Maps of Music

Empire Burlesque (1985)

Where the lyrics of Empire Burlesque take you, and where it was really made.

Dylan made much of this 1985 album by trying many musicians and studios over months, and he left the final mix to Arthur Baker, who turned the raw takes into a record.

Key places

Where most of the album was cut (1985)

Recording site Cherokee Studios — Dylan's recording became much more productive at Cherokee Studios in Hollywood. Most of the tracks used on the album were recorded there over the winter of 1984-1985. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

New York sessions at the Power Station (1985)

Recording site Power Station Studio — Dylan returned to New York City in February 1985 and resumed work at the Power Station. A session that day with members of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band recorded a take of the song. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Empire Burlesque: 23rd studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan
• Released June 8, 1985 on Columbia Records
• Self-produced by Dylan
• Peaked at No. 33 in the US and No. 11 in the UK
• Distinct '80s style aesthetic
• Session musicians include Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench and Howie Epstein, members of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Background

• Before a European tour in summer 1984, Dylan recorded demos of new songs at his Malibu home, sometimes with other musicians
• Some of the new songs were tried in tour rehearsals, and he polished their lyrics during the tour
• Recording ran from July 1984 to March 1985 in sporadic sessions instead of one block of studio time
• Dylan chose to produce the sessions himself
• Arthur Baker was recruited later, but much of the production work was Dylan's
• Dylan avoided a stable band and worked with an eclectic mix of studio professionals
• The New York sessions were fairly unproductive at first; work became much more productive after he moved to Cherokee Studios in Hollywood

Recording

• An aborted session with Al Green's band took place at Intergalactic Studios on July 24, 1984
• A session with Ronnie Wood, Anton Fig and John Paris took place at Delta Sound Studios on July 26, 1984
• Sessions moved to Los Angeles in November 1984, with an early session at Ocean Way Studios yielding little usable material
• Most of the tracks used on the album were recorded at Cherokee Studios in winter 1984-1985
• Power Station sessions in New York continued in February 1985, with Sly & Robbie and a group of back-up singers joining later that month
• Dylan recorded 'Dark Eyes' live to tape with no overdubs on March 3, 1985
• Arthur Baker was left to mix the album after recording was essentially finished

Cover

• Cover design by Nick Egan
• Photography by Ken Regan

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941, in Duluth, Minnesota; raised in Hibbing, Minnesota.
• Moved to New York City in January 1961 to pursue a music career.
• Signed to Columbia Records after playing harmonica on Carolyn Hester's album; debut album Bob Dylan released in 1962.

Members

• Solo artist; backed over the years by bands including the Hawks/the Band, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and his touring band led by bassist Tony Garnier.

Career

• Breakthrough with The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963); protest songs such as "Blowin' in the Wind" became anthems for the civil rights and antiwar movements.
• Went electric with Bringing It All Back Home and Highway 61 Revisited (1965) and Blonde on Blonde (1966), provoking controversy among folk fans.
• Motorcycle accident in 1966 led to nearly eight years without touring; Basement Tapes recorded with the Band.
• Converted to Christianity in the late 1970s and released gospel albums; won Album of the Year Grammy for Time Out of Mind (1997).
• Has toured since 1988 on the Never Ending Tour; won an Academy Award and ten Grammy Awards; awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Empire Burlesque received generally positive reviews on release, most notably a full-page review in Time magazine
• A number of critics objected to the production
• Robert Christgau in The Village Voice called it Dylan's best album since Blood on the Tracks

Reappraisal

• The most recent edition of The Rolling Stone Album Guide singled out the opening track 'Tight Connection to My Heart' as the best track on the album
• Clinton Heylin named 'Something's Burning, Baby' the strongest track on the album

Records

• Peaked at No. 33 in the US and No. 11 in the UK
• Press and fans nicknamed it 'Disco Dylan', mainly because of 'When the Night Comes Falling from the Sky'
• Music videos were made for three songs and broadcast on MTV
• Album sales remained fairly modest

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• 'Clean-Cut Kid' was given to Carla Olson of the Textones as a thank-you for her appearance in Dylan's first-ever video, for 'Sweetheart Like You'
• Clinton Heylin wrote that one of the best lines on 'Tight Connection to My Heart' comes from a Star Trek episode
• 'Dark Eyes' was written almost on demand after Arthur Baker asked for something simpler for the closing track, according to Dylan's own account
• 'I'll Remember You' stayed in concert setlists until 2005, more than all but one other song from the album
• The 'Dark Eyes' track features only Dylan, on guitar and harmonica
• Empire Burlesque was sequenced with 'Dark Eyes' as the last track

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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