Bob Dylan - The Bootleg Series, Vol. 4: Bob Dylan Live, 1966: The "Royal Albert Hall Concert"
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Free Music Notes for The Bootleg Series, Vol. 4: Bob Dylan Live, 1966: The "Royal Albert Hall Concert"
Free Music Review: TIME CAPSULE DICHOTOMY
Hit: 5 Stars
This is the infamous 1966 "Judas" concert at Royal Albert Hall, Manchester, England, where Bob Dylan formally performs electric in front of a British audience. The first half is done in classic acoustic, and I must admit it is awesome. The second half of the show is an electric joke & confrontation between Bob and fans: BUT IT'S HISTORY! Bob was booed, and this was even mentioned on the evening news. (I may be wrong, but I think I remember this was on the evening news).
Bob really knows how to infuriate fans or stir up intense feelings for him. One fan, as I read, felt he had to drink beer in order to drown away his feelings of being let down by a DVD that supposedly had a less-than enthusiastic Bob performing live somewhere--what happened to the boy that once lit up the whole world?--was his observation. In this intense relationship with Bob come intense expectations. After all, Adoration, Admiration, Love, Loyalty, Devotion, and yes, even Worship in some cases, need to be reciprocated with at least some enthusiasm, don't you think? In this second part where he plays really awful renditions of his brilliant songs that were done correctly on the original CDs, he totally traumatizes helpless and horrified fans who don't even want him to go electric. Oh well, maybe there are one or two songs that are done well. But what you will be sure to get, however, is LOADS of ENTHUSIASM. You're not complaining, are you?
Bob changes into his leather jacket for the electric half and he brings out his band. Fans are not happy throughout the second half, but toward the end of the program, you can actually hear someone call him "Judas!" and Bob answers with "I don't believe you" after which he continues in "Like a Rolling Stone" with a forceful "how does it FEEEEEL!" Bob is booed in the second half (poor Bob). There is confrontation between fans, purists and Bob. INTENSE indignation is felt on both sides of the stage, and Bob, equally very hurt plays even louder and more horrible (you can even hear him saying, "play F--- loud!". You can get highlights of what some of the fans say after the concert from the DVD No Direction Home. Get this as a historical event, and you won't be disappointed. All is forgiven and forgotten by now.
Hey, really cool pictures in the insert booklet! And look at that cute innocent adorable face on the cover of the CD! It's a sure deal!
I am pretty much done with my Dylan albums. The only ones I don't have is Self Portrait, (which I won't get because Bob did this album just to get rid of his fans & he hardly wrote any songs in it) and Knocked Out Loaded and Under the Red Sky (maybe a little later I'll get these last two) and maybe a couple of live ones I still don't have.
Now I want to look up and listen and honor Bruce Hornsby a little.
I won't forget Bob. His CDs are still in my stereo (especially Oh Mercy)--see my reviews, and I will jump on his new CD when he makes one, and I wish him a very very very long life. WHAT ON EARTH would we fans do without him?!
(I got this CD a while back, but I guess I'll leave my opinion).
Free Music Review: the royal albert hall - clarity, and the best of...
Hit: 5 Stars
The clarity here is incredible. I think this is one of the, if not The best version i have ever heard of both Desolation Row as well as It's All Over Now, Baby Blue.
There is something about Dylan's voice here that rings with a sincerity and perhaps a bit of melancholy at times that is deeply moving. It may be more serious than many would like and if that is what you are looking for, then this is not the album for you. There is a seriousness here and again, a real earnest quality that lends this entire album the wallop and punch that it packs.
Even Mr. Tambourine Man has never sounded so good. It sounds here clearly to be a song of the self - Dylan telling himself that it is time to move on to something new... He is, as he notes, weary of the old, "My weariness amazes me, I'm branded on my feet..." and this much is understandable. It's time to move on to something different and he does and though he may be "Judas" to some for doing so, he eventually proves that he will triumph.
But back to this - The Royal Albert Hall recording - and this song. What do we make of the line;
"My toes too numb to step,
wait only for my boot heels to be wanderin'.
I'm ready to go anywhere, I'm ready for to fade..."
