Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 12:40:17 -0400 Greetings from The Deep. Much activity of late beneath the waves. While gearing up in anticipation of the '66 monster that is rumored to be on the (near) horizon, here's a few capsule summaries of what's new on the collecting scene.......enjoy!!"ACE OF CLUBS" 5CD (Wild Wolf 99-001/2/3/4/5) Box Set... 5-disk box set of 61 total performances of 42 different songs from four club shows, summer '99: Eugene, Cincinnati, Detroit and Tramps. Tracks: 61 Times: 78+ each/disk Source: Aud Quality: Excnt While the summer '99 shows with Simon were a study in constancy, not so the Dylan club shows. What we have here are four of those shows, two in their entirety (Eugene and Tramps) and the two others "pre-encore," basically. The encores from Eugene and Tramps are on disk 5, with "Highlands" from MSG appearing as a bonus track. All in all, a brainy concept, filling the first four disks to the gills with each show "proper" pre-encore, and utilizing the Eugene/Tramps encores as the finale disk. In a word, basically what we have here are 4 shows on five disks, since the encores from those two cover the songs encored at Detroit & Cincy. Follow? No matter.....this set is a killer. Impeccably housed in a heavy duty, glossy color box, spine and alphabetical listing of the 42 tracks on rear of box, each track highlighted with a club, heart, spade or diamond, with the suits representing one of the shows - (Highlands is the Joker!!). Each disk inside is in its own "Ace of Clubs" sleeve, with the track listing, date, venue and personnel for that particular show listed on each sleeve. Most importantly, the sound quality throughout is particularly fine, up close and personal for each show. A joy of a listen at over six and a half hours!!!!! Repeated listenings will be the rule on this one. Performance highlights are too numerous to detail...suffice it to say that this one warrants repeated listens and the track listings speak for themselves. Rumored to be a limited edition of 1000 copies. ONE: Eugene, OR, 6/14/99, U Of Oregon, (EMU) Ballroom: Cocaine Blues (acoustic) My Back Pages (acoustic) (Bob on harp - Larry on Fiddle) Boots Of Spanish Leather (acoustic) A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall (acoustic) Love Minus Zero/No Limit (acoustic) Don't Think Twice, It's All Right (acoustic) (with harp) Down Along The Cove (first live performance) Blind Willie McTell Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine) Simple Twist Of Fate Can't Wait Highway 61 Revisited TWO: Detroit, Michigan, July 6, 1999, Saint Andrews Hall: Cocaine Blues (acoustic) Mama, You Been On My Mind (acoustic) A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall (acoustic) Love Minus Zero/No Limit (acoustic) (with harp) Tangled Up In Blue (acoustic) Girl Of The North Country (acoustic) Silvio Man In The Long Black Coat I'll Be Your Baby Tonight Not Dark Yet Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat THREE: Cincinnati, Ohio, July 11, 1999, Bogart's: Somebody Touched Me (acoustic) My Back Pages (acoustic) (Larry on fiddle - Bob on harp) Desolation Row (acoustic) To Ramona (acoustic) Tangled Up In Blue (acoustic) Girl Of The North Country (acoustic) Seeing The Real You At Last Lay, Lady, Lay Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine) You Ain't Goin' Nowhere Not Dark yet Highway 61 Revisited FOUR: New York, New York, July 26, 1999, Tramps: Oh Babe, It Ain't No Lie (acoustic) The Times They Are A-Changin' (acoustic) (with harp) Boots Of Spanish Leather (acoustic) John Brown (acoustic) (Larry on bazooki) Visions Of Johanna (acoustic) Seeing The Real You At Last Ballad Of A Thin Man (Larry on pedal steel) Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine) Every Grain Of Sand (Larry on pedal steel) Tombstone Blues Not Dark yet Highway 61 Revisited FIVE: Encores EUGENE: Not Dark Yet Like A Rolling Stone Blowin' In The Wind (acoustic) Not Fade Away NY TRAMPS: Love Sick Like A Rolling Stone It Ain't Me, Babe (acoustic) (with harp) Not Fade Away Blowin' In The Wind (acoustic) Alabama Getaway I Shall Be Released (with Elvis Costello) HIGHLANDS (Madison Square Garden, NYC, 7/27/99)
