DEEP BENEATH THE WAVES vol 71

From: xyx
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 22:09:44 EDT

Greetings from the DEEP. In an effort to catch up with the 3-4 month
backlog on the new, the not-so-new and those that fell through the 
cracks, here's my skinny on the latest "field recordings..." 

VOICES IN THE GARDEN  1CD (QR-20)  January 16-21, 1998 NY City
Tracks: 10    Time: 78+    Source: Audience     Quality: Very, very good
  A "concept" disk compiling the 10 different tracks that Bob
generously offered up during the acoustic sets at the 5-night Garden
residency (w/Tangled being the one common denominator each night but
not included owing to time constraints, it seems). While listening to this
wonderful set of performances it dawned on me that each and every one of
these tremendous songs were penned between 1962-64, and 35 years
later thay all sound as fresh as ever. All 10 tracks in consistently VG++
quality and awe-inspiring performances one and all. Particularly
pleasing to sample this set from beginning to end in one session and
marvel at the unique vocal stylings and phrasings that Bob employs to
set himself apart (and above) other singers past and present :-) An 
astounding collection w/a cover caricature guaranteed to bring a guffaw,
with a couple of other great pics to boot.  OneTooMany/JBrown/TomorrowIsA
LongTime/HattieCarroll/DRow/BabyBlue/HardRain/GirlOfNC/Times/TMan.

IN THE SUMMERTIME  2CD (Dandelion DL 022/23)  10 July 1981,
  Drammen, Norway +  Rainbow Music Hall, Denver, CO  22 Jan 1980
Tracks: 29   Times: 69/72  Source: Soundboard    Quality: Very Good
Finally, the Drammen '81 board in its entirety. While a smidgen over-
recorded, this serves as a nice companion piece to the outstanding
"Avignon" '81 board, with a slightly varied set list and several different
tracks. Only the Dylan sung tracks are included here, and sing well he
did during the entirety of the Europe '81 trek. The 8 bonus tracks were
reportedly salvaged from a Columbia Archives (acetate?) and supposedly
considered for actual release. True or not, if Dylan's '80 "religious" shows
appeal to you, this one's for you. Only the Toronto '80 board eclipses these
tracks in trems of quality and the performances are full of gospel soul. An
outstanding set nicely packaged with 8 page booklet, color pics, essay.
Drammen: Times/ServeSomebody/IBelieveInU/LARS/ManGaveNames/Girl
OfNC/ThinMan/Summertime/SlowTrain/LetsBegin/LBruce/JLAW/FYoung/
JesusIsTheOne/HeartOfMine/WakeUp/InGarden/Blowin'/Ain'tMeBabe/
Knockin'   Denver: WhenHeReturns/ManGaveNames/PAngel/STrain/Change
MyWayOfThinking/DoRightToMeBaby/SolidRock/SavingGrace

ALWAYS ON MY MIND vol 2  1CD  (ES 012)  Konstanz, GER  3 JUL 96
Tracks: 10    Time: 71+    Source: Audience    Quality: Outstanding
  The killer opening 10 tracks from the sensational Konstanz show (the
balance of which can be found on the exceptional ALWAYS vol 1 set - 
which also provided a wonderful, complete Detroit 94 collection). Easily
one of the highlights of '96, IMO up there with Berlin, Magdeburg and
Pistoia as the top performances that year. Sublime versions of I Want U,
Shelter, Tambourine Man & One Too Many Mornings stand out, sung
with a delicate, deliberate grace and with the reins pulled a little on the
music. Stately and elegant sounding, with much conviction. You'll play
these over and over, as each has those chilling moments that raise the
goosebumps and leave you with mouth agape in awe. Excellent sound,
upfront and true, every nuance and pluck intact. Astounding.
Flood/IWantU/Watchtower/Shelter/RiverFlow/Silvio/TMan/Masters/One
TooMany/Maggie's.  

