Rolling Thunder Revue - "MY" Bob Dylan Story

[JMacBass65]

I remember taking a date to see Renaldo & Clara when it was released in 1978. I was enthralled. She was... not.

There's a good 2 CD release documenting the 1975 leg of the Rolling Thunder Revue. OP, you might find it interesting:

Invalid Link Removed

I have seen a few clips of R&C on YouTube and can't really make heads or tails out of what I am seeing. I might try to hunt down the complete thing. Thanks for the CD tip, will no doubt track that down.

Blood on the Tracks changed my life, for reals. Rolling Thunder Revue catches Dylan at some kind of artistic peak, but he's had many peaks and valleys in his career. I can say without reservation both the best and worst shows I've ever paid to see were put on by Dylan.

Fun trivia, I worked briefly with a drummer who played in a Dylan tribute band with Scarlett Viera.

I totally get the best/worst comment. Sounds like a sweet gig for that drummer.

Thanks, I put it in my Netflix list to watch soon.

Cool, hope you enjoy it!

I have seen the film, read the bio, and listened to many, many hours of his music. Blood on the Tracks was a revelation to me, during a period of hard rock, glam rock, and pretentiousness, I realized what could be done with
an acoustic guitar, harmonica, and minimal backing.

I have always thought of Dylan as a poet first and foremost, and sometimes the music is there just to support the poetry. Many people have disparaged his singing to me, to which I shake my head and say, “You don’t get it. Listen to what he’s saying” The sane is true for Neil Young and Tom Waits. Their voices are perfect for what they are saying.

It’s true that Bobs voice is not what it used to be. Show me someone in their eighties who hasn’t lost a little.

Spot on! And as for his voice, while it's not what it used to be, he still can use it to great effect. Take a listen to False Prophet, Goodby Jimmy Reed, and Murder Most Foul from his latest, Rough and Rowdy Ways.

I watched the whole thing (Renaldo & Clara) on a rental a number of years ago- (I'm a Bob fan). It's definitely "of it's time" and would be difficult for your average citizen. Rob Stoner did some great playing, IMO, and a bunch of the live numbers are good, if not notoriously cocaine-fueled.

And, I love Scorsese and certainly understand why he did what he did but do prefer the genuine article, warts and all.

Heh, yeah, I figured there was some cocaine involved, LOL. As for Scorsese, I DON'T get why he did it. I saw some reviewer say he was trying to reconcile his early career with his later stuff, having become part of the "establishment" or something like that, particularly with the Sharon Stone bit. Don't at all understand how that was accomplished.

Huge Dylan fan here. If anything I am more into his later work and voice than his earlier stuff (though it's all great).

Once you work your way through the albums proper, which could take a while, check out his bootleg series. 14 volumes so far.

Sweet, thanks for the tip.

For another glimpse of Dylan being humorous and entertaining (though snarky and sarcastic, too ... it's Dylan after all ), watch "Don't Look Back". Footage of early Dylan, and even a dose of Ginsberg (a long association). Definitely worth a watch.

"Bringing it All Back Home", "Highway 61", and "Blonde On Blonde" are my absolute favorite Dylan ("Freewheelin'" is up there too) - Bