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DVD Bob Dylan - MTV Unplugged
Recorded in 1994, Bob Dylan: MTV Unplugged is a brilliant, quietly impassioned performance by one of pop music's most significant figures. Fronting his empathetic five-piece band (Bucky Baxter excels on dobro, mandolin, and pedal steel guitar; Bob himself plays frequent "rhythm leads" on his Martin), Dylan performs four of his best-known and potentially most overdone tunes in the 73-minute show; but "All Along the Watchtower," "The Times They Are A-Changin'," "Like a Rolling Stone," and "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" all sound great, with Dylan, as is his wont, re-casting both the arrangements and melodies. Even better is the obscure "John Brown" (written in the early '60s but apparently unreleased by Dylan until now), a driving, biting war protest song of the kind that made him famous, while "Dignity," a lesser-known tune from the '90s, is filled with great lines ("Met Prince Phillip at the home of the blues... said he was abused by dignity"), and "Shooting Star" revisits Oh Mercy, Dylan's best '80s album. Through it all, Dylan says nary a word, although he does smile and shake some hands (even removing his shades) at the end. And as good as it may be, this show is most likely different from every Dylan concert before or since, a sure sign of an artist in no danger of becoming irrelevant. --Sam Graham
In the blackest of sunglasses and a polka dot shirt, Dylan, and his musicians, are fabulous in this concert taped in Sony Music Studios on November of 1994, in an intimate setting with a small but enthusiastic audience.
From the mellow country feel of "Shooting Star", the up-tempo "Dignity", or the somber "With God on Our Side", the musicianship is a marvel, and being a "nobody sings Dylan like Dylan" person, I love the way he sings his music with his gravelly voice that gets rougher as the years go by.
The acoustic instruments are a pleasure to listen to, as well as a visual delight, especially the gleaming rich wood of the double bass.
This disc contains 4 tracks that were not included in the MTV Unplugged broadcast (# 1, 5, 6 and 8), and total running time is 73 minutes.
The terrific musicians are: Tony Garnier on bass, Bucky Baxter on dobro, Winston Watson on drums, John Jackson on guitar and Brendan O'Brien on organ.
Track list with original release album dates:
1: "Tombstone Blues" (Highway 61 Revisited '65)
2: "Shooting Star" (Oh Mercy '89)
3: "All Along the Watchtower" (John Wesley Harding '67)
4: "The Times They Are A-Changin'" (The Times They Are A-Changin' '64)
5: "John Brown" (MTV Unplugged '94)
6: "Desolation Row" (Highway 61 Revisited '65)
7: Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35" (Blonde on Blonde '66)
8: "Love Minus Zero / No Limit" (Bringing it All Back Home '65)
9: "Dignity" (Greatest Hits Vol. 3 '94)
10: "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid '73)
11: "Like a Rolling Stone" (Highway 61 Revisited '65)
12: "With God on Our Side" (The Times They Are A-Changin' '64)
An amazing Dylan concert unlike any other
Dylan's more than deserving resurgence in recent years traces its birth back, in my opinion, to this incredible live performance from 1994. This show has it all, mixing old and new music that more than satisfies longtime fans such as myself while also managing to appeal strongly to the younger generation, many of whom would know Dylan only by name had MTV not provided the medium for him to prove his genius and longevity to them first-hand. Dylan's tendency to be reclusive and mysterious has made him inaccessible to some listeners in the past, but the energetically appreciative audience is an important part of this recording, and you can tell that Dylan is really enjoying the whole performance. He even smiles at one point; having seen Dylan perform live, I know just how rare an occurrence this can be.
The older songs are great, but they differ significantly from the original recordings (Dylan is constantly redefining and recreating his legendary classics); this may disappoint some fans, and I admit it took me a while to appreciate this particular version of The Times They Are A-Changin', but the soul of each song remains the same, no matter what kind of modernized or different interpretation Dylan decides to go with on a certain night. I love Tombstone Blues, and it does start the show off with a great kick. It's always nice to hear Dylan's All Along the Watchtower, if for no other reason than to let people know the song didn't originate with Jimi Hendrix. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 has never been a favorite of mine, but this version is an enjoyable splash of fun in between a couple of slow, serious songs. John Brown is a significant track, dating back to 1963 but never having been released. It vividly reflects the anti-war feelings Dylan expressed so forcibly in his formative years. Dylan's newer songs only build on the musical momentum. I was a little surprised to see Shooting Star from the Oh Mercy album included, but the track looks and sounds great and fits right in. Dignity was a brand new song at the time, standing as a true showcase of Dylan's unparalleled songwriting and performing skills. He may have aged, but his musical vision and talent are eternal.
