Dylan & The Dead is underrated

+1

 

I would love the vinyl but have not run across one yet.

 

After not releasing any live albums until 1974 (Before The Flood), Dylan put out a lot of them over the next 20 years. But the Budokan set (his 3rd live album in four years!) was released long before the "Gospel era" even began, so it wasn't an either/or choice for him at that point.

BTW: For another '86 show, you might see if you could find a copy of this (IIRC, it was a cable TV special:
http://www.amazon.com/Dylan-Hard-Ha...sbs_mov_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0WRPATD5EZK0P3VYAP8Y

I agree with quicksrt about the Westwood One radio special -- it's pretty darn good. I wish they would have broadcast some or all of the Dylan-Dead shows, too.

 

The officially released album is pretty meh, but Jerry Garcia's orignal cut of the album is a bit better or at least has more interesting song choices, such as "John Brown", "Ballad of Frankie Lee & Judas Priest" and "Wicked Messenger."

 

Yeah, I'm very much working with 20/20 hindsight here!! Yes, love the Hard to Handle special. I played my VHS taped off the TV copy to death, and learnt the harmonica solo for Knockin on Heaven's Door note for note (admittedly, not that much of a challenge).

 

spot on! exactly this was a tour that was a long time coming maybe too long, the rehearsels were faboulous it had everything going for it. maybe it was the stadiums maybe it was the dope maybe it was zimmy donning leather in ninety-plus degrees weather. the dead had the chance to be the best backing band after the band. ten years earlier it probably would have been better. the eighty-six shows with petty were much tighter. dont know where the westwood show was reccoreded but the two or three shows at the garden in 86 with a shambolic ron wood "guesting" were fun.

 

Most of the Westwood One broadcast came from the Syndey shows that were filmed for the hard to Handle TV broadcast (Feb 86). Apparently All Along the Watchtower was taped on the US leg, Tacoma Dome 31 July 1986.

 

I was told the bulk of the Westwood One recording comes from the LA Forum.

 

I will have to double check, but from what I remember, the songs that crossover between Hard to Handle and Westwood are identical.

Bobsboots reckons Syndey
http://www.bobsboots.com/CDs/cd-l17.html

 

They are simply taking guesses at which venue is likely the WW1 show.

There are only three songs performed on both the WW1 and the Hard to Handle film.

Director Gillian Armstrong told me that there was only one additional song not used in the film that was filmed. So let's say it is a song that does appear on the WW1 radio show. That make four songs that could possibly be from Sidney. Where are those other songs from if director Armstrong gave me factual information. I should look at set lists for Sidney and LA and compare.

Funny how when I have met these industry folks I come up with the right questions to ask. I've had artists tell me flat out "you're asking all the right questions" as they laugh about my pressing need to know things nobody else ever cared about. I try and make the questions interesting for them to answer so they get a lift rather than a wave of fatigue rolling over them at the thought of what I am asking about.

 

My guess is that they would have had multitrack recordings of the Sydney show - this would not have been the director's responsibility. So what songs were actually filmed is immaterial, though that is really interesting that they only got that many on video. And a bit of a shame. It's a really well directed video, I reckon.

 

I just had a listen to my "True Confessions" pressed CD - taken from the Westwood One Broadcast. I have no doubt "Knockin'" is from Sydney, at least: there is a moment where the band is about to ramp it up during Dylan's opening harp solo and he gestures at them to hold back, and Petty makes a gesture to make sure they all got the message. You can hear the same thing happening on the True Confessions disc (i.e. the band building up and then quietening again). All Dylan's vocal improvs are identical too ("uh-huh - everyday"; "ah, tell me about it", "awright, thangyooooo")), Campbell's solos, harmonics, etc. are identical also.

You are right that with only three songs crossing over between Hard to Handle and the Westwood broadcast, it may be impossible to know for sure - there is a complete soundboard of one of the Sydney shows in circulation - in fact I think I have it boxed away somewhere.

 

We need to see how many nights were played in Sydney, and look at the set lists. If there is one song on the WW1 show not played in Sydney then I would guess all songs are not Sydney.

