Bob Dylan – Live at Newport Folk Festival Review

These are the songs which define a generation. They did. As much as Bob Dylan and his fans may rightly despise the “Voice of a Generation” shtick, it is hard to name an artist who came close to the impact of the time in folk music. Some contemporaries stuck their neck out that little bit farther, like Leonard Cohen, or those who would go on to be far more consistent with their works, like Paul McCartney, instead of dipping into dire straits as Dylan would, but few, if any artist, has a series of moments quite like Live at Newport Folk Festival. It is tricky still to get to grips with it. For all the historic demand of it and the shine given to it by so many fans, there is a worryingly high expectation to come from these tapes. Take a step back.  

Those who so desperately wish they could experience Dylan for the first time again can get somewhat close to Live at Newport Folk Festival. Outings of these songs in public in an environment which, at the time, proved fitting for them. But it would not always be that way as the electric boom would come. Forget the future, the history of these songs. Explore the moment and those faces around Dylan. The giddy smile and flummoxed looks found in the background of North Country Blues is fascinating. Here is a communal outing, a realisation of the collective to the noise at the centre. It is an awe-inspiring performance, a fundamentally brilliant piece of what one man and a guitar can do. Punchy religious numbers like opener North Country Blues and the Joan Baez-featuring With God on Our Side feel for their traditional country setting, but it is not until the likes of Blowin’ in the Wind, inevitably the track of the hour, that Live at Newport Folk Festival begins swinging with heavier punches. 

This is not just because of the weighty performance and the stunning reaction but the octave ranges from Dylan, the slightly higher key than what would be heard on the recording to follow., The backing of singers, Baez included, adds a haunting, gospel layer to it which the song has never managed to pick up again. Such is the reactionary momentum of a few changes, an intrigued crowd and a songwriter still finding the right tone for one of his best. This package is filled with those moments. From the shock performance of Mr. Tambourine Man to the full circle moment of Maggie’s Farm, the Live at Newport Folk Festival performances are as complete yet often an early rendition of the songs which define Dylan. 

But then these have always been the definitive ways to experience Dylan. Right there on stage with the hits. Push those aside, as he has in recent years and head for the elusive materials. Only a Pawn in Their Game is an incredible demonstration of his vocal powers at the time – something which would be an ever-evolving piece of his arsenal over the next decade. So frequent were the changes, it made all these early performances that much rarer. Hear them as they were developed, as they started before Dylan found new ways to inject electric into them. There are those out there who will feel the greatest mistake this folk artist made was plugging in an amp, and their argument holds water when hearing the raw beauty, the undeveloped joys, of Live at Newport Folk Festival. What Dylan did was better, but the argument can be made that these are the defining recordings beyond the studio.