Bob Dylan – Before the Drought Review

A calm before the Rough and Rowdy Ways-shaped storm had Bob Dylan preparing listeners for his new work. It was eight years in the making, but there were signs of new material to come. With hindsight, it is far easier to make that comment. Dylan adapting his greatest hits to lush instrumentals, slowed moments from a stage show where he warned the band would “play or pose”. They opted for the former, and the rest is history. Before the Drought makes light of a wider problem for gig-going, which cannot be addressed by live album releases. This unofficial compilation benefits from being of solid recording quality, but when that very quality is in defiance of the artist’s wishes, where does a listener stand? We cannot do much beyond appreciating the value there is in recording these performances, while also understanding Dylan does not want this. 

He has been vocal about his thoughts on bootleg tapes before, but it is hard to deny the quality of Before the Drought. This compilation explores some deeper cuts from Dylan. Opening song Dignity is a welcome addition to the stage, a song which sounds better with these Rough and Rowdy Ways-adjacent instrumental choices than it does on the studio release. This, along with the rest of the songs featured on Before the Drought, highlights the instrumental effectiveness Dylan still has. He tries out a new style here, which formed the base of Rough and Rowdy Ways. Testing the waters has never been his way, but it seems to be the case for these recent performances. It Ain’t Me, Babe is given a masterful performance here. Heart-wrenching work which is formed not just through the piano and percussion but the emotive value a gruffer-sounding Dylan gives.  

That is the sound of change, and it affects those classic tracks far more than it does the Rough and Rowdy Ways material, which dares to look back at the 1960s. Before the Drought is essential listening for those who want to hear Rough and Rowdy Ways take shape, using those old classics as starting points for a breezier, deeper sound. A stripped-back version of Boots of Spanish Leather provides a delightful early moment on this compilation, not just because it has Dylan isolated from overwhelming instrumental jams but because those sparse moments are a theme Rough and Rowdy Ways would toy with. A bold move to isolate an artist whose vocal work continues to split fans and listeners alike, but it should have been expected. It is a voice worth hearing, and Before the Drought highlights some all-time great moments from the 2019 tour.  

Across these songs is a brilliant atmosphere, though that may be the lucid state of travelling all day and listening to Dylan bootlegs as the sun disappears behind a horizon of identical-looking, grey hotel blocks. Highway 61 Revisited kicks in while preparing to fly, the sun dropping from view, there is no stranger feeling. Welcoming but fearsome, a state of limbo which Before the Drought embodies. These are all-time great performances from Dylan at such a late stage in his career. Many would be forgiven for thinking this was the end, but Dylan, like Bruce Springsteen or Neil Young, is likely set to die on stage. Performances of Like a Rolling Stone, Simple Twist of Fate, and Love Sick found later in the compilation are magnificent showcases of Dylan’s longevity. So long as he can keep the instrumental flair alive, so long as his voice is still carried by a microphone, he will have no problem performing, and we will have no problem listening thanks to efforts like Before the Drought.