Bob Dylan Live 1965 (USA tour)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by BlueJay, Jul 22, 2017.

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  1. Percy Song

    Percy Song A Hoity-Toity, High-End Client


    December 3, 1965
    Dylan S. F. press conference:


    "Sometimes you get people rushing the stage, but you know...turn 'em off very fast... kick 'em in the head..."


    December 12, 1965
    San Jose Fan Interview, pre-show:


    Young Girl: "They asked him what he thought of people rushing onto the stage, and he said, "Oh, I don't know, I'd just kick 'em in the head, they'd get the message.""

    Ginsberg: "How would you like to be kicked in the head?"

    Young Girl: "By Bob Dylan? I'd love it!"


    Fandom clearly knows no bounds...

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    Last edited: Aug 3, 2017
  2. DeeThomaz

    DeeThomaz Senior Member

    Location:
    In The Felony Room
    I'm trying to think of the person I'd enjoy being kicked in the head by. I hope it's not cowardice that I can't come up with a name.
     
  3. NumberEight

    NumberEight Came too late and stayed too long

    The audience laughter during the San Francisco Desolation Row suggests that a large number of them hadn't yet gotten around to purchasing Mr. Dylan's latest album...
     
  4. DeeThomaz

    DeeThomaz Senior Member

    Location:
    In The Felony Room
    That's one of the best things about 1965 live shows. It so often seems like the audience is experiencing the songs for the first time (which can't ALWAYS be true, but it was certainly complicated).
     
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  5. HominyRhodes

    HominyRhodes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago
    That must have been "a thing" back in the '60s -- from Ain't That A Kick In The Head (Dean Martin), to "One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you..."(Nancy Sinatra/Lee Hazelwood).
     
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  6. Percy Song

    Percy Song A Hoity-Toity, High-End Client

     
  7. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    I couldn't find online corroboration, but Michael Lindsay-Hogg (director of "Rock & Roll Circus" and "Let It Be", among other things) related a story about Keith Richards kicking a stage-rushing fan in the face around this time period.
     
  8. keithdylan

    keithdylan Master of His Own Domain

    I thought he was the manager of Spinal Tap.
     
  9. JMGuerr

    JMGuerr Forum Resident

    Location:
    new mexico
    He did swing a mean ax...
     
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  10. HominyRhodes

    HominyRhodes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago
    I know that some members of the Honours Committee may be appalled by Keef's confession that he once kicked a fan's head "with the elegance of Beckham", and that a chauffeur who grassed him up to the police for drugs "never walked the same way again". But in defence of Richards we must surely enter that the fan had "flobbed" at him twice, while he was trying to concentrate on playing the guitar, once hitting him full in the face. As for the stool-pigeon chauffeur, there is no evidence that Keef sanctioned any form of retribution.
    If Mick Jagger's a Sir, why can't Keith Richards have the same satisfaction?

    According to witnesses, the Stones were playing to a capacity audience of about 7,000 at the gig on 24 July 1964, when some of the crowd started spitting at them. One man was seen by Keith Richards with his hands on the stage and telling others to aim their phlegm at his fellow guitarist Brian Jones. Richards warned the man but the spitting began. He is then said to have stood on the man's hands and kicked his nose. The place erupted and the band ran off the stage before police officers with dogs calmed the situation.
    Sympathy for the Stones as Blackpool buries the hatchet over 1964 riot
     
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  11. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    Thanks for locating the details! No one can say that Dylan wasn't influenced by The Stones. :)
     
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  12. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    I think that was Leggy Mountbatten.
     
  13. Percy Song

    Percy Song A Hoity-Toity, High-End Client

    He was the manager of Brian Pern, surely....

     
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  14. BlueJay

    BlueJay Forum Resident Thread Starter

    So that's it then? Now that both shows are available to listen to on YouTube, are we to suppose that that's all that was meant by 'being made public'? It could be. Kind of disappointing. I was hoping for some sort of more substantial release but hey, You Tube audio, is better than no audio. And I did enjoy listening to them, especially the two live versions of Positively 4th Street (so much better than the released Sydney version from '66).
     
  15. The Bard

    The Bard Highway 61 Revisited. That is all.

    Location:
    Singapore
    Wonderful to be able to hear these long-lost tapes from such a pivotal time in Bob's history!
     
