Bob Dylan: The 1966 Live Recordings - Sony 36-CD box-set - November 11th 2016

Rambling randomness & recapitulation:

I've always been intrigued by the '66 setlist(s), and I know we've discussed them a few times in other threads here over the last few years. I think Dylan had a real balancing act to do at that time, wanting to push forward with completely new songs, and his controversial *electric* sound for the second half of the show, challenging his audience while satisfying at least some of their expectations.

Many, many people were still catching up with his older, acoustic-based material at that point, while he was rocketing forward into musical territory that may have been jarring, or distasteful, to some of them. They still wanted Blowin' In The Wind and The Times They Are A-Changin', and may have even welcomed something like Maggie's Farm or Subterranean Homesick Blues in the electric half; but by the time they got to Europe, Dylan wasn't even performing his most recent "hit" single, Positively 4th Street, anymore (AFAIK), nor the two singles that followed it, Crawl Out Your Window and One of Us Must Know, neither of which had done well on the charts in early '66. Manfred Mann had a sizable hit in the U.K. with If You Gotta Go in late '65, but it appears that Dylan had already turned his back on that song (despite his "Miami Sales Message") once he wrote and recorded Like A Rolling Stone.

The setlist that Dylan ultimately devised may have been 100% perfect, to his way of thinking, but...

Do I wish that he and the Hawks could have pounded out some live versions of the tracks he'd already released, namely Rainy Day Women, Pledging My Time, and One of Us Must Know? Or some of the other songs that would be released on his forthcoming album, such as Sweet Marie, Five Believers, or Achilles? Yes to all of the above.

Or maybe a solo version of Sad Eyed Lady, with acoustic guitar, or at the piano? That would've been asking too much, I guess.

"BLONDE ON BLONDE" tracklist
RAINY DAY WOMEN #12 & 35 [A-side single released March 1966, charted April, big Top Ten hit, but banned from radio in some locales]
PLEDGING MY TIME [B-side single]
VISIONS OF JOHANNA played live
ONE OF US MUST KNOW [A-side single released February 1966, spent only a few weeks on the charts)
I WANT YOU
MEMPHIS BLUES AGAIN
LEOPARD-SKIN PILLBOX HAT played live
JUST LIKE A WOMAN played live
MOST LIKELY YOU GO YOUR WAY
TEMPORARY LIKE ACHILLES
ABSOLUTELY SWEET MARIE
4TH TIME AROUND played live
OBVIOUSLY 5 BELIEVERS
SAD EYED LADY OF THE LOWLANDS

- Three "acoustic" songs from Bringing At All Back Home
- Four songs from Highway 61 Revisited
- Four NEW songs from forthcoming Blonde on Blonde
- One NEW song (Tell Me Momma) which was never recorded in the studio, like Long Distance Operator from the late '65 U.S. tour
- Three *electrified" versions of acoustic numbers from Dylan's earlier records, but nothing from Freewheelin'

THE 15-SONG EUROPEAN SET-LIST 1966
She Belongs To Me
Fourth Time Around BRAND NEW, UNHEARD (1st performed live in U.S. in Feb. '66)
Visions Of Johanna BRAND NEW, UNHEARD (1st performed live in U.S. in Dec. '65)
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
Desolation Row (HIGHWAY 61 LP)
Just Like A Woman BRAND NEW, UNHEARD (1st performed live in Australia in Apr. '66)
Mr. Tambourine Man (Byrds hit single)

Tell Me, Momma BRAND NEW, UNHEARD, NO STUDIO VERSION (1st performed live in U.S. in Feb. '66)
I Don't Believe You REWORKED ACOUSTIC NUMBER, lyrics edited
Baby, Let Me Follow You Down REWORKED ACOUSTIC NUMBER, new lyrics
Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues (HIGHWAY 61 LP)
Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat BRAND NEW, UNHEARD (1st performed live in U.S. in Feb. '66)
One Too Many Mornings REWORKED ACOUSTIC NUMBER
Ballad Of A Thin Man (HIGHWAY 61 LP)
Like A Rolling Stone (HIT SINGLE/HIGHWAY 61 LP)

 

That's what I thought it referred to - anybody have a source?

