What a pairing Bob Dylan and Tom Petty made for. It should be no surprise to the seasoned fans of The Traveling Wilburys, though their efforts felt secondary to the Jeff Lynne and George Harrison lead. Roy Orbison peppered in there too, though Dylan and Petty felt more like bit-part players in an upbeat and mesmerising production of country classics and Harrison-led spectacles. But their happenstance collaboration led to performances elsewhere, including the bootleg Nothing to Lose. It popped up on Spotify out of the blue, and who are we to distance ourselves from crisp quality just because of a flippant copyright spiral? Exactly. Listen on to this two-hour recording, an exceptional display of their talents which were buried by the rut both men found their respective solo careers in at the time.
It may be better known as the Live on Air Broadcast Radio 1986, though the setlist does not match up. Whatever the case, there is scope for this exceptional thirty-two-song set to settle in. Opener Shake A Hand gives Dylan the vocal lead – a real high of the 1986 tour and dumped ever since. Classic tracks like Positively 4th Street encounter the new vocal range Dylan is dealing with, and it sounds excellent. Sharp, volatile and benefitting superbly from some slick backing vocals and steady guitar work. We Had It All marks another firm highlight for much the same reason. It is a spotty collection of tracks though there is much to love when Dylan hits the right tone. He coasts through Shot of Love and soon rolls out Masters of War – a track which feels far more frenetic here. There is a sense of relief as to the lack of warfare erupting on home soil.
Petty soon appears for the likes of Breakdown, an essential piece of this setlist which benefits from a crackly recording. Frankly amazing work has been done to bridge the gap between listenable quality and a performance which captures the sweaty commitment of two singers bashing out thirty tracks together. Key highlights are from Dylan though the Petty midsection is a thoroughly enjoyable listen. His Heartbreakers work is nicely slotted but represented poorly as Dylan crops up again and again to dispense the likes of I and I and Ballad Of A Thin Man. Solid efforts with shaky appeal but nothing close to the out-of-step and borderline disastrous performance of Like A Rolling Stone.A croaky It Ain’t Me Babe earlier in the set points to a careless touch-up of the classics.
Instead, the appeal comes from the newer tracks in Dylan’s discography at the time. The exceptionally overlooked pieces and often the downright poor studio recollections make the rounds of the live circuit often. Petty is playing second fiddle for much of this but to hear the pair on stage is a neat surprise. Closer Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door marks an exceptional conclusion to a set otherwise forgotten. Filled with the classics and a sidelined Petty, Nothing to Lose has everything to lose as its key players are at odds with how this one should sound. It results in a constant and competent draw of live material – though do not get your hopes up too much even if the pairing on paper is dynamite.
