Bob Dylan "Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1975 Tour Recordings" (14CD box set; 7th June 2019)

Thanks. Perhaps you'll be one of the first to find out what this is.

 

No it won’t. But we don’t even know yet if there will be a US edition (even the evidence for a Japanese set remains a bit murky). IF that’s the ONLY way to (legally) get the set, I’ll certainly pony up the money.

But I reserve the right to grumble, if that’s the case.

 

When Art was available they made some pretty good art together.

 

They sounded great. I don't dismiss Paul Simon at all. He just wasn't at the highest level of creative artists. He was very good at synthesizing musical influences into good pop-folk songs. Of course all artists (Dylan indeed) derive their work from other influences, but the creative artists are those who bring something entirely new to their work.

 

The "Right to Grumble" was originally going to be included in the Bill of Rights, but too many people complained about it. They said they were sick and tired of hearing people grumble.

 

That's a good topic for discussion. Help me out here, Tribute.

I never heard anything more original than side B of Bringing It All Back
Home. What were the influences in that?

Who or what are the musical influences behind Blood On the Tracks?
To me this album is 100% original with no antecedents. Am I wrong?

Who or what influenced "Changing of the Guards" lyrically and musically?

 

These are examples where Dylan absorbed and synthesized countless influences in his life and created something entirely original.

 

Gee, thanks.
Anyone else?

 

Before last year's monster thread devolved into complaints about missing spooky organs, Tom Paxton's Bottle Of Wine was mentioned as a musical influence for Buckets of Rain.

Idiot Wind and Simple Twist of Fate are the most interesting. I don't think anything else is remarkable enough, in terms of the chord progression, to need an influence. The E-EMaj7-E7-A progression in Simple Twist of Fate was previously used by (among others) the Beatle's Something and Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head. RKFOMY was used in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Rumor has it, Bob Dylan was asked to perform it but he declined. Coincidence? Another possible source would be It's Over (1966, Jimmie Rodgers, covered by Elvis Aloha from Hawaii in 1973).

 

Her name may be a dirty word in Dylan threads but there’s no denying Joni’s influence — open tunings, introspective and personal lyrics that are raw and cutting, sparser music aesthetic. But as usual the true artist synthesizes ideas and builds something greater.

 

I posted this over on the BS15 thread, but since it has very relevant information about the RTR set (and a possible 76 follow up), I’m going to copy it here as well:

Over on Expecting Rain, member gerardv posted this summary from a recent Jeff Slate interview:

Expecting Rain • View topic - "The Bootleg Series" – overview and possible future projects

The 'Talking Dylan' Jeff Slate interview produced some interesting inside talk.

* Due to the decreasing interest in physical product and boxsets, these are
only projected to continue for the next 3-5 years, then to be reviewed.
* Online archives are being considered for part of the Dylan catalogue in
the future, possibly in cooperation with the Tulsa archive.
* As we already knew, Dylan chooses the titles and is actively involved and
invested in the BS series design journey, as well as the music. For example,
he was bristling at a Bloomfield solo which had been edited down on Another
Self Portrait.
* The Village days, RT 1976, Supper Club, TOOM sessions are all shortlisted
for releases in the next few years. Slate confirmed that the info shared in the
recent Rolling Stone article was accurate. (Because vol 5 clearly limited itself
to 1975, the bootleg series may well cover 1976 with a box in the next years.)

On a side note, Slate confirmed that the soon to be released 1975 live box is
a minimalist release in the style of the 1966 Live box.

I’m not sure how long Jeff Slate’s association with the Bootleg Series will be if he continues to be so loose lipped, but I’m not complaining (even if I hate hearing that they foresee a possible end of a physical market for these sets in the fairly near future— but that shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone).

 

I’m listening now to the Jeff Slate podcast. I’ll post if I pick up any additional details.

 

One of the influenced that Dylan has stated is the artist Norman Raeben. He taught the inspiring painter to try and paint by feel and by what the artist saw rather than by traditional rules of concepts.

Dylan felt the teacher had a large influence on changing how Bob created a song. Dylan got fascinated with writing songs that related a particuliar scene universally but also didnt seem to have time or place.

This concept was also used on the song "Blind Willie McTell" later on. I think the idea came to fruition on that song. The song drifts from place to place and even century to century without actually leaving the hotel room.

 

I think the most interesting aspect of Slate's revelations is that Sony projects the series to only continue for another 3-5 years due to decreasing interest in physical product. One suspects it is Sony's decreasing interest as it moves to a predominately streaming model, rather than the Dylan collectors that enthusiastically support these physical releases.

 

I’m listening to the podcast right now, and while the summary that was posted on Expecting Rain is accurate, the tone I’m perceiving from Jeff Slate often makes it tough to assess where he’s simply expressing his opinion, where’s he’s just restating the Rolling Stone article, and where’s he’s sharing an actual insider perspective.

 

"Did she jump or was she pushed?" I think I know the answer that one.

 

This is accurate as per the info I’ve had for the past 3 years or so.

With regards to the other stuff...generally pretty accurate.

I’ve not seen, heard or been made aware of anything *specific* about any box sets beyond the 1975 one at this point in time, but I do have an educated opinion about what comes next. I’ll leave that for another time though.

 

That's a pretty good "kale". . . .

 

Worth noting that nothing is really done and certain until it’s released.

All of the potential releases mentioned by Jeff Slate are exactly that and probably will appear in one way or another. As soon as anything becomes slightly more than an idea I’m usually in a position to hint at it or even be quite specific about it but always with the understanding that nothing is set in stone or a certainty until it’s released.
I ‘knew’ about a ‘Self Portrait’ Bootleg Series release probably 5 years or so before it was finally released, and the idea at the start would’ve looked quite different to the end product.
Usually when you get within a couple of years and the same thing(s) get mentioned, it’s gone beyond the stage of conversation and into more specific planning. I’d imagine (and in one case, know) several of the releases mentioned will be being actively worked up into something releasable sooner rather than later.

 

I want to communicate with Jeff Rosen, preferably by email.
If anyone knows how to reach him please send me a PM.

 

I have Jeff’s email and as friendly a guy as he is I think he prefers to communicate using Morse Code.

 

Wait a minute, what track was this?

 

Musically, yes. Lyrically, no. He’s one of the masters, nearly on Dylan’s level at his best.

 

I’ve been trying to puzzle that one out. In the podcast, he acknowledges he might be naming the wrong musician. But an obvious candidate doesn’t leap to mind.

 

Post-Garfunkel, he definitely upped his game.