DEEP BENEATH THE WAVES vol 8

Date: Thu, 21 Sep 1995 10:51:54 +0500
Sender: The Bob Dylan Discussion List 
From: xyx 
Subject: DEEP BENEATH THE WAVES vol 8
Lines: 44

  My tank is filled once again and I'm ready to plunge after landlubbing it
for a day short of a fortnight. The oxygen supply arrived yesterday, and
what a sweet breath of air it is. Let me dally no further and descend....

"SOUNDS INSIDE MY MIND" 1CD Phoenix Festival, Stratford-Upon-Avon, UK
                        14 July 1995  plus (1) track unknown origin
The impressive run of high quality recordings from '95 continues with
another gem from our friends at Razor's Edge (RAZ 018). This time they give
us the entire outdoor Phoenix Festival show in excellent quality, and what a
show it was. Sounds like Bob might have called it the "WE ONLY HAVE 10 SONGS
AND 70 MINUTES SO LETS HIT 'EM WITH EVERYTHING WE HAVE" gig. Things start off
with a chunka chunka, swampy, grungy "Drifter's Escape," with Dylan's vocals
kind of lost amid the storm of sound from Winston & Tony. If you live in an
apartment and hate your neighbors, play this real loud. Sound quality is
fine with good separation and "crispness," although "Drifter's..." leaves
you wishing the vocals were more upfront. Not to fear, though, as things
balance out for both an aching and muscular "I Want You," BDs vocals cutting
to the core and the band sounding right on target. A great performance and a
harbinger of things to come. Some nice guitar work highlights a fast and
furious "Watchtower," the reins are pulled in a bit for "Tears of Rage" as Bob
tempers his vocal a bit (unleashes the throaty growl in only a few places),
and the band rocks through a razor sharp and raucous "Silvio." Let me add that
IMO the band is hitting the target on every song, they've never sounded better.
Until the acoustic set, that is - I'll go out on a limb and say this is the best
(IMO) acoustic set of '95. Almost 9 and a half minutes of acoustic "Tangled"
with some serious picking and harp playing will blow you away - then a
dead-on, "been all around this world" vocal by Bob on "Mama You Bin...,"
along with some wonderful guitar by JJ & Bucky that takes it to another level-
and then a gloriously subdued, plaintive and lonely "One Too Many
Mornings" ends the acoustic set in grand fashion. The guitars sound
absolutely beautiful on this song. Listen to the interplay between JJ's
acoustic and
Bucky's pedal steel in the background - gorgeous - and then Bob comes in with
the harp and ties it all together. "Seein' the Real You" follows in fine
fashion -crisp, clear, and energetic. You can tell Bob's pumped by his
inspired "ohhhhh yeeaahhh" to end 2 verses and the band kicks into
overdrive. Some more fine lead from JJ. Everybody in the band is nailing it
this show.
An enjoyable and well played Rainy Day Women ends the show..........and
you even get a bonus "Positively 4th Street" in superb quality from an
unnamed 95 gig.  I have to mention the packaging - designed like a
Theater program of a Shakespearean play with 3 phenomenal shots of Bob
and references to Hamlet. A candidate for CD packaging Hall of Fame.

 That's all for now. Oh yeah, I recommend it.       Enjoy - xyx



Date: Thu, 21 Sep 1995 12:49:34 +0500
Sender: The Bob Dylan Discussion List 
From: xyx 
Subject: DEEP vol 8 second thought
Lines: 6

   After listening to one version of the many outstanding "Mr. Tambourine
Man"(s) from the '95 shows during lunch, I want to retract my earlier
opinion that the Phoenix Festival acoustic set was the best so far in '95.
Any "best" acoustic set from '95 would have to include "MrTMan." It is still
sublime, though. Further, the unknown "Positively" is very, very good also.
Anyone identify the venue?
                                                         xyx

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