Tag: the band

Show Review: Bob Dylan and the Band – Oakland, CA (02/11/74)

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Furthering my attempts to add more music discussion at The Midnight Cafe, I thought I’d add to my reviews of officially released live music by reviewing some unofficially released tunes as well. That’s maybe slightly a falsehood in this case, as Dylan has released all of these shows in a magnificent boxed set, but he left out all The Band’s solo performances. And this review is not of the officially released discs but of a ROIO.  

Some time ago on my music blog I posted a Bob Dylan and The Band show from 1974, or maybe it was a compilation. I don’t remember.  It doesn’t matter. The point is, I posted something from their tour together at that time, and I made a comment about how it was one of the greatest tours ever.  The thing is I didn’t really know that to be true. I hadn’t really listened to much of that tour. I don’t think I’d even listened to Before the Flood all the way through. But I knew it was a big tour that played big venues to big crowds. I knew people were excited about it because this was the first tour after Bob Dylan’s long hiatus and that while The Band had toured with him in the 1960s, they were now a major rock and roll act in their own right.

Sometime after I posted my unrealized praise, I came to realize that quite a few hardcore Dylanheads weren’t really down with this tour. In fact, many downright loathe it. Turns out Dylan and at least some members of The Band felt it was a sellout tour, good for the pocketbook, but not for the soul. So I thought it would be fun for this, my first bootleg review in a long time to tackle a show from this tour.

I randomly picked this performance and this particular source. Dylan and the Band played some 40 gigs over the course of about two months (often playing two shows per day). This show was towards the end of the tour. They’d play three more gigs in Los Angeles after that, and then they were done. Lossless Bob lists some fourteen sources for this show. I have five of them. I chose LB-4455 to listen to. It is a nice sounding soundboard recording. Oddly, it contains parts of the early show and parts of the late show. The set lists were identical (or nearly so) and this bootleg basically cuts it in half. The split occurs in the middle of the Dylan solo acoustic set.

The tour changed a little bit from the early shows to the end of the tour but by this point they were playing mostly the same songs every night. It broke down like this: Dylan and The Band performed together, then The Band would play some of their songs without Dylan. The Band would leave and Dylan would do a few solo acoustic numbers. Then he’d leave again, allowing The Band to play a few more of their tunes, followed by Dylan being backed by The Band.

After listening to this performance a few times, I can definitely see where the hate is coming from, but also feel that it is overblown. This performance is a big rock and roll show. It is loud and brash, rowdy and racous. It is a big stadium rock and roll show. That’s great for bands like The Rolling Stones, but one usually expects something different from Bob Dylan. His music is suited for a more intimate setting where you can get more nuance. 

But often, it actually works. It starts with a rambunctious “Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine).” The music is played loud and fast, Dylan practically spits his words out. I dig it.  It is a powerful way to start the show. This is followed by “Lay Lady Lay”, which is a little more laid back but still rowdy. The song is meant as a seduction, but any girl listening to this would likely run for her life. Garth Hudson is playing some kind of new electric piano. It sounds like an organ here. Or maybe it is an actual organ. I’m terrible at figuring out who is playing what instrument.

I’m not going to do a song by song review. I just don’t have that much to say. I’ll try to list the highlights and maybe anything that seems weird or bad.

“Rainy Day Women” has a carnival feel which really works for the song. “It Ain’t Me, Babe” hangs onto that carnival sound. There are some droning organ chords which I kind of dig, but I can see how it might drive some folks nuts.  Then the piano kicks in and it sounds great. Ditto Robbie Robertson’s guitar playing.  The guitars get loud and rocking during “King Harvest.”

Here’s where I admit I’m not actually a huge fan of The Band. They were all incredibly talented musicians and great live performers. I freaking love The Last Waltz, but a lot of their songs just don’t do it for me. I’ve never been able to “get” Music From the Big Pink. I’ve got numerous recordings of their concerts without Bob and while the performances are often good, I can rarely get into them because of the songs.

I do love “Up on Cripple Creek” but, unfortunately, it cuts out on this recording.  “All Along The Watchtower” which brings Dylan back in with The Band cuts in. Dylan’s solo acoustic songs are fine. I love these songs and he performs them well. But this isn’t Dylan in the 1960s. The nuance and fire is gone.  

“Ballad of Hollis Brown” with The Band is terrific. It is not a favorite song of mine, but this version is fantastic. Great keyboard work, terrific guitar lines. “The Weight” is another song I do love from The Band is it is played with great enthusiasm here. Enthusiasm is a good word for the rest of the songs on this set. The last few songs are played with high energy.

So, yeah, this is good stuff.  It is a big rock and roll concert played with verve. But it does feel like maybe something is missing. It has to be weird playing in front of 20,000 people all cheering and shouting. That personal connection is going to get lost. Nuance and subtlety are hard to find in a massive arena. I look forward to listening to other shows on this tour, but I probably won’t do that for a while.  It is easy to see why Dylan completely deconstructed his concerts the next year with The Rolling Thunder group. But I’m also glad he did something like this.

You can view the entire setlist with notes about this recording here.

I’m not sure how I want to post this sort of thing. I had initally thought I’d upload all the images and text files (but not the music – if you want that send me a message and I can point you in the right direction.) But that seems like a hassle and maybe not that interesting to anyone. So, I’ll ask. Would anyone be interested in seeing that sort of thing? Would you like to have all the source information, just not the music? Is that worth it? Leave me a comment if you have thoughts on this, or anything else.

