HOW did this not make it onto Infidels? I think it's one of the best Dylan performances from any era. The lyrics and his phrasing of them are incredible. The take is perfect as well. I know that he was dissatisfied with Blind Willie McTell from these sessions because he thought it sounded unfinished (a couple mistakes he made on the piano that could have been easily fixed) but that is not the case with Foot.

Bob's quality control when it comes to releasing the best songs from his sessions is notoriously awry at times. Caribbean Wind, Dignity, Series of Dreams, Shes Your Lover Now, anyone?

Blind Willie McTell, IMO, isnt just one of the best songs from the Infidels sessions, its one of the best four or five songs of his entire career.

I had 'Foot of pride' on a circulating bootleg tape about a week after the official album came out. Always thought it was a solid enough track, but I never really appreciated it until Lou Reed played a fantastic version of it at the '30th anniversary concert' tribute at MSG in 1992.

Gazza Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
...
> I had 'Foot of pride' on a circulating bootleg
> tape about a week after the official album came
> out. Always thought it was a solid enough track,
> but I never really appreciated it until Lou Reed
> played a fantastic version of it at the '30th
> anniversary concert' tribute at MSG in 1992.

In case someone is interested in hearing Lou's version:

the venom in his vocal delivery is unreal... what a classic. got to be 2,000 words in the song.

Infidels, for me, is the best example of an album where the choice of the songs included weakened the album's impact.

I think all outtakes which are included in the Bootleg Series 1-3 (Foot of pride, Tell me, Lord protect my child and Blind Willie McTell) are great and would have improved the album (as I don't care much about "Sweetheart like you", "Neighbourhood bully", "Man of peace" and "Union Sundown").

I also never understood why he put the "bad" version of "When the night comes falling from the sky" on Empire Burlesque instead of the fantastic one on the Bootleg Series...

The God-awful Arthur Baker ruined 'Empire Burlesque'.

Yes, unfortunately.
If you manage to ignore the production (a horribly hard thing to do), you discover that the actual songs are pretty good (I'll remember you, Never gonna be the same, Emotionally yours).
Maybe the only example for Dylan trying to capture the (bad examples of the) sound of that time?

I've never gotten into "Never Gonna Be the Same Again"--he sounds so strained on it, but he does a lovely, subdued version of "I'll Remember You" in Masked & Anonymous.

Is it my imagination, or did someone like the Isley Brothers cover "Emotionally Yours"? That song is crying out for a tasteful rendition.

cc Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Is it my imagination, or did someone like the
> Isley Brothers cover "Emotionally Yours"? That
> song is crying out for a tasteful rendition.


Best version I've heard of Emotionally Yours, is the one from the 2nd to last show of the 1987 European Tour - at Wembley.
Sure it'll be great if Bob did it once more - but I think it's too close to
Workingmans Blues play both of them at one show. The chord changes are also basically the same in Is Your Love In Vain.

cc Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I've never gotten into "Never Gonna Be the Same
> Again"--he sounds so strained on it, but he does a
> lovely, subdued version of "I'll Remember You" in
> Masked & Anonymous.
>
> Is it my imagination, or did someone like the
> Isley Brothers cover "Emotionally Yours"? That
> song is crying out for a tasteful rendition.


The O'Jays covered it at the same 30th anniversary tribute show that Lou did that version of Foot of Pride. Maybe thats the version youre thinking of?

Erik_Snow Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Best version I've heard of Emotionally Yours, is
> the one from the 2nd to last show of the 1987
> European Tour - at Wembley.

Thank you for the hint! Didn't know that one, and it sure does sound great!


Erik_Snow Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Sure it'll be great if Bob did it once more

Yes, and it's not the only one. I just heard Meet me in the morning from September's Ryman Shows again and I wonder why he never dug this one out before. It fits perfectly into what else he is playing (talking about the style and the songs he often performes). A really good blues!!
So many overlooked gems in his catalogue...

Hey MacPhisto, that's very true! And luckily, Bob sometimes play a jawdropper, that nobody supected to hear - and it usually works perfect!
There's a real good recording of the Oct 16th 1987 concert, or you could get it as a bonus track on the "The Final Night And More" - which contains the Oct 17th show - in even better quality....plus some other nuggets. 87 is not my favourite tour, but Emotionally Yours really hit the spot there.

