Live 1966
Bob Dylan
(This review originally appeared on the Classic Rock
channel of about.com, October 1998)
1966 was a pivotal year for rock n' roll. This was when the Beatles
quit touring and sequestered themselves in the studio; when blues-based groups like Cream
and the Jimi Hendrix Experience unleashed their thunderous blare in
London; when the Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger and the Grateful
Dead lit a psychedelic fire in the belly of San Francisco. And in the midst of
all this tuning out and turning on, seminal folkie Bob Dylan
decided to plug in and join the party.
In 1966, Dylan made the full transformation
from working-class railroad hand to post-beat hipster sporting Ray Bans and polka- dot
paisleys. He still strummed his trusty acoustic and still blew his heart out on the harp.
But Dylan grew tired of the political climate his
songs revolved around, and he embarked on a more musical and poetic journey. For the
hardcore folkies who had supported the young Robert Zimmerman through his
Greenwich Village coffee house beginnings, this was a blasphemous step. Despite the
protests, Dylan went on to make his most enduring
music.
Over 30 years later, in the wake of Dylan's
recent Grammy-winning Time Out Of Mind, Columbia
Records has gone the extra mile and dug out a real gem. Live
1966 captures the dramatic change Dylan
made right on stage before a testy and belligerent audience. Dubbed The Royal Hall
Concert, Live 1966 was actually recorded at
the Free Trade Hall in Manchester, England on May 17. Up until now, It was considered the
most sought-after bootleg in the history of bootlegs.
For anyone who has followed his career, Dylan's
shift was imminent. The Byrds were already taking his songs and injecting
them with new life. The Beatles -- especially John Lennon
-- were devout in their praise for the diminutive Minneapolis native. The Beats of San
Francisco had even handed over the baton to the emerging scene of loud rock n' roll
renegades. If Dylan had continued with the folk
scene, he would have drowned in a sea of electric guitars and drums.
It actually started in 1965 when Dylan cut Bringing It All Back Home, an album that featured one
acoustic, solo side and one electric, band side. The folkies started to twitch when the
album caught on with the pop crowd. Dylan
followed suit and hooked up with blues guitarist Mike Bloomfield for Like A Rolling Stone. When they played an impromptu set
together at the Newport Folk Festival, the writing was clearly on the wall. Dylan was moving forward, with or without his audience.
As Dylan's songs became more personal and
dynamic, he assembled a permanent backing band called the Hawks, whom,
years later, would blossom into The Band. In the spring of '66, Dylan and the Hawks launched a tour of
The British Isles. The battle lines were being drawn.
Along with the D.A. Pennebaker's film, Don't Look Back,
Live 1966 illustrates a case study of growth,
change, contrast and the man who stood in the middle. The first CD, the
acoustic/"folk" part of his show, draws heavily from Bringing
It All Back Home and the yet-to-be released Blonde
On Blonde. For all the controversy surrounding his new direction, Dylan could still astonish a crowd with just a guitar,
a harmonica and that dreadful, yet soulful whine of his.
The songs, however, were leaps and bounds beyond the political fodder of anthems like Blowin' In The Wind. Who could resist the hook of Visions of Johanna or Desolation
Row? Who couldn't be transcended by Dylan's
take on love in She Belongs To Me or Mr. Tambourine Man, already a certified "pop"
hit for the Byrds.
It's on the second CD that things start to get, in Dylan's
own summation, "weird." During the tour -- when the Hawks were
brought out -- people would boo, heckle, even walk out. The perfect example of this
exchange between artist and audience is captured here, just before the set ends. A
distinctive cat call emanates from the throng -- a single word that reverberates
throughout the hall: "Judas!" Dylan
retorts with something along the lines of "I don't believe you," and the quirky
ensemble immediately kicks into a stirring Like A Rolling Stone.
It's almost as if Big Bob is inducing his disciples to get off their duffs and accept that
the times are a-really changing.
For an ancient, three-track recording, both CDs sound surprisingly crisp and clear. Robbie
Robertson's guitar work is especially bright on tracks like Tell
Me, Momma and Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat,
while Garth Hudson's twirling Hammond organ lines virtually sing
throughout Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues. Along
with pianist Richard Manuel, bassist Rick Danko and
drummer Mickey Jones, Bob Dylan's
"Band" is a rocking unit built for both speed and comfort. In 1966, they were
definitely something to behold.
As expected, the packaging for Live 1966 gets
the royal treatment. A 55-page booklets spells out the details of Dylan's
metamorphosis and ultimate place in history. There are also liner notes about the
recording itself -- its legacy as a bootleg and eventual restoration for
"official" release. Labeled as Volume 4 of the Bob Dylan Bootleg Series,
Live 1966 is for anyone who ever aspired to the
rebellious notion of rock n' roll. In this case, Dylan
was simply rebelling against himself.
Shawn Perry
For submissions, comments, suggestions and offers of sponsorship
Send E-mail to stperry@inetworld.net
Back to CD Review Archive
Take Me Home
© Copyright 1998, 2000 Vintage Rock
|
