Bob Dylan put out an all-time great live album with Hard Rain. It features an all-time great performance of Idiot Wind, a volatile-sounding Maggie’s Farm and perhaps the greatest version of One Too Many Mornings ever released by Dylan’s team. It has not yet been paid its dues. One day, maybe, it will be seen as the crowning moment of the Rolling Thunder Revue, a benchmark in live performance that lingers as a glimpse into the very best of mid-1970s rock and roll. Until that day comes, we can hunker down with the bootlegs to come from such a show. Genuine Hard Rain is a must-listen addition to the Hard Rain spectacle. Hearing Dylan perform songs of divorce and destruction alongside Joan Baez is never not an interesting time. This Captain Acid remastering of Genuine Hard Rain is a triumph, and one that paints an even larger picture than Hard Rain did. It captures the burnout and fury that dominated the start of the tour, and what led to Dylan changing his instrumental and lyrical capacities in the years to follow.
Nothing short of mesmerising, and one of the best bootleg releases you’ll ever listen to. It’s just that good. Mr. Tambourine Man opens this two-hour showcase of Dylan’s work across April and May of 1976. A follow-up performance of It Ain’t Me, Babe, highlights the blur of past and present Dylan brought to the stage here. He’s keen to include the contemporary spirit of rock and roll, that electrified instrumental flourish he planted with his return to the stage in 1974. But there’s still a little touch of that acoustic thrill piercing this bootleg, and thus the tour. Harmonica and acoustic guitar classics with a few deep cuts included. There are songs here that you just wouldn’t expect Dylan to pull out on the stage anymore, let alone on the tour to follow. One Too Many Mornings remains the high point of both Hard Rain and Genuine Hard Rain, a rendition of his The Times They Are A-Changin’ album track that’ll floor you with such shocking ease. An all-time great song presented in a new, ambitious form that still surprises.
After that, it’s songs that’ll feel familiar, sound refreshed, and ultimately improve on the meaning found in their studio versions. Shelter from the Storm, You’re a Big Girl Now, and You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go tip off the contemporary material. Blood on the Tracks sounds a lot more vicious when they’re backed with this rock and roll harshness, not least the performance of Idiot Wind that precedes some outstanding work on Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door. Plenty of deep cuts too for those wanting them, with Vincent Van Gogh featuring just before a familiar-sounding Maggie’s Farm riff for those hellbent on dropping the needle on Hard Rain every other week. It sounds like Dylan is putting the finishing touches on fresh and exciting versions of his songs, a build towards recording one of his very best albums.
Just sensational work for those taken by the sound Dylan deployed on stage throughout the 1970s. A real charming and often exploratory piece of work from the veteran performer. At this time, he had built up such goodwill with audiences and returned with a staggering new sound backed by The Band. They disbanded, and what Dylan was left with was a chance to pull up the roots of his sound and rock them further. He does it phenomenally here. A string of all-time great, moving moments from Dylan. Isis, Lay Lady Lay, and Going Going Gone find themselves adapted and overhauled phenomenally here. It’s that scene-stealing guitar that works best of all. A necessary listen even for those who aren’t all that taken with the bootleg scene. This is a phenomenal opportunity to connect with one of Dylan’s very best tours.
