Hunting down the deeper cuts of Bob Dylan and his elusive live performances loses its thrill when traipsing the internet leads you back to Spotify. Easy to access, sure, Live at the Gaslight 1962 is a very early slice of live performance from the folk hero and presents such a tone. Folky numbers find Dylan in the prelude to his second album. This is a monumental performance and a real piece of historical recording which shapes the image and vision Dylan had at the time with tremendous clarity. A few sprinklings of his absolute classics in there with the lesser-known flickers of early years’ work. One part stays the same though, the vocal presence of an artist whose blistering rise was on the cards. You can hear it take shape here on Live at the Gaslight 1962.
Punchy opener A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall sets the scene well, a piece which fixates on the acoustic qualities of this track. Similar flourishes soon fall to Rocks and Gravel, which in the longer run feels more like a transitional piece – a handover to the second of two identifiable Dylan originals here. Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright cements itself as an early great for Dylan, one where a reliable form and constant flow can be heard. He pieces together the momentum, gathering up for the storm which would soon throw him into the spotlight. Hearing collections like Live at the Gaslight 1962 is a fantastic sign of where Dylan would soon find himself.
There is plenty to love in this one, with the tender scope of a Cocaine Blues cover marking a real delight. Those Johnny Cash highs were just around the corner but more than a few artists lend a hand to the Troy Junius Arnall song. Roy Hogsed may have catapulted the song into fame but it was the likes of Dylan and Cash, decades later, who provided it with a route to the contemporary fields of doubt and delinquency. Tender country frequencies are commonplace for this piece, with Barbara Allen cementing it very nicely. Just ten tracks is all it takes for Dylan to find a rhythm, tone and style here which would benefit his career for years to come. Live at the Gaslight 1962 is striking more for how accomplished and refined Dylan already sounds than anything else.
Closer West Texas finds the fine line between the extraordinary voice at the heart of this and the acoustic playing style which served for years to come. Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright and the tempo found with the acoustic work on The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan is dominant here. It makes sense for it to be the case, but it feels already formed and complete in its tone. A sharp and enjoyable set, ten tracks mark a brief Dylan interlude in what would soon become a string of monumental works. Live at the Gaslight 1962 is a delight for how much it shows off the Dylan which would soon dominate the cultural chatter of the decade – hearing it in its earliest prose and how quick he was to move on from the self-titled debut is remarkable.