 

It seems to me that it's from a much older quote by someone, but Robbie used a variation of "nightly ritual" here:

2011 INTERVIEW
Greg Phillips: The 1966 tour and the judas comment period after Dylan had gone electric … What was was vibe like in the band room before heading out on stage each night? Did you need to reassure each other?
Robbie Robertson: No. We got the joke very early on. What I was really interested in was playing the music really well and us being able to say we’re right and you’re wrong. That’s what my preoccupation was. Playing those songs really well was what I was looking for. The booing and people throwing stuff was a ritual. It happened every night. After a few nights, you get used to it. There’d be a joke sometimes, like OK guys get ready to duck. Let’s go!

ROBBIE ROBERTSON | Australian Musician Magazine »

 

Dutch music magazine MUZIEK EPRES dd aug 1966

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Paris, all photos by Monique Valentin ( Photo Reporters )



(later on , more scans)
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One of them (row 1, column 2) can be found in excellent quality in the book :
Bob Dylan , an Illustrated History by Michael Gross (1979)

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I always imagined that Bob probably took his cue for electrifying BLMFYD partly from this:

 

More from: “I wasn’t going to be anyone’s puppet…”: Dylan in Paris ’66, and other puppet stories »

"They (the press) also seemed quite truculent about Dylan staying at the posh George V Hotel, where he was ushered into a luxurious suite bedizened with Spanish master paintings and Louis XV furniture. “What’s this”, Dylan reportedly said to the maitre d’hotel. “You should have known I don’t dig Louis the Fifteenth. If you don’t get me a decent suite in the next five minutes, I’ll take the airplane back to America.” Monsieur Dylan was shown into a another luxurious suite, sans Louis XV — but with a carpet that monsieur didn’t like. He relented, “Well, if we have to camp, let’s camp.”

The music was great. The person maybe less so....

 

Which group is that in the middle photo? They look familiar.....

 

Was Ringo bald by 1984?

 

A band called the Beatles - from London, England (really from Liverpool, England). They released two albums in the UK, but only a couple singles in the US (that failed to get airplay). Their second album, For Pete's Sake, is regarded as a bit of a cult classic and contains two 'experimental' drum solo tracks. Their 1964 tour of Australia was their final tour anywhere before their drummer, Peter Best, quit the band, effectively breaking the group up, since he was the most popular member in the UK and abroad and sang most of their hit songs. Best wanted to become an actor, and did, in soap operas. The writers in the group, McCartney&Lennon, went on to write hits for Tom Jones, Johnny Hallyday, Petula Clark, etc. They had quite a run of hits until their 'boy loves girl/girl loves boy' brand of songs got pushed by the wayside by the international Hard Folk craze of 1965, led by you know who, Bobby Dee.

 

'76 actually.

 

My theory on the inclusion of "Tell Me Mama":

It's such a killer rocker that if you, as an audience member, couldn't get off on THAT one, it was time to go home. You wouldn't like what was to follow.

 

I suppose it's possible...

 

The first time I ever heard a live 1966 recording was off Oxford Street in central London in a small but sunny record shop. I'd found a copy of the USA I Want You single and asked to listen to the b side because it looked scratched. After about half a minute of Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues playing, everyone in the shop just stopped what they were doing and stood and listened. When the track ended, the lady standing next to me said something like 'that's rock & roll' and two others asked for a copy of the single. It seemed like we had all maybe heard this music for the first time and were caught off guard by it.

 

Paris - all photos by Monique Valentin ( Photo Reporters )


wait a minute , my guitar is out of tune here in Paris

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London, England - May 26 & 27, 1966
Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore London, SW7
Designed by: civil engineers Captain Francis Fowke and Major-General Henry Y. D. Scott of the Royal Engineers
Builder: Lucas Brothers
Opened 1871
Capacity 5,272
Architectural style: Italianate
Height: 135 feet

