What does it sound like?:
Rewind to March and Tiggerlion’s review of The Complete Basement Tapes.
In the discussion I commented that it was strange that the The Rolling Thunder Revue release was so much better than the more contemporaneous Hard Rain release. The remarks met with some controversy, but having listened to Hard Rain again, while I’ll concede it’s better than I recalled, it is definitely an inferior product to this.
This could be due to material from Rolling Thunder being taken from gigs in the first leg recorded in November and December 1975 while Hard Rain was taken from tapes recorded at the end of the second leg in May 1976 – apparently this tied in with a US only TV special.
Which all led to a suggestion that I post review. A challenge I accepted and so with intermittent listening over the intervening weeks I’m ready to pass judgement.
Unsurprisingly Desire, which came out between the two legs of the tour, is the most represented album. Pleasingly neither Mozambique (a lightweight song about now nice it would be to spend a week or two there at a time when a vicious civil war raged) nor Joey (a paean to a dead Mafiosi characterised as some sort of Robin Hood) make an appearance on this set.
I should acknowledge Pete Frame’s article in ZigZag 58 from March 1976. Frame saw a RTR gig, which he hailed as the greatest gig he’d seen in his life but, more usefully for me, he also (with that eye for detail familiar to anyone who ha studied his Rock Family Trees) tabulated every song played so that it is clear who played on what. His tabulation included all the support sets. His gig on 24:11:75 included a two song contribution from Joni Mitchell (Don’t Interrupt The Sorrow & Edith and the King Pin). I do wonder how much Frame could really have enjoyed it, so copious was his note-taking. The Dylan set that night was much the same as appears on the RTR discs with a few variations. The whole thing did live up to the Revue title with Frame noting 50 songs being performed on the day he was there by various combinations of musicians (21 of them with Dylan performing against 22 on the discs). Whatever, I thank him for the information from then that he gave me help today.
The set kicks off with Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You. This is a thunderous band version, Dylan’s vocal absolutely full on, with David Mansfield’s steel guitar weaving patterns in the background and Mick Ronson prominent on guitar. This is markedly different from the Nashville Skyline version but still, unlike the Dylan “guess what this song is” performances of the past 20 years or more, completely recognisable.
Dylan touched on most parts of his career up to that point. Strange to think at the time we thought he was probably in the latter part of his career, 14 years after his debut. Did we think he’s still be active another 40 years on?
Still at full throttle the set continues with It Ain’t Me Babe. The most notable variation here is the reggae inflection on rhythm guitar. It’s not a reggae version by any means but once again it’s a complete rearrangement, but the tune is still instantly recognisable. There’s a lovely solo, probably by Ronson (though possibly T Bone Burnett bringing himself to the attention of the larger public for the first time) and then Mansfield, ending in Dylan harmonica solo. You can hear the crowd roar as he starts blowing. Why? The first time I saw Dylan I was mystified by this behaviour. He’s hardly Larry Adler. Do Stones’ audiences go apeshit when Jagger does it?
This is followed by a rousing full band version of Hard Rain. It gallops along. The choruses are deliriously ragged with presumably Bobby Neuwirth, Steve Soles, Burnett and Ronson (all guitar and vocals), Rob Stoner (bass and vocals) joining in. Considering it’s from the Freewheelin’ album it applies that label to this song, belting along at twice the speed of the original.
Straight into The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll. It never struck me until now that this song is played in waltz time. Mandolin is to the fore on choruses, played by David Mansfield, switching from steel. I didn’t appreciate this song until I heard Christy Moore’s version but through Christy I really came to like it. This version may the the highlight of this set. Dylan spits out the words with venom as though it was something that had happened the day before, not some 12 years earlier. Great stuff.
So after this look at his back pages Dylan takes us into material from (at the time of these recordings) the the unreleased Desire album.
Enter Scarlet Rivera and it’s into Romance In Durango. Introduced with an enigmatic “Do you remember Durango, Larry?” it is as you’d expect played as arranged on the album as is everything from Desire. It’s immediately followed by Isis.
The band disappear and it’s solo Dylan playing Mr Tambourine Man. It’s a totally straight version with non of the over-emphasised first syllable that I’ve heard on later versions. More audience over-reaction to the harmonica playing.
Bringing It All Back Home is the second best represented album, with MTM, It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue and Love Minus Zero/No Limit all appearing.
Simple Twist Of Fate is played with unexpected delicacy but totally in line with the original.
Then it’s time for Joan Baez to join Dylan. They play Blowin’ In The Wind as a duo. Frame notes they played it behind a lowered curtain in darkness. For me this is the least interesting track on the album. Maybe that’s why they played behind a curtain.
The Dylan/Baez duo is joined by the band for Mama You’ve Been On My Mind. This is a speeded up countrified version with the metre, especially on the chorus, altered. It’s nothing like the version on Bootleg Series 1-3. Moreover it’s nothing like Rod Stewart’s version which is definitive and the yardstick against which all performances of this song have to be measured. This version falls short.
