Bob Dylan – Not Fade Away Review

A song as sharp as this is bound to stick around. Not Fade Away, the first piece under Buddy Holly and The Crickets, makes for ample material for just about anyone. The Rolling Stones, Florence and the Machine, and now Bob Dylan during a recent Rough and Rowdy Ways tour date. It would be lost to time itself if it were not for those daring attendees who whipped out recording devices. For those who attended the Hull show, those little phone cases were easily smashable. Allegedly. Not Fade Away marks a crucial slice of this BennyBoy production – the delightful Nothing Lasts Forever goes against its title and makes sure these covers from Dylan do, indeed, last forever. Or however long until the internet is severed, and we revert to humming what we can remember of Shot of Love. 

Lifted from a showcase in Nagoya, Japan, the sense of solidarity with the Grateful Dead covers from a short while before this appearance from Dylan lights up Not Fade Away. It is too easy to cast a hand to the implication set out by the title. Dylan will not fade away. Long after his departure, his songs will ripple out, as they have done for the last sixty years. There is no way of escaping his reach and wisdom and long may it reign. His adaptation here feels as though it nods toward that but there is no chance of it being the obvious reason, Dylan is too subtle to make such a grand suggestion on his own. There is some argument to be made for The Rolling Stones making this their own, taking it from The Crickets and running for the hills – but the Aftermath song sounds as strong there and from Holly as it does under Dylan.  

The implementation of it here on this Nagoya set is exceptional. Another for the swinging feel of the darker jazz style Dylan now aims for. A swinging sense, an upbeat rhythm and a capturing of the classic Holly feel with a disruptive interjection from the exceptional guitar work, all lends itself to the Not Fade Away experience. A throaty and nasally performance from Dylan delights, the crooning modernity of his voice becomes a necessity to sell these covers. Not Fade Away under Dylan focuses more on the guitar and piano combo, the latter now a necessary tool in Dylan’s arsenal of fun-loving appearances.  

Big booms toward the end of this and the flow of percussion to play out the song as the applause picks up is as fitting a tribute to the legendary Not Fade Away as can be expected. Another triumph for the glory days of bootlegging – we are truly living it up in the fast lane with the amount of Dylan bootlegs out there. Segment these Nothing Lasts Forever pieces and let the slow burn take you, a little treat to start your day. Not Fade Away certainly lasts on as a memorable and notable occasion for Dylan – no appearance of self-aggrandization or legacy-defining work but certainly a hint, more from the crowd than the man on stage, of this being a nod to how far he has come and how much he has achieved.