Like any great, unofficial bootleg release, the best is saved for last. Bob Dylan is carried through the early 1980s by a few select religious texts and leniency which provided his audience with fundamentally changed classics. His return to touring after the tumultuous Rolling Thunder Revue remains an experience like no other – not all of this is positive, mind. In the Summertime: Volume 3 gifts listeners another serving of a strange tour. Organ-heavy, warbling spouts of religious temerity. Prolific songwriting may have scuppered the albums of the time, but Dylan remained an eccentric in his live performances. Pieces of his religious turn come through in obvious swings on I Believe in You but are dominated by organs and instrumentals, directly against the boom of popular, reliable 80s sounds. Synth was on the rise, the boom of pop would wash Dylan up in a storm he could not defend against – but that is the great joy of In the Summertime – it is before he tried to adapt.
Some staggered harmonica on What Can I Do For You brings a nice interlude to asking what Dylan can do for the divine cause, who made such a major impact on this period. It is hard to escape the religious predilections of the man on stage as they form such a change to his vocal style. He is no longer concerned with keeping close to the sound and spirit of the hits and this can be heard on a forgettable Just Like Tom Thumb Blues appearance. This final volume has a lenience to the materials of the 1980s, and rightly so. When He Returns has a wonderful, drifting sway to it and the interjection of a steady, padded electric guitar brings the song to life. Echoes of heartfelt wonder give Dylan a shot at the love he was so fixated on for this proclaimed trilogy of albums. They settle better on the stage and the vocal range from Dylan works better for these new renditions than they do for the classics.
Take those setlist staples with a grain of salt, then. Dylan serves us better with Heart Of Mine and the Shot of Love staples which were part of his Rough and Rowdy Ways tour. Emotional clarity is what In the Summertime: Volume 3 offers. Tender flickers bring about the best of Dylan in this period and even make good on those backing vocal blunders heard in earlier live recordings. Let It Be Me is nothing short of staggering and while listeners must be careful not to revise this shaky period of Dylan’s career, they would be remiss not to revel in the good fortune at hand on this live edition. It’s All in the Game proves to be a nice addition and slots into place well before a brief but bold performance of Masters of War. Electric guitar made Dylan a man possessed and over a decade on from his introduction of the controversial musical tool, it remains a gift to his performances in an otherwise shaky period.
Never forget the great sparks which filter through these unofficial releases – they are often better than the proper albums pushed out by Dylan and his team. In the Summertime, all three volumes, are wonderful listens and an essential part of understanding the direction Dylan was taking during this period of trying to recapture his influence. Abraham, Martin and John serves a clear example of a prolific period where the best songs were tucked away and left behind. In the Summertime: Volume 3 focuses on the religious vision and electric appeal Dylan still held, the dwindling reputation at hand would not be felt for a couple more years but was certainly on the cards with the inception of Empire Burlesque and all its trimmings. Take those Don’t Think Twice performances and run for the hills.