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  16. JohnS

    JohnS Senior Member

    Location:
    London, UK
    I read that the audience at that Stones gig in Blackpool had a huge contingent of Scotsmen, since it coincided with 'Scots week' when lots of factories and businesses in Scotland closed down for workers to take their annual holiday. (Different regions in the UK did this, at different times of the year, and seaside resorts would be taken over by a huge influx of fun-seeking, hard-drinking workers all from the same towns and areas)
    A gang of partying Scotsmen would not be the ideal Rolling Stones crowd, and I'm sure there would have been a pretty hostile vibe from some of the audience!
    I also remember a few years ago, someone was selling what they claimed was one of the Stones' Vox AC30 amplifiers rescued from the stage that night, after they had to flee and the audience trashed the band's gear. It had been taken home by someone from the theatre and stored in a garage for decades, it was claimed. I don't remember what happened to the sale...
     
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  17. HominyRhodes

    HominyRhodes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago
    Now that they have been "made public," I wouldn't be surprised to see the San Francisco show popping up on vinyl or CDs in the EU in the near future, since it would seem to be in the public domain. The copyright for the electric half of San Jose (f/k/a "Berkeley") is probably protected, but the acoustic set might also be in the PD now, and ostensibly *free* for the taking. I'm not an expert on the subject, but that's my take.

    What I would really, really like is for Sony/Legacy to package the SF/SJ shows on CDs (they probably wouldn't sound too hot on vinyl), with extensive liner notes and photos, and mail them out to all of us who bought, and PAID for, the Cutting Edge Collector's Edition (Big Blue). I'm sure they still have our mailing addresses. Will that ever happen? Hahahahaha...:unhunh:
     
  18. zobalob

    zobalob Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow, Scotland.
    There's no such thing as "Scots week", never has been. Different regions in Scotland had different holiday periods just as the regions in England did. The date of the Blackpool show that led to the Stones being banned from that town for 44 years was 24th July which would have coincided nicely with the "Glasgow Fair" holidays, traditionally the last two full weeks in July. Blackpool was also one of the main destinations for working class Glaswegians on holiday at that time, much less so now.
     
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  19. jeendicott

    jeendicott Senior Member

    Listened to most of the San Fran show last night. As welcome as a cigarette to a starving man. Does anyone else notice that Tombstone Blues uses the exact same melody as Tell Me Momma a couple months later?
     
  20. DeeThomaz

    DeeThomaz Senior Member

    Location:
    In The Felony Room
    Interesting thought. I hadn't noticed that. I'm going to listen soon with that in mind.
     
  21. JohnS

    JohnS Senior Member

    Location:
    London, UK
    Point taken zobalob, thanks for the info. I posted earlier in a rush, without being able to check the exact title of the holiday in question, but knew it had some Scottish angle to it. Good to get it confirmed.
    Yes, those old region-by-region holidays that towns used to have are all gone now, although I studied in Blackpool during the late 80s and there were still times of the year when the place would be heaving with Scottish visitors.
    Back to the Dylan discussion now....
     
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  22. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    Great story - thanks for the added background!

    The Beatles appeared on "Blackpool Night Out" the same week (Sunday, July 19 - the Stones concert was the following Friday). Slightly different results.
     
    Last edited: Aug 4, 2017
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  23. adamos

    adamos Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southeastern PA
    Just wanted to say thank you to the folks who are contributing to this thread. Unfortunately I don't have any information to add but I've really enjoyed following along, and listening to the recordings.
     
  24. Percy Song

    Percy Song A Hoity-Toity, High-End Client


    Keith’s aim, it seems, was always true.

    In September 1973 I attended all four shows at the Wembley Empire Pool, a triumphant "homecoming" for the Stones after their tax exile in France. They were promoting the recently released "Goat's Head Soup", a somewhat disappointing offering after the glorious shambles that was "Exile on Main St.", but which did feature the charred David Bailey-snapped photo of Keith on the rear of the gatefold sleeve. It was during the final show on the 9th that “The Sunday Incident”, as I shall call it, occurred.


    [​IMG]


    The 15 song set list was identical for each of the 4 shows, except on the Friday night when they added a 16th song, inserting “Silver Train” between “Midnight Rambler” and “Honky Tonk Women”. The “Silver Train” performance was not really successful; a thorn between two roses.

    The players were spread across the huge stage. From left to right, looking at the stage: Billy Preston, The Horn Section (Bobby Keys and a couple of others I didn’t recognise), Mick Taylor, Keith, and Bill, with Charlie on the riser at the back, of course. The singer was everywhere at once although his nominal position was between the two guitarists. My memory is probably flawed here, but I could have sworn that there was a second keyboard player tucked away in the corner next to Billy Preston and that it was Ian Stewart. Or was it Nicky Hopkins? Or was it just my imagination?

    The shows started with energetic performances of “Brown Sugar” and “Gimme Shelter”. Mick T spent a lot of the time looking down at his guitar, but playing wonderfully; Bill barely moved all night. Mick J rushed around the stage in his ballet pumps, trying to whip up excitement in the audience which was seated and forbidden to stand up and dance by the Empire Pool jobsworths. This heavy-handed policing of the audience by the venue security bouncers in their faux-military uniforms would have repercussions on Sunday night during The Sunday Incident...

