the last album released before dylan's late '70s/early '80s three-album foray into christian music, street legal is both fascinating and flawed. at the time, dylan was enthralled with the slick stage presentation of neil diamond, which he clumsily attempted to re-create on this 1978 collection. say what you will about diamond, but he ran a tight ship; the clunky drumming and rudimentary brass that mar these nine tracks reflect a misbegotten attempt to make dylan's wing-it studio approach work for an underrehearsed 12-member backing group. songwise, street legal is a mixed bag. despite a few missteps ("is your love in vain?" is embarrassingly... well, vain), the wordsmith navigates dense terrain in the masterful "senior" and the open wound of a closer, "where are you tonight?"