I've heard so many interpretations that all lead us back to drugs, but this so much seems like an over-simplification in some ways. Yes, sure, Dylan was into drugs - we know this - but after a time, to attribute all that he did to drugs becomes boring and short-sighted and too reductive. This song is not simply about drugs, though it may be in part, it is also about moving on.
This album, Side 1, gives us an acoustic side that is absolutely beautiful in both clarity and sorrow and a beautiful almost 'goodbye' - a send-off of sorts. God, or gaawwd, as he may have said, it must grow tiring to sing the same song night after night after night after night, no matter how much it pleases the crowd; you need to, as an artist, move on and do something for yourself, and this is what Dylan did and he gave us a send off that was worthy and that we perhaps needed. No, we didn't deserve it. Dylan owes us nothing. NOTHING.
He never did. He never claimed to. He never will. As i read recently, and it's true, if he feels like making a record of pure electric hiss, then so be it. That's for him, not for his 'fans.' Dylan is not 'ours' as they said so many times at The Newport Folk Festival (a burden i'm sure was hard for him to bear at such a young age). He is his own. We are fortunate enough to simply be here while he shares with us in the process...
Buy this... If you're a true Dylan fan and don't have this - what are you waiting for? If these songs strike you, and most are classics, then by gawd, wait no more...
thanks for listening,
s.r.p.
Free Music Review: Dylan's Revolt
Hit: 5 Stars
In an age when most musicians shamelessly perform and record how and what other people tell them to, it is difficult to realize just what a monumental turning point is captured on this album. It is more than a recording of a great performance of brilliant songs, it is a vital documentation of one of the most important events in the history of American music. When Dylan plugged in at Newport in 1965 he rejected the conceptions that others had of him. He dropped all of his false pretenses and declared his artistic independence. Of course, no great revolt is without turbulence. Some of that turbulence is captured on this recording. But it is noteworthy for more than Dylan's refusal to give his audience what they want. It is, perhaps, the defining moment in Bob Dylan's long and often complicated career. He plunged into his "new music" with no assurance of success. He carried with him the hopes of a craze that he had helped to create: the folk-rock craze. If Dylan had admitted defeat and given in to the demands of his critics folk-rock music would have crumbled; the complex and literate brand of rock and roll that developed as the sixties wore on would likely not have been born at all. Though he certainly did not realize it at the time, the stone that Bob Dylan threw into the pond of the music world created ripples that are being felt to this day.The content of the album is typical of Dylan concerts of the time. The first half is performed alone and acoustic to an audience that listen attentively to each and every syllable as though it might be the last that they would ever hear. "Visions", "Baby Blue", and "Desolation Row" are all delivered to provide the maximum effect. Dylan slurs and elongates his words at the perfect times and keeps the listener hungry for more. The first disc ends with a version of "Tambourine Man", a song that many people considered the old Dylan's rallying cry. It' not hard to pick up on the sarcasm in his tone.
The second disc features Dylan with his backing band, The Hawks, later to become The Band. All six men are brilliant and perform with incredible energy considering their hostile surroundings. The tension between the audience and the performer is palpable. Dylan's annoyance with the disruptive behavoir of certain members of his audience rises after each song. He retaliates with a version of "Thin Man" that is sung at the audience members rather than to them. Finally, in the wake of the immortal catcall of "Judas", Dylan turns to his band and commands them to "Play f***ing loud." The album ends with a brilliant and appropriate version of "Like a Rolling Stone." With a simple thank you Dylan leaves the stage having altered the course of rock music forever.
Free Music Review: Where's The Riot?
Hit: 5 Stars
Hype is a funny thing. Sometimes one gets caught up in it, sometimes it turns you off. It generally turns me off, but in the case of this "historic" release, I got caught up in it.I have been a sometimey lukewarm Bob Dylan fan over the years. His heyday was a little bit before my adolescence but his musical maturity began its development about the time I started high school. I am quite familiar with the music of those days, but was curious to go back and try to feel a little bit of the magic and expectation that earlier fans of Dylan experienced.