Three songs particularly stand out to me. Desolation Row is a truly incredible, meaningful song that only Dylan could write and perform. Lasting more than eight minutes, it's the kind of song you never want to end. Knockin' on Heaven's Door really starts building the momentum that reaches its crescendo with my favorite Dylan performance ever of his greatest song, Like a Rolling Stone. Having wowed his audience for close to an hour, Dylan is definitely "feeling it" when he gets to this crowd-pleasing classic (after a rather humorous false start). Its length is matched only by its powerful delivery, and I get the feeling watching it that even Dylan is a little surprised at how great a show he is putting on. He is absolutely on fire, and he knows it. With God On Our Side is an interesting song with which to end the show, but it reflects the heart and soul of music's greatest songwriter. Following on the heels of a rocking performance, it reminds the audience that the old Dylan so many have loved for decades is still there, even if his classic songs have been given a fresh overhaul.
Having a rather small audience so close to the musicians makes this live performance a true personal triumph for Dylan, and the sense of intimacy between the legendary performer and his fans is powerful and palpable. Dylan never looked or sounded better than he did on this unforgettable night in 1994. If you saw the performance on MTV, you should know that the DVD contains four bonus songs not included in the television broadcast (as well as one song - Love Minus Zero/No Limit - not included on the CD). If you already have the CD, buy the DVD as well - the visuals capture the magical effects of the performance in ways the audio cannot.
Lackluster Performance
The CD of this performance did nothing for me, so the added dimension of watching this show does makes this set palatable, I guess. It's kinda interesting to watch. I just can't get excited about it because Dylan and the band don't seem too excited about it. The energy level does start to pick up in the end somewhat, I think. But there's a feeling of "going through the motions" here that is unfortunate. And the set list leaves a lot to be desired. John Brown and God on Our Side are interesting, I guess. Dignity's kinda fun because it's not on an album, I guess. Oh yawn, think I'll take a nap.
Both a classic documentary and a vital pop-cultural artifact, D.A. Pennebaker's portrait of Bob Dylan captures the seminal singer-songwriter on the cusp of his transformation from folk prophet to rock trendsetter. Shot during Dylan's 1965 British concert tour, Don't Look Back employs an edgy vérité style that was, and is, a snug fit with the artist's own consciously rough-hewn persona. Its handheld black-and-white images and often-gritty London backdrops suggest cinematic extensions of the archetypal monochrome portraits that graced Dylan's career-making early-'60s album jackets.
Pennebaker's access to the legendarily private troubadour enables us to witness Dylan's shifting moods as he performs, relaxes with his entourage (including then lover Joan Baez,... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Bob Dylan Director(s): D.A. Pennebaker DVD Release Date: Released the 04 January 2000 Usually ships in 24 hours
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It's virtually impossible to approach No Direction Home without a cluster of fixed ideas. Who doesn't have their own private Dylan? The true excellence of Martin Scorsese's achievement lies in how his documentary shakes us free of our comfortable assumptions. In the process, it plays out on several levels at once, each taking shape as an unfailingly fascinating narrative. There is, of course, the central story of an individual genius staking out his artistic identity. But along with this Bildungsroman come other threads and contexts: most notably, the role of popular culture in postwar America, art's self-reliance versus its social responsibilities, and fans' complicity with the publicity machine in sustaining myths. All of these threads reinforce each other, together... More Info about this DVD DVD Release Date: Released the 20 September 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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A treasure trove of heretofore unseen photographs of Bob Dylan will likely be the main attraction of Bob Dylan World Tours 1966-1974, a labor of love directed and produced by Joel Gilbert. Gilbert, leader of a group (called Highway 61 Revisited) that he bills as "the world's only lookalike, soundalike Bob Dylan tribute band," is obviously a Dylan fanatic (and he does bear a passing resemblance to a younger version of the singer). In the course of this two-hour documentary, he travels to Woodstock, New York, where he and Barry Feinstein, the official photographer on Dylan's trips to England in '66 (when he unveiled his new electric sound, to the dismay of many folk purists) and his '74 "comeback" tour with the Band, examining dozens of photos, many of them quite revealing.... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Bob Dylan DVD Release Date: Released the 08 March 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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