Infidels was a missed opportunity. Had he included Blind Willie McTell (the full band version), Foot of Pride, Lord Protect My Child and This Was My Love je would have had a bona fide masterpiece on his hands, as opposed to "the album with Jokerman on it".

MacPhisto Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Infidels, for me, is the best example of an album
> where the choice of the songs included weakened
> the album's impact.
>
> I think all outtakes which are included in the
> Bootleg Series 1-3 (Foot of pride, Tell me, Lord
> protect my child and Blind Willie McTell) are
> great and would have improved the album (as I
> don't care much about "Sweetheart like you",
> "Neighbourhood bully", "Man of peace" and "Union
> Sundown").
>
> I also never understood why he put the "bad"
> version of "When the night comes falling from the
> sky" on Empire Burlesque instead of the fantastic
> one on the Bootleg Series...

When The Night Comes Falling on the Bootleg Series was played by the E Street Band and sounds it, almost to the point of cliche. I like the Empire Burlesque version, big booming 80s production and all. Plus I LOVE Tight Conection from that same album, although everyone reckons the Infidels version is better.

Nikolai Wrote:
> When The Night Comes Falling on the Bootleg Series
> was played by the E Street Band and sounds it,
> almost to the point of cliche.

a bit unlikely considering the only two ESB band members on it are Van Zandt (ex-member, to be pedantic) and Bittan.

I like the Empire
> Burlesque version, big booming 80s production and
> all. Plus I LOVE Tight Conection from that same
> album, although everyone reckons the Infidels
> version is better.

I prefer the 'Burlesque' version too.

Gazza Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> > Is it my imagination, or did someone like the
> > Isley Brothers cover "Emotionally Yours"? That
> > song is crying out for a tasteful rendition.
>
> The O'Jays covered it at the same 30th anniversary
> tribute show that Lou did that version of Foot of
> Pride. Maybe thats the version youre thinking of?

Yes, probably. Is it good? Sounds like a wonderful idea...

Thanks, Erik--I have Final Night & More, now I'll dig it out for "Emotionally Yours."

I like the EB version of "Tight Connection," but the rough mix, before all the post-production. I think I have it on what's called Temple in Flames. It's also got "New Danville Girl"--superb.

Erik_Snow Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> There's a real good recording of the Oct 16th 1987
> concert, or you could get it as a bonus track on
> the "The Final Night And More" - which contains
> the Oct 17th show - in even better quality....plus
> some other nuggets. 87 is not my favourite tour,
> but Emotionally Yours really hit the spot there.

Ah, perfect! That's exactly the source I've heard it from! There's a lot of piano playing in many of the songs on "Final night and more" and I think it fits very nicely. License to kill serves as a good example!

By the way as we're talking about When the night comes falling from the sky: is anybody able to identify what Bob is singing in the "Bootleg Series" version in the line after "I'm so tired of those who use you for their own pleasure"? I've tried and tried but never could identify his words there. And the Empire Burlesque version is different there, just as the official lyrics on bobdylan.com...

RE "Infidels" Bob himself decided to leave out of the final album edit the best tracks. Mark Knopfler who witnessed this tragedy first-hand, still refuses, to this day, to talk about it in interviews!

What's pretty funny is Bob managed to do this trick TWICE : the 1983 outtakes that are on "Bootleg Series 1-3" are still NOT the real deal : you also have to pursue Scorpio Records "Genuine Bootleg Series 1-3" to get a fantastic & electric "Someone's Got A Hold Of My Heart" sung with amazing passion, an alt. "Jokerman" equally amazing AND an electric version of "Blind Mc Tell" that's simply mesmerizing.
And yes "Foot Of Pride" or the acoustic "Blind Mc Tell" on "Bootleg Series 1-3" are masterpieces.

Gazza Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Nikolai Wrote:
> > When The Night Comes Falling on the Bootleg
> Series
> > was played by the E Street Band and sounds it,
> > almost to the point of cliche.
>
> a bit unlikely considering the only two ESB band
> members on it are Van Zandt (ex-member, to be
> pedantic) and Bittan.
>
> I like the Empire
> > Burlesque version, big booming 80s production
> and
> > all. Plus I LOVE Tight Conection from that
> same
> > album, although everyone reckons the Infidels
> > version is better.
>
> I prefer the 'Burlesque' version too.

Has that great line: "My hands are sweaty ... and we haven't even started - YET".

