Bob Dylan – Good As I Been in a World Gone Wrong Review 

There was never a time when Bob Dylan struggled in the studio and on stage at once. It was one or the other. He was either moved by a fascinating call from the divine during the religious period, or slumped into synth pop woes in the years to follow. But this back and forth, this inability to recapture a consistency which had come naturally in the 1960s and ‘70s, was tough on the veteran songwriter. He had, by the ‘90s, considered giving up on music. Revitalising his career in the late ‘80s with a guest slot on Grateful Dead shows and the release of Oh Mercy seemed promising. As Good as I Been in a World Gone Wrong highlights, though, it was a break from his original material, which served him best. Cover work in the studio would offer a break from the inevitabilities of his hits while on stage.  

As much is collected on this unofficial bootleg. Eleven songs from Good as I Been to You and World Gone Wrong, two exceptional cover albums which rival Shadows in the Night when it comes to quality. Some of these songs would only be performed once. They served their purpose on the night, as did this tour, which featured the cover renditions. It was more about rekindling a passion for music and performance than it was about seeking a new lyrical inspiration. Time Out of Mind was not far off, though it sounds miles away when listening to these performances from 1992 and 1993. There is a sole standout with You’re Gonna Quit Me, a song which appeared during a 1999 show. We can use this, then, as a reference point. Delia from 2000, too. It is a striking difference in sound, a contrast from the burnt-out start of the decade to a reinvigorated, career-best sound just ten years on.  

Performances of Blackjack Davey and Little Maggie are welcome. The latter performed just the once and with a brilliant interpretation of a song made famous by The Clinch Brothers. Other strong performances of Ragged and Dirty, as well as Two Soldiers, are nice touches, too. Two Soldiers would be performed by Dylan from the late 80s, and this performance on the Good as I Been in a World Gone Wrong setlist is the final time. Dylan has utilised cover songs both in the studio and on stage far more frequently in the latter half of his career. Those rocked out tones did not give him all too much wiggle room, but the softer rock sound he would adopt here and afterwards is perfect for fitting in contemporary classics and songs which influenced him in his early years.  

That is what happens here, as would be the case decades later with Shadows in the Night, Fallen Idols, and Triplicate. Even now, on the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour, you can hear Dylan incorporating those songs of old into his set. Part of it is to pay tribute to the instrumentalists and songwriters who influenced him, and still do, to some degree. But a larger reason for it is to keep the setlist interesting to the band and himself, to keep that lackadaisical feeling, the burnout which caused such trouble in the 80s and 90s, at bay. Cover works are often strong when Dylan is delivering them, and this hour-long unofficial compilation is an excellent collection of those efforts. Strong performances the whole way through with a vocal style coming back around to being recognisable, but ready for a new style.