Stick the celebratory bunting up and pour another coffee, Bob Dylan has opened the vault once more. As the blinding light of the legend’s work infiltrates the office and splashes the haggard, bagged eyes of those pulling fourteen-hour shifts, the weight of work is lifted. Spend some time with Dylan and The Band on their final tour together – collected here ahead of the release of The 1974 Live Recordings. What a set it looks to be. A fearsome and near-endless accompaniment for seasoned Dylan fans. Enough songs on there to book two days off work to truly appreciate it. Why not? If the quality is the same as this Forever Young release, then we are in safe hands. For now, we wait with bated breath but know there is quality assured from an incredible live period.
Nothing prepares you for that first listen of Forever Young. A spark flares up and continues after an initial experience with the Planet Waves piece. Experience that flow and feel again with this live version. Forever Young from the Seattle Center Coliseum, a building name which makes the British brain weep, is essential. No way around it. These anniversary packages were verging on ridiculously loaded and welcome but listen in to those slight flutters of electric and synthetic noise in the backdrop. Innovative to say the least. How was this buried away for so long? Dylan sounds in perfect form here, elongating those stays and wants before the titular repetition flows through with organ grooves and The Band’s firm instrumental hand. A beautiful experience.
A song which Dylan has not visited on the stage since 2011, but one he used far more than others. It would build the foundation of his best shows and this recording is no different. Give it time to settle. Look back on this in a month. Forever Young may be one of the best Dylan works, and this may be its best version. There is a rare slice of optimism presented here. A decree to his loved ones to continue their business, to create something of worth. Elements of hope outweigh the fears and realism which would present itself in later releases. The hopes heard on Forever Young are impossible to contain but provide a sense of sincerity in their difficulties. This live performance highlights it best of all.
Remain in awe. Forever Young maintains itself as a worthy presence on the stage and makes a great deal of sense in leading the releases of The 1974 Live Recordings. Hundreds and hundreds of songs are set to be dumped into a pile for us to enjoy, enrage and engage with. What a treat. No better place to start than Forever Young, an essential piece of work which sounds better here than anywhere else. You would be hard-pressed to find a completer and more resounding version, where The Band is firing on all cylinders and Dylan is wading through the waters of his mind, pushing against the current that is reality and age. This is not Dylan attempting to cement a never-ageing image but a cry to his loved ones and his children. An incredible listen. One of the best in his discography – bootleg or otherwise.