 

24 Feb Sydney

• 1. Justine
     
     
  2. Positively 4th Street
     (Bob Dylan cover)
  3. Clean-Cut Kid
     (Bob Dylan cover)
  4. I'll Remember You
     (Bob Dylan cover)
  5. Trust Yourself
     (Bob Dylan cover)
  6. That Lucky Old Sun
     (Frankie Laine cover)
  7. Masters of War
     (Bob Dylan cover)
  8. A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
     (Bob Dylan cover)
  9. Girl From the North Country
     (Bob Dylan cover)
  10. It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
      (Bob Dylan cover)
  11. I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know
      (Bob Dylan cover)
  12. Just Like a Woman
      (Bob Dylan cover)
  13. I'm Movin' On
      (Hank Snow cover)
  14. Lenny Bruce
      (Bob Dylan cover)
  15. When the Night Comes Falling From the Sky
      (Bob Dylan cover)
  16. Ballad of a Thin Man
      (Bob Dylan cover)
  17. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
      (Bob Dylan cover)
  18. Seeing the Real You at Last
      (Bob Dylan cover)
  19. Across the Borderline
      
      
  20. I and I
      (Bob Dylan cover)
  21. Like a Rolling Stone
      (Bob Dylan cover)
  22. In the Garden
      (Bob Dylan cover)
  23. Blowin' in the Wind
      (Bob Dylan cover)
  24. Rock 'Em Dead
      
      
  25. Knockin' on Heaven's Door
      (Bob Dylan cover)

25 Feb Sydney

• 1. Justine
     
     
  2. Positively 4th Street
     (Bob Dylan cover)
  3. Clean-Cut Kid
     (Bob Dylan cover)
  4. Emotionally Yours
     (Bob Dylan cover)
  5. Trust Yourself
     (Bob Dylan cover)
  6. That Lucky Old Sun
     (Frankie Laine cover)
  7. Masters of War
     (Bob Dylan cover)
  8. The Times They Are A-Changin'
     (Bob Dylan cover)
  9. To Ramona
     (Bob Dylan cover)
  10. It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
      (Bob Dylan cover)
  11. Dark Eyes
      (Bob Dylan cover)
  12. I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know
      (Bob Dylan cover)
  13. Just Like a Woman
      (Bob Dylan cover)
  14. I'm Movin' On
      (Hank Snow cover)
  15. Lenny Bruce
      (Bob Dylan cover)
  16. When the Night Comes Falling From the Sky
      (Bob Dylan cover)
  17. Lonesome Town
      (Ricky Nelson cover)
  18. Ballad of a Thin Man
      (Bob Dylan cover)
  19. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
      (Bob Dylan cover)
  20. Seeing the Real You at Last
      (Bob Dylan cover)
  21. Across the Borderline
      
      
  22. I and I
      (Bob Dylan cover)
  23. Like a Rolling Stone
      (Bob Dylan cover)
  24. In the Garden
      (Bob Dylan cover)
  25. Blowin' in the Wind
      (Bob Dylan cover)
  26. Rock 'Em Dead
      
      
  27. Knockin' on Heaven's Door
      (Bob Dylan cover)

I just had a listen to my soundboard tape of the complete Tacoma show and I believe that is accurate info, again, on All Along the Watchtower. once again, Dylan's unique vocal inflections are a giveaway!

 

I love the way that setlist.fm refers to all these Dylan songs performed by Dylan as Dylan covers!!

 

I usually give it a spin at the start of each tour, and when I'm trying to buy tix online.
i scored front row while it was playing when Dylan went on sale for Memphis,
and i did not get tix for the Dead in July when it was not playing.
so there you go, the album is magical.

 

Man, this guy has too much time on his hands. But it seems exhaustive and pretty authoritative. The banter on the Westwood One recording (e.g. before Masters of War, I Forgot More, introducing Petty before Bye Bye Johnny) would seem to confirm my theory that Sydney is the source for all but Watchtower.
http://www.bjorner.com/DSN07660 - 1986 Down Under Tour.htm#DSN07810

 

Aha. And the mystery deepens! I have the CD playing now and on Breakdown, Petty banters, 'everyone sings good in California, don't they'? So sounds like that song at least was recorded in L.A.! They played the Forum on 3 August...

 

I love both separately, but not together.

 

I love the detective work going on around here. Great stuff!

 

What was the original track listing (including recording dates)

I was at 3 of the shows, have recordings of all the shows, and could certainly compile what I would consider a great CD release from the best cuts they played together at them, but that was not done for the official release.

 

Found this blog post. http://williamhenryprince.com/dylan-the-dead/

 

I watched some of the talked about Youtube videos on this thread last night. I noticed the quality improved as my sobriety diminished.

 

Maybe HBO had some say in it. And that they decided early on that it would be an hour long special. That's the only reason I can think of that they only shot so many songs on film.

 

Yeah that intended album is a better list. Would have liked to have seen one of the versions of Tangled Up In Blue on it as well.