Bob Dylan – Darkness at the Break of Noon Review

A stop-start series of sessions in the lead-up to Street-Legal was more because of life getting in the way than any other reason. Bob Dylan found himself tangled up in divorce proceedings, court appearances for the custody of his kids, and floundering after the death of Elvis Presley. To say the pressure was mounting is an understatement. Following The Rolling Thunder Revue and the success of Desire, it sounded as though Dylan was keen to carry on with this rock-adjacent style. Be it the separation or the send-off to The King, a major change took place, either in the subconscious or in the inspiration Dylan had used so frequently on previous releases. His disdain for the past becomes clear when he does away with major instruments of his live set-up, reducing the work of David Mansfield’s steel guitar. Darkness at the Break of Noon is an apt title for what sounds like strained rehearsals, the lead-up to a seismic, personal shift for Dylan.  

Rocking momentum, this is not. Darkness at the Break of Noon has a jazz-like core to it. A reliance on backing vocals, soulful investments, which would inform the religious trilogy on the horizon. Street-Legal feels more like a stopgap, a soul-searching experience, as a result. Informed by Darkness at the Break of Noon and it is hard to hear anything but Dylan searching for a reason to continue, a temporary fix for his tumultuous days. This is an excellent bootleg which adds some much-needed context to the rapid changes Dylan made to his sound during the late 1970s. A fundamental, instrumental shift on songs like I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight and The Times They Are A-Changin’ highlight this desperation, this desire to sever the past and take part in a refreshed and new sound. The future is bright when the past looks so dark.  

It is no surprise that Dylan wished to rebuild his sound, and he can be heard doing so effectively through Darkness at the Break of Noon. Of all the official releases to come around this time, Live at Budokan adds the most context of all. These are massively overhauled instrumental moves from Dylan, the string section on If You See Her, Say Hello, unlocking a new range of emotions. A focus more on the keyboard and orchestral developments of these songs, rather than their rocking inclinations on Hard Rain, is heard. Those January sessions hear Dylan absorb the new instrumental influences, the shift in focus to songs of repressed love and hopes for the future, as can be heard on The Man in Me and You’re a Big Girl Now. He is an artist who prides himself on being elusive, mysterious, but the pain is heard on the Rundown Sessions compiled on Darkness at the Break of Noon.  

Skip ahead to some February and April-dated sessions, and you can hear the heartbreak and hate still present. That overwhelming impact of Live at Budokan has taken its toll, as heard on Girl from the North Country. Subtler vocals, a reliance on the instrumental depths, haunting at this point, is clear. A dip in the quality of the recording, but listenable all the same. Later recordings from this period hear out the overwhelming change. Simple Twist of Fate sounds completely rebuilt from its Blood on the Tracks origins, as does Street-Legal feature Coming from the Heart. These are moments which inform the future of Dylan’s sound. There are some all-time greats in here. Simple Twist of Fate, in particular. A gorgeous rendition of an already beautiful track. Darkness at the Break of Noon is filled with gems. One of the best bootlegs around, from a period of tremendous, personal upheaval for Dylan.