The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, which holds the Proms concerts annually each summer since 1941. The Hall is a registered charity held in trust for the nation and receives no public or government funding.[1]
Since its opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres have appeared on its stage and it has become one of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings. Each year it hosts more than 390 shows in the main auditorium, including classical, rock and pop concerts, ballet, opera, film screenings with live orchestra, sports, award ceremonies, school and community events, charity performances and banquets. A further 400 events are held each year in the non-auditorium spaces.
The Hall was originally supposed to have been called the Central Hall of Arts and Sciences, but the name was changed to the Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences by Queen Victoria upon laying the Hall's foundation stone in 1867, in memory of her husband consort, Prince Albert who had died six years earlier. It forms the practical part of a memorial to the Prince Consort – the decorative part is the Albert Memorial directly to the north in Kensington Gardens, now separated from the Hall by Kensington Gore.
The designers were heavily influenced by ancient amphitheatres, but had also been exposed to the ideas of Gottfried Semper while he was working at the South Kensington Museum. The recently opened Cirque d'Hiver in Paris was seen in the contemporary press as the design to outdo. The Hall was constructed mainly of Fareham Red brick, with terra cotta block decoration made by Gibbs and Canning Limited of Tamworth. The dome (designed by Rowland Mason Ordish) on top was made of wrought iron and glazed. There was a trial assembly made of the iron framework of the dome in Manchester, then it was taken apart again and transported to London via horse and cart. When the time came for the supporting structure to be removed from the dome after reassembly in situ, only volunteers remained on site in case the structure dropped. It did drop – but only by five-sixteenths of an inch.[4] The Hall was scheduled to be completed by Christmas Day 1870 and the Queen visited a few weeks beforehand to inspect.[5]
Initially lit by gas, the Hall contained a special system where its thousands of gas jets were lit within ten seconds. Though it was demonstrated as early as 1873 in the Hall,[6] full electric lighting was not installed until 1888.[2] During an early trial when a partial installation was made, one disgruntled patron wrote to The Times declaring it to be "a very ghastly and unpleasant innovation".
In May 1877, Richard Wagner himself conducted the first half of each of the eight concerts which made up the Grand Wagner Festival. After his turn with the baton he handed it over to conductor Hans Richter and sat in a large arm chair on the corner of the stage for the rest of each concert. Wagner's wife Cosima, the daughter of Hungarian virtuoso pianist and composer Franz Liszt, was among the audience.
In 1911 Russian pianist and composer Sergei Rachmaninoff performed as a part of the London Ballad Concert. The recital included his 'Prelude in F Sharp Minor', 'Prelude in G Sharp Minor' and 'Prelude in C Sharp Minor'.
In 1933 German physicist Albert Einstein led the 'Einstein Meeting' at the hall for the Council for Assisting Refugee Academics; a British charity.
In 1936, the Hall was the scene of a giant rally celebrating the British Empire, the occasion being the centenary of Joseph Chamberlain's birth. In October 1942, the Hall suffered minor damage during World War II bombing but was left mostly untouched as German pilots used the distinctive structure as a landmark.[6]



Interior (modern times):

 

Royal Albert Hall:

 

Savoy Hotel/May Fair Hotel(?):

In 1965, Dylan and company stayed in the Savoy (ie., the hotel room scenes from Don't Look Back). In 1966, in London the tour party was at the Mayfair Hotel – at least when they first got to the UK (May 2,) and that’s where the London press conference was on May 3rd.

Following Paris, when they got back to London, perhaps they stayed at the Savoy or dined there, set to play at the Royal Albert Hall.

 

Savoy Hotel/May Fair Hotel(?):

 

Yet Another Suede Jacket?:

Auction item: Bob Dylan / John Lennon: A tan suede jacket, 1960s, labelled Levi's®, collar with light brown leather facing, two breast pockets and front with press-stud fasteners, with statement of provenance. Estimated to be worth 8,000-12,000 (13,000-19,000), for many years the jacket resided in the collection of Tony Bramwell, who worked with the Beatles during the 1960s. The jacket in Very Good condition consistent with age and wear. Tan suede, collar with light brown leather facing, two buttoned breast pockets, the left with a white Levi's tag. No interior tags or markings, size is estimated to be approximately Medium.

• The statement is by Tony Bramwell, who worked for Brian Epstein and The Beatles throughout the 60s. The Beatles met Bob Dylan several times in London in May 1966, whilst he stayed at the Mayfair Hotel in Jermyn Street. Tony records that Dylan was wearing this jacket, which John admired and, a few days later, the jacket was delivered to the Beatles' office for John. It turned out to be somewhat on the small side for John so it was passed to Tony, who subsequently wore it for many years.

Bramwell asserts that the Beatles met Dylan many times during the swinging sixties and, on one occasion, in 1966, Lennon complimented Dylan on the tan suede jacket he was wearing. A few days later the gift arrived at the Beatles' offices - addressed from Bob to John. Although it turned out to be a little on the small side for Lennon, seeing that the suede jacket fitted Bramwell perfectly, Lennon let him keep it.

