Last Update: 04/05/2026 at 2:50 PM EST
Dylan's Christian Turn Shocks Fans
Coverage from Quillette, Glide Magazine, and others
Articles
10
Latest Article
08/20
Active Days
5658
Executive Summary
Dylan's 1979 Slow Train Coming paired overt Christian themes with strong production, sparking shock then lasting debate over its artistry and message
- Slow Train Coming was released on August 20, 1979
- The album marked Dylan's overt Christian era after a period of backlash
- Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett produced sessions at Muscle Shoals
- Mark Knopfler's guitar and Pick Withers' drumming were major musical draws
- Gotta Serve Somebody won a Grammy and became the best known track
- Reviewers praised the production and performances but debated the preaching
- Live performances from 1979 and 1980 expanded songs like the title track and I Believe in You
Quick Facts
- What: A Christian themed album that shocked listeners and won acclaim
- Where: Recorded at Muscle Shoals in Alabama and released in the US
- Why: It reflected Dylan's born again faith and career reset
- Who: Bob Dylan, Mark Knopfler, Jerry Wexler, Barry Beckett
- When: Released August 20, 1979, with later live revisits
Coverage Timeline: 5658 Days
Featured Article
On 2023-08-03, Quillette published a retrospective critical essay on Bob Dylan's 1979 album Slow Train Coming.
Additional Articles
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In August 2023, Quillette published a critical essay reappraising Bob Dylan's 1979 album Slow Train Coming and its recording in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
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In a retrospective review for Glide Magazine, the article reexamines Bob Dylan's album Slow Train Coming, its Muscle Shoals recording sessions, and gospel-era performances roughly forty-five years after release.
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On February 23, 2010, David Edwards published an online review from the United States examining Bob Dylan's 1979 album Slow Train Coming.
Brutally Honest Rock Albums
08-01-2024
On Aug 1, 2024, Brutally Honest Rock Album Reviews published a critical review of Bob Dylan's album Slow Train Coming, focusing on its religious messaging and musical quality.
Bob Dylan Slow Train Coming 1979 vinyl pressing discussed on thereversecollector.blogspot.com in 2021 with Worcester Massachusetts and Beacon Theatre references.
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The author on bob-dylan.org.uk presents Cover a Day episode 134, detailing Slow Train covers and related live performances.
Cult Following published a review of Bob Dylan's Slow Train Coming on 2022-09-12 at cultfollowing.co.uk.
On 2025-08-20, nightly_moth posts a Dylan focused entry detailing Slow Train Coming and Highway 61 Revisited with location notes on Substack.
Dylan's Slow Train from the Slow Train Coming album is analyzed in a Substack post published recently that links oil shocks and postwar US politics.