Bit of a mouthful to say that title out loud after one too many glasses of red wine for your breakfast at Christmas. Not good for people who cannot maintain perfect form over alliterative words beginning with R. Anyway, no trouble for the man pottering away on stage with Joan Baez, is it? Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue has, more recently, been documented in an honest light by Martin Scorsese. The mastermind behind these songs barely registers this part of his life or the tour which many perceive as one of the all-time best for Dylan. It is as though the listener and the creator are at loggerheads with each other and this is often the case for Dylan and what his work provides. The Rolling Thunder Revue is an exceptional piece and one in a series of brilliant Bootleg Series releases.
Ripped right from the heart of the Montreal Forum, this piece from Dylan is electric, inspired and honestly some of his finest work. Fluid, sharp and perfect double bill Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You and It Ain’t Me, Babe are clear signs of quality. The light is shone rather brightly on this tour and with just those first two tracks it is obvious as to why. Rare live performances of Hurricane can be found within – a track which has lingered as one of the all-time greats in the backlog of Dylan materials. Genuinely exciting the whole way through and a perfect summary of the 1960s period and the lurch towards changing tides in the 1970s. The Rolling Thunder Revue is the perfect marrying point between the ludicrous qualities of the early years to the rush and pivot to religious texts and the implementation of new ideas to follow.
The likes of Romance in Durango and Isis rarely, if ever, sound better than they do here. Slick instrumental work and a sharp piece of stage presence from Dylan is another finite and wonderful example of a master at work. Baez’s vocal inclusions on Blowin’ in the Wind seem to draw trouble for some listeners, though there is no harm in it here – a fine inclusion which brings a bit of flavour and difference to the Rolling Thunder Revue. Powerful vocals from Dylan throughout this bring out what may be one of the peaks of the 1970s for the man who spins It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue as an acoustic beat-driven piece of real wonder.
A grand reliance throughout on the hits but the latter stages of The Rolling Thunder Revue rightly dig deep and bring on a wave of post-high material. Post-high implies Desire and Blood on the Tracks, which were soon to be released around the time of this live performance, are a dip in quality. Far from it. They do indicate a change in direction and form for Dylan though, and it can be heard on the exceptional One More Cup of Coffee. Follow on through with Sara and then round it all off with the essential live piece Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door and here we have it, a classic for Dylan live fanatics in every sense of the word. Monumental quality, even with those claims of Baez detractions.
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FYI Blood on the tracks was issued in January 1975 and RTR shows did not begin until that Fall. It is a shame that the Bootleg series release excluded the short sets by members of the ensemble at the beginning of the shows. Would be great to hear the performances by Baez, Elliott, McGuinn and Gaum.