Things pick up with I Shall Be Released. B&J and the band produce a terrific version. It ends with Baez saying “Bobby will be back”. Frame records that this marked the start of a Joan Baez set. Presumably the tapes exist, as I would love to hear the band versions of Diamonds And Rust and Please Come To Boston but I’m happy never to hear an acapella version of Swing Low Sweet Chariot. But who would release them?
Into Disc Two and it’s solo Dylan starting with It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue. He play’s a very straight version, but delivered with real passion and intensity. Followed by Love Minus Zero/No Limit which is much the same as the original.
Then the second Blood On The Tracks song, Tangled Up In Blue. Dylan is still solo and performs very much as the original. I have an early version of this set with a bonus DVD. It presages by 30 odd years so much YouTube footage. The DVD version is close up, holding Dylan’s face from front left profile and does not move. His white pancake make-up is pretty messy. There is also a partial version of Isis which includes band members. Both come from the Renaldo And Clara film. The final part of the DVD is another audio version of Isis. Don’t feel bitter if you don’t have it.
Joan Baez and the band rejoin proceedings. Next up is The Water Is Wide, which also appears in Renaldo and Clara and nowhere else. It’s a trad folk song. As I started this relistening exercise I initially didn’t like it, but it grew on me. Mansfield’s steel guitar is very prominent and we get a lovely solo from him about three minutes in.
The band are back in their groove and it’s straight into It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry. Appropriately the band move into in full steam ahead mode. It seems to me a bit of a throwaway version, but it’s still pretty good.
Someone in the audience calls out for a protest song. Dylan says here’s one for young launches into Oh, Sister. Scarlet Rivera’s violin is to the fore. Frame noted Dylan was “breathtakingly charismatic” on this song. It doesn’t come across in this audio version.
Then it’s into Hurricane. Despite some of Dylan’s most clunky lyrics the intensity of the performance carries it through. Ronnee Blakely is notable for the first time on background vocals. Rivera’s violin dominates.
Still rhymes like:
… looked like middleweights/…out of state plates;
…your friend Bellow/… be a nice fellow
and
…took him to the jailhouse/…turned a man into a mouse
do grate a bit.
More Desire tracks follow. One More Cup Of Coffee and Sara follow. Decent enough performances following the album versions closely except in Sara Dylan pronounces her name as Sayra.
As we approach the end we get the only Blonde On Blonde song of the set. Just Like A Woman is apparently played in response to a shouted request. “OK, we’ll try it” says Dylan, but it is there in Frame’s gig list coming straight after Sara. So somewhat less spontaneous than it would appear to be. It picks things up again after the slight dip in form that the Desire material brought about.
Which takes us into the the disc finale Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door. This is a shared between Dylan and Roger McGuinn (not a duet as such as they take alternate verses). What is notable are the new lyrics. The first verse begins Mama wipe the blood offa my face, while the second starts Mama I can’t hear that Thunder Roll…
This is a great version. It’s notable for some beautiful playing by Rivera and Mansfield, especially Rivera’s solo toward the end.
The disc ends with auditorium music and Dylan saying “Maybe see you tomorrow night,” though Frame’s list has a version of This Land Is Your Land with a massed chorus of everyone who had appeared on stage that night.
What does it all *mean*?
Once upon a time you could go to a Bob Dylan concert and listen to songs without wondering “What the F*** is he playing now?” though then as now audiences had a bizarre exaggerated appreciation for Bob Dylan harmonica solos.
Goes well with…
The Bootleg Series Vol 4 Live 1966 “The Royal Albert Hall” concert
Release Date:
Might suit people who like…
If you don’t like Bob Dylan it won’t convert you. If you have never heard Dylan, don’t start here, but if you have a least a nodding acquaintance with his music you should like it.
Baron Harkonnen says
Good review Carl, at this time Dylan was at his most creative (Blood On The Tacks/Desire) but could also cause us fans to think WTF (Renaldo & Clara). The Hard Rain album came in for undeserved criticism IMHO, could have been better as the bootlegs from the tour demonstrated and confirmed by B.S. Vol:5. People who don`t know Dylan will be surprised by the chameleon that he was at that time. Great memories.
minibreakfast says
Wonderful, thorough review, definitely worth waiting for! Makes me want to get the discs out this evening; think I will.
Tiggerlion says
Very thorough review, Carl. Great stuff.
My reaction to this ‘bootleg’ was that it felt like a proper show, with a cast of thousands all in colourful costumes. As you listen, you can almost see them on the stage, making their entrances and exits. The whole thing threatens to break down into chaos. Yet, it rollocks along with real gusto. Dylan seems to be actively enjoying himself and the crowd clearly adore him. It is my favourite live Dylan album, more so than 1966.
Lodestone of Wrongness says
Top notch review – pity I think the album pretty much stinks. Much prefer Hard Rain and, of course, Tiggs he talks nonsense: 1966 is definitive.
But again I say, lovingly researched writing – that’s me applauding, that is.
Junior Wells says
Really enjoyed the review Carl.
Deliriously Ragged TMFTL
US only TV show. I saw it on telly here in Oz and the video I have has Japanese subtitles.
