Subject: DEEP BENEATH THE WAVES vol 66 From: xyx Date: Sat, 29 Nov 1997 11:18:35 -0500 Seems a flood of new titles is upon us. Bollocks, you say? Never mind, here's Bob Dylan....... BACK AT WOLFTRAP 2CD (QR 18/19) Vienna, Va 23 Aug 1997* + filler same venue 24 Aug* (5) & Wallingford, CT^ 18 Aug (2) Tracks: 21 Times: 65/70 Source: Hearing-Impaired Transmissions*/Audience^ Quality: Devastating*/Very Good^ A high-energy, charismatic & fun-filled show w/some of the best Bob vocals you'll ever hear and a thrilling, sympathetic band that plays the hell out of everything, and plays it well. Well-rounded quality from the bottom up and clear, crisp Bob vocals that will bring you to tears (see below). Give a bit of a nod to the bass and a bit less treble and your ears will hear the glory of the coming of.......forget it. The nature of the transmission leaves a few harsh moments where the levels were a bit high and Bob's voice will distort for a split second here and there, but they are few and far between and I just thought I'd mention it. The bottom line is, this thing will blow you away. The highest recommendation I can give is this: You wanna hear what Bob Dylan and his band sound like? This is how they sound. Reasons why this show will knock you out: 1) The quality of the voice and the instruments together. 2) The way Bob gravelly emphasizes the word "ask," from "She looked into his eyes, as she stopped him to aaAAaaAAask." 3) Bob's perfect pinched delivery on "I gained some recognition but I lost my appetite." 4) The sublime guitar intro to UnderTheRedSky and the way Kemper's drums flow in. Bucky's steel guitar on UTRS. All the instrumental breaks on UTRS. 5) Silvio: "I ain't complainin' 'bout what IIIIIIIIIIIII got," I seen better days but whooooooo haaaAAAS not...." "Pay for your ticket and dooooooooooon't complain...." "Sing it loud and (quietly) sing it strong." 6) Tony's bass on Stone Walls & Mr. Tambourine Man. Bucky's mandolin on the entire acoustic set. Tony's bass throughout, actually. 7) Bob's dancing vocal on the line "I'mA-readytogaoanywhereI'm-Aready for to fade" is a killer. Listening to him sing just the four words "...foggy ruins of time" is worth the price of admission. The words crack and dip and ebb and flow and sound like those foggy ruins. 8) The pleading way Bob sings ".....play a song for me" in the last verse. Warning: do not have this playing when you arrive at work. You'll surely hit the rewind more than a few times in the parking lot and be late. 9) Because TANGLED will funk you up and the guitar interplay between Bob & Larry Campbell is wonderful. Two guitars, one head. 10) The emphasis on the 3rd word from these lines of Memphis Blues: "...like a FOOOOOOL I mixed them And it STRAAAANGLED up my mind Now people JUUUUUST get uglier And I GOOOOOT no sense of time." What a singer. 11) Because PillBox Hat rocks your socks off (and I remember the never- ending grins from all on stage at the girl in the LeopardSkinPBHat who was allowed on stage to dance throughout the song). 12) Blind Willie, because it's BlindWillie and we waited so long. The vocal delivery and phrasing highlights are too numerous to detail. I know one thing no one can sing like Dylan. 13) An over-the-top LIkeARollingStone. A special moment 1:08 into the song when Bob gives us a "YEAH" with gusto after "How does it feel?" These goosebump-inducing "YEAH's" also occur at 2:40 and 5:40 :-) Bob invests it all in this rendition and injects some nice vocal "tricks, " like building up certain lines with a few words and then repeating them again until the line is fully constructed. The most exciting example is here: "...when you ain't got nothing you got You got nothin' to lose You're invisible You got no You got no secrets Got no secrets to conceal." Phenomenal version. 14) Don't Think Twice. Ordinary choice, you say? Listen up, the upbeat & rollicking country pluckin' and strummin' gets your toes 'a tappin' and the heart 'a pumpin' and your head 'a bobbin.' If this don't move 'ya, there ain't no use to sit and wonder why. Just check to see if 'ya got a pulse. 15) The whole show fits together like a glove or a pair of Bruno Magli shoes on the right size feet. One of those where you don't "GET IT" all unless you listen from beginning to end. 16) Because the bonus tracks are the bomb - RiverFlow, Cocaine, Rovin' Gambler, YouAin'tGoinNowhere, StayingHereWithYou. Plus Danko on Wheel'sOnFire and a ridiculously tender and touching BabyBlue. 17) Overall, the show emphasizes this: there's Dylan, and then there is everybody else. Get it, and you'll "get" it. Nothing to be gained by any more explanation, no more words need to be said. xyx