"FROM THE VAULTS VOLUME 2" 2CD (Dandelion DL 131/32) Compilation of dylan.com tracks Tracks: 22 Time: 58/63 Source: 'net Quality: Excellent The much delayed follow-up to Vol 1, containing 22 more performances from "dylan.com" in excellent sound. In the long interim between volumes one and two, some of these tracks appeared on the excellent Wild Wolf title ".Com Masters," while others are making a first time bow on glass mastered disk. Sound is excellent throughout and niftily (sic) packaged in color glossy housing w/8 page booklet, track by track review and snazzy pics. A fine listen.....Tracks:. Idiot Wind (Minneapolis 8/30/92)/I Believe In You (Rochester 11/3/98)/ Across the Borderline (Roch 11/3/98)/Long Black Coat (Tampa 1/30/99) Don't Think Twice (Troy, NY 2/22/99/NeverBe the Same (Tampa 1/30/99)/ Not Fade Away (Troy 2/22/99/Silvio (Tampa 1/30/99)/To Be Alone With You (Troy 2/22/99)/Little Moses 9/2/92)/Times We've Known (NY City 11/1/98)/ Shake Sugaree (Atlanta 12/1/97)/River Flow Tallahassee 2/1/99)/Make You Feel My Love (New Orleans 2/3/99)/LoveSick (Nashville 2/6/99)/BlowingIn The Wind (Tampa 1/30/99)/TheRoving Blade (Belfast 6/19/98)/Visions of Johanna (Portland 2/25/99/I&I (Dijon 7/1/98/OhBabe...(Hamburg 6/12/98)/ Friend of the Devil (Binghampton 2/19/99)/Tears of Rage (Troy 2/22/99)
T-677 "A BIRD'S NEST IN YOUR HAIR" 2CD (Rattlesnake RS 006/7) Earls Court, London, UK, 29 June 1981 Tracks: 30 Times: 70+/65+ Source: Aud Quality: Exc A terrific addition to the well-documented Europe '81 tour, this one stands proudly alongside Avigion as one of the premier releases of material from that era. A pretty amazing audience recording that leaves nothing to the imagination, with upfront vocals and distinct instrumentation....easily the finest audience recording of the '81 tour that I can recall (kudos to the taper on this one). A tour de force performance from Dylan and band (and let's not forget Clydie, Regina, Carolyn and Madelyn's memorable back-up singing), and notable for Dylan's fervent deliveries and vocal gymnastics. A real keeper.....nicely packaged with color glossy 8-page booklet, vintage pics and insightful essay. TrackList as follows: (*Dylan not on vocals) Come On In This House*/Gonna Rain Again*/Show Me The Way*/ Saved By The Grace Of Your Love*/Gotta Serve Somebody/I Believe In You/Rolling Stone/Till I Get It Right*/Man Gave Names/Maggie's/ Simple Twist/Daed Man/Girl Of NC/Thin Man/Slow Train/Walk Around Heaven All Day*/Let's Begin/Watchtower/Lenny Bruce/MrTMan/ Solid Rock/Just Like A Woman/In the Summertime/Masters/Forever Young/When You Gonna Wake Up/In The Garden/Blowin'/Love Minus Zero (solo acoustic)/Knockin'.
"ROLLING THROUGH THE STORMY WEATHER" 2CD (DL 125/26) Vienna, Austria 30Apr99 (17) + filler from Linz/Ischgl, Austria (5) Tracks: 22 Times: 76/78 Source: Aud Quality: Outstanding This one reportedly had some delays out of the gate but was finally freed and it's well worth the wait. The first (?) glass mastered set of an entire show from the Spring Euro '99 trek and a good one at that. A sublime "Friend of the Devil" kicks off the 7-song acoustic set, highlighted by a "nailed" back-to-back doomsday twosome of Masters and HardRain and culminating with heart wrenching versions of Baby Blue and Boots of SL. The electric set is intense and razor sharp, with dramatic readings of "Trying to Get To Heaven" and "Not Dark Yet" standing out, not to mention a smokin' "Like A Rolling Stone" closer. Five excellent quality filler tracks close out this well worthwhile release. Nattily packaged with simple yet effective b&w cover shot and 2-page essay, snazzy pic disks, all in warm, upfront quality. Dandelion label. TrackList: FriendOfDevil/MrTMan/ Masters/Hard Rain/Tangled/Baby Blue/ Boots Of SL/ColdIrons/MakeYouFeel/ MemphisBlues/TryingToGet ToHeaven/H61/NDYet/RDW12&35/Ain'tMeBabe/ NotFadeAway/ RollingStone. Bonus trax Linz, 4/27/99: BackPages/DRow/ PillboxHat/TrainToCry...Ischg 5/1/99: Watchtower.
