Bob Dylan – Back in the Rain Review

A raging storm of a man takes to the stage on most of The Rolling Thunder Revue shows. Bob Dylan was buoyed by divorce, by dissections from critics who suggested he was washed up and far off the mark of his once incredible form. Time has worked in his favour, however, as Dylan provides hit after hit, remaking and reforming his sound on stage. For those who found plenty to love in the Hard Rain performances, Back in the Rain will prove extraordinary. Performances from the same tour, some overlap with the Fort Worth performances, which featured on the official release, but ultimately a bottling of the lightning-like fury, the thunderous grasp Dylan gave these new songs with the long-winding instrumental arrangements. A fresh thrill to his sound is what he provides listeners with this tour, and what a welcome change it is. A sound of defiance.  

With a slightly deeper vocal range than first expected, Dylan flaunts a heavier sound. Gone are the folk proclivities, in is a rock and roll sound which had passed him by in the early 1970s. A return to the real roots of his sound, when he was rocking his way through sessions in Duluth. Predominantly made up of Blood on the Tracks and Desire material, Back in the Rain hears Dylan hit out at the world through the storm-like lashing he had received after the release of Renaldo and Clara. Not one to listen to critics, Dylan still responds with an overhaul of his sound. His work with The Band in 1974 had certainly changed the form, but another set of rock-and-roll-like changes, as well as the reintroduction of Joan Baez to the stage, had Dylan stagger the early folk love with the contemporary genre sound. It works beautifully, the incredible strings of Isis and the hoarse, passionate voice Dylan has gained become a setlist triumph for each of these renditions.  

This is not just Dylan roaring through with a harsher instrumental sound, far from it. I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight has the frontman guide his band into soft rock territory, a charming, rising guitar line makes all the difference in its countrified presence. Already a man of many talents, the flourishes found here are a real treat. Identifying One Too Many Mornings from the first few bars alone is perhaps a sign to head outdoors and reconnect with nature, but it makes the Hard Rain version all the better. You can hear the similarities in place, what would be kept from performance to performance. What continues to change, and this is true for most of the songs compiled here, is Dylan’s vocal inflexion. Elongations, shortenings, whatever mood he wished for on that night is founded phenomenally.  

Doom and gloom may dominate the latter half of The Rolling Thunder Revue tour, but the lighter flourishes, that big band feel and the beat of optimism feature throughout. You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go is extraordinarily upbeat, a sweet contrast to the usual heartbreak. Pair it with You’re a Big Girl Now and the beauty of The Rolling Thunder Revue is found. A contrast is made. Soft-spoken wordplay filtered by a harsh and boisterous instrumental crash. It is beautiful, and it is what defines Hard Rain. Quality recordings throughout Back in the Rain make this a must-listen compilation for those wanting to learn more about a legendary tour. Idiot Wind and Going, Going, Gone, from the fateful Fort Worth performance on May 16, are staggering. A five-month stretch of Dylan reinventing himself to a permanent end is what Back in the Rain offers.