If you are not a huge Dylan fan, I am sorry but there are chances that you will be simply horrified by his voice from 1990 onwards... I don't want to get into a debate with the diehards; they dig his singing in a very special way. But to me, from Unplugged onwards, it's unlistenable, truly painful. So I'd suggest you check on youtube before comitting to any recent live albums. In the meantime, for anyone but huge fans, 66 and 74-75 I think are the years to start with. I think the Rolling Thunder Review (75) had some of the greatest rock shows ever played. Dylan is not generally seen as a great singer (and I wouldn't see him as that) but his voice had a grit and power during that year that is truly impressive, a great soulster, almost... say... Rod Stewardesque at times!

Thanks for the info guys....a lot of great titles here. I've been looking some stuff up and I'm settling on a few already. That website with all the Dylan boots is incredible! Very well organized.

I will let you know what I get my hands on.

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tatters

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avoid the '86 tour with petty....some good recordings, but maybe his worst tour ever.

I disagree. I saw them the first two nights at Madison Square Garden and loved it so much that I would have gone the third night if I hadn't been so hung over. Surprise guest Ronnie Wood jammed with them both nights. He would have made a fine Wilbury.

i enjoyed the shows at the time just fine. it's upon reflection and listening to it in the context of all the many fine tours and band's he assembled since then that i've come to the conclusion that 86 was his nadir. 87 with the petty band was much better. but, he was clearly (in my view) struggling and going thru the motions...letting TP&H do the heavy lifting on this tour. bob himself has acknowleged that it was a fallow period for him, too.

You can't go wrong with Real Live. Then again I might be biased since I loved Infidels and Mick Taylor's contributions around that time.

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shadooby
You can't go wrong with Real Live. Then again I might be biased since I loved Infidels and Mick Taylor's contributions around that time.

I was at two of the three shows used on that album, and that record doesnt do those shows - or the tour - any justice at all.

just never got the buzz over the '84 tour...again...bobby's going thru the motions with a very competent band. fine listening if you're just in it for the MT soloing, but even that gets annoying after awhile. bob's on cruise control, though.

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T&A
just never got the buzz over the '84 tour...again...bobby's going thru the motions with a very competent band. fine listening if you're just in it for the MT soloing, but even that gets annoying after awhile. bob's on cruise control, though.

I listened to the Paris 07/01 yesterday, in full - and it striked me, once again, how simliar all the songs sounded. Even 2 very different songs...like "Every Grain of Sand" and "Like A Rolling Stone"....they are delivered in the very same style - both by Bob and the band. Even the solo/acoustic songs are one-dimensional....It Ain't Me Babe...THe Times....
Tangled is an excpetion though. One doesn't sense much....of what one usually sense at Dylan shows, it's more of a run-through of songs - almost like the 1974 tour.
Some songs worked excellent in 1984 though...and shows like Barcelona and Newcastle doesn't get boring.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-09-06 03:26 by Erik_Snow.

Newcastle '84 was my first ever Dylan show, so its still a very special one even after 32 shows and 24 years.

It is strange, nobody talks about the Live 66 which is a great album of rock !!!
The live 75 and Hard Rain are very good too, Maggie's Farm is so great on this one (I don't even talk about Idiot Wind)
The 30th Anniversary Concert is pretty interesting but only contains 4 songs with Bob playing !
The MTV Unplugged is not very interesting !

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Sorry for my english ; I'm a french little boy (but I like it)

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T&A

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tatters

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T&A

avoid the '86 tour with petty....some good recordings, but maybe his worst tour ever.

I disagree. I saw them the first two nights at Madison Square Garden and loved it so much that I would have gone the third night if I hadn't been so hung over. Surprise guest Ronnie Wood jammed with them both nights. He would have made a fine Wilbury.

i enjoyed the shows at the time just fine. it's upon reflection and listening to it in the context of all the many fine tours and band's he assembled since then that i've come to the conclusion that 86 was his nadir. 87 with the petty band was much better. but, he was clearly (in my view) struggling and going thru the motions...letting TP&H do the heavy lifting on this tour. bob himself has acknowleged that it was a fallow period for him, too.

Yeah, come to think of it, it was PETTY (and Ronnie showing up to jam) that really blew me away at those shows. I'm not a huge Petty fan at all (Mary Jane's Last Dance is the only song I REALLY like), but he impressed me live. It was the closest we ever got to a Travelling Wilburys tour and for that reason, it has some historical significance, even if it acquired it after the fact, since the Wilburys project did not yet exist in 1986.

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olorin
It is strange, nobody talks about the Live 66 which is a great album of rock !!!

That's because of the first post of this thread: "...Interested in anything from late 70's to present..."

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olorin
The MTV Unplugged is not very interesting !

