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

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by DeeThomaz, Sep 24, 2015.

  1. roombythelake

    roombythelake Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    That "Precious Angel" is one of my favourites, vocally – it might be a good performance if you wanted to illustrate some of the different "ways" (good and bad) he can sing (rough, smooth, harsh, sweet, nasal, open, a bit out of control, reined back in, etc). I haven't heard that performance for a while but I can hear that line in my head – there's a real "slide" to the delivery, pulling back the intensity for a bit, at least the way I hear it.

    When he's using all his tricks, particularly by enunciating syllables in different ways to different effect, you can listen to, say, a five-word phrase, and you might be able to identify multiple vocal "moments" happening. It's an example of how a good song can be made great (or made great in a different way) in performance.
     
  2. dee

    dee Senior Member

    Location:
    ft. lauderdale, fl
    :wave::righton::thumbsup:
     
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  3. dee

    dee Senior Member

    Location:
    ft. lauderdale, fl
    That 'Ain't Gonna Go To Hell For Anybody" D2T2 seems and sounds as confessional, honest, personal, and even individually damning and revealing, as anything Dylan has done in song imo, and the lyrics in that bridge are perfectly 'sooted' for the song and the delivery is 'pitch perfect' - while the bridge is a conventinal kind of bridge, it's also 'sootably' musical to the lyrics as well. I also like the intro as the singers voices join in one after the other. Also, Jim Keltner is terrific during the choruses especially. He sounds like he's playing what feel like 16th notes on the cymbals and shuffling down on the drums with precision and flair. A nifty, tasteful guitar solo during the second, instrumental bridge too. The runaway tempo and almost breezy tone make for an effective contrast to the lyrics in the verses. An interesting song and strong performance.
     
    Last edited: Jul 28, 2019
  4. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    And as he was wont to do, he obscured a highly personal song in the rewriting process, taking the guts out of it in the process. (IMO)
     
  5. dee

    dee Senior Member

    Location:
    ft. lauderdale, fl
    Well said and an interesting phenomenona (?)
    Is "too personal a tale" a Dylan line? Can't think of the song?
     
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  6. Percy Song

    Percy Song A Hoity-Toity, High-End Client


    Tolling for the searching ones, on their speechless, seeking trail
    For the lonesome-hearted lovers with too personal a tale
    An' for each unharmful, gentle soul misplaced inside a jail
    An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing


     
  7. dee

    dee Senior Member

    Location:
    ft. lauderdale, fl
    I think I butchered "phenomena"...hope that looks better now lol
     
    Last edited: Jul 28, 2019
  8. JudasPriest

    JudasPriest Forum Resident

    Love discs 3 and 4 on this set. These and Toronto push it up to the upper echelons of the BS series.
     
  9. dee

    dee Senior Member

    Location:
    ft. lauderdale, fl
    Right for now the 2 disc set works best for me listening in small doses due to the variable sound quality and the singular kind of subject matter and as it relates to the songwriting. It's kind of nice in this way for me though because I enjoy bits and pieces of it here and there and I can focus more on each track and performance.

    Saving Grace D2T5 is quite touching. I like that different version on D2T3 of Gotta Serve Somebody. That Saving Grace musically reminds me a little of Soon After Midnight!
    That slinky and swaying feel of Ain't No Man and the dual vocal is very effective performance-wise. I like the casual, breezy mood of it but the lyrics still get their message across!
     
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  10. dee

    dee Senior Member

    Location:
    ft. lauderdale, fl
    Why did Dylan change (what is the significance of?) the 'and' (that leads into the chorus) in the studio version of Slow Train to the 'but' in the the live versions? If I have that correct...
     
  11. lschwart

    lschwart Senior Member

    Location:
    Richmond, VA
    I'm not sure why he made the change or if he really did it that consistently, but there is a difference in sense. It has to do with the difference between the two coordinating conjunctions. "And" suggests that what follows it does not contrast with what came before it in the sentence, just another example of the same type of thing, but often with an additive element, a sense of accumulation (things, perhaps, building up to something). "But" suggests a contrast of some kind, often an exception or contradiction.

    So, in each verse of the song, you have a bunch of things that the singer sees happening all around him or to him or to people he knows, and in the "and" version of the refrain, the coming of the slow train is another thing on top of all that. It's coming, maybe summing up all that's wrong. Maybe it's an inevitable reaction to it, the pot boiling over, high water everywhere (maybe a corrective, a self-corrective, or maybe not, maybe just climax of ugliness). In the "but" version, the train is a contradiction to all that each verse describes, the thing that will bring it all to an end. "All that is awful, but let me assure you, a train is coming...."

    I suppose the "but" version is the more eschatologically certain version of the song. The song, after all, was initially written before Dylan's conversion and perhaps the "and" version bears the marks of an original ambivalence about whatever seemed to be coming next at the end of the song's catalog of ugliness. The "but" version is pretty sure it knows who's driving that train and what He's going to do when he gets here (or back here).

