moviesbooksandmusic

Bob Dylan Live 1975 is not his most impressive live recording and it is not his most acclaimed live recording. But it is the live recording that I go back and listen to most often. The other two concert recordings in the bootleg series (volume 4 the “Royal Albert Hall” concert 1966 and volume 6 the concert at Philharmonic Hall 1964) are both more famous appearances and more telling performances in the grand scheme of things. In contrast to the concert from ’64 where you can almost feel the audience’s adulation oozing out of the speakers or the concert from ’66 where you can hear the audience’s rebellion at Dylan’s electric set, Live 1975 finds audience and artist both seemingly at peace, and quite comfortable with each other. Dylan talks back to the audience in places as they shout out requests, which is something he doesn’t seem to do too much of anymore. He’s not quite putting himself over like he did when he was starting out, not playing the clown for anybody, but clearly he was out to please the audience as much as to do his own thing.

All of the songs on this album feature Dylan and on a good share he duets with Joan Baez, but the Rolling Thunder Revue included sets by Joan Baez, Roger McGuinn, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Kinky Friedman and Bob Neuwirth so one wonders if there aren’t at least a couple more albums worth of fantastic music locked away somewhere. My favorite performance on the album is Sara which, if the liner notes are to be believed, was performed on a night when his wife was in attendance. One of the all time great love songs, sung directly to its subject, that’s really something. And for a performer who has always made a fetish out of his right to a private life, independent of whatever fame he may have as a performer, it is a fairly astonishing public display. That is followed by a really nice version of Just like a Woman (in response to a request shouted from the audience). The album closes out with Knocking on Heaven’s Door. He’s always played around with this song in public but only recently has he allowed alternative lyrics to find their way onto his albums. I’ve seen him perform the song live and it really is a moment that connects with the audience and it’s obvious that he made that connection the night this track was recorded.

In some ways the Rolling Thunder Revue was a precursor to traveling shows like Lollapalooza and Lilith Fair, but that isn’t what it is best remembered for. During the Fall of 1975 the Rolling Thunder Revue showed up and played in small venues and advertised mostly by word of mouth or passing out handbills on college campuses. The people who showed up to see Dylan’s ensemble occasionally got to see guest stars like Gordon Lightfoot, Arlo Guthrie, and Joni Mitchell and it was always a surprise to most of the audience. The thing Dylan wanted to create was a semi-mystical carnival like atmosphere and he pulled it off. That is what the Rolling Thunder Revue is best remembered for, and Live 1975 captures Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue in all its glory.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS