Bob Dylan: "Trouble No More 1979 - 1981" - The Bootleg Series Vol. 13

Just look at the first row of fans in the film of Toronto '80. Those are Jesus kids through-and-through. They know the words, they're connecting with it.

As I've posted before, these are the people that fascinate me when it comes to the gospel era.

 

I'm still only dipping in and out of Clinton's book. (Some of this post featured in another thread, btw)

Caribbean Wind:-

According to the Chronology Appendix there were three rehearsals of the song before the one that is featured on BS:13.

On 18 September, 1980, Bob arrived at Rundown Studios for rehearsals with 8 new songs written down in a notebook.

Let's Keep It Between Us
Caribbean Wind
Making A Liar Out of Me
The Groom's Still Waiting At The Altar
Wild About You Babe
Every Grain of Sand
Yonder Comes Sin
Cover Down, Pray Through (not new, but newly re-written)

He ran through the first seven songs with the band on that day. Apparently, at least partial recordings of these performances exist on tape.
"Caribbean Wind", the first song of the day, is logged erroneously as "Blue Blue River".

The last song of the day is another bash at "Caribbean Wind", with the lyric:-

"Told her about Jesus, told her about the pain,
She told me about the vision, she told me about the rain
That had risen from the ashes and abided in her memory

That Caribbean wind blows down from the iron gates of Chinatown
To the royal walls of the hungry volunteers
The Caribbean wind still swirls with a flash of gold and a string of pearls
Bringing me down from the underworld when heaven was living here"


The song was rehearsed again, probably on the following day, 19 September, and is on "Reel 2". Interestingly (for me, anyway), this reel apparently also contains "4th Time Around" among 13 other songs, as well as a happy-sounding number called "Like an Airplane Going Down")

The "Caribbean Wind" rehearsal on 23 September is the one featured on BS:13, and it featured in rehearsals a further nine times between 23 September and 31 October.

The in-concert debut on 12 November, requested by Paul Williams and with Bob's introduction to the audience of his 12-string guitar, Leadbelly and Alan Lomax, is on BS:13, of course; and thank goodness it is - I really struggle to hear many of the words on the circulating tape, being unable to use headphones.

Clinton adds an intriguing footnote to his brief description of this performance, "The inclusion of the two-track soundboard recording of this trailblazing performance (on BS:13) finally puts into the public domain one of the most revelatory recordings in Dylan's entire canon. The revealing spoken intro, though, wasn't captured complete."

The latter note may indicate that at least some spoken-word introduction has been retained on this track and (perhaps) on others. Nothing controversial, I'll be bound, but something nonetheless. For "Caribbean Wind" it will likely be the final bit about doing it as good as he can for the "someone important" - our friend Paul Williams. Nice touch if that is the case.

I'd still like to hear those other 12 rehearsals of CW, though. I'm assuming none are circulating. Am I correct in this assumption?

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Nice post and thanks for the link to Brendan Byrne Arena concert in 1981. The gospel song arrangements are evolving in 1981. Remember, that slow-down start to "Like a Rolling Stone" had been tried in 1978 with "Mr. Tambourine Man." Dylan and his band had a spontaneity and ebullience on the 1981 tour that make the shows a fun listen. I haven't heard every concert but I haven't heard a bad one, either. I thought the Earls' Court concerts that year were wonderful, based on the tapes I heard, but it's been a long time since I've listened to them. Dylan seemed more focused and message-driven in 1979, as if he was fighting a war. By 1981 he's loosened up considerably.

 

First of all, what an amazing batch of songs that September '80 notebook contained. Makes me intensely curious about "Wild About You Babe" (which is otherwise a rather unpromising song title). Don't know what to make of "Like an Airplane Going Down" besides I'm sure it would have been a toe-tappin' hit.

Ignoring the possibility it might not be complete (good thing for us to keep in mind about any of these enticing rehearsals, until we learn otherwise), the 9/80 take of "The Groom's Still Waiting At The Alter" is the studio rendition of the song I instinctively wish they had included on BS13 (though it might yet turn out that the outtake on the set outshines it-- hope so!). Love those early lyrics we know from the live versions (gladly we're getting one of them).

