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Lanois details Dylan’s Oh Mercy recording approach
Joker and the Thief published Daniel Lanois’s reflections on producing Bob Dylan, centered on the 1989 Oh Mercy sessions in New Orleans. Lanois described building the record around Dylan’s voice first, using an intimate late-night setup and specific equipment including a Sony C-37A microphone and Gretsch amplifier treatment.
Why it matters
The account adds concrete production detail to one of Dylan’s major late-career studio reinventions.
Sources & driving stories
JOKER AND THE THIEF · The Joker
Joker and the Thief coverageTime Out of Mind sessions newly unpacked
The piece also covers Lanois’s account of Time Out of Mind, including early demo work, a move from the Teatro in Oxnard to Criteria in Miami, and the use of a larger band. He cited contributions from Tony Garnier, Jim Dickinson, Brian Blade, Jim Keltner, Augie Meyers, Cindy Cashdollar, Bucky Baxter, Duke Robillard, and others, while emphasizing loops, room sound, overdubbing, and vocal reprocessing through guitar amps.
Why it matters
The details clarify how the album’s dark, overdriven sound was constructed in the studio.
Sources & driving stories
JOKER AND THE THIEF · The Joker
Joker and the Thief coverageWorth noting
WORTH NOTING
One more Dylan record possible
Lanois said he believes he and Dylan may still have one more record left to make together, though no concrete project is reported.
WORTH NOTING
Series of Dreams omission revisited
Lanois discussed the decision to leave “Series of Dreams” off Oh Mercy and later hearing it as material that could fit elsewhere in Dylan’s catalog.
Still unclear
OPEN QUESTION
Could Dylan and Lanois record again?
Lanois’s remark raises the question of whether the long-running creative relationship remains active or is only a retrospective hope.
OPEN QUESTION
How much session material remains unheard?
The discussion of demos, exclusions, overdubs, and alternate studio approaches points to potentially significant unreleased context around both albums.