    L.
     
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  12. SteveFff

    SteveFff Forum Mekonista

    Location:
    Kalamazoo, MI
    I’ve been going back through some of the previous Bootleg Series volumes in anticipation of Travelin’ Thru (though UPS just dropped it off—so for now this dive into the past is done), and I just finished a run thru the Trouble No More box which continues to yield great pleasures. But one of those pleasures I had kinda forgot about until I was going through discs 1-4–with some tracks multiple times—are Rob Bowman’s outstanding track by track notes. I had really enjoyed his writing on Stax Records and he’s a great choice to write on the track by track for this band and this period. They really bring great value to the book in this powerfully curated set and listening experience.
     
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  13. Dwight Fry

    Dwight Fry Forum Resident

    Location:
    Gulfport, Florida
    Penn Jilette was sufficiently proud of the essay he wrote for the "Trouble No More" liner notes that he read it on his podcast. Not entirely in jest, he expressed a willingness for it to contend for the "Best Liner Notes" Grammy.

    Yet I'm seeing where Amanda Petrusich was nominated for her TNM liner notes--not Jillette, and not Bowman.

    It's not clear the extent to which politics play into Grammy/liner notes recognition. It appears that, generally speaking, one nomination is reserved for some sort of pop anthology and the rest for jazz/classical/historical material, but who knows. The Grammys never made much sense to me. The sole title I own from the past twenty years of winners in this category is the 2002 Richard Pryor boxed set, for which Walter Mosley shared the Grammy with Elijah Wald for "Arhoolie Records 40th Anniversary Collection: 1960–2000 The Journey of Chris Strachwitz." Strange bedfellows.
     
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  14. SteveFff

    SteveFff Forum Mekonista

    Location:
    Kalamazoo, MI
    Thanks for sharing that: I didn’t realize that about the TNM liner notes. (Or had forgot). That’s incredibly interesting (and head scratching). Because, yea, while I was singling out Bowman’s notes, because, well, I was reading them track by track while listening; in general the package is filled with such great writing (and photos—and music of course) about this time in Bob’s career that’s been often seen as difficult, while being musically sublime to many. But your point is so intriguing: right, why wouldn’t ALL of them be included in a nomination, as the notes work so well together (with great individual work). Thanks again for that fascinating post and info—one of the reasons I really enjoy the forum!
     
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  15. duggan

    duggan Senior Member

    Location:
    sydney
    Two years on.

    It is the Bootleg Series set I play the most, especially the London and Toronto concerts; magic, pure magic.
     
  16. drift

    drift Forum Resident

    Location:
    Peoria, IL
    Not surprising to me considering it was such a magical era for his voice, songwriting, and bringing it onstage. '79 might be my favorite year for live shows. I'm still listening to this bootleg series often too.
     
  17. My Echo My Shadow And Me

    My Echo My Shadow And Me Forum Resident

    Location:
    Germany
    I was so glad they had Amanda Petrusich write the liner notes instead of Clinton Heylin (who had counted on being chosen, I think). I just read Petrusich's Do Not Sell At Any Price: The Wild, Obsessive Hunt for the World's Rarest 78rpm Records – great book.
     
  18. Justin Brooks

    Justin Brooks Forum Resident

    yeah, i would have a hard time believing even a non-believing Dylan fan wouldn't delight in this box set.
     
  19. Alien Reg

    Alien Reg Forum Resident

    I think I fit the description you have outlined, but I do believe in your (and others') claims that this is a great set. Now, I don't have time, space or funds for the full deluxe edition, so is there a 2-disc or other small-sized edition that you would recommend?

    Thanks!
     
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  20. Craig's Story

    Craig's Story Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    Yes that is a great book, highly recommended for anyone on Hoffman
     
  21. ilistentoallkinds

    ilistentoallkinds Forum Resident

    Location:
    MD/DC area, U.S.
    As a longtime Dylan fan, including very much, the gospel years, I am way, way behind on getting the 8-disc, 1 DVD version of this installment of the Bootleg Series, but after seeing that it is almost sold out at Bull Moose online, I finally ordered it! I can't wait to hear all of these live performances and to dig into the entire package in general. So excited!
     
  22. Fender Relic

    Fender Relic Forum Resident

    Location:
    PennsylBama
    :biglaugh:I've had mine for a year and a half or more and I'm still not thru it. It's great,I'm sure you'll enjoy. Take your time...not as long as me though.
     
  23. Popmartijn

    Popmartijn Senior Member

    Location:
    The Netherlands
    I got mine a few weeks ago. I'm still digesting it. Great stuff is on it. I've always been attracted to his gospel years phase and this set definitely does not disappoint!
     
  24. Best disc imho, is the bonus live show which was exclusive to Dylan.com ordered. So glad I went that route when it was first sold.
     
  25. jeddy

    jeddy Forum Resident

    he was on fire , live, during this time!
    some of his most electrifying concerts he ever did!
    ...and they rocked!
     

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