JUST BECAUSE  2CD  (LS 001/002)  Lewiston, NY 16 Aug 94 (14) +
   filler Roseland, NYC  19/20 Oct 1994 (4)
Tracks: 18   Time: 69+/69+   Source: Soundboard/Audience  Quality: VG+
A soundboard recording from '94 making its bow on disk in very good
quality, albeit with a smidgen more hiss than on some circulating tapes.
Strong show with some excellent peformances of IfNot4U, IDontBelieveU,
MamaYouBin, and particularly Hattie Carroll and a phenomenal Girl Of
the North Country show closer. The bonus trax from Roseland are spirited 
and include the truly unforgettable version of Shelter From The Storm -
if you have never heard that one, well, shame shame (it is now on the
SONY Dylan website in amazing quality) . Some glitches are inherent 
that require noting: two songs inhabit one track on disk one, which is
preferable to the converse, I suppose. Additionally, the If You See Her
on disk 2, track 5 is listed but absent from the mix, so don't expect to
hear that one. Again, the Lewiston is a good one and the Shelter is
otherwordly. A worthwhile disk despite the glitches.  Complete track
list: JokerMan/IfNot4U/WatchTower/BelieveU/Tangled/BabyTonight/Mama
YouBin/Masters/Hattie/GodKnows/BlackCoat/Maggie's/ThinMan/GirlOfNC
Filler: BigGirl/Shelter/SimpleTwist/Joey.

TIME & TIME AGAIN  2CD  (Dandelion DL 41/42)   NYCity 16 Jan 98
  complete (15)  + filler Jan 17/20/21 98 (9)
Tracks: 24   Times: 77+/71+   Source: Audience   Quality: VG++
More from the MSG stand, this one the complete opening night show that I
had the privilege of attending. So much has been written about these
shows that to belabor the point becomes tedious - Dylan and his band
were outstanding and played the hell out of it every night. The OneTooMany
is breathtaking, the new arrangement of JohnBrown leaves you marveling
at his genius and the TOOM tracks are swampy, chilling and delicious.
When you get SimpleTwist, OneTooMany & a glorious MyBackPages in
one show, what's not to like? Recording quality is just shy of excellent
and the generous sampling of bonus trax are well chosen - Senor/Can't
Wait/TearsOfRage/BornInTime/BlackCoat/Shelter/MillionMiles/Memphis
Blues/H61.  Combining this with VOICES above and Cats' MSG below,
you 've got the NYCity residency pretty well covered.

MADISON SQUARE GARDEN  2CD (Crystal Cat CC452/53)  21 Jan 98
  NYCity (16) + various Fall/Winter 97 (6) various NYCity 98 (6)
Tracks: 27  Times: 78+/76  Source: Audience   Quality: Outstanding
  After the embarassingly bad anomaly of "LoveSick At Wembley," 
Crystal Cat returns to form nicely with this set from the finale of the
MSG residency, presenting that show in the razor sharp, crisp sound that
we've come to expect from prior Cat releases. While not the best show
IMO, the sound is outstanding with all instruments ringing true and
bubbling perfectly just under Bob's impeccable roar. The butchering of
Shelter is the only lowlight here. What sets this one apart are the
carefully selected and well-chosen bonus tracks, several of which 
make their CD debut* and are worth mentioning:
CantWait Starkville, MS  10/24/97, TomorrowIsALongTime/MakeYouFeel
MyLove  Columbia, SC 11/2/97, BeNotAStranger* Columbus, OH  11/7/97,
White Dove*  NYCity  12/8/97, RagtimeAnnie* Chicago 12/14/97, This
Wheels New London 1/14, plus more Garden filler: NotDarkYet 1/17,
More&More* w/Van 1/18, BigGirlNow 1/18, BornInTime 1/20, and Blue
SuedeShoes*  1/21/98.   Further plaudits to the artwork, design and
2 booklets containing pieces of the MOJO interview plus TOOM lyrics &
beautiful color pics taken from the show. Gorgeous package.

NOT DARK YET  2CD  (A&E  A19710612-01E)  New London, CT 
  14 Jan 98 (16) + filler Los Angeles  17-19 Dec 1997 (8)
Tracks: 24   Times:72+/75+       Source: Audience      Quality: Excellent
Another release presenting the TOOM-heavy New London, CT show and
bearing the same title as its predecessor. For a review of this show, see
the previous DEEP. Quality-wise, another outstanding effort and I may give
the nod to this release as it is as clear and crunchy as a fresh bagel chip.
Well, the bonus tracks here will simply floor you and the quality is top
notch - even a fresher bagel chip than the main content!!! All lowdown and
dirty field recordings with an aura of 50 year old soil to all of them: Oh
Babe It Ain't No Lie, Cocaine, MrTMan, It Ain't Me Babe, Rovin' Gambler
and MyBackpages. They all have that "Smithsonian Anthology of Folk
Music"-feel to them. Thrown in are duets with Sheryl Crow on Knockin'
and Highway 61. Sheryl's cool but how great would it be to hear a duet
with Gillian Welch or Lucinda. Great stuff!!

