| Saved | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 23, 1980 (1980-06-23) | |||
| Recorded | February 11–15, 1980 | |||
| Studio | Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, Alabama[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 42:39 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Bob Dylan chronology | ||||
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| Re-released cover | ||||
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Saved is the twentieth studio album by American singer-songwriterBob Dylan, released on June 23, 1980, byColumbia Records.Saved was the second album of Dylan's "Christian trilogy". It expanded on themes explored on its predecessorSlow Train Coming, with gospel arrangements and lyrics extolling the importance of a strong personal faith.
The cover ofSaved originally featured a painting byTony Wright ofJesus Christ's hand reaching down to touch the hands of his believers. However, this cover was subsequently replaced by a painting of Dylan on stage performing during that time period in order to downplay the overtly religious nature of the original cover. It has since been changed back on some re-releases. A quote inside the sleevenotes reads: "'Behold, the days come, sayeth the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah' (Jeremiah 31:31)".[4]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| CCM Magazine | [4] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | C+[6] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [7] |
| Entertainment Weekly | C−[8] |
| Tom Hull | B−[11] |
| Rolling Stone | [9] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [10] |
The album hit No. 3 on the UK charts, reached No. 24 on the US charts, selling around 380,000 copies and did not go gold.CCM Magazine described the album as an "open declaration of Dylan's deepening faith."[4] Critical reaction to the album was mixed.Robert Christgau awarded the album a "C+", which is described by Christgau as "most likely a failed experiment or a pleasant piece of hackwork".[12] Writing forRolling Stone,Kurt Loder praised Dylan's backing band, but felt that several songs were hampered by overtly religious messages, although he did single out "In the Garden" for having a "lovely, billowing arrangement". Loder stated that Dylan's efforts at a gospel album were not as remarkable as others "not just because he lacks the vocal equipment but because he's too inventive, too big for the genre", but summarisedSaved as a gospel work with "some distinction".[13] In 2020,Rolling Stone includedSaved in their "80 Greatest albums of 1980" list, praising Dylan for being "at the peak of his vocal powers, and he’s rarely played with a better bunch of musicians".[14]
Record World said of the single "Solid Rock" that "Dylan's latest inspiration is perhaps his greatest, as evidenced by this compelling rocker."[15]
All tracks are written byBob Dylan, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recorded | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Satisfied Mind" | Red Hayes,Jack Rhodes | February 12, 1980 | 1:57 |
| 2. | "Saved" | Tim Drummond, Bob Dylan | February 12, 1980 | 4:00 |
| 3. | "Covenant Woman" | February 15, 1980 | 6:02 | |
| 4. | "What Can I Do for You?" | February 12, 1980 | 5:54 | |
| 5. | "Solid Rock" | February 12, 1980 | 3:55 | |
| Total length: | 21:48 | |||
| No. | Title | Recorded | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Pressing On" | February 13, 1980 | 5:11 |
| 2. | "In the Garden" | February 14, 1980 | 5:58 |
| 3. | "Saving Grace" | February 13, 1980 | 5:01 |
| 4. | "Are You Ready" | February 14, 1980 | 4:41 |
| Total length: | 20:51 | ||
Technical
Originally released in 1980 on LP and cassette, the album was first reprinted in 1985 and released on CD in 1990.Saved was remastered in 2013 for the release ofThe Complete Album Collection Vol. One.
Dylan's three Christian-rock albums are derisively referred to as the "Unholy Three," even though they produced a number of great songs, including this one and the aforementioned Gotta Serve Somebody.
Until this release, virtually the only access we've had to Dylan's gospel music has been the three studio albums he made during this era: "Slow Train Coming" (1979), "Saved" (1980) and "Shot of Love" (1981).
