute acts performing than for any other artist