"EATING CAVIAR IN A KING SIZED BED" 2CD (RS 011/12) Minneapolis, MN, 23Oct98 (16) + filler San Jose 5/19/98 (5) Tracks: 21 Times: 62/62 Source: Soundboard Qual: A+ Another excellent release from Rattlesnake, the new kid on the block. The Minneapolis '98 show in absolutely astounding sound quality from the board.....every bit the equal in sound to the Irving Plaza show captured best on "White Dove" and "Tonight I'll Be Playing Here for you." Here's the one to have from Fall '98, appended with five remastered filler tracks from the San Jose May '98 soundboard. A dazzling package with stunning 12-page color booklet and short notes on the show. TrackList: Gotta Serve/I'llRememberYou/ColdIrons/ JLAW/Silvio/Ain'tMeBabe/ Masters/Tangled/BackPagesw/harp/MakeUFeel/H61/LoveSick/ RDW12&35/Blowin'/RDW12&35/TillIFellInLoveWithYou/Forever Young....plus remastered bonus trax from San Jose 5/19/98: SweetMarie/ManInMe/StoneWalls/MakeYouFeel/ForeverYoung.
T-678 "NO MORE ALIBI'S" 3CD (Rattlesnake RS 003/4/5) Complete Tramps and Madison Square Garden, NY City shows from July 26/27, 1999 + 1st "Highlands"- Chula Vista Tracks: 34 Times: 77/79/72 Source: Aud Qual: Excellent Two shows, two consecutive nights....one club, one arena. Far be it from to provide a rundown of the Tramps show that would rival what's already been said about this most unique of shows. Go here to read all about it: http://www.execpc.com/~billp61/072699r.html And ditto for the Madison Square show the following night: http://www.execpc.com/~billp61/072699r.html To hear what they sounded like, it doesn't get much better than this set. Clear, upfront sound with great dynamics, both from the club and the arena. The MSG show was certainly unique among the Dylan/Simon pairings, what with the Highlands, Hard Rain, Love Minus Zero, JLAW and Watchtower providing a welcome change to the mainly static setlist. As far as what's out there on glass mastered, non-CDR for the Dylan/Simon tour - this one is clearly the best. The Tramps set is found here in equally fine quality, just as on the "Ace of Clubs." Another nattily packaged set, with a color 8-page booklet and essay on the shows. These 3 titles that have been out for a while but slipped through the cracks (perhaps rightfully so). I've given perfunctory listens to these and found them to be one-time plays. I figured I'd lump 'em all together in the category "TO BE AVOIDED" or, better yet > "Better play before you pay." (Note: Thanks to the "Field Recordings" site for the "typing relief.") Actually, the third one below, "Legend In My Time," makes for some pretty good listening.
T-668 "HONKY TONK BLUES" 2CD Montserrat GR 15.02.99 1/2 [T-668] Van Andel Arena (Grand Rapids, MI); February 15, 1999 Tracks: 16 Source: Audience Quality: Thin and High Tracklist: Gotta Serve Somebody, Million Miles, Maggie's Farm, Just Like A Woman, Silvio, Stone Walls And Steel Bars, Masters Of War, It's All Over Now Baby Blue, Tangled Up In Blue, Honky Tonk Blues, Ballad Of A Thin Man, Highway 61, Love Sick, RDW#12 & 35, Don't Think Twice, Not Fade Away Thin sounding with very little bottom and too much treble. Pretty much run of the mill show, too, save for the great Thin Man w/the Setzer horns. Lame packaging.
