Bob Dylan – Into the Mystic Review

Earlier works of Van Morrison are surreal. They are otherworldly and as the late Lester Bangs once inferred, these early songs could not be written again, ever. Not even by Morrison, whose headspace and clarity at the time was a true lightning strike, never to occur again. Wild and influential bits on both Astral Weeks and Moondance still stunning to this day – so much so Bob Dylan tried his hand at a rip from the latter album. Into the Mystic in the hands of the man who gave the world Mr. Tambourine Man on the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour is a monumental cover, one of many thankfully captured, reeled in and put in place by a BennyBoy mastering, Nothing Lasts Forever. Nothing truly does, though the influence and longevity of this track surely must live that little bit longer.  

As gracious a track as Morrison ever managed, this cover of Into the Mystic has an essential backdrop. Where better to play Into the Mystic than the Benidorm-adjacent old town of Alicante? Dylan delights with this one though the tranquil crowd in attendance are not head over heels for this rare cover all that much – perhaps because it sounds so soft and to those not in the know could be just another Dylan number. Of all the musings and adaptations Dylan made throughout this Rough and Rowdy Ways tour, Into the Mystic is arguably one of the most fitting of all. It is a tender piece, of course it is, and much of the performance here relies on the sway of a thick guitar, plucked away by Donnie Herron.  

Short and sweet a performance this is, the four-minute cover brings about a grand understanding of what made the early works of Morrison so effective. Contrast this with the covers Morrison dishes out, the tired and soulless grabs at the blues era and the harsh lack of charm are fascinating. Dylan oozes the essential turn of form necessary to make the most of a track which shapes him and his form – it does not change the rhythm of his wider set here but feels established in his way. Key to all these performances from the Nothing Lasts Forever package is a sense of originality in the face of the cover song as an avenue of art. Dylan does not regurgitate the meaning and flow of a Morrison classic but adapts it to his standard and heralds the experience as unique.  

Shy percussion, a booming Dylan and some heavy guitar work make a perfect trio of overlapping forms. There is a grace to this one not quite found in other covers Dylan delivered, be it in the studio or elsewhere. Maybe it is the contemporary nature of the song, the tackling of a cemented classic. It was the case for Leonard Cohen’s Dance Me to the End of Love, the dark classic turned into a swinging, stylish piece fit for the Rough and Rowdy Ways experience. It fits in neatly and feels more like a nod to a fellow booming contemporary than a rip from the source of detailed influences Dylan is open to covering time and time again. Into the Mystic is paid its dues by a legend of the stage, who tips his hat to another.