The Eighties were not a good time for Dylan. Then again the Eighties were not a good time for most of the rock stars of the sixties and seventies. The dominance of MTV and the ubiquity of synthesizers and drum machines left these former legends feeling un-cool and out-of-touch for the first time ever, just as they were entering middle age. Some tried desperately to cling to any sort of commercial success of relevance, embarrassing themselves in the process. Others just gave up completely relegating themselves to playing their hits on the oldies circuit at state fairs and not trying to enter the cultural conversation any more.

Without the passion and fire of spreading the gospel, Dylan was at a lost as to why exactly he should continue to create new music. It had merely become a habit to him at this point, and one he wasn’t very engaged in. Bob tried his hand at hiring in-vogue producers to try and reignite the spark: Mark Knopfler for Infidels, Arthur Baker for Empire Burlesque, Don Was for Under The Red Sky. In between these albums were a couple of records that seemed to have no one at all at the helm. Knocked Out Loaded and Down In The Groove seemed to happen out of sheer inertia and not because anyone involved was really trying. While Self Portrait may have engendered outrage, hatred and confusion, these records were considered worse simply because they didn’t elicit any response at all beyond apathy.

Without a regular backing band, Bob would rely on a more popular act to support him on tour, as well as draw an audience to the show. Dylan did tours with the Grateful Dead and Tom Petty during the Eighties to try and drum up interest in his flagging career. And it wasn’t just on the live stage where Bob was relying on guest stars. During this period Bob recorded with just about everyone: Sly & Robbie, Mick Taylor, Ronnie Wood, Full Force, Stevie Ray Vaughan (and his brother Jimmie), Anton Fig, Al Kooper, T-Bone Burnett, Dave Stewart, Eric Clapton, Kip Winger, Randy Jackson, Paul Simonon, Steve Jones, The Plugz, David Crosby, Bruce Hornsby, Elton John, George Harrison, and Slash. He even co-wrote songs with Carole Bayer Sager, Sam Sheppard, Michael Bolton, and Gene Simmons during this period.

The most successful of these team-ups, came not as guest stars, but a true collaboration. The Traveling Wilburys managed to raise Bob’s profile more than any of his appearance at Live Aid or We Are The World (or the horrific film Hearts of Fire) would ever do. The super-group consisted of Roy Orbison, George Harrison, Tom Petty, and ELO’s Jeff Lynne. Freed from having to write and lead the whole album himself, Bob’s three contributions to this album really stood out.

Shortly after the first Wilburys album brought the best reviews of the decade for Dylan, he ditched the big-name backing bands and started what was jokingly titled “The Never-Ending Tour”. Playing smaller cities and smaller venue, with a crackerjack band content to stay on the sidelines allowed Bob to rejuvenate his muse and his career. Making for a series of comebacks that will be covered next week, leaving behind the half-hearted desperation of the eighties.

Still there are those who claim that there are some hidden gems scattered among the dross of this decade, but no one has ever really argues that his work at this time was terribly consistent. In fact, most of his his best material from this period, (like say Blind Willie McTell) would end up being cut from the album it was originally intended for and left until the official Bootleg Series to see the light of day.