Bob Dylan – Paris 1978 Review

What a brief but brilliant history Pavillon de Paris has. It hosted the greats of the mid to late 1970s and in doing so provided a stage for legendary risk-taking. Bob Dylan was one of the many to line its stage with bold and ambitious stage decisions. Thirty songs for this final show in a five-night residency is as grand a move as can be made for a stage with broad appeal. Stuffed full of hits in an all-star setlist, Dylan moves through his back catalogue with grace. It left him soon after and he would never truly return to the constant, roaming hits as he did on Paris 1978. Is it a shame those hits have departed or a great joy for those who wish to understand the deeper movements of his work? Whatever the case, Paris 1978 remains a defiant recording of Dylan at his best. 

Those opening instrumentals of My Back Pages cement the style before Dylan uttered a lyric. She’s Love Crazy follows soon after and what comes through are the early motions of what would become a split period for Dylan. His utilisation of backing vocalists and a groovier swing to the guitar here have all the build of an outrageous new step in his calibre as a frontman. It would blossom and wilt in equal measure across the early 1980s yet here, just around the release of Street Legal, it feels refreshed. Some of the tracks within this performance are already affected by the permanent changes to come from the post-80s reforms. Mr Tambourine Man has a giddy flow to it which takes it through to a rocking next step. Gone are the acoustics and the whining cries of a young satisfaction. In its place is the malaise which comes with the burning fires of reality.  

Paris 1978 is an exceptional way to transition from those glory days of absolute classics into a period of sincere interest. These are the best bits of the previous decade morphed into a new sound which was still received well by attending audiences. Saxophone additions to Shelter from the Storm and the long-running changes to the form of these founded works show nothing is sacred. Dylan is keen, rabid even, to change the fundamentals of his work. Tangled Up in Blue veers in the other direction. Not cluttered with the electrified appeal which would guide Dylan through the 1980s but an almost isolated vocal performance. An extraordinary mixture and the sound quality being this good should lend more ears to it. This is a definitive Dylan experience. Make no mistake, this is as fine an example of his live material post-Rolling Thunder Revue as can be asked for.  

Paris 1978 is lightning in a bottle level of incredible. You have Dylan on the cusp of a born-again revolution in his sound, a gospel spin which would dominate much of his efforts through the 1980s. But before he puts to rest these popular tracks, he gives them a five-day outing at a residence in Paris which played host to Iggy Pop and The Rolling Stones before. A brief but incredible venue which hosted some of the best in class. Dylan is no exception to the rule and may have one of the best sets of his career on his hands here. A great joy we can listen to it on YouTube, and a great shame it has not been fired into more ears than it already has been. This is essential Dylan. Hear how he made the transition to gospel creative right here.