Dylan

[mastaflatch]

as long as you're aware of how Dylan sounds these days and how he re-interprets his songs, there's no reason for not enjoying his show. i went to see him live a few years ago and i was delighted - his band is tops and you can see that good old Bob is leading the game, kind of, not giving a fuck and having a good time. some people i went with probably thought they'd hear Dylan sing like he used to back in the 60s, which was also hilarious, watching their puzzled and disgruntled faces, thinking they'd been had.

[red calzolaio]

as long as you're aware of how Dylan sounds these days and how he re-interprets his songs, there's no reason for not enjoying his show. i went to see him live a few years ago and i was delighted - his band is tops and you can see that good old Bob is leading the game, kind of, not giving a fuck and having a good time. some people i went with probably thought they'd hear Dylan sing like he used to back in the 60s, which was also hilarious, watching their puzzled and disgruntled faces, thinking they'd been had.

does he sing like Dylan from the 80's?

[Kevin Davis]

does he sing like Dylan from the 80's?

Not really. His singing now is more of a phlegmy, tuneless bark; in the 80's it was basically just a variation on his famous nasal sneer, only desecrated by a decade's worth of smoking, drinking, and drugs. Currently, despite the fact that his studio albums are still quite good, his live performances are probably the worst they've ever been. The last show I saw was in 2005 and I vowed it would be my last, but I couldn't resist going with Wilco and Richard Thompson on the bill.

Unlike mastaflach, I think his current band is terrible. The band that made "Love and Theft" was wonderful, but one by one, those musicians left, and over time they've been replaced with players who create a pathetic, lifeless facsimile of that "Americana revue" sound that Dylan has been so fond of this last decade. They sound okay on the albums, but I always find myself wanting them to cut loose way more than they do. As for the voice...

This is him playing "Restless Farewell" in 1995 at a Frank Sinatra tribute. This was 7 years into the Never Ending Tour, and one of its peak years for his voice--he has a great deal of control over it, and the tone is very smooth. This kind of slow, silken recitation can get a little sleepy across the duration of a show, but overall this is what I think the best of his later years sounds like.


This next one is 2002, and the song is Don Henley's "End of the Innocence." Strange cover choice, and not much of a song in Henley's hands, but very powerful here--this was one of a handful of completely unprecedented cover songs Dylan played this year. You can hear a great deal of weather in the voice since the 1995 performance, but he's singing his ass off. A great example of how a palpable commitment can overcome great physical limitations.


2006: If you can hear over the audience chatter, this is "Positively 4th Street." Things have gone downhill by now--Dylan is making no effort to phrase, he is just obnoxiously jumping up an octave at the end of every line (the Dylan geeks call this "upsinging," as it has become such a common tic in his performances that it sometimes dominates entire concerts), and the arrangement is barely there. There is also some weird carnival effect on Dylan's organ that dominates the sound in a kind of uncomfortable way.


Lastly, here is a rearrangement of "Tangled Up In Blue" from last year. The idea of the rearrangement is admirable, but the execution is very poor--lousy, inappropriate singing, and an arrangement that really just doesn't suit the song. The band never really seems to lock into a groove--the performance feels (and looks) way more like a practice than a concert. To me this is characteristic of how the performances have sounded since 2005-2006--indifferent, half-cooked, as if the band is either checked out or intentionally playing at half volume so as not to give old Bob a scare he can't recover from.


So, I am not going into this show with high expectations. I will be fishing for fragments of melody wherever I can find them and just trying to enjoy myself. I haven't been nearly as watchful of Dylan's live stuff over the past 8 years or so as I used to be, so hopefully some distance will help. But for me a lot of those novelties of "seeing Bob Dylan" have passed. I realize he's an American badass who doesn't give a fuck--I have processed and stored that information, and that is not what I hope to take from seeing him. Fingers crossed for a pleasant surprise.

[Blenheim Augustine]

This is him playing "Restless Farewell" in 1995 at a Frank Sinatra tribute. This was 7 years into the Never Ending Tour, and one of its peak years for his voice--he has a great deal of control over it, and the tone is very smooth.

Didn't the Never Ending Tour finish in 1991?

[Hatfield]

does he sing like Dylan from the 80's?

Not really. His singing now is more of a phlegmy, tuneless bark; in the 80's it was basically just a variation on his famous nasal sneer, only desecrated by a decade's worth of smoking, drinking, and drugs. Currently, despite the fact that his studio albums are still quite good, his live performances are probably the worst they've ever been. The last show I saw was in 2005 and I vowed it would be my last, but I couldn't resist going with Wilco and Richard Thompson on the bill.

Unlike mastaflach, I think his current band is terrible. The band that made "Love and Theft" was wonderful, but one by one, those musicians left, and over time they've been replaced with players who create a pathetic, lifeless facsimile of that "Americana revue" sound that Dylan has been so fond of this last decade. They sound okay on the albums, but I always find myself wanting them to cut loose way more than they do. As for the voice...

This is him playing "Restless Farewell" in 1995 at a Frank Sinatra tribute. This was 7 years into the Never Ending Tour, and one of its peak years for his voice--he has a great deal of control over it, and the tone is very smooth. This kind of slow, silken recitation can get a little sleepy across the duration of a show, but overall this is what I think the best of his later years sounds like.


This next one is 2002, and the song is Don Henley's "End of the Innocence." Strange cover choice, and not much of a song in Henley's hands, but very powerful here--this was one of a handful of completely unprecedented cover songs Dylan played this year. You can hear a great deal of weather in the voice since the 1995 performance, but he's singing his ass off. A great example of how a palpable commitment can overcome great physical limitations.