    Keith, with liquid refreshment in cans and bottles stacked up on his amp (along with smokes, I believe), was simply the coolest man on the planet that night; the riffs he produced were simultaneously decisive and dirty, complementing the high, clear, sharp, deliberate licks coming from Mick T over on the left . This was probably the moment when The Stones should have recorded a live album; these shows made “Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out” sound like a poorly-rehearsed Stones tribute band. (In fact one of the Brussels shows from a few days later was officially released a few years ago, at least digitally, as "Brussels Affair".

    The third song was Keith’s. “We’re gonna get Keith up here, to sing for you now...” This was a fast and furious “Happy”, with Mick supplying plenty of vocal support into Keith’s microphone along with some odd chicken wing flapping-style dancing. Bill remained calm. Next, they rolled into “Tumbling Dice”. Keith cranked up the chords, and whatever lyrics Mick sang they were just as indecipherable as they had been on the masterful “Exile on Main St.” On Sunday, this song marked the turning point at which a great show became an unmissable experience, due to The Sunday Incident...

    “This next one’s called “Starf**ker”, announced Mick. The audience was delirious; it seemed the majority of punters joined in with the chorus of a song that had been released only a week ago. Well, to be fair, it wasn’t a difficult chorus to pick up on! The frenetic pace of the show thus far was apprehended by “Angie”. Mick sang, “Let me whisper in your ear…”, and then whispered “Angie, Angie, where will it lead us from here…” into the ears of 10,000 souls.

    A lengthy “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” was a crowd pleaser, again showcasing Mick T’s licks. Then we were “Dancing With Mr. D”, although no dancing was allowed by the Wembley Security spoilers, remember. This live rendition was more muscular than the opening cut on “Goat’s Head Soup”, though perhaps the vocal was not as sinister as the album version. “Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)” rattled along; I recall that the horn section was prominent on this one, and I think Billy came out of the shadows to approximately centre stage with a portable keyboard strapped across him like a guitar – there’s probably a name for this instrument but I don’t know what it is – a portable clavinet, perhaps?. (I may be imagining this event – it might have been a feature of Billy’s earlier set only.)

    The theatrical centrepiece of the show was “Midnight Rambler”, for which Mick had acquired a blues harp. The song was taken at first at breakneck speed and stretched out to probably 15 minutes. The band slowed it down five minutes in. Copious amounts of dry ice covered the stage to knee-depth. Mick removed his satin belt and fell to the floor. “Let me hear you – Owww!” screamed Mick. The audience replied as one, “Owww!” This vocal duel between the singer and the audience was repeated a number of times, before the stage lights dimmed to nothing and the sound faded away to almost nothing.

    “Weeeeaaaallll, you heard about The Boston…” As one, the band hit that chord, the Super Troupers flashed and Mick’s belt hit the floor, in perfect synchronicity; again, and again, and again, and again. Bill remained motionless. The pace picks up and the performance races to the finish: “I’ll stick my knife right down your throat….”

    Charlie’s good tonight. Into the home straight now with a steady “Honky Tonk Women” followed by a frantic “All Down The Line”, a favourite from “Exile On Main St.” Then “Rip This Joint” at a million miles a second with a couple of nice horn section interludes. After perhaps 80 minutes of full on guts and thunder, Mick J (an old man, now, at all of 30 years old, don’t forget) is still running and jumping around like, well, “Jumping Jack Flash”, which is the penultimate number. An extended “Street Fighting Man” finishes the show, and what a finish it is! The lights are reflected onto the audience by a huge mirror as the band jams the song into oblivion. Mick T can’t find any higher notes on his guitar so stays sustained on the highest he can hit for what seems like forever. Mick J scatters confetti - rose petals, maybe, soaked in water - over the audience at the front of the stage from several bowls handed to him from the back of the stage. The band leaves the stage. Bill strolls off in his own time. The lights come up and the PA plays “Land of Hope and Glory”.

    Outside the venue after the Saturday afternoon show we met up with a young man perched on a low brick wall which bounded the grass apron. He was openly playing back the show that he had just recorded on a fairly hefty portable tape recorder. Was it a reel-to-reel or an early cassette? I can’t rightly remember but it had a shoulder strap and plenty of switches, VU meters and other bells and whistles. The sound was clear and loud. I asked the owner how he’d got the rig into the place. “Don’t ask,” he replied. He said it would be available on LP within weeks, and it was! There seemed no point in going anywhere before the start of the second show that day so we just hung around and listened to the show we’d just seen!



    The Sunday Incident happened during “Tumbling Dice”, the fourth song!