I don't believe any of these CW rehearsals circulate. The outtake we've had for ages is from the later Studio 55 sessions. Reading between the lines of Heylin's Recording Sessions and Still on the Road books, it seemed to me he had heard an early Rundown version but was phrasing his comments about it very carefully for some reason. Maybe I misinterpreted him, and he was relying upon secondary sources. But it's not impossible it circulated very privately.

This information about the range of "Caribbean Wind" performances would seem to completely justify Heylin's advocacy of a Rundown-themed Bootleg Series installment, especially since this is the aspect is the period that this upcoming set covers least satisfactorily (though I really shouldn't criticize too much when I haven't, ya know, heard the material).

 

Also, I very much hope the book that accompanies this set extensively reproduces pages from that September '80 notebook (as I think I've said before, the full lyrics to "Yonder Comes Sin" should be a no-brainer).

 

If you were creating mythical titles for unheard Dylan songs, "Wild About You Babe" would be, perhaps, the most generic one imaginable. I can almost hear him singing just the title over and over, then mumbling some dummy lyrics. On other hand, a Gospel-era song called "Like an Airplane Going Down" is "Church With No Upstairs" caliber.

 

Yep. The fraudsters may have glommed onto "Wild About You Babe" (mostly, I think they'd be missing the mark). The other one is all Dylan. Provocative and completely inexplicable until the song explains it (or doesn't).

 

Having experienced "Making a Liar Out of Me", I think we have a pretty good guess what "Like an Airplane Going Down" is about, assuming it is a somewhat completed song. (I'd guess that Dylan is with Cohen here - everybody knows that the captain lied). Dylan is a bottomless well of the-world's-going-to-Hell-in-a-handbasket songs.

 

One could also (blindly) venture that the combination of "Like an Airplane Going Down" and "Don't Fly Unless It's Safe" from the "Infidels" sessions suggests that Bob really likes his tour bus.

 

The longer it lingers in my head, the more I want to hear "Like an Airplane Going Down." I thought this new collection would narrow down what I want to know about this era. Seems to have expanded it.

 

On Infidels he's not too thrilled about our travel to the moon either.

 

There may be Biblical roots to the "inventions" he talks negatively about in "Making a Liar Out Of Me", but it made me think of think of Dylan's distaste for space travel.

 

Since we're clearly NOT getting "Like an Airplane Going Down" on the box, let me try to amateurishly quench your thirst.

Now the captain told us, that we’d all fly safely.
We’d live in peace, without a frown.
But the lights are blinking, and the engine’s smoking,
It looks like this airplane’s going down.

Some wise men spoke, of the words of Jesus,
But the wild mob drove them from this town.
Now the wicked they prevail, and there is no compassion,
It’s just like an airplane going down.

A mother cries, over her wounded child,
And that boy’s bride, waits in her tear-stained gown.
They’ll never know, the joys of blissful marriage,
Their world’s just like an airplane going down.

We can’t fix this plane if we rely on our own selves,
Only Jesus can turn this thing around.
Until we bow before The Son and The Father,
This world’s just an airplane going down.

 

Hmm, he certainly doesn't look like a happy Bob...................

 

Well, the man to Bob's left did die in an aircrash.

 

Maybe when Buddy Holly looked at Bob in Duluth, it communicated a deserved fear of flying. "Fear Of Flying" must be the Erica Jong Bob read.

 

That's not bad

 

My guess is key of A minor?

 

Really enjoyed the Every Grain of Sand rehearsal and the Slow Train rehearsal thats on the cd with the new mojo magazine December 2017. Not clear if either are on the 2cd version which i'm planning to purchase, i suspect not but thats my likely route into this volume. Maybe try for an MP3 of the full set at some point.

 

Tune stolen directly from "Making a Liar Out of Me" actually.

 

The 2 CD set is live material only, so "no" in both cases.

 

Does the new Mojo have a review? We're definitely getting to the point to start expecting them soon.

 

Just now getting to listen to this. This is awesome. Thanks for posting @JohnnyBorgan .

 

...and I suppose you could add the audio from Saturday Night Live from October 20, 1979. Bob performs "Gotta Serve Somebody", "I Believe In You", and "When You Gonna Wake Up". I just ripped it from the DVDs tonight (season 5) and they sound pretty good...there's about a disc of previously released material from this time period that appears to not be on the box that will make for a nice file to sit along side the big box.

 

Oh yes, let's not forget his SNL appearance. You won't find it on YouTube, but it was pretty good.