T-660 "IN LIKE FLYNN" 2CD Montserrat 1923/24 Flynn, VT 10/11/94 complete (14) + filler (5) Tracks: 19 Source: Audience Quality: So-so/Varies Complete Flynn, VT gig in so-so sound, nothing to write home about. Little of the dynamics and vibrancy that characterize the best audience recordings from '94. The eq helps a bit but still does not bring it to "repeated listening" status. A shame, since the setlist is quite appealing. Filler is a mish-mosh with little coherency and the packaging is unexciting. (1) Flynn Theater (Burlington, VT); Oct 11, 1994 (2) Sportpaleis Ahoy (Rotterdam)June 15, 1998 (3) El Rey Theater (Los Angeles, CA); Dec 19, 1997 (4) Grughalle (Essen, Germany); June 16, 1998 (5) Voorst Nationaal (Brussels, Belgium); June 17, 1998 (6) San Jose Arena (San Jose, CA); May 19, 1998 Tracklist: (1) Jokerman, If Not For You, All Along The Watchtower, I Don't Believe You, Tangled Up In Blue, Man In The Long Black Coat, Mama You Been On My Mind, Gates Of Eden, Don't Think Twice, God Knows, She Belongs To Me, Maggie's Farm, What Good Am I,My Back Pages. (2) Desolation Row (3) Joey (4) Under The Red Sky (5) License To Kill (6) Highway 61 Revisited
T-661 "LEGEND IN HIS TIME" 3CD Montserrat 1927/28/29 Compilation from a myriad of sources, presented in chronological order. Tracks: 39 Sources: Many Quality: Overall Good A strange compilation consisting of a wide array of tracks from various sources, most having appeared before on other releases (I've indicated those that I think have not with a *). While the quality is fairly good overall, there is no coherence to the set, which seems to have been flung together without any thought. Still, many of the things on here are rather elusive, so this may serve those who desire the material on real disk and cannot get it elsewhere. (1) Denver Hotel Tape (Denver, CO); March 13, 1966 (2) Pat Garrett sessions (Burbank, CA); February 1973 (3) Chicago Stadium (Chicago, IL); January 4, 1974 (4) Capitol Center (Largo, MD); January 15, 1974 (5) Other End (New York, NY); July 3, 1975 (6) Eric Clapton sessions (Malibu, CA); March 1976 (7) Massey Hall (Toronto, ON); April 19, 1980 (8) Marriott Marquis (near Mansfield, MA); July 10, 1986 (9) Madison Square Garden (New York, NY); July 17, 1986* (10) Forum (Montreal, QU); July 8, 1988 (11) Kingswood Music Theatre (Maple, ON); July 29, 1989* (12) Seashore Performing Arts Center (Old Orchard Beach, ME); July 15, 1989 (13) Panathanaikos Stadio (Athens, Greece); June 28, 1989 (14) Memorial Hall (Dayton, OH); November 9, 1991 (15) Oh Mercy sessions (New Orleans, LA); March 7-24, 1989 (16) Lansdowne Stadium (Ottawa, ON); August 22, 1992* (17) Performing Arts Center (Saratoga Springs, NY); July 26, 1989* Tracklist: (1) Positively Van Gogh, Don't Tell Him, If You Want My Love, Just Like A Woman, Sad-Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands (2) Billy 3, Goodbye Holly, Sweet Amarillo, Rock Me Mama (3) Tough Mama, Nobody 'Cept You, Something There Is About You (4) Wedding Song (5) Abandoned Love (6) Idiot Wind, Big River, Stepping Out, Stepping Out (7) Gotta Serve Somebody, Covenant Woman, When You Gonna Wake Up, Precious Angel, Slow Train, Solid Rock, In The Garden (8) You Win Again, I'm A King Bee, Let The Good Times Roll, Earth Angel (9) House Of The Rising Sun (10) Hallelujah (11) Hey La La (12) Nothing But You (13) House Of Gold; Crazy Love (w/Van Morrison) (14) Confidential To Me (15) Dignity (16) Unbelievable (17) Legend In My Time