Slaw, Time Out of Mind is pretty amazing---"Not Dark Yet" absolutely hypnotic. But the sound is sooo bad (on CD, at least), like it’s coming from the bottom of a well. Musically, Lanois was after something Dylan didn’t particularly care for (he broke off the sessions many times, the two fighting constantly during the recording of the album), and wasted the talents of guitarist Duke Robillard, whose parts were left largely on the mixing room floor (Google Duke’s comments about the recording of the album). Duke left and went to play guitar for Lucinda Williams, and just tore it up when I saw him with her. I don’t care for Lanois, at all. He’s okay for U2, but who cares about them ;-)?
I’ll look for a copy of Oh Mercy on LP. I just moved North, and there is a pretty good LP store nearby---Music Millennium in Portland.