    As mentioned above, the Wembley security personnel were heavy-handed throughout the first three shows, insisting that everyone sat down during the performances. Some people had been physically encouraged to do so and several had been ejected from the venue. During “Tumbling Dice” on Sunday a long-haired youth close to the stage on Keith’s side stood up and danced on the spot. I say “danced”, but you know what I mean; it was a kind of shimmy and shake with overhead handclaps in an upright position. A bouncer was onto him pretty sharply and began trying to make him sit down. There was resistance.

    Keith was the first on stage to spot the commotion. He began pointing at the incident, jabbing a finger at the developing fracas, drawing Mick’s attention to it. Keith was at the front of the stage now, shouting to the bouncer, but without a microphone he couldn’t be heard. Mick started to get involved. “Hey, Mister Commissionaire; hey you, hey you, hey you, Mister Commissionaire, hey you, hey baby, hey you, get outta there, hey you, get outta there, get outta there, get out….”

    The security guard retreated briefly, waiting for reinforcements. “Tumbling Dice” gathered momentum for half a minute. Another security guard returned to evict the dancer, dragging him towards the aisle by his hair! Keith became enraged, stopped playing and turned to grab a can from his amp stack. Mick started shouting again, “Hey man, hey man, hey you, hey you, hey you, Sergeant, Sergeant, Sergeant, you can come up here! Sergeant, we don’t need you!” The other musicians, apart from Mick Taylor, stopped playing one by one as the scene developed. Keith threw the can. Full, empty? – I don’t know, but it landed right on its intended target and the security guard retreated again, rubbing his head where the missile had struck and shaking his fist at the perpetrator on the stage. Long-Haired Youth remained upright. Other audience members stood up and begin dancing. Rebellion was in the air!

    The players cranked up “Tumbling Dice” again. When the song ended a minute later Mick made an announcement, “There’s just one thing I’d like to say to the security guards: just lay off will ya?!” Then, to the audience, “We’re having a good time, it’s your show, it’s our show, it’s not a security show.” As the band stormed into “Starf**ker” the entire security contingent walked out of the arena in solidarity with the one who was struck by Keith’s drinks can.

    Now the entire audience was up on its feet, and there was a rush of bodies towards the stage, the aisles filling up with a mass of people set free from the confines of their seats. People who had been seated, squeezed up together and rubbing shoulders with complete strangers but without any exchange of words a moment ago, were now standing, gripping each other and yelling and laughing as though they were long lost school friends or lovers. I never knew her name but boy, I’ll always remember the unexpected red hot lingering kiss. Sometimes I wonder if she remembers me at all...

    From the moment of the security walk-out until the end of “Street Fighting Man” the fast songs were taken at an impossible speed. The players could barely keep up but it was difficult to figure out just who they were trying to keep up with! One moment Charlie was leading the charge, the next it was Keith, then the horns. Bill was seen to crack a smile and take a couple of steps to his left at one point. The audience remained delirious and the best of friends until the lights came up and normality was restored. The three shows that had preceded this one were memorable; this one was exceptional.

    On Sunday night I missed the last train home and slept on a bench at Waterloo station. On Monday morning a work colleague asked if I’d had a good weekend. “Yeah, not bad; not bad at all.” My ears are still ringing, nearly 44 years later.

    Of course, Grandma JoJo reckons The Stones were better when they played the pubs and clubs in London and the Home Counties before and just after they landed a recording contract. In those days, apparently, Keith was as quiet as a mouse and was a most genial companion at the bar. But she wasn't there at Wembley in 1973...

    ...Nor was Bob.


    (I'm certain this footage on YouTube is from Wembley, as it states, but it’s likely the music has been dubbed on from elsewhere; there is not a lot of synchronicity, either. I’m not sure which show or shows the footage is from. I'd like to think the powerful images of the finale are from Sunday night…)



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  25. Percy Song

    Percy Song A Hoity-Toity, High-End Client

    :) Unfortunately, the latter will certainly never happen. At least not for "free".

    What I'd like is for Sony/Legacy to resurrect the "Performance Series" label, as used for the Newport DVD and Brandeis, and issue a digipack CD set containing, let's say, Manchester '65, Newport '65, and San Francisco (other combinations might be preferred around these parts but I'm not going to start a poll - no, I'm not) to present properly 1965 more or less as it unfolded rather than leaving us home alone with that wretched download. I imagine Sterling Sound could iron out and tidy up SF reasonably successfully, undoubtedly leaving out the backstage conversation. 4 CDs, and liner notes by someone who knows and cares about the era (several names spring to mind).

    Thus, the (important) history of 1965 in three stages, done and dusted for - what? - $15 (or £15 over here, because it always seem to be that way). I know I'd be first in line for the official release. It's not impossible, just highly unlikely.

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