Oh it's a great song (and I like the piano-only alternate on TTS disc 3). I guess my use of the word "sublime" might tip my hand as to how I feel about the Supper Club rendition.
Yeah, I would thoroughly enjoy a multi-disc compilation of live material from the Never Ending Tour. And clearly a Blood On The Tracks set is a high priority. I also think a set of live material from his early '80s religious-associated tours would be interesting.
I'm not quite sure how they do it in Grateful Dead-land, but isn't just about every one of their live shows available for purchase now? And I know there are FTD releases of many Elvis Presley shows, and now Springsteen is supposedly ready to go down that path. Maybe Dylan's grandkids will be peddling his live shows 50 years from now, one by one. (I still need a soundboard of Chicago, January 3, 1974.)
Surprised to hear that. My understanding was that these shows were $100/tic, definitely steep at the time. Not so?
My first instinct would be to eagerly embrace that approach to the Dylan catalog. But at the same time, I have to acknowledge that the Dylan team has done an amazing job of making every Bootleg Series release seem like it MATTERS, and much of that is probably due to keeping each release conceptually distinct. Aside from the considerable quality of the material itself, I think part of that is the fact they always felt they had a new "story" to tell with each new entry. So I don't think they are likely (at least in the short term) of revisiting tours that were previously featured on official albums, even if it's clear a better BEFORE THE FLOOD or LIVE AT BUDOKAN could easily be assembled. Though it could be argued that the upcoming Basement Tapes set is a "do-over" of the '75 album. So maybe there is a new precedent there?
If I could choose just one complete sessions box for an upcomming bootleg series I would without a doubt go for a Time Out Of Mind set. My dream live set would be a 4CD/DVD LIVE 1976 box CD 1/2 Complete May 23 Fort Collins show. (My favorite Dylan concert!) CD 3 Acoustic Thunder - a collection of the many other great acoustic performances from this tour. CD 4 Electric Thunder - a collection of the many other great electric performances from this tour. DVD Hard Rain NBC TV broadcast + the shelved Clearwater, Florida footage.
Looks like plenty to choose from... Infidels - partial listing of known outtakes. All titles in parentheses are "working titles". "16 Tons" (Merle Travis) "Across The Borderline" (Ry Cooder, John Hiatt, Jim Dickinson) "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground" (Version 1), released as a B-side to the Infidel singles. "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground" (Version 2) "Aquarium" (Robbie Sly) "Back To The Wall" "Blind Willie McTell" (electric take, different from The Bootleg Series take) "Blind Willie McTell" (later released on The Bootleg Series Vol 1-3) ("Buttons + Buns") "Buttons" or ("Great Buttons Again") "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" (Horton/Darling/Gabler) "Christmas Song" (Mel Tormé) "Clean Cut Kid" (Brooklyn Anthem) (later reworked for the Empire Burlesquealbum) "Cold Cold Heart" (Hank Williams) "Columbus Georgia" or "Columbus Stockade Blues" ("Dadada") (Grateful Dead) "Dark As A Dungeon" (Merle Travis) "Dark Groove" (Instrumental) "Death Is Not The End" (later reworked for the Down in the Groove album) ("Diddling") "Don't Drink No Chevy" (?) "Don't Fly Unless It's Safe" (Instrumental) "Foot of Pride" (later released on The Bootleg Series Vol 1-3) "From Paul" ("Goin' Up Let It Roll") "Glory To The King" "The Green, Green Grass of Home" (J. Curly Putman) "Green Onions" (Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, Lewis Steinberg, Al Jackson, Jr.) ("Half-Finished Song I") ("Half-Finished Song II") "He's Gone" (?) "Home, Home On The Range" (William Goodwin, B. Bigley & D.Kelly) "How Many Days" (?) "I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair" (Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II) "I’m Movin' On" (Hank Snow) ("Instrumental Jam") Instrumental (Blues) Instrumental (Bluesy Jam: Slow) Instrumental (Bluesy Jam: Bluesier) Instrumental (Bluesy Jam: Pickup Again) Instrumental (BLues Riff) Instrumental (Bob Lead Jazz) Instrumental (Bob Said Tape This) Instrumental (Boogie 