Bob Dylan – Concert Radio Review

Compilation efforts of the early years of Bob Dylan are plentiful. Most appear to have an overlap with one another. Bootleg Tape entries here, radio conservation there, it all feels relatively essential but follows a well-worn track. Concert Radio, an eight-track playlist pieced together for the YouTube channel run on behalf of Bob Dylan, is fascinating. Where these songs are from, who knows? The labelling is messy and figuring out where, when, and for what purpose these radio recordings were preserved is the sort of footnote history best left to dedicated fans, not those who are three coffees into their day. Concert Radio, irrespective of this, is a quality collection of early years recordings and serves as an appropriate compilation of tracks which Dylan would make his own through forthright performances and essential stylings.  

Roll On, John, feels like the obvious choice for such a sentiment. A traditional which would later feature on Tempest with rewritten lyrics as a nod to the late John Lennon. Yet Concert Radio features the earlier version, a cover from Dylan in the live arena. Stealin’, Stealin’, too, feels like a confident piece of the Dylan discography but, once more, is a cover track. Dylan would embody these songs well; it is the best part of his self-titled debut. Originals do feature on Concert Radio, mixed well with the traditional tracks and covers. It feels, more than anything, like an extension of the debut album from 1962. Standing on the Highway is a fantastic selection, the wonder of where to head next, and the unconscious thought processes which led Dylan to some fascinating and forthright lyrical flickers remain magnificent. A Howlin’ Wolf cover, Smokestack Lightning, stands out as a defiant acoustic piece, and it brings a softer touch to the more tender moments of Roll On, John well.  

This back-and-forth, despite this being a compilation of live events from Dylan’s early years, highlights a scale of care not usually taken on cobbling songs together in one spot. Concert Radio splices a very neat collection of performances together, where Dylan toys with the punchiness of his vocal lead, the fundamentals of his acoustic articulation and those harmonica placements. Makes a Long Time Man Feel Bad is an absolute highlight of this compilation, a hoarse and passionate performance followed by the skilful interpretation of Woody Guthrie’s track, Hard Travelin’. Those days on the road surface with Dylan and his earliest covers, as open a book as they ever could be.  

Closing duo Hard Times in New York Town and The Death of Emmett Till explores this best of all. Songs of hope and hardship, back and forth they go. Hard Times in New York finds some thrills in the big city to which Dylan travelled in the hope of exploring his music while The Death of Emmett Till exposes the hardship and brutality of life in the United States. There is still a degree of ugly truth to a track forming its core from a murder, a tragedy which still rocks those with an ounce of heart left. Concert Radio is a collection of songs made up to keep the Dylan machine whirring, and it is a welcome addition. Nothing too explosive, but surely a neat addition where songs of the past are put to great use.