Bramwell: "I worked with Brian Epstein and the Beatles from 1962 to 1973. In London in May 1966 the Beatles and staff met Bob Dylan at the Mayfair Hotel. Later that day at a party at Dolly's Club in Jermyn Street Dylan was wearing a suede version of the popular Levi's jacket and John Lennon was quite jealous of it. A few days later Albert Grossman (Bob's Manager) came to the NEMS office with the jacket. It was worn and had a broken press stud on the pocket. I gave the jacket to John and he used to wear it a lot. One day he came into the office and asked me to go to Carnaby St. and buy him a jacket. Which I did and then he gave me the Levi's jacket because it was too small for him (he was having a fat period). I wore the jacket (it fitted me) for some years. Cheers. Tony Bramwell"

 

London, England - May 26-27, 1966:

Following his 26 May concert, Dylan visited Kenwood, Lennon’s home in Weybridge. This was Dylan's second visit to Lennon'shouse. (Dylan invited The Beatles to his shows, and John Lennon and George Harrison attended the second Royal Albert Hall show.)
Kenwood is a house on the St. George's Hill estate, Weybridge, Surrey, England. Originally called the Brown House, it was designed by architect T.A. Allen, and built in 1913 by local builders, Love & Sons. The estate was constructed around the Weybridge Golf Club, which was designed in 1912 by Harry Colt. John Lennon bought Kenwood for £20,000 on 15 July 1964, on the advice of The Beatles' accountants (Dr Walter Strach and James Isherwood). Lennon was resident from the summer of 1964, until the late spring of 1968.
Dylan told a reporter about his visit to Lennon's house in 1965: "The last time I went to London, I stayed at John Lennon's house. You should see all the stuff lennon bought: big cars, a stuffed gorilla and thousands of things in every room of the house, which obviously cost a fortune. When I got home, I wondered what it would be like to have all those material things. I figured I had the money and I could do it, and I wondered if it would feel like anything real. So I bought all this stuff, filled my house with it and sat around in the middle of ita ll. I felt nothing!"

More about Kenwood: Kenwood, St. George's Hill - Wikipedia »





The following day the pair were filmed being driven to Dylan's hotel in London. Present in the limousine was director DA Pennebaker, who had been hired to shoot film coverage of Dylan's UK tour, and sound operator Bobby Neuwirth.
Two reels of film were shot for this short Eat The Document scene totaling just over 20 minutes, toward the end of which Dylan becomes profoundly nauseous. Clip 1 begins with the two most popular figures of their time in their respective genres discussing song publishing and contemporary artists, while clip 3 ends up with Dylan only able to talk about vomit. Dylan is seen complaining of illness, and is pictured leaning forward with his head in his hands. He tells the driver, Tom Keylock, to hurry to the hotel as he may be sick. Pennebaker later revealed that he and Lennon had to help Dylan to his hotel room upon their arrival.
In 1970 Lennon spoke to Rolling Stone about the uncomfortable encounter: "I just remember we were both in shades and both on f**king junk. ... I was nervous as ****. I was on his territory, that's why I was so nervous."
Stones fans will recognize “Tom” the driver as Tom Keylock.
An alternative edit, titled You Know Something Is Happening, was made by Pennebaker for private use. This contained more footage of the limousine encounter, but also remains unreleased. Footage from the journey has long circulated among bootleg collectors, however.



Following the evening concert, Dylan, Paul McCartney, Neil Aspinall and The Rolling Stones all visited Dolly's nightclub on Jermyn Street, London.

The next day, the last day in London, before Dylan and his wife Sara were to fly out to Spain, for a holiday, The Beatles spent the afternoon in Dylan's suite, watching rushes from Dylan's film Eat The Document. The rarely seen documentary is a surreal account of the European tour. The footage was supposed to be part of a cinema verite production for ABC, but they refused to broadcast the film.

Once back in the states, Dylan fled to his home in the artist colony suburb of Woodstock called Byrdcliffe. With Blonde on Blonde ambling up the charts upon its June release, there was lots of press to do, along with some planning for the next tour. His free-verse novel Tarantula was ready to go to press, awaiting his edits. Film edits were needed done to D.A. Pennebaker's fresh tour footage for the TV special that ABC had commissioned.
But on July 29, 1966 Dylan wrecked his Triumph T100 motorcycle on Striebel Road on the outskirts of Woodstock. Nobody really knows what caused the wreck other than Dylan and his new wife Sara Lowndes, who was driving behind him after leaving his manager Albert Grossman's house in nearby West Saugherties. Dylan later told Robert Shelton that an oil slick caused him to lose control. To Sam Shepard, Dylan said the sun blinded him and he got thrown by the bike. Whatever happened, the crash ended up cracking a vertebra and giving Dylan serious road rash. With the whole thing shrouded in secrecy, the rumor mill went berserk, with fans churning out gossip that placed Dylan somewhere between dead and suffering permanent brain damage.
Among other things, the crash forced Dylan to cancel his upcoming Yale Bowl performance, as well as yet another American tour that Grossman had placed in the pipeline. But Dylan took it a step further and retreated altogether from his life as a rock star and into the bosom of a quiet living with his young family.
He wouldn't embark on another concert tour until 1974.