Enigmatic reference to Larry- that would be Larry Ratso Sloman who wrote an excellent book on the tour. I always remember him railing to Bob about the egregious deletion of some classic song from a record and Dylan saying…”Ratso , they’re just records…”.
Re one versus the other I’m just delighted we have both. But if one album has the glorious , angry, transformed versions of Shelter from the Storm and Idiot Wind and the other doesn’t then I’d have to go with that album. That album is Hard Rain.
Johnny Concheroo says
Here’s one I made earlier. This is the Hard Rain TV special, plus the seldom-mentioned Clearwater TV Special filmed during the same tour
http://i.imgur.com/fneA0tA.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/AqhVuvW.jpg
James Blast says
Only Dylan album I like because it’s so rough and out of tune. Punk Rock!
James Blast says
Hard Rain that is.
Johnny Concheroo says
After reading Carl’s excellent CD review I pulled out the Hard Rain live DVD for the first time in years and while it’s a really great performance, I can see why this TV special was never officially released.
The first song Hard Rain’s A Gonna Fall is something of a train wreck. It seems like Dylan decided, seemingly without telling the rest of the band, to change the timing in the chorus by stretching it out to twice the normal length. So while Bob sings this new version, chaos reigns behind him as Joanie (on backing vocals) and the others try to perform the song as per the record. At one point Bob turns around, glares at them and gestures wildly until they get the message.
There follows three acoustic duets by Bob and Joan (Blowin’ In The Wind, Railroad Boy and Deportee) plus by a fourth duet backed by the band (I Pity The Poor Immigrant. These make for absolutely fascinating viewing. The pair work beautifully together with Joanie’s cut glass soprano slicing through Bob’s familiar growl like a knife. Joanie has to be on her toes though, watching Bob’s every facial twitch and general body language to try and second guess what he’s about to do next. Will he delay the start of a verse, lay back on the chorus, or stretch out an ending beyond what was rehearsed? For Joanie and the band, a drop of the shoulder or a flash of eye contact might be the only clue of what Dylan is about to do.
Dylan then straps on a wonderfully-shaped National guitar (20 years before Jack White made them fashionable again) to play slide on a powerhouse version of Shelter From The Storm. This is a highlight of the set for me.
Mick Ronson then comes on for a frenetic romp through Maggie’s Farm. I’ve never liked this arrangement, finding it too fast and disjointed. Of course Mick’s wearing the obligatory tea towel headdress just like everyone else. Apparently Dylan started this trend during a rain swept rehearsal and everyone else followed suit. Even Joanie’s wearing a chic pink silk version, complete with bright red blusher.
Scarlet Rivera joins the band for a storming Mozambique. Heavier and more rambunctious than the Desire original, it is, as Carl points out, instantly recognisable. Something we wish was true of Dylan’s more recent shows.
Idiot Wind has to be the absolute pinnacle of the show. It’s a monster of a song and watching Dylan spit out each invective-filled line is spellbinding and so much better than simply listening to the audio version. Never let anyone tell you that Dylan wasn’t a great singer. For my money his vocals were at their absolute peak during this period and he delivers this song with total conviction. Bob was looking great at this point, too. Lean and hungry-looking, his curly hair long and sticking out from under his head covering.
Nothing can follow Idiot Wind and as the credits roll we get a snatch of Knocking On Heaven’s Door to finish off.
Johnny Concheroo says
And here’s Bob with that National Newport guitar on the cover of “Rolling Stone” in 1978
http://i.imgur.com/2l8saeo.jpg
ianess says
As regards changing the timing of songs, I believe he did the same at the Bangladesh show, but can’t remember the track. I think he changed to waltz time and threw the backing band into confusion. This post has been brought to you courtesy of very early onset dementia.
Junior Wells says
@mini-breakfast :what was I supposed to be reviewing?
minibreakfast says
Tell Tale Signs. Can’t wait!
Junior Wells says
Crikey that’s a big un .
I’ve got the threefer as well.
Blue Boy says
Terrific review of a great record (though I also love Hard Rain and have never understood why it has been so criticised).
I seem to recall I put my hand up for the 1966 record on the basis that I thought it was overrated. Talk about being on a hiding to nothing….
Tiggerlion says
Don’t worry, I’ll be right behind you. Trust me. No need to look round, I’ll be there.
ruff-diamond says
As the teenagers say, I just can’t with Joan Baez – something about her really grates on my nerves, plus she’s one of those annoying people who refer to Dylan as ‘Bobby’ because that’s what we called him in 1961, and we knew him before everybody else, and we’re still going to keep calling him Bobby because it sets us apart from all you Johnny-come-latelies.
Apart from that though, it remains a terrific album. For anyone interested in this period of Dylan’s career I would recommend Sid Griffin’s Shelter From The Storm: Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Years. For those people (like me) who were irritated by Larry ‘Ratso’ Sloman constantly injecting himself into the proceedings in his account of the RTR, Griffin’s account is welcomingly objective.
Tiggerlion says
I don’t think I could get it up with Joan Baez, either. Especially not these days.
Baron Harkonnen says
Thanks for the tip re: Sid Griffin`s SFTS book ruff. Going to look for it now, sorted £6 and change, used.