When I bought this, I expected to feel some of the excitement and tension in the air as the old clashed with the new. I wanted to hear the catcalls and Dylan's sarcastic retorts. I wanted to hear the riot!. But there was none. "One of the great confrontational performances of the 20th century" turns out to have been mostly the creation of the media myth machine. If there was any rioting to be heard, Columbia sure did a good job of screening out its sounds.
The liner notes mention the opening of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring as another great confrontational performance. Yes, it was great theater, but it was all orchestrated by Stravinsky, Diaghilev and a claque of concert-goers who were given free tickets to the premier with the understanding that they would foment a riot thus generating press attention for Stravinsky and Diaghilev. The notes should have instead mentioned some of Astor Piazzolla's performances where fisticuffs between Piazzolla supporters and old-guard tango purists (sometimes involving Piazzolla himself) were regular occurences and death threats were a daily fact of life.
If the CD package does not live up to its hype, then why own it? The main reason is to experience the budding transition of Bob Dylan from folk legend to rock and roll hero. The first disc features a fine acoustic set of which my favorites are Its All Over Now, Baby Blue and Just Like A Woman.
The second CD features an electric set that showcases the talents of his sidemen that were later to gel into The Band.
I like Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues, the bluesy Ballad of a Thin Man, and the driving Like A Rolling Stone the best. There is a lot of musical tension and energy that makes the entire set memorable. Much of what the liner notes refers to as catcalling and slow clapping can be heard at any concert between songs. What people are usually calling out is a request. Only after Ballad of a Thin Man can you hear a real "insult" when someone shouts "Judas!" at which a few audience members applaud.
Despite the lack of any real riot, I recommend this album to any Dylan fan precisely because of its historic nature as the marking of a pivotal point in Dylan's long and storied career.
Free Music Review: Blood on the stage
Hit: 5 Stars
In many ways, Live 1966 has been overshadowed by its own turbulent history. And, to be sure, that is somewhat understandable- the story behind this thing is fascinating. You probably know the basics: This concert took place shortly after Bob Dylan had "gone electric," abandoning topical folk songs in favor of full-on band backed rock `n' roll. His fans branded him a sellout (and, famously, a "Judas"), walked out on his shows, and booed him on stage. His concerts turned into confrontations, as audiences hurled insults and catcalls at the young troubadour and his band. Dylan, in turn, would reply with elliptical, sneered insults and seething performances. He'd taunt his audience with his acidic sarcasm (and, in the case of this album, instructing his band to "play f***ing loud" after one particularly enraged audience outburst). It's all fascinating stuff, and it shows Bob at his most defiant and iconic.
But seriously, getting caught up in history does this album a great disservice. It really is fantastic music in and of itself. Obsessing over the story behind it is like ignoring your filet mignon and eating the parsley. The first half of the concert (which, disarmingly, is acoustic and features Dylan performing alone) sets the stage wonderfully. The seven songs are icy, graceful, and simmering with tense passion. There's a desolately beautiful "Visions Of Johanna" and a version of "She Belongs To Me" that threatens to top the original. "Fourth Time Around" bounces with dreamy sarcasm, and "Mr. Tambourine Man" is as beautiful and hypnotic as its studio incarnation.
But it's the second, electric half of the album that really steals the show. The opening number, "Tell Me Momma" is so good that you'll wonder why Dylan never released a studio version. It comes roaring out of the gates with volcanic ferocity, with nervy blues guitars exploding over manic rhythms, all of it held together by Dylan's snide, ferocious howl. The lyrics are classic 60's Dylan, perched somewhere between affection and kiss-off. After that comes a storming reworking of "I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)" with vocals that soar over a twisted bed of guitars and organs. The rocking version of "Baby Let Me Follow You Down" is pained and beautiful and raw, with cracked and nearly atonal solos that convey a stunning amount of emotion. "One Too Many Mornings" sounds fantastic here, with its gospelly, mournful tone. There's also an epic "Ballad Of A Thin Man" that's even more scathing and apocalyptic than its studio version. Finally, Bob and his band launch into "Like A Rolling Stone" with the urgency and cathartic immediacy of an exorcism, releasing the concert's mounting tensions in one epic burst of musical and emotional virtuosity. Awesome. Dylan fans, get this!