HIGHWAY OF DIAMONDS vol 1 - THE NEVER ENDING TOUR (WWL013)
  Compilation of various live tracks 1988-1997 
Tracks: 12    Time: 70+     Sources: Audience     Quality: VG+>Excellent
A semi-enjoyable compilation of tracks with every year represented save
1990 and 1994. While not up to the compilation standard of PURE HEAT
or several HARD TO FIND sets, some intriguing perfromances included
here, such as Frankie Lee & Judas Priest/Trail Of The Buffalo from '88,
And It Stoned Me/Tomorrow Is A Long Time from '89, One More Cup of
Coffee '91, Peggy-O '92, Man In Me '93. The remaining 5 tracks (95-97) are 
forgettable insofar as the oddity factor - Dignity, 4th Street, Don't Think
2x, LARS & You Ain't Goin' Nowhere - with only the unforgettable Berlin
4th Street (religions have been founded on less :-) )  a standout but we've
heard all about that one from SOUL. Nice color cover. The disk would
imply it's a promo - it's not. 

HIGHWAY OF DIAMONDS vol 2-TV Performances 1993-97  (WWL-014)
Tracks: 12     Time: 72+       Sources: TV     Quality: Excellent
Superb sounding collection of various TV performances, including the
Prince's Trust, previously available only on a hard to find Japan set. No
need for any critique here beyond listing the tracks:
Pancho & Lefty /  Hard Times    Willie Nelson's Big Six-O  28 Apr 93
Forever Young  w/Bruce   R&R HOF  2 Sept 1995
Restless Farewell    Sinatra 80th  19 Nov 1995
Pillbox Hat/Tom Thumb's/Silvio/Pos4thSt/H61  Hyde Park  29 June 1996
Knockin' / Hard Rain / Forever Young   Pope Gig, Bologna, IT 27 Sep 1996
Great color cover from Willie's Big Six-O.  A good one.   

SUNSET STUDIO 1965  1CD  (Firepower FP-034)  Nov/Dec 1965 studio
Tracks: 10   Time: 42+     Source:  Studio        Quality: OK
A Japanese release of outtakes from the studio sessions w/the Hawks and
nothing that we have'nt seen before in better quality. If you don't have it
already, it may be worthwhile. The 10th track - Jokerman outtake - is
a puzzle. Housed in a beautiful, color glossy slipcase. Tracks: Midnight
Train/CrawlOutYourWindow/IWannaBeYourLover/Number1/Johanna/She's
YourLoverNow/CrawlOut/IfYouGottaGo/KillingMeAlive/Jokerman.  So-so.

AT THE SPECTRUM 1974  2CD (AMS 838)  Philadelphia, PA  8 Jan 74
Tracks: 18     Times: 41/44     Source: Audience     Quality: Decent
Surprisingly, a worthwhile 1974 audience recording in decent quality. While
not up to current quality standards, an enjoyable set with some rarely
offered tunes - Something There Is About You and Nobody 'Cept You. Don't be
fooled by the listed tracks - As I Went Out One Morning & Sad Eyed Lady Of
The Lowlands - they are not on there, but, of course,  if you are going
to spring for  this one you would most likely know that anyway. Nicely
housed in a color, glossy slipcase, as are most Japanese disks these days.

DAY & NIGHT  2CD  (Killing Floor KF 98009/10)  Seattle, WA  9 Feb 1974
Tracks: 37   Time: 71/68          Source: Audience      Quality: Fair
Both the afternoon and evening shows on 2 disks in (somewhat) listenable
quality but by no means good. The quieter songs sound better than the
electric numbers, and includes a rare performance of Wedding Song. 
Beautiful color, glossy slipcase w/great cover pic & design. For 1974
completists only, IMO.

POWER GREED & CORRUPTIBLE SEED  2CD (Montserrat BRCD 1909/10)
   Montreal 5 Aug 97, Paris 24 Mar 95,  Jimmy Rodgers Tribute 1997
Tracks: 23   Times: 68/57   Source: Audience/Studio   Quality: Lame
 A forgettable release with the Montreal '97 gig presented in poor quality &
bonus tracks containing 5 songs from Paris '95 that are abominable. Filled
out with the Dylan track "My Blue Eyed Jane" from the Jimmy Rodgers
soundtrack. Avoid at all costs.



