Bob Dylan – Finjan Club, Montreal 1962 Review

Early years blues work from Bob Dylan is a real treat. How he conducted himself in a genre reserved for those weathering the storm of life at such a young age is masterful. But then Dylan has already explained in more recent interviews he does not know how he did it. Nobody does. That is a higher power at work, or certainly an influence no longer around in the world. Whatever it was it was captured at Finjan Club, Montreal 1962, a monumental experience for those with the time to listen to this hour-long Dylan recording. A twenty-year-old Dylan with an acoustic guitar and harmonica brings about a disturbing, excellent intensity in the earliest of his works. Not only do listeners receive marvellous performances of these first songs but they are given a glimpse at the defining moments of his career before it even starts. 

Blowin’ in the Wind is buried within this performance and yet the opening track, The Death of Emmett Till, is the finest performance of them all in this recording. Perhaps it is the shock of a blues voice coming through an at-the-time young artist which is cause for celebration. Dylan has a seismic impact on the audience, who politely clap before and after the gruff tones of Stealin’. His voice now sounds closer to this early recording than anything in the studio. The artistic choice Dylan makes to change the flow and tone of his voice has been made before on Nashville Skyline, who knows whether this latest gruff sound is a choice or not. Whatever the case it can be heard in flickers throughout Finjan Club, Montreal 1962.  

Only the harmonica of Blowin’ in the Wind is needed. Immediately recognisable and in a sincerely primal form here. An explosive but understated performance from Dylan lands him with one of the most observant and emotional renditions. An extended harmonica solo before the lyrical mastermind gets to work is a real treat here – and the Finjan Club, Montreal 1962 set goes from strength to strength from here. Two Trains Runnin’ and Ramblin’ on My Mind close off an exceptional set from Dylan, but the highlights are all in the first half. Some of his best work and at such an early part of his career marks a monumental experience.  

One of the great benefits Dylan has as a well-read musician at the time was applying the logic of his learning to the music. His songs here are all about questioning, moving and being a constantly drifting individual. It is a theme as strong in his best works as it is in the life he went on to live, always on the road and always drifting from city to city. Finjan Club, Montreal 1962 is a definitive “here is what is to come” experience. Dylan is already a more than adept player by this stage, and the additions made over the decades of his work are impressive. But nothing sounds better than hearing the pre-Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan apply his trade and conjure some of the best lyrical works for small audiences.