Bob Dylan – Not at Budokan 2 Review

Bootlegged tapes of live shows add a context to work that a studio release cannot. Uglier moments in the career of any artist are taped and tucked away by either audience or venue, finding the files is all that matters to some. For Bob Dylan fans, there is no shortage of material. It’s a stark contrast to Pink Floyd fans, who will be devastated by the lack of Animals tapings. But these riches are only as useful as the fan community makes them. Bootleg release Not at Budokan 2, even now with the official The Complete Budokan, is a valuable insight into a show which still splits fans. For some, it’s a masterclass following up the harsher sound of Hard Rain with instrumental experimentation. For others, that’s the very reason the show is deplorable. Whatever you may think of Live at Budokan, there is no doubting its richness as a truly interesting performance. 

Not at Budokan 2, like the first instalment, shines a light on those lesser moments. Crucial to understanding Live at Budokan as a project is accepting that some of the most important parts of the work happened outside of Asia. Performances in Syracuse and Los Angeles would tell the other side of a story that not even the official release offers. Acoustic renditions of Fourth Time Around and unreleased songs like Am I Your Stepchild? feature, and in incredible quality too. The latter track would appear on a few other bootlegs from this time, namely Coming from the Heart. That’s a nice follow-up to Not at Budokan 2, which shares how those instrumental overhauls made in Japan were happening long before Dylan had prepared for his live album. To find this style on stage while in the process of recording the shows would have been wild. This new sound would linger in Dylan’s shows throughout his religious period, and Live at Budokan is arguably the peak of this style. 

Lighter tones on hard-hitting songs may be a reason for the dislike of Live at Budokan. A song like It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue certainly feels simpler. But the roar of the crowd, the harmonica which does not pierce the eardrum immediately, it’s a wonderful version. There are many songs like that on Not at Budokan 2, worthy, cleaner tones to counter the raging storm of Dylan’s nearly two decades as a studio artist. Deep cuts like We Better Talk This Over and Repossession Blues are a credit to the bootleggers who distribute such high-quality versions of songs never officially released. Flagging Down the Double E’s is the gold standard, and Not at Budokan is one of many great examples of this ongoing quality. A no-frills package with plenty of material worth hearing. Even those unmoved by Live at Budokan will find something to love in these renditions.  

Whether it’s the startling Masters of War or the at-the-time contemporary material from Street-Legal, like Changing of the Guard, there is a credible range of material here. Some real riches to be heard here, like Watching the River Flow and Love Her With a Feeling. Instrumentally upbeat, and vocally unique. Compare it with the clear rock tone Dylan would use just a few years later, and the difference is clear. Live at Budokan does not receive enough credit for just how vibrant a show it was, how much extra colour it gives to Dylan songs of old. Not at Budokan 2 is a magnificent continuation of those tones, a style which would be morphed into a religious fervour just a few years later. Like the Rolling Thunder Revue, this tone would burn bright and fast. Dedicated fans are better off after hearing this compilation.