Bob Dylan
- The Bootleg Series Vol. 5 Live 1975 review
In
the wonderful 56-page
booklet accompanying Live 1975, guitarist T-Bone Burnett can be seen
wearing welding glasses in a few pictures. Upon hearing the
performances within this new 2-disc set, one might assume that he
was shielding his eyes from the unbelievably incendiary music which
Dylan and his Rolling Thunder Review band unleashed on this tour.
Indeed, the music here is loose and energetic, passionate and
inspired; sometimes raunchy and sometimes tender. In other
words, this is Dylan at one of his peaks.
Culled
from a series of Northeast venues, Live 1975 represents the first
leg of Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Review. Named in memory of an
American Indian Shaman and featuring many of Dylan’s musical
friends, Rolling Thunder was a veritable Gypsy caravan and
multi-faceted artistic endeavor. A rag-tag western movie was
filmed during the tour and many guests came and went. Gordon
Lightfoot, Allen Ginsberg, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, Joan Baez, Roger
McGuinn, Joni Mitchell, and others joined the review for varying
lengths of time, but the undeniable star of the show was Dylan
himself.
Riding
high on the artistic and commercial success of Blood on the
Tracks,
Dylan took many new songs on the road, including some which would
appear on his Desire album. These songs, especially “Romance
in Durango,” “Isis,” and “Hurricane,” burn with a creative
intensity not heard in their studio treatment. Dylan also
reworked and disguised many of his old standards with amazing
success. “It Ain’t Me Babe” takes on a calypso/scat feel
while the once-solemn “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall” rages with a
full-blown rock 'n roll reworking. The opening track
“Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You” also benefits from an
intense rock reading from Dylan and his band.
As
great as his full-band performances are on these discs, Dylan truly
shines on his solo acoustic numbers. Every single one is a
gem, in particular “Mr. Tambourine Man,” “Tangled Up In
Blue,” and “Simple Twist of Fate.” However, the
genuinely haunting tracks of this set are “It’s All Over Now,
Baby Blue” and “Love Minus Zero/No Limit.” Each lyric
seems to glow with its original inspiration and Dylan delivers them
with undeniably real passion. This is music that demands to be
heard through the ages.
Of
course, with music so unrestrained and free, there are always a few
missteps. “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” suffers from too
many folks being on the stage and sharing the vocals while “I
Shall Be Released” and “Blowin’ In The Wind” find Dylan and
Joan Baez trying to sing over one another. However, it should
be noted that they sound great together on “Mama, You Been On My
Mind” and the stirring “The Water is Wide.”
In
the end, what makes Live 1975 a classic recording is the ease with
which the energy of these performances hit the listener 28 years
after-the-fact. We hear Dylan sing with swagger and
confidence, emotion and mystery, and with a determination rarely
heard in today’s sterile and uninspired musical landscape.
His band fuels the fire with playing almost too raucous and
in-the-moment to be believed; but it’s all there for us to hear.
The Rolling Thunder Revue is coming to town, and the feather-capped
leader of the band wants to sing a few songs. Be there or be
square. By Kevin Hartman©
Grade A-