2006: If you can hear over the audience chatter, this is "Positively 4th Street." Things have gone downhill by now--Dylan is making no effort to phrase, he is just obnoxiously jumping up an octave at the end of every line (the Dylan geeks call this "upsinging," as it has become such a common tic in his performances that it sometimes dominates entire concerts), and the arrangement is barely there. There is also some weird carnival effect on Dylan's organ that dominates the sound in a kind of uncomfortable way.


Lastly, here is a rearrangement of "Tangled Up In Blue" from last year. The idea of the rearrangement is admirable, but the execution is very poor--lousy, inappropriate singing, and an arrangement that really just doesn't suit the song. The band never really seems to lock into a groove--the performance feels (and looks) way more like a practice than a concert. To me this is characteristic of how the performances have sounded since 2005-2006--indifferent, half-cooked, as if the band is either checked out or intentionally playing at half volume so as not to give old Bob a scare he can't recover from.


So, I am not going into this show with high expectations. I will be fishing for fragments of melody wherever I can find them and just trying to enjoy myself. I haven't been nearly as watchful of Dylan's live stuff over the past 8 years or so as I used to be, so hopefully some distance will help. But for me a lot of those novelties of "seeing Bob Dylan" have passed. I realize he's an American badass who doesn't give a fuck--I have processed and stored that information, and that is not what I hope to take from seeing him. Fingers crossed for a pleasant surprise.

I completely agree about his current touring band. Lifeless.

Wilco and MMJ are going to amazing and Dylan is going to do what Dylan does.

[Strat]

Was the Blood on the tracks Vinyl Reissue release date pushed back to August? I could have sworn it was supposed to be released at the end of April......

[LetMeSleep]

I haven't seen BD since 2008 but when I haven't built up the gig it has always blown me away. Hopefully it's GA so you can get close. And Charlie Sexton and Tony Garnier just rock. The other guys are a bit lacklustre though.

[Kevin Davis]

Sexton is gone; Duke Robillard has taken his place.

Freddy Koella is my favorite Dylan guitar player.

[super nintendo chalmers]

is there a better quality version of that restless farewell floating around?

[Wendy Carlos's Twin]

is there a better quality version of that restless farewell floating around?

The audio is on one of the Genuine Bootleg Series boots I think. Sounds great.

[oasisfan35]

This is him playing "Restless Farewell" in 1995 at a Frank Sinatra tribute. This was 7 years into the Never Ending Tour, and one of its peak years for his voice--he has a great deal of control over it, and the tone is very smooth.

Didn't the Never Ending Tour finish in 1991?

According to Bob Dylan.. pfft.

[super nintendo chalmers]

is there a better quality version of that restless farewell floating around?

The audio is on one of the Genuine Bootleg Series boots I think. Sounds great.

https://soundcloud.com/bobdylanliverare ... well-frank

here. you can download it too.

[Strat]

Happy birthday you ol' crusty bastard you!


http://vimeo.com/42774223

[super nintendo chalmers]

[Fuzzcharger]

Can anyone recommend an audio archive of Dylan Interviews online? There seems to be a gazillion blogs out there. Mainly pre-motorcycle accident stuff is what I'm interested in.

[LetMeSleep]

Can anyone recommend an audio archive of Dylan Interviews online? There seems to be a gazillion blogs out there. Mainly pre-motorcycle accident stuff is what I'm interested in.

There's a 15CD set of 65 material and radio interviews. I have a ripped copy somewhere. Anything in particular you after?


http://www.bobsboots.com/CDs/cd-1_01.html

[Fuzzcharger]

Can anyone recommend an audio archive of Dylan Interviews online? There seems to be a gazillion blogs out there. Mainly pre-motorcycle accident stuff is what I'm interested in.

There's a 15CD set of 65 material and radio interviews. I have a ripped copy somewhere. Anything in particular you after?


http://www.bobsboots.com/CDs/cd-1_01.html

Yeah this era interview is what I'm interested. 65-66 era bits. I'll do search online for that particular set, cheers!

[Wendy Carlos's Twin]

New Dylan album is "Bootleg Series Vol. 10: Another Self Portrait". Fans are already gnashing their teeth that some good songs are not being included.

1 Went To See the Gypsy (Demo)
2 Little Sadie (Without Overdubs)
3 Pretty Saro
4 Alberta #3 (Alternate Version)
5 Spanish Is the Loving Tongue
6 Annie's Going To Sing Her Song
7 Time Passes Slowly #1 (Alternate Version)
8 Only a Hobo
9 Minstrel Boy
10 I Threw It All Away (Alternate Version)
11 Railroad Bill
12 Thirsty Boots
13 This Evening So Soon
14 These Hands
15 In Search of Little Sadie (Without Overdubs)
16 House Carpenter
17 All the Tired Horses (Without Overdubs)
18 If Not For You (Alternate Version)
19 Wallflower (Alternate Version)
20 Wigwam (Without Overdubs)
21 Days of '49 (Without Overdubs)
22 Working On a Guru
23 Country Pie (Alternate Version)
24 I'll Be Your Baby Tonight (with The Band)
25 Highway 61 Revisited (with The Band)
26 Copper Kettle (Without Overdubs)
27 Bring Me a Little Water
28 Sign On the Window (With Orchestral Overdubs)
29 Tattle O'Day
30 If Dogs Run Free (Alternate Version)
31 New Morning (With Horn Section Overdubs)
32 Went To See the Gypsy (Alternate Version)
33 Belle Isle (Without Overdubs)
34 Time Passes Slowly #2 (Alternate Version)
35 When I Paint My Masterpiece (Demo)

[Kevin Davis]

I love Dylan's 69-71 voice, and if some of these outtakes are the same ones that are already circulating in bootleg circles, this is going to be really nice.

[Wendy Carlos's Twin]

It's actually a mix of Nashville Skyline, New Morning & Self Portrait outtakes and spans the years 1970-1972.