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

Thanks for looking that up. I agree, it is heartbreaking.

Also, I think Krogsgaard means December 7, 1975 for the wipe and not 1976.

 

I'm listening to the outtake of "Hurricane" with Emmylou Harris.

I love Dylan's crime ballads on Desire. Remember all those great crime films
about mobsters, society's outlaws, and corrupt police in the 1970s? There
was The Getaway, The Godfather, The New Centurions, The Valachi Papers,
Bade 373, Black Caeser, The Blue Knight, Cops and Robbers, Dillinger, The
Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight, The Friends of Eddie Coyle, Hell Up In
Harlem, Mean Streets, Serpico, The Seven Ups, Walking Tall, Busting,
Capone, Death Wish, The Don Is Dead, Honor Thy Father, Report to the
Commissioner, The Godfather Part II, Dog Day Afternoon, The Seven Ups,
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, to name only a few. Then there's all the
Italian crime films about mobsters, outlaws and corrupt police. Spaghetti
westerns had died out and crime films replaced them. American movie
screens were flooded with Italian crime films. The list goes on and on. And
then Dylan writes a couple of crime ballads which are no different than the
crime films then in vogue and people wig out. Listening to Dylan's "Joey"
and "Hurricane" is like watching Warren Oates in Dillinger or Ben Gazzara
in Capone or Rod Seiger in Lucky Luciano.

I hope we'll get studio versions of "Hurricane" and "Joey" among the
rehearsals.

 

I don’t know. He cites the same date elsewhere in the notes for the July 28th 1975 session: “13-15 erased December 7, 1976.”

1975 makes more sense to me too but maybe they just didn’t get on it very promptly?

 

I hadn't thought of that. No doubt you're right.

 

Rehearsals are very likely tour rehearsals, not album rehearsals or outtakes.

If there’s a disc of rarities, I’d imagine these are individual live tracks taken from the soundboard.

 

I imagine the rarities would include “With God on Our Side”, “The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll” duet with Joan Baez and “Fourth Time Around”.

 

Perhaps the elusive “Like A Rolling Stone” as well.

 

Yeah, but the tour rehearsals started in a studio and were recorded
if "People Get Ready" is any indication. That's all I meant.

 

“People Get Ready” has never sounded like a studio recording to me. I’ve always assumed it was recorded during the rehearsals for the tour. I hope that’s true and it’s one of many such songs we’ll be hearing soon.

 

I agree with @Mbd77 and others that the rarities and rehearsals are all '75 tour related.

In fact, as much as I love Desire, I wouldn't want any of the Desire outtakes to be included with this set. They belong in a stand alone Bootleg Series Edition.

 

Some beautiful footage and audio

 

I didn’t know the term “sporting house” until I saw this scene in Renaldo & Clara. Then I looked it up... And, oh, of course.

 

I'm hopeful the complete Hammond show is included, plus the Other End performance of "Abandoned Love", as it belongs as a precursor to the RTR, plus it doesn't really seem like it would find a home elsewhere.

 

i always thought that people get ready etc was recorded after the tour was over. dylan didnt start working on the movie until i think 1977

 

I would LOVE for the Other End recording of “Abandoned Love” to be included, but are we sure the recording is of high enough quality to be considered worthy of release? I suppose it’s better than some of the audience recordings on the ‘66 box, but still, it just seems like such a surreptitious recording, that an official release would somehow “legitimize” the bootlegger (even though he managed to capture what I believe to be the single greatest live Dylan recording). Would Sony have tracked down the original source tape?

Or could it be that Bob had his own tape rolling that night...?

 

The only thing less than "high quality" about that recording is the actual recording itself. But as far as that goes, it's still pretty good. Meanwhile, the performance itself is transcendent, historically important, perfectly executed and it is a window into the mind of Dylan at the time the RTR was burbling in the background of his thoughts. Not to mention it's an apt if unintended link between the last Bootleg Series and this next set of material. So reward the bootleggers, I say! It certainly wouldn't be the first time that's happened.

 

The 1966 Tour Recordings box has audience tapes that can truly be considered dire (a word I’d never use for the circulating recording of the live “Abandoned Love”) but were included because the compilers smartly recognized their historic importance. I don’t see it too differently here. If anything, the recording quality is closer in fidelity to some of the live tracks that were included on Tell Tale Signs. In any case, I’m definitely of the opinion it warrants (even demands) release too.

 

This.
"Abandoned Love" at The Other End club is an excellent audience recording.
Nobody will complain and everybody will love it.
Including the song will improve Dylan's real-estate, as they say.

 

It was recorded before the tour started. Like the tour tapes, it was edited later.

 

I pray you guys are right and that “Abandoned Love” included. Do we think they would track down the original source recording or use the best available circulating version?

 

Super cool footage. Thanks for posting

 

@Mbd77 has made mention of being in possession of an alternate recording of that performance and I assume Dylan camp has the same thing if not something similar and/or better. I'd love to have Mbd clear up what he can about the recording he has. Is it from the same source as the circulating version? I think he made mention of it just being a cleaner transfer?

 

I've got his name address and phone # in my old trade book.
It's only like 35 years old, that trade phone book.
He's not hard to find. He's around. He might even be here.
He gave out many first generation reel tapes; also of the Ramblin Jack set.

 

Here’s the story of the circumstances of recording that “Abandoned Love” from the EDLIS archives (for the sake of privacy, I deleted the email address though it’s already publicly posted):

From: Joe Kivak
Subject: Abandoned Love
Date: Fri, 31 May 1996 20:19:57 -0400
>Rainman Wrote: you have come across what i consider the single
>(as in song) greatest live performance Dylan ever gave.

I agree with this as i was at that show an i was the one who taped it. I was sitting right under Dylan. At my table was Paul Siebel, Larry Estridge & Mayer Vishner. I can never forget the power that came out of every line in that song. Every line was better that the last one...It was an amazing moment that will stay with everyone who was in that room the rest of our lives.

When Dylan came up he was very nervous an for the first 2 songs he had the capo on the guitar crooked an it was buzzing the strings but he never noticed. He nervous an shy. Then after the second song (which Dylan never sang on,near the end of the song Jack looked at Dylan to sing a verse an Dylan shook his head no an then the song ended) For the first 2 songs they where both sitting down. Then Dylan asked Jack if he could use his guitar ("Can I Use Yours?"). An they switched guitars..An Dylan stood up for the next song an Jack diddent know what was coming an was gonna play with Dylan..But once Dylan started the song Jack moved to the back and just listened, Amazed like everyone else..And after Dylan sat down Jack started to do his next song an then realized he had the other guitar..That's how much in awe he was at what he just heard. Dylan had just out of nowhere blew everyone away with this song an then walks off an sits back down. An now its up to Jack who like ever one else couldent believe what he just heard.

After the show was over we took the tape up to WBAI where Mayer Vishner was doing a show an played at about 4 in the morning.. Then the sun came up an it was now the 4th of July... A night i'll never forget.

Joe Kivak

My Head Says That Its Time To Make A Change....

 

we shall soon know all.