1) Instrumental (Boogie 2) Instrumental (End Bob 12-String) Instrumental (G Boogie) Instrumental (Harmonico Jam 1) Instrumental (Harmonico Jam 2) Instrumental (Harmonico Jam 3) Instrumental (Harmonico Solo) Instrumental (Instrumental Jam) Instrumental (Jam Groove) Instrumental (Mark Pickin' Groove) Instrumental (Mark Soop Pick Up) Instrumental (Mark Plunks Tasty) Instrumental (Reggae Jam) "Jesus Met The Woman At The Well" (trad.) "Julius and Ethel" (fully realised outtake, never released) ("KIM") "Lord Protect My Child" (later released on The Bootleg Series Vol 1-3) ("Love You Too Jam") "Lovers Concerto" (Sandy Linzer & Denny Randell) "Prison Station Blues" "Oh, Babe" "Oh, Susannah!" (Stephen Foster) "Oklahoma Kansas" ("Reggae Toms Toms Jam") "Silent Night" (Franz Gruber, Josef Mohr) "Slow Try Baby" "Someone's Got A Hold Of My Heart" (later reworked to "Tight Connection to My Heart) "Tell Me" (later released on The Bootleg Series Vol 1-3) "This Was My Love" (Jim Harbert) (Version 1) "This Was My Love" (Jim Harbert) (Version 2) ("4/20 Trees Hannibal Alps") Unidentified Song 1 Unidentified Song 2 Also, alternate versions of every song on Infidels are in circulation as well. None of these alternate takes has been commercially released. "Jokerman" "Sweetheart Like You" (alternate version 1) "Sweetheart Like You" (alternate version 2) "Sweetheart Like You" (Several rehearsals) "Neighborhood Bully" (alternate version) "License To Kill" (alternate version) "Man Of Peace" (alternate version) "Union Sundown" (alternate version 1) "Union Sundown" (alternate version 2) "I And I" (alternate version) "Don't Fall Apart On Me Tonight" (alternate version) Empire Burlesque - list of known outtakes... "As Time Passes By" "Driftin' Too Far From Shore" (circulating). This song was later released on Knocked Out Loaded, after several major overdubs were included. The much more stripped down take from the EB sessions is circulating. "Firebird" "Freedom for the Stallion" (two takes circulating) "Go Away Little Boy" (circulating) "Gravity Song" "The Girl I Left Behind" (traditional) "Help Me Make It Through The Night" (Kris Kristofferson) "Honey Wait (?)" (circulating) "I See Fire in Your Eyes" "In the Summertime" (circulating) "Instrumental 1" "Instrumental 2" "Instrumental 3" "Instrumental 4" "Instrumental 5" "Instrumental 6" "Jam 1" "Jam 2" "Jam 3" "Jam 4" "Look Yonder" "Mountain of Love" (Harold Kenneth Dorman) "New Danville Girl" (circulating) "Queen of Rock and Roll" "Prince of Plunder" "Rising Sun" (Steven Hufsteter/Tito Larriva/Tony Marsico/Chalo Quintana) "Straight A's in Love" (circulating) "Too Hot to Drive By" "The Very Thought of You" (circulating) "Waiting to Get Beat" (circulating). "The Very Thought" and "Waiting To Get Beat", like "Denise" and "Black Crowe Blues" from Another Side of Bob Dylan use the same music but have different lyrics. "We Had It All" (Donny Frittis, Troy Seals) "When the Line Forms" "Who Loves You More" (circulating). Finished track "Wolf"
I want this show to be released -- I was there, and it was great music, and great theatre, too: (from bjorner.com) Holiday Star Music Theater Merrillville, Indiana 19 October 1981 1. Gotta Serve Somebody 2. I Believe In You 3. Like A Rolling Stone (FEATURING AL KOOPER ON ORGAN] 4. I Want You 5. Man Gave Names To All The Animals (Bob) Well thank you. Wanna hear another animal song? [people getting up and leaving their seats] Can you bring back an extra box of popcorn next time you come. Bring back three extra boxes of popcorn. Please, thank you. 6. Maggie's Farm 7. Girl From The North Country 8. Ballad Of A Thin Man (Bob) We'll try and do a special request tonight. We don't do this kind of thing so bear with us now. 9. We Just Disagree 10. All Along The Watchtower 11. Forever Young (Dylan and the band leave the stage) 12. Gamblin' Man (trad.) [backup singers only, acapella] (Dylan returns) 13. The Times They Are A-Changin' 14. A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall 15. It's All In The Game 16. Slow Train (Bob) All right, you wanna hear another one? [other people leaving their seats] Get two boxes of popcorn this time. 17. Mr. Tambourine Man 18. Solid Rock 19. Masters Of War 20. Heart Of Mine 21. Señor (Tales Of Yankee Power) 22. When You Gonna Wake Up 23. In The Garden — 24. Blowin' In The Wind 25. It Ain't Me, Babe You wanna, you wanna hear something really strange? I got a friend of mine who's gonna sing a song now. Gonna bring him on stage. I wonder if he's gonna sing? This is a friend of mine named Larry. [His old friend Larry, in a wheelchair, comes on stage and sings the Chuck Berry song while BOB PLAYS THE SAXOPHONE] 26. No Money Down (Chuck Berry) THE END Bob Dylan (vocal & guitar), Fred Tackett (guitar), Steve Ripley (guitar), Al Kooper (keyboards), Tim Drummond (bass), Jim Keltner (drums), Arthur Rosato (drums), Clydie King, Regina Havis, Madelyn Quebec (background vocals). 