Random Shuffle (10/25/06) – Robert Earl Keen, Johnny Cash, The Band, Morrissey, & Bruce Springsteen

“Then Came Lo Mein” – Robert Earl Keen
From Picnic

I first discovered Robert Earl Keen through some friends of mine. I think I attended a concert before I’d ever listened to an album. It was a great concert and as I soon discovered, very typical Robert Earl Keen. That is to say full of great subversive country music, raucous and bawdy jokes, and the biggest throwdown of the year.

This is a great song and a great showcase of his songwriting skills. It is a love song with bad jokes and a heart full of something meaningful. It throws together lines like “I was steamed I was fried/But you stood by my life/When I had my nervous breakdown” to make a pun about the Chinese restraint they are in and make an acute observation about the power of relationships.

The music is a soft, rolling thing made into a beautiful duet with Margo Timmins.

Keen is never going to find his way to the top of the charts nor be decried as the next Dylan. His music is like a pot of warm stew in February. It is hearty, filling, and sometimes all you need, but it won’t ever flash or glitter and get your attention like Crème Brûlée. But sometimes all you need is a solid songwriter to get you through the long winters.

“Wayfaring Stranger” – Johnny Cash
From American III

I think there are few songs that I love deep down in my soul like “Wayfaring Stranger.” I’m generally not one for religious lyrics in pop tunes, but this one hits me in a way few things can. I think it is the notion of being a traveler, not bound for one land for long that appeals to me most. I’ve spent most of my life moving about so I know the feeling of being a stranger, yet also understand the joy of coming home.

I don’t spend much time writing about my own spiritual beliefs, but the idea of leaving the harsh realities of this world and crossing over Jordan to that heavenly home sounds somehow comforting.

And when you get Johnny Cash to sing it, well, I think I’m already over that river and headed towards home. I love that Cash makes the recording sparse, just a fiddle, some light strumming guitar, and that Voice. Johnny Cash had the voice of God.

If I get to choose the songs for my funeral, this one is going in.

“Ophelia” – The Band
From Last Waltz

Truth is I’m not much of a fan of The Band. So much praise has been lauded on Music From the Big Pink, but I mainly find it a bore. I love “The Weight” and I think that love ruins the album for me. While it has this great acoustical instrumentation, great lyrics and some perfect harmonies, the rest of the album sounds way too slow and the vocals are just one long whine. I’ve tried many times to relisten to it and find can see what all the praise is about, but it always comes up short.

I’d pretty much given up on the band, in fact, until I watched The Last Waltz on television a while back. This is the Band I’d dreamed about. Great music, great performances, and a group worthy to be the most famous incarnation of Dylan’s backup band.

It wasn’t just the assortment of all-stars, including Dylan, joining them for this last dance. The Band cooked like fried rice. These guys were obviously having fun and holding their own with some of the great artists in music.

“Ophelia” is just the Band, no celebrity filler and it still kills. This is the type of music that floats in my head most of the time. A big band with blazing guitars, thumping bass, keys, and horns all meshed together in a brilliant ménage a groovitude.

“Certain People I Know” – Morrissey
From Your Arsenal

Morrissey, with or without the Smiths, is a musician I’ve pretended to love for many years. It’s not that I don’t enjoy his music, because I certainly do, but rather that I’m just not terribly familiar with it. Not enough for the amount of name-checking I’ve done with him anyway.

The Smiths are one of those bands like the Sex Pistols or the Clash that give extra cool points to those who profess their love for them. I admit I have used them all to gain an edge on new friends or to feel a little more special to an extra special girl.

Morrissey is the only one I actually really dug a record from (I’ve never managed to really get the Sex Pistols and only have recently found the joys of the Clash). Your Arsenal is the record of choice as it came about during my finer years and in the midst of the whole alternative is a huge ordeal in the early 90s.

A recent run to the local library has yielded a bustle full of new Morrissey records and I am in the midst of a rebirth in his music. This one is an oldie and one I’ve enjoyed for many years. Not exactly typical as it has a more rockabilly feel than most of his work, but still a good one.

Maybe now I can whisper to my wife how awesome I think the man is, and really mean it.

“Buffalo Gals” – Bruce Springsteen
From We Shall Overcome

I’ve mentioned before that I’m not much for Bruce Springsteen. I can see he is a good writer and performer, but he’s always seemed just a tad too earnest for my tastes. Whenever I listen to Springsteen or hear the devotion from his legion of fans, I get a little nervous. It’s a bit like having die-hard Jesus freaks over for dinner. I get what they are saying, but they’re just a little too into it to make me feel comfortable.

At least I did feel this until I heard his Pete Seeger tribute. Man that album rules. “Buffalo Gals” is probably my favorite tune in the bunch. There is such joy in this music. It’s a group of outstanding players playing their hearts out and having fun at it. It’s the fun part that wins me over. This is Springsteen finally tossing out the fire and brimstone and enjoying himself.

This is a hoe down of a song, a real barn burner. It makes me wish I could play an instrument or have some rhythm to dance to it. It makes me glad to be alive. It makes me happy. And if that ain’t the point of it all, then we might as well all give up now and go home.