Duck tells about this live document of Dylan & a few muckers on tour

The Lowdown: Columbia's excellent Bob Dylan Bootleg Series continues (this is Volume 5) with the first proper official release of the legendary Rolling Thunder Revue concerts.

The year was 1975; Dylan was in the middle of being reborn a superstar. He had released his great comeback album "Blood on the Tracks" the previous year and now with another bunch of new songs written (that would eventually make up the Desire album) decided to hit the road. Pretty straight forward? Not with this man. Dylan wanted something different, a kind of old style travelling show, lots of musicians and acts, a band of gypsies so to speak. This is exactly what he got by whatever means possible, Mick Ronson (Bowie guitarist) is on here, Roger McGuinn (The Byrds), even Joan Baez, famous folk singer and ex-lover. Some nights there would be up to 19 people on stage. Best rock'n'roll tale of all is that of Scarlet Riviera whose distinctive violin sound played such an integral part in the next studio record. Dylan was driving the streets prior to this tour, during the writing sessions for the new songs that would feature, when he passed a stunning looking woman with long jet-black hair and carrying a violin case. He stopped and asked her if she could play the instrument. When Scarlet Riviera replied yes she was drafted in and spent almost the next two years working with Dylan.

That's the context, what of the music? Well spread over these two discs is evidence of a true rock legend right at the top of his game, breathing life and fire into every syllable uttered, every note played. Quite simply, this is truly classic and historic music. The kind of stuff that will still be listened to and debated long after we, and Dylan himself, are gone. There are so many good tracks its hard to know where to start, but first mention must go to the remarkable readings of "A hard rain's a-gonna fall" and "The lonesome death of Hattie Caroll". Both these tracks are classics from Dylan's early acoustic period, but you would hardly recognise them here. "A hard rain" is re-invented as a barroom blues number that powers along at an over the top pace, Dylan spitting every word and imbuing the whole thing with real menace. "Hattie Carroll", one of Dylan's most poignant protest songs, is played full band also, each line of the lyric stabbing at the music and the audience. The cadence of Dylan's singing gives the whole thing a mesmerising and hypnotic feel, each thrust of his voice like a pulse. Two truly remarkable recordings that tangibly reach beyond mere rock music and become something more. They become historic song, like the Irish ballads of the 18th century, or the Black Blues music of the early 20th century. Music that rises above its genre completely to find a place in cultural history.

The new songs, those that eventually ended up on Desire, sound alive and young, fresh from the fire, and much better than the final studio versions. "Isis" is a great example, Dylan's new surreal storytelling lyrics broken up by huge swathes of colourful violin and joyous backing music. Tracks which never really caught me on Desire, songs such as "Romance in Durango" and "Oh, Sister" are brilliant here and capture that gypsy feel the man was after really convincingly. When Dylan dispenses with his band and plays alone the results are also startling. The album contains purely performed, confessional readings of the two big tracks from "Blood on the Tracks". Both "Simple twist of fate" and "Tangled up in blue" are heartfelt in the extreme. Both draw you in until you are left listening to every word trying to figure it all out but at the same time feeling you know exactly what's being said.

Baez and Dylan compliment each other beautifully on the classic "I shall be released", and considering an official studio version of the song has never been made available, this could well be the best version we have. "Just like a woman" sounds great; Dylan has altered the chorus slightly and on the third verse allows the band to rise and fall to the lyric, making it sound like an entirely new song. The whole thing closes with the much loved and oft covered "Knockin' on Heaven's door", Dylan avoiding much of the over familiar original lyric for a slightly alternative take. He sings it like he means every word while the violin can just be heard swooping and diving with the mood. The entire band sound beguiling in the mid-section and almost celtic. A great way to close any record.

Live 1975 is probably the best Dylan live release you can buy and containing so many classic tracks would also act as a great initiation to the man's work. There are moments here when the whole thing comes together, band and leader, music and voice, to capture the true essence of American folk rock like no band or artist before or since. Truly transcendental.

Further Listening: Bob Dylan "Love and Theft", Bob Dylan "Live & Acoustic 1962 Bootleg series Volume 6" (coming summer 2003).

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