12 Clydie King, Regina Havis, Madelyn Quebec (vocals). 11, 13, 25 Bob Dylan (harmonica). 15 Bob Dylan & Clydie King (shared vocal). 25 Bob Dylan solo (vocal & guitar). 26 Larry Kegan (vocal), Bob Dylan (tenor saxophone).
A gospel years set really has to be done. The band he used on those tours was amazing. Some sort of Supper Club set would be nice, even a two CD/DVD best of collection. Just recently I've been going back and collecting shows from the much neglected 78 tour and have found many of the shows very powerful. The official Budokan album doesn't do this tour justice. A set revisiting this tour could be superb. Since I've already heard most of the BOTT material, such a release isn't quite as exciting to me, but I suppose it is due for an official release.
They might have been $100 on the secondary market, but they were given away Monday morning at Tower Records in Manhattan, 2 per person. The shows were the next night and Wednesday. I went gratis.
Not quite to the "every show" level with The Dead. Some years (the last ones in particular) are actually pretty poorly represented in their official live catalog, As compared to Europe '72 where they released every single show.
I managed to "find" an audience tape of the show, but an official release (which I'm sure I'll never see or hear in my lifetime) would be nice.
Rockabilly Robert Dylan with G.E. Smith & Friends -- love to have it all. (MY shows: June 18 & July 14, 1988)
The Dead recorded all of Europe '72 on multi-track in anticipation of a live album ("Europe '72"). Must have seemed like overkill at the time, but about 40 years later it sure paid off. Dylan has never done anything of the sort. Even when he planned for a live album he taped a handful of shows on multi-track, not a whole tour or leg. Other than some things done specifically for TV broadcast, I don't believe that any of the Never-Ending Tour shows were multi-tracked. At best there's a two track and in some cases I think they actually recorded the shows on cassette way back when. Bootleg series wise it comes down to what they are willing to use. Still surprised, honestly, that audience tapes were used for "Tell Tale Signs", but that's a positive sign that the source of the material won't get in the way.
Since you broached the subject now I get to show off: My Interstate '88s: June 24, 25, 26, 30, July 1, September 2, 4, 10, October 13, 16, 17, 18, 19. You could say I was a bit hooked.
With Dylan, supposedly all the '74 tours were recorded (I believe all those tapes have fallen into the wrong hands), several of the RTR shows were multi-tracked (some have been released in piecemeal form) but beyond that, I would have to think that each and every live gig was recorded in some fashion by Dylan's people, ranging from lowly cassette to DAT to hard drives (once those became available) and somewhere there must be an archive of those recordings. There has to be...
You'd think so ... but I don't think so! I've heard the "they recorded all the '74 shows" story, but that doesn't add up. 40 shows, and they only use the 3 LA shows (with one track imported from NYC) on the album? Seems unlikely. Yes, a few other board tapes have made their way around (Boston, a partial Oakland) but I don't know that those derive from multi-tracks, I'd suspect that they are "live" mixes. Most of the "soundboard" tapes that circulate for the NET are actually derived from in-house FM narrowcasts ("Deaf aids", to quote John Lennon).
For the '70s material, I don't mean full-on professional recordings, but simply 2-track, left-right stereo soundboard tapes (reel to reel, probably) from the mixing board output jack. A dry sound, to be sure, but not unlistenable. Similar to the BS Live 1966.