Well, the official release really isn't interesting, but the supper club shows from 1993 and the "Completely Unplugged" bootleg with the whole shows the official "unplugged" release is compiled of are VERY interesting.

Advice: Buy MTV Unplugged (so you paid for the official tracks included in Completely Unplugged), download "Completely unplugged", then burn the official release!

Live 1966 may be the best live rock album ever made. Before the Flood is no slouch either, as is the 1975 Live set with the Rolling Thunder Revue.

Boots are hit and miss: my faves include Manchester Free Trade Hall 5/7/65 (solo acoustic) and both nights at Bournemouth 9/2000. I can do without the '78 tour entirely and much of the early '90's.

The worst of all Dylan boots is probably Name That Tune from Stuttgart in June of '91: he's out of it and incoherent. The version of New Morning that begins it is a true horror show.

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tatters
It was the closest we ever got to a Travelling Wilburys tour and for that reason, it has some historical significance, even if it acquired it after the fact, since the Wilburys project did not yet exist in 1986.

it was historically a more important tour because it resembled the Traveling Wilburys...? I don't follow. Being a Dylan tour ought to be enough; Petty adds a little something, I suppose.

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tatters
It was the closest we ever got to a Travelling Wilburys tour and for that reason, it has some historical significance, even if it acquired it after the fact, since the Wilburys project did not yet exist in 1986.

it was historically a more important tour because it resembled the Traveling Wilburys...? I don't follow. Being a Dylan tour ought to be enough; Petty adds a little something, I suppose.

Don't you think a Travelling Wilburys tour would have been a HUGE event? A MUCH hotter ticket than just an ordinary Dylan tour? Dylan and Petty did a three-night stand at MSG. I don't think Dylan could have sold that many tickets all by himself in 1986. A Wilburys tour would have been a monster. They could have sold out as many shows as they wanted to play.

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tatters
Don't you think a Travelling Wilburys tour would have been a HUGE event? A MUCH hotter ticket than just an ordinary Dylan tour? Dylan and Petty did a three-night stand at MSG. I don't think Dylan could have sold that many tickets all by himself in 1986. A Wilburys tour would have been a monster. They could have sold out as many shows as they wanted to play.

sure, I suppose so... just that the phrase "historical significance" implied something different to me from just a big tour. That album is nice, but not of much "historical" weight, IMO. And the fact that Petty was a bigger draw than Dylan in 1986 (and still is today, I guess?) doesn't mean much to me.

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Boots are hit and miss: my faves include Manchester Free Trade Hall 5/7/65 (solo acoustic) and both nights at Bournemouth 9/2000.

presume you mean Portsmouth. Was at both of those shows..they were absolutely brilliant.

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olorin
It is strange, nobody talks about the Live 66 which is a great album of rock !!!

That's because of the first post of this thread: "...Interested in anything from late 70's to present..."

Oooops !

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Sorry for my english ; I'm a french little boy (but I like it)

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cc

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tatters
Don't you think a Travelling Wilburys tour would have been a HUGE event? A MUCH hotter ticket than just an ordinary Dylan tour? Dylan and Petty did a three-night stand at MSG. I don't think Dylan could have sold that many tickets all by himself in 1986. A Wilburys tour would have been a monster. They could have sold out as many shows as they wanted to play.

sure, I suppose so... just that the phrase "historical significance" implied something different to me from just a big tour. That album is nice, but not of much "historical" weight, IMO. And the fact that Petty was a bigger draw than Dylan in 1986 (and still is today, I guess?) doesn't mean much to me.

I stand corrected. My bad.

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Gazza
Newcastle '84 was my first ever Dylan show, so its still a very special one even after 32 shows and 24 years.

Mine too. I went with a workmate who was a big fan .I only owned Blonde On Blonde and Infidels at the time and went because of M.T playing with him. Incredible day. Solo songs were stunning. makes my hair stand on end thinking about it.

scuk

Me too. My first show was '84 Nice. I came away thinking Bob was like Mick & Keith rolled into one. Saw one more show of that tour. Saw him with Petty a few times, loved 'em. Saw two of the six shows with the Dead, loved 'em. Saw him many times since and maybe the best ever was last week at Deer valley, UT.

Thumbrpint, are you from SLC?
I saw that show too.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-09-08 02:46 by TeaAtThree.

T@3, I am. Did u like that show?

I did. I wrote the review for the Trib.

Hence the T(ea), I guess. Maybe one day...

As a huge fan of Dylan, and a big fan of the Dead, I found their live album underwhelming and extremely disappointing.

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Gazza
Newcastle '84 was my first ever Dylan show, so its still a very special one even after 32 shows and 24 years.

i know. i diss the '84 tour alternately between reasons that it wasn't that good and it irritates you when i say that....