DEEP BENEATH THE WAVES vol 18

Date:    Tue, 19 Dec 1995 08:42:14 +0500
From:    xyx  
Subject: DEEP BENEATH THE WAVES vol 18

   As the "all-knowing" Phill has said, several non-Sony labels finally
received an enema and a movement of at least 10 new titles are upon those
of you who care about such things. Two (or three, depending on how you look
at it) are detailed below for your appraisal. I listed the others in a
previous post, so as they make their way through the mails I'll call 'em
as I see 'em. Onward.....

SUMMER TOUR 1995 VOL I 2CD (no label) 8Jun95 Munich +filler 10Jun95 Stuttgart
SUMMER TOUR 1995 VOL II 2CD  12Jun 95 Dortmund plus filler 10 Jun Stuttgart
Let's cut to the quick. I picked this set up at a recent show and was pumped
all the way home to play it due to the setlist "rarities" - Man in Long Black
Coat, IBelieveinYou, Ramona,Everything is Broken, Every Grain, Most Likely,
ManinMe,Shooting Star,LototLaugh,Baby Blue,Memphis Blues,Cat'sinWell, Knockin',
BackPages,BorninTime,Shelter,MamaYouBin. Got home, flung the coat, pulled
the disk, inserted and cued "Every Grain of Sand" and, and..................
mediocrity. Thought, OK, the other show will be better and I cued "Shooting
Star" and.....more mediocrity. Thought, OK, the Stuttgart filler will be
better and cued up "Born in Time" and.....mediocrity still surrounded me.
What a drag, too. I'm not saying they are bad and that the performances aren't
up to snuff, just that the sound quality is just OK and it's hard for me to get
past that. They certainly are not up to the standards set by other '95 disks
(a year end rating of which I will be providing shortly). Unlike some
people, I'd rather have an average show in excellent quality than a great
show of so-so
quality - and as we all know, most of the '95 shows are on the high end of
the scale, so....I don't find it easy to discern a "great" performance through
mediocre quality, thus you'll probably never find a line in the DEEP like
"average quality but it's overcome by the monster performance." The subtle
nuances inherent in Dylan's voice & the band's playing (which need to be
heard to determine the quality of a show) are not readily apparent on these
disks. The nice variety of tracks salvages things somewhat, but overall both
volumes are a disappointment (Note: 35 tracks on the 4 disks. The 18 tracks
not listed above were standard fare for summer tour). Let's hope another label
picks up the ball and compiles the "odd" tracks in the quality they deserve.

"FOREVER YOUNG" Bruce Springsteen & Bob Dylan  1CD (BSGR) (R&R HoF) 9/95
The complete performances of Dylan & Springsteen at this year's Hall of Fame
bash in Cleveland in excellent, excellent quality. I did not see the broadcast
nor had I heard a tape before getting this, so this was a real "pleaser."
No need to rehash the much-discussed performance of Mr. Bob & Band other than
to say they rose to the occasion. Tracks performed for those on Mars the last
few months were Watchtower,JustLikeaWoman,SeeintheRealYou,HWY61,Forever
Young duet w/Springsteen. Quality is outstanding on this disk, to these
ears better than the sound captured on the best Woodstock broadcast CDs. You
can hear the "voice" and the band in all their glory (pity they were'nt
given more time, really). Nice duet, too.         The Bruce portion is
with the E St Band as they follow Chuck Berry & Jerry Lee through some old
standards, plus two of Bruce's own cuts (Darkness & She's the One, if I
recall). Nice enough stuff but the real deal begins on track 6 with the
openiong chords to Watchtower. Highly recommended.

That's it. Until the next time  Love & Mercy - xyx

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