Bob Dylan – Rolling Thunder Revue: New York City Review

You would be hard-pressed to find a more complete example of the Rolling Thunder Revue. Not just for what it delivered musically, but what it did for the artists at the heart of it. Bob Dylan may have reinvented himself here, offering the last great live performances of his career until the 1990s, but lend an ear to the acts who opened for him. Joan Baez was enjoying a commercial and creative high with her Diamonds and Rust powerhouse, a direct knock at the very man she was sharing top billing with. Heroes of the pair were found lower down on the listing, each with a chance to prove folk and country music is alive and well. Stiff competition from the rock and roll of the times was no match for the likes of Ramblin’ Jack Elliot and Bob Neuwirth, yet here they are. Even a performance from Joni Mitchell features, and with Muhammad Ali receiving a call from boxer Rubin Carter partway through the show, the spirit of a benefit concert is complete.  

A solid two hours of mood-setting music is what features on this Rolling Thunder Revue piece from New York City. Neuwirth, Elliot, and Mick Ronson are nice additions to the early hours of the set. They land on a sound which The Band were bringing to audiences at the time, a floatiness which would best be expressed by Neil Young and David Crosby. Those stylings are from the veterans who take to the Rolling Thunder Revue stage, that much is clear. They are masters who moulded the genre in the right ways, in a style which could benefit the new generation. Dylan, Baez, and their ilk took it by storm, and the result is magnificent. Featured later in the set is a phenomenal performance from Dylan. He and Baez rattle through their classics, reinventing the folk overlap they had in the 1960s for a new generation.  

Not only is the music stronger because of it, but the vocal interpretations both Baez and Dylan offered The Times They Are a Changin’ and Mama, You Been On My Mind are essentials. Their set is a welcome experience; the acoustic joy of their folk tone is intact but the volatility of the decade has its effect. You can hear that in Baez’s solo work, with Long Black Veil and Diamonds and Rust to follow this duet as clear a change to their work as anything else featured. Dylan, too, sounds re-energised but cautious, a sound which would feature on official release Hard Rain. The likes of Simple Twist of Fate and Just Like a Woman are electrifying, the latter affected by divorce and disaster for Dylan and fundamentally changed just a decade on from its release.  

Crucial to this performance is the reason for it. A benefit for Carter, the person of interest in Hurricane. Dylan performs that protest piece here and pairs with One More Cup of Coffee and Sara to hammer home those Desire songs. Brilliant they may be, one of the best parts of this set from Dylan isn’t even an original. His decision to close the show out with This Land is Your Land pays a nod to both his hero Woody Guthrie and the first truly influential figure in his career, Pete Seeger. Dylan doesn’t forget his influences, not even decades on from this performance. Rolling Thunder Revue: New York City is essential listening for those who can spare the four hours. Recordings like this are remarkable to dip in and out of, and that’s perhaps the best way to tackle this massive effort.