Bob Dylan – Desire (Live) Review

Digging into the depths of live material from Bob Dylan makes for a real thrill, especially when it concerns one of his best albums. While it may be agonising to think we will never hear Black Diamond Bay live since it was not recorded on its one Rolling Thunder Revue outing, the rest of Desire has been performed and is compiled in great quality here. Desire Live is, as it says on the tin, live versions of those post-Blood on the Tracks songs. From a croaky, brutal-sounding Hurricane to a few stop-offs on The Rolling Thunder Revue, which inspires the heavier rock direction of the Joan Baez-featuring tour, this live bootleg is a compilation of roaring performances. Clarity on the stage as Dylan seeks not just political justice for the incarcerated Rubin Carter, but also personal enlightenment during his divorce from Sara Lowndes. These performances hold firm with the rock-oriented sound of Dylan during this time.  

What a thrill it is. Between the heavier tone found on Hurricane to the steadier, instrumentally recognisable Hard Rain-like strums on Isis, Dylan is in brilliant form on this selection. It is easy to pick and choose the performances which feature on bootlegs, but the care taken to identify the interesting moments, not the streamlined, studio-like perfection of these songs, is found on this compilation. Mozambique is the clearest comparison to make. The similarity between the studio version and this performance ripped from Fort Worth is more an overlap than anything. But it is this crisp quality which some may wish for when it comes to live performances. Desire (Live) has plenty of alternate offerings to what appears on the studio album of the same name, but it is early in the run of shows. Dylan sounds as though he is getting to grips with the core of the song still, and that is no time for innovation.  

Steadiness prevails, then, though by the time Sara and Joey are performed, nearly a year has passed since the release of Desire, and the differences could not be clearer. Oh, Sister has that instrumental change made clear. A little heavier on the guitar work, which would feature steadily in the likes of Idiot Wind and One Too Many Mornings on Hard Rain, versions of both songs which would become defining moments for Dylan on stage. Add Oh, Sister to that pile of brilliant performances, a wonderful instrumental guide backing an emotionally charged Dylan on the Nuremberg stage. Joey and Romance in Durango are different enough from the studio versions, two strong performances worth a listen, the latter months before Desire even released, and already so different to what is laid down in the studio.  

Such is the beauty of a Dylan live performance. There is a desire to overhaul, to recreate what the studio afforded him and the musicians present. A constant drive to reform the fundamentals of the song is what keeps Desire (Live) so thrilling. Hearing those little flickers of difference, the slight changes made which led to wildly different versions in future, are a real treat. Compiling select versions of each song on Desire (Live) makes it a thrilling bootleg, one which offers plenty of quality, both when it comes to the performance and the recording. Such a fine line to walk, but these versions are tremendous fun. The early days of The Rolling Thunder Revue, and a few performances in the lead-up to the release of Desire, sound far lighter than they would turn out to be, the misery and rage which affected the tour towards its end marking another major change for Dylan.