Apparently Arthur Baker tells a story that Bob came to see him about producing his new album (Empire). He took out his guitar and played him twelve superb new songs, and said "Those ain't the album" and Baker never heard them again - except for Dark Eyes, which he BEGGED Dylan to let him record for the album.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-10-12 00:35 by Nikolai.

>Baker never heard them again - except for Dark Eyes, which he BEGGED Dylan to let him record for the album.

This goes against what BD wrote in CHRONICLES, where he says Baker specifically requested a particular type of song for EB and he wrote "Dark Eyes" to try to satisfy his request.

As for INFIDELS: he wasn't just choosing the best songs, he was trying to be thematically coherent. If he'd made different choices I'm sure some folks would still be complaining about what was included & what was excluded. I'm not saying they are the choices I would have made but I'd rather Dylan be having the final say than ... well, anyone else.

From the Blood on the Tracks sessions he left out the beautiful "Up To Me", which I think is one of his best songs. It´s on the Biograph compilation.

"If I'd lived my life by what others were thinkin', the heart inside me would've died.
I was just too stubborn to ever be governed by enforced insanity,
Someone had to reach for the risin' star,
I guess it was up to me".

We don´t have to worry, he released so much on Biograph and on the Bootleg Series. There are also so many Studioboots with unreleased tracks and versions. It doesn´t matter if it was released or not, he never was a big seller of records, so don´t blame him tracklisting bad.

Svartmer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> From the Blood on the Tracks sessions he left out
> the beautiful "Up To Me", which I think is one of
> his best songs. It´s on the Biograph compilation.

true, but as Blood On the Tracks is an absolutely perfect record, it's omission didnt really make much difference in the album's overall quality

Glam Descendant Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> >Baker never heard them again - except for Dark
> Eyes, which he BEGGED Dylan to let him record for
> the album.
>
> This goes against what BD wrote in CHRONICLES,
> where he says Baker specifically requested a
> particular type of song for EB and he wrote "Dark
> Eyes" to try to satisfy his request.
>
> As for INFIDELS: he wasn't just choosing the best
> songs, he was trying to be thematically coherent.
> If he'd made different choices I'm sure some folks
> would still be complaining about what was included
> & what was excluded. I'm not saying they are the
> choices I would have made but I'd rather Dylan be
> having the final say than ... well, anyone else.


You can believe Dylan or you can believe Arthur Baker. Great as Chronicles is - and it really is superb - some of it is a tad far-fetched, no? By the way, Arthur Baker personally told me that story when I met him in the resturant he owns in West London - Harlem. I believed him because a). he was there and I wasn't and b). how many great songs has Dylan simply left on the shelf? He recorded a whole bunch of bitter post-divorce songs prior to Street Legal, but left those unreleased because he still needed to keep Sara sweet because of his kids.

I see what you mean about Dylan's choice of songs - very much like Springsteen - but I don't think Infidels hangs together all that well as it is. I think he deliberately left out the more overtly religious songs (Lord Protect My Child and Foot of Pride) because he didn't want the album to be mistaken for another born again one. Plus he'd reconnected with his Jewish faith then too.

Gazza Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Svartmer Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > From the Blood on the Tracks sessions he left
> out
> > the beautiful "Up To Me", which I think is one
> of
> > his best songs. It´s on the Biograph
> compilation.
>
> true, but as Blood On the Tracks is an absolutely
> perfect record, it's omission didnt really make
> much difference in the album's overall quality


Agree with you there. Where do you stand on Oh Mercy and Time Out Of Mind? Could the former have been improved/enhanced by including Series of Dreams and Dignity? And is the latter a perfect Dylan album? I think so.

I prefer the original (bootlegged) version of 'Dignity' to the released one. They changed the drums on it to its detriment. Still a fine song, though.

'Series of Dreams' wasnt finished for 'Oh Mercy'. They overdubbed some stuff in January 1991 for its inclusion on the Bootleg Series. One of the best songs he ever released (and one of the greatest music videos ever, for that matter).

both are excellent albums. Dont know about 'perfect', but not a kick in the arse off it.

I think it's better with having Series Of Dreams on Bootleg Series than Oh Mercy, because; I think the arrangement of Most Of Time is not too different from Series Of Dreams - also the chord changes - both verses and bridges - nevermind the heavy drums of Series.

BTW, both those 2 songs HAS to be played on vinyl - not CD. THere's something about that flow in sound that becomes so much better on vinyl.....just like Slave of Tattoo You



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-10-12 15:35 by Erik_Snow.