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| ARTIST: |
Bob Dylan
(Google this artist) |
| ALBUM: |
Live 1975: The Rolling Thunder Revue |
| LABEL: |
Legacy Recordings |
| RELEASED: |
2002 |
The Bob Dylan bootleg underground is so well established and far-reaching
that it almost seems superfluous for him to release them commercially. The
two markets operate independently of themselves quite nicely. For example,
a casual Bob fan will be fine with the "official" double-album version of
The Basement Tapes. And a fanatic can track down a contraband copy of the
100+ unreleased Big Pink tracks with minimal effort.
Yet through the Dylan Bootleg Series, Columbia/Legacy has given the fans
who already have everything good reason to go out and get it again. They do
it by releasing "previously unreleased" shows, lost songs and alternate
versions with fidelity that blows away even the best available bootlegs,
and including booklets with unseen photos and illuminating essays. All at a
reasonable price.
The fifth and latest volume in this series is Live 1975: The Rolling Thunder Revue. It's a compilation of legendary soundboard recordings from
theatre shows in Worcester, Cambridge, Boston and Montreal. And like Volume
4, the 1966 "Royal Albert Hall" concert with The Band before it, it shows a
dimension to Dylan's music that was hidden from his official catalogue.
In 1975 Dylan found himself once again on the top of the musical heap,
following the triumphs of his 1974 reunion tour with The Band and his
masterful Blood on the Tracks. He took this opportunity to make yet another
idiosyncratic career turn, assembling a gypsy caravan medicine show of
musicians, poets and hangers-on into the Rolling Thunder Revue, and
barnstorming venues of various sizes around the Northeast.
The Revue might as well have called themselves The Counter-Culture
All-Stars (Luckily, they didn't, because it's a lousy name). Allen
Ginsberg, Joan Baez, Roger McGuinn, Sam Shepard, T-Bone Burnett, Joni
Mitchell and even David Bowie's Spiders from Mars guitarist Mick Ronson all
appear onstage in various intervals. The band is anchored by the supple
rhythm section of Rob Stoner on bass and Howie Wyeth on drums. And the
group's most distinctive musician is undoubtedly Scarlet Rivera, an
electric violinist whom Dylan picked up off the street while driving
through downtown NYC.
Together, the Rolling Thunder Revue whipped up a musical bouillabaisse that
is almost overwhelming in its joy and intensity. At times it seems like
there is so much energy springing forth that a song will careen out of
control, but Dylan's quietly stern command over his players always keeps
them walking that fine line between beauty and chaos.
As he would do for decades to come, Dylan reimagines songs from all over
his extensive canon and gives them stunning new form. Right from the git-go
are incendiary takes on "Tonight I'll be Staying Here With You," "It Ain't
Me, Babe" and "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall." And his "new" tracks, including
"Hurricane," "Isis" and especially "Sara," breathe with more life than even
on the recorded-but-not-yet-released Desire. Even the duets with the
normally insufferable Joan Baez are a pleasure.
While listening to Live 1975, one cannot help but be amazed that these
historic performances have remained in the vault for so long. (except for a
few tracks here and there). But it's probably just as well. Had they been
released in the 70s, it would have undoubtedly been with less spectacular
sound and packaging.
As amazing as the wall of sound Dylan creates with Rolling Thunder is, the
middle section of the set, which features just Bob on guitar and harmonica,
may be the true highlight. It's a throwback to his early hootenanny days,
only deepened by years of wisdom gained and love lost. These renditions of
"Simple Twist of Fate," "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue," "Love Minus Zero/No
Limit" and "Tangled Up in Blue" demonstrate that for sheer power, nothing
can top a lone genius, his guitar and harmonica.
Editors Note: this set includes a tasty three-song bonus DVD from the tour
review by Steve Walsh
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©
Figgle 2001-2007