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Iconic Albums Bob Dylan Faith, Fire and Backlash (1977-1980): Albums Covered Street Legal (1978) Slow Train Coming (1979) Saved (1980) Shot of Love (1
Paperback
Series: Iconic Albums Bob Dylan Era, Book 6
MusiciansPop/RockMusic Reference
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Feb 24 2026
Pages: 208
Weight: 0.63
Height: 0.44 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
In 1979, Bob Dylan did the unthinkable.
At the height of his myth, after decades as protest poet, electric revolutionary, and cultural shapeshifter, he publicly declared himself a born-again Christian - and refused to look back.
The result was one of the most controversial periods in modern music history.
Bob Dylan: Faith, Fire & Backlash (1977-1981) is the definitive deep dive into the gospel years - from the emotional fragmentation of Street-Legal through the spiritual thunder of Slow Train Coming, the revivalist force of Saved, and the complex reckoning of Shot of Love.
This book explores:
The personal collapse behind the conversion
The Vineyard experience and the decision that shocked the industry
Recording at Muscle Shoals and the Grammy-winning breakthrough
The no-old-songs tours that alienated audiences
Booing, walkouts, and press revolt
Spiritual absolutism as identity armour
The gradual softening of tone on Shot of Love
The masterpiece Every Grain of Sand
The long road from ridicule to critical reappraisal
Across 65 chapters, this is not just a track-by-track study. It is a psychological, cultural, and artistic examination of how belief reshaped one of the most important artists of the 20th century.
Was it artistic collapse?
Courageous conviction?
Or the most radical reinvention of Dylan's career?
This book argues that the gospel years were not a detour - but a defining crucible.
For longtime Dylan listeners, music historians, and readers fascinated by the intersection of faith and art, Faith, Fire & Backlash offers a bold and nuanced portrait of a period that still divides audiences - and still refuses to be ignored.
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