CDRs OF NOTE: 
Only CDRs with professionally printed covers/tray cards/
inserts AND only from established labels will be mentioned here. Those
cheesy (homemade), laser printed/color xerox cover CDRs merit no space.

CALIFORNIA OR BUST  2CD  (CIB Archives CIB 10/11)  UCLA-Los Angeles, CA
  21 May 98 (14), Anaheim 23 May (3), UCLA 22 May (5), Vancouver 14 May (5)
Tracks: 27   Times: 74/74   Source: Audience    Quality: Exc/VG++
Beautifully packaged 2CD set chock full of tunes from the West Coast arena
gigs. While I'm not a big fan of these things, when done like this they are 
easy to swallow. Color glossy covers w/great graphics, all the gig info, 
color pics, cartoon tray card and back tray pic. Disk itself is nicely silk-
screened w/ sharp, printed graphics. Quality is very, very good to excellent
throughout, nicely recorded with a clean, warm sound and packing a wallop
also. The entire 21 May UCLA gig is on disk one thanks to some between song 
editing. Great performances of ManInMe, RankStrangers, MakeYou FeelMyLove &
RESTLESS FAREWELL are among the the highlights. 
Bonus trax from 3 other West Coast '98 gigs are top notch, well-selected and
include the 2nd ever live performance of I'm NotSupposed ToCare, which is
wonderful. Complete track listing:
SweetMarie/ManInMe/ColdIronsBound/JLAW/Silvio/RankStrangers/Masters/
Tangled/FeelMyLove/H61/FYoung/LoveSick/RDW/Restless Farewell
LayLadyLay/ImNotSupposedToCare/Times/Maggie's/IfUSeeHer/Simple
Twist/ThisWheelsOnFire/AintMeBabe/Senor/BigGirlNow/MemphisBlues/
IShallBeReleased/MrTMan.
An excellent collection from top to bottom. A few more like this should bring
some converts. 

NIGHTS OF THE LIVING ICONS 1CD  (CIB Archives CIB 13)  Van Morrison, Joni
  Mitchell & Bob Dylan sampler from May 1998 West Coast US Tour
Tracks: 13   Time: 75+    Source: Audience     Quality: VG+
A classy looking single CD w/tracks from the 3 "icons" in very good+ quality.
Color glossy cover w/nice pics, poster repro, caricatures, sharp graphics &
cool-looking silkscreened disk. Track list:
VAN: Tupelo Honey>Crazy Love / Fire In The Belly/ Burning Ground /Cypress
         Avenue/ Healing Game
JONI: Black Crow/Refugee Of The Road/Big Yellow Taxi/Crazy Cries of Love
BOB: Cocaine Blues/Stone Walls & Steel Bars/Tangled/Cold Irons Bound

WESTERN ELECTRIC  1CD  (Wild Wolf)  Hollywood Bowl   3 Sept 1965
Tracks: 13   Time:  72:11    Source: Board or Reel-Reel  Quality: Very Good
The recently surfaced Hollywood Bowl "board," the second electric performance
by Dylan w/the Hawks. A fascinating recording with both the acoustic & 
electric sets in "nowhere near 'Guitars Kissing' quality" but stunning
nonetheless. Sensational b&w pic on cover w/classy title graphics, plus
rare back cover pic w/gig info, tracks, personnel. Sharp looking!
An incredible acoustic set by Dylan gives way to a loose yet tentative
electric performance, more of a feeling out and "searching for the groove"
type gig.  Interesting to compare this to the more "polished" performance from
Berkeley later that year and then to the transcendent electric '66 gigs.  This
is the first step in the "evolution" and provides a vital link that runs from
Newport through Manchester & London. This ones a must.
Track listing: SheBelongsToMe/ToRamona/GatesOfEden/BabyBlue/DRow/
LoveMinusZero/Mr.TMan........
electric: IDontBelieveU/TomThumb's/ FROMABUICK 6/Maggie's/ThinMan/LARS
No doubt we'll be seeing "regulars" like this, particularly since another tape
supposedly came into circulation with the missing electric trax Tombstone
Blues and It Ain't Me Babe.

                           

1995 1996 1997 1998 T-list CDs