| CD
Reviews
| Bob
Dylan
| Live
1975
|
 |
 This
double CD set is Volume five in what Sony calls the Bootleg Series.
Evidently, there is more to come.
This is a reasonably priced, expertly produced package of
songs recorded from Dylan’s 1975 tour, The
Rolling Thunder Review.
It comes with a fifty-page
booklet written by Larry “Ratso” Sloman, writer for Rolling
Stone and author of the book On the Road with
Bob Dylan.
There is also a DVD included, with Dylan performing Tangled
Up In Blue and Isis.
If Dylan had not survived his infamous motorcycle accident in
1966, he would have left behind a body of work that would have
forever canonized him with the other icons of that era.
He would have taken his place in history with Janis Joplin,
Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix and John Lennon.
But he didn’t, and so Bob
Dylan takes
his place with the grateful undead—The Rolling Stones, Paul
McCartney, Paul Simon and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, to name
but a few. The composer
of Blowin’ in the Wind,
I Shall Be Released and
Like a Rolling Stone has become fair game for talk show hosts,
comedians and local DJs. They
mimic his voice while they count his gray hairs.
I find this a sad commentary on our society.
Sad that a man who confounded journalists for years because
he refused to expound on the songs that were changing the conscience
of our nation, is now constantly ridiculed simply because he’s
grown older.
And so, we find in 1975, a poised, confident Dylan.
Here, in The Rolling Thunder tour, surrounded by an eclectic
blend of old friends, such as Joan Baez and musicians that he
literally picked off the streets, Dylan feels relaxed enough to rock
it up a bit on some of his older material.
Tonight I’ll be Staying Here
With You, It
Ain’t Me, Babe, and Romance
In Durango are all given an upbeat
tempo, with Dylan singing with his strongest voice.
With a throaty gravel, he practically shouts,
“It Ain’t Me, Babe”
while accompanied by an incredibly
tight band of musicians.
His more recent material at that time is covered more or less
as they were recorded—something Dylan rarely does.
Simple Twist Of Fate,
Tangled Up In Blue,
and Hurricane
are very strong and evoke Dylan’s mood at that time.
Before the band launches into Hurricane, he implores the
audience to “Do what we can to get this man back on the streets.”
If you are not a fan of Bob
Dylan, there is nothing this writer or
this CD can say or do to change your mind.
But if you are like me, you won’t be able to listen to
Mr. Tambourine Man,
Blowin’ In The Wind,
and It’s
All Over Now, Baby
Blue, without shedding a few tears.
A few tears for the loss of the passions and emotions that we
held so dear in such turbulent times.
A few tears for the compassion and social awareness that his
music raised.
Bob Dylan
continues to make his music, and he
continues to baffle us with his mysterious ways.
But the only mystery that appeared on this tour was the
whiteface makeup Dylan wore onstage.
I read the entire booklet to find the answer and, if you are
as curious as I, you’ll have to buy the CD to find out for
yourself; just don’t be surprised if you’re still left to
scratch your head and wonder. Enjoy
this treasure and, as Dylan once sang: “May you stay forever
young.”
Pat
Benny
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