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Where Are They Now? 2016

Richard Alderson (80; concert sound technician and designer, live recording engineer): In addition to producing, engineering, and arranging music, Alderson continues to design speakers and sound systems for live applications, as well as post-production facilities design. The bulk of his work is currently audio consulting (Alderson Acoustics) in and around New York, where he has designed more than 50 recording facilities of various types.

Howard Alk (movie cameraman): Died in January, 1982. He was 52.

Jones Alk (movie sound technician): Whereabouts unknown.

Tito Burns (tour promoter/agent): Died on August 23, 2010. He was 89.

Johnny Cash (friend, fellow musician): Died on September 12, 2003. He was 71.

Rick Danko (Hawks bassist): Died on December 10, 1999. He was 55.

Bob Dylan (75; main performer): Continues to record albums and tour the world, playing close to a hundred shows a year. Fifty years after making his debut at the Royal Albert Hall, Bob Dylan returned to play five sold out nights following the release of his chart-topping 2015 album Shadows in the Night (a collection of covers of pop standards made famous by Frank Sinatra). Performing a new set, new arrangements, and new sound, Dylan’s extraordinary ability to regularly re-invent himself was proved yet again, and the audience loved it. He also played there in 2013.

Barry Feinstein (tour photographer): Died on October 20, 2011. He was 80.

Albert Grossman (artist manager): Died on January 25, 1986. He was 59.

Johnny Hallyday (73; friend, fellow musician): Hallyday has completed 181 tours, released 86 albums, and has sold more than 80 million records worldwide, earning the nickname "the biggest rock star you've never heard of" in English-speaking countries. He continues to record and perform.

Françoise Hardy (72; friend, muse, fellow musician): Has released 31 albums and continues to record music. In 2015 she published her second book in which she reflects on the passage of time.

Garth Hudson (79; Hawks organist): Is currently a solo artist, record producer, and in-demand session player, lending his piano and organ talents to a variety of artists’ recordings.

Mickey Jones (75; Hawks drummer): Jones has had a successful acting career since the late 1970s. Most recently, from 2011-2012 & 2015, he was a recurring character on the TV show Justified, playing Rodney "Hot Rod" Dunham, a marijuana distributor who ran a small band of criminals. In 2009, Jones published his autobiography "That Would Be Me”.

John Lennon (friend, fellow musician): Died on December 8, 1980. He was 40.

Richard Manuel (Hawks pianist): Died on March 4, 1986. He was 42.

Donn Pennebaker (91; movie cameraman): In 2012, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized his body of work with an Academy Honorary Award or "lifetime Oscar". He continues to make documentary films.

Robbie Robertson (73; Hawks guitarist): In 2000, Robertson joined DreamWorks Records as creative executive. Robertson is actively involved with film projects and developing new artist talent. He recently completed his autobiography set for release in November, 2016.

Muff Winwood (73; friend, fellow musician): Mervyn ‘Muff’ Winwood - the former CBS, Sony Music and Island Records exec. - will receive the prestigious A&R Icon gong at The A&R Awards in association with Abbey Road Studios on the evening of Wednesday, November 2, 2016. Elton John says, ‘Muff Winwood is without doubt one of the greatest A&R men in the history of British music.’

 

PS: Parting Shots:

 

PS: Parting Shots 2:

 

PS: Parting Shots 3:

 

(This concludes the The 1966 Live Recordings Venue Tour; thank goodness! Thanks to everyone for bearing with the venue tour on these pages, and Steve Hoffman for providing this space).

A special thanks goes to all the photographers (especially Barry Feinstein, Howard Alk, Donn Pennebaker) and writers - from fifty years ago, till recent years - whose work was used in the compilation of these facts, figures, and illustrations. All credit goes to them, whether in name or deed.

And thank you Bob Dylan & the Hawks, for making this travelogue an interesting and memorable one to follow (you down) in the first place.

- notesfrom