As a result of their growing dissatisfaction with Virgin Records, the Wallflowers asked to be released from their recording contract. "Virgin had different ideas and expectations from the group," Jakob told the Denver Post. "I was more interested in getting this band on the road. We were young; I was 22 years old. We were just trying to be a group and fulfill a couple of dreams before we got real serious about anything." Unfortunately, The Wallflowers were classified a "dropped" band, a stigma that took years to overcome. Eventually, the band got a new record company . . . and a new line-up (including guitarist Michael Ward and drummer Mario Calire), with Jakob and Rami the only remaining original members. But as Jakob told the Denver Post: "The whole transformation of the group happened over five years. There was always four of us looking for one person. There was never a point where it was two of us wondering whether to go on or not."
Bringing Down the Horse was released in May 1996 to even more critical praise than its predecessor. It contained eleven Jakob Dylan compositions; one of which-"One Headlight"- earned Jakob a Grammy Award, as a songwriter. The album sold over 4 million copies and catapulted the band to international stardom, although Jakob admitted that he wasn't enamored with fame. "I do know that fame is not a good thing," he told Rolling Stone. "It doesn't benefit you in any way. Personally, I'll never feel that famous, because the kind of thing I've seen is so outstanding. But I've never been anonymous, either. People might not have known who I was, but in thought I always existed."
Jakob is currently working on the Wallflowers' third album. Expect to hear his new compositions on the radio in the near future.
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