Maybe it was the fact that I listened to this on vinyl, or maybe it was the fact that i've been so used to the classic Dylan studio recordings -- but Dylan at Budokan is one of the most badass, funky, and awesome live albums I have ever heard. For some reason, it's not so popular -- I don't understand why.

This album should be played loud. Especially for All Along the Watchtower and It's Alright Ma.

I saw him in 1978 in LA right after they got back from Japan. Same band and setlist, basically. Great band and show. Some Girls came out the same week.

I agree its an underrated album.

However, they should have waited until the European leg before they taped anything for a live album.

The European tour - especially the shows in London (6 nights in June) & Paris (5 nights in July) especially are amongst the greatest series of concerts of his entire career.

The US leg that followed it didnt come close.

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Gazza
I agree its an underrated album.

However, they should have waited until the European leg before they taped anything for a live album.

The European tour - especially the shows in London (6 nights in June) & Paris (5 nights in July) especially are amongst the greatest series of concerts of his entire career.

The US leg that followed it didnt come close.

Spot on with your European date picks, Gazza - those Paris shows, in particular, are awesome.

I've got the original Japanese pressing of Budokan. It's a slightly different mix to the familiar worldwide release. Guitars are more upfront.

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Gazza
I agree its an underrated album.

However, they should have waited until the European leg before they taped anything for a live album.

The European tour - especially the shows in London (6 nights in June) & Paris (5 nights in July) especially are amongst the greatest series of concerts of his entire career.

The US leg that followed it didnt come close.

the tour definitely hadn't reached its zenith during the far east leg...but i would argue that some of the better US shows that fall easily rivaled the best of the european ones....

the critics largely blasted bob for this tour, which was a cash-cow to make up for the financial debacle of Renaldo & Clara. the critics had some valid points - it was a move toward "vegas" - and by contrast to the rawness of the two RTR tours and the preceeding Band tour, this one had a slickness and a commercial quality that shocked and disappointed many at the time...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-06-02 22:50 by StonesTod.

I recently got this album and heard it for the first time. Some of the arangments really blew me away by how good they sounded. But All in all, I still prefer the Rolling Thunder Review double CD. That one to me is good from start to finish, Budokon is more spotty and it and it doesn't really "breathe"... I much prefer the acustic Mr. Tambourine on Rolling Thunder Review, for example.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2010-06-02 22:50 by ryanpow.

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JMoisica
For some reason, it's not so popular -- I don't understand why.

Maybe because it stinks?

Gazza and Nikolai -- are any of those European dates available on bootleg? Different setlists?

The arrangements were very radical and some critics were quite hostile. Dylan was sort of wearing a Vegas-y outfit with pants with a lightning bolt down the side. He had a great band including Steve Douglas on sax. The Street Legal stuff sounded much better live than the badly-mixed studio album. Good versions of songs like "Changing Of The Guard". The Christian phase came right after this.

Yeah it is a great album. Yes slicker, but also a full on vision of his songs. And his voice is in fantastic form. Great version of Blowing in the Wind, one of the best. I too have the japanese pressing and yes indeed it is a different mix and a beautiful package.

I wonder if the sweet girl in the geisha house remembers him?

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71Tele
The arrangements were very radical and some critics were quite hostile. Dylan was sort of wearing a Vegas-y outfit with pants with a lightning bolt down the side. He had a great band including Steve Douglas on sax. The Street Legal stuff sounded much better live than the badly-mixed studio album. Good versions of songs like "Changing Of The Guard". The Christian phase came right after this.

ah, but if you were paying attention, this WAS the start of the christian phase....and, artistically, one of his greatest eras....

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JMoisica
Gazza and Nikolai -- are any of those European dates available on bootleg? Different setlists?

All of them are available.

Pretty much the entire 1978 tour (some 114 shows or so) were uploaded as DVD audio files on Hunger City a few months ago. An incredible project.

Setlists didnt vary greatly from night to night within the European tour - although the Blackbushe festival gig (before about 200,000 people) in England at the end of it had a quite different show, and at almost 3 hours was Dylan's longest ever gig.

Best show of the tour for me is Paris July 8th. I'd put it up there in the top 3 Dylan shows ever, without question.

Setlists here - [www.bjorner.com]

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Glam Descendant
I wonder if the sweet girl in the geisha house remembers him?

I've heard he was deeply-moved by Soapland aka Japanese Turkish bath at his first visit here.

>Setlists didnt vary greatly from night to night within the European tour - although the Blackbushe festival gig (before about 200,000 people) in England at the end of it had a quite different show, and at almost 3 hours was Dylan's longest ever gig.


I'm pretty sure the Toad's Place gig was longer -- I think it was over 4 hours.

Wikipedia says it was over 5 hours:

On January 12, 1990, Bob Dylan started a tour with a Toad's Place performance including four sets that lasted over five hours, his longest show to date. It was his first club performance in 25 years.

I must say that Hard Rain is more in my taste, that's the 'real' Dylan...Take for example the flutes in 'I want you' from Budokan, or the 'ragga' Don't think twice...it was funny then, but is it now?...

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JMoisica
Gazza and Nikolai -- are any of those European dates available on bootleg? Different setlists?

Oh yes. And in very good quality, a lot of them.

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Come On
I must say that Hard Rain is more in my taste, that's the 'real' Dylan...Take for example the flutes in 'I want you' from Budokan, or the 'ragga' Don't think twice...it was funny then, but is it now?...

Hard Rain is superb.

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StonesTod

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71Tele
The arrangements were very radical and some critics were quite hostile. Dylan was sort of wearing a Vegas-y outfit with pants with a lightning bolt down the side. He had a great band including Steve Douglas on sax. The Street Legal stuff sounded much better live than the badly-mixed studio album. Good versions of songs like "Changing Of The Guard". The Christian phase came right after this.

ah, but if you were paying attention, this WAS the start of the christian phase....and, artistically, one of his greatest eras....

Yes, I know. He had the back-up singers and was already going to that church in L.A. I believe a couple of the guys in his band (Dave Mansfield?) might have introduced him to the church. But he wasn't singing the Christian material yet. I saw one of the legendary shows at the Warfield in S.F. in '79 where he did only religious tunes. It was an electric atmosphere. Never forget it.

I would die in peace if I attended any of the concerts of Dylan/The Band in 1974.

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Glam Descendant
>Setlists didnt vary greatly from night to night within the European tour - although the Blackbushe festival gig (before about 200,000 people) in England at the end of it had a quite different show, and at almost 3 hours was Dylan's longest ever gig.


I'm pretty sure the Toad's Place gig was longer -- I think it was over 4 hours.

Toad's (in 1990) was over 4 hours, but it was 8 different sets of 40-45 minutes apiece.

Gazza if you still have the flac files would you please reseed the June 8 gig at HC?
[www.hungercity.org]
The torrent's dead presently... Thx!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-06-03 11:35 by dcba.

it was one of my first dylan albums and i retropsective i would say it made a whole wrong picture of dylan in the beginning for me. as with most (regular) dylan live albums, he released the worse in favour to the better ones. it´s very much vegas and the tour before (Rolling Thunder) and the ones after were a lot better, lot more energy & and weren´t ca$h cows

dcba, I could help you out with June 6. I downloaded the "Border Beneath the Sun Definitive Edition" bootleg (which is fantastic in every respect, just take that Shelter from the storm) some time ago and still have the flacs.

www.dimeadozen.org

I saw Dylan for the first time on this tour, and I hated it. The band was too big, the rearrangements generally stunk, Bob was in his Vegas crooner mode, etc. I much prefer the Never Ending Tour, which I've seen about 30 times.

The most heralded souvenir for the people outside Japan is Dylan chocolate box.
Must-Have Items for Business Travelers.



True Confessions Far East Tour at Budokan was a ton better than 1978 show.
I saw both shows, but 1978 was a kind of AOR Dylan.
That's just my opinion.

dcba/Baxlap

The Paris shows were July, not June (3,4,5,6,8)

I'm not really sure how to upload torrents, to be honest, but if I can get time to figure it out, I'll do it.

'Border beneath the sun' which baxlap mentions is on a similar plane to 8th July.

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71Tele

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StonesTod

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71Tele
The arrangements were very radical and some critics were quite hostile. Dylan was sort of wearing a Vegas-y outfit with pants with a lightning bolt down the side. He had a great band including Steve Douglas on sax. The Street Legal stuff sounded much better live than the badly-mixed studio album. Good versions of songs like "Changing Of The Guard". The Christian phase came right after this.

ah, but if you were paying attention, this WAS the start of the christian phase....and, artistically, one of his greatest eras....

Yes, I know. He had the back-up singers and was already going to that church in L.A. I believe a couple of the guys in his band (Dave Mansfield?) might have introduced him to the church. But he wasn't singing the Christian material yet. I saw one of the legendary shows at the Warfield in S.F. in '79 where he did only religious tunes. It was an electric atmosphere. Never forget it.

many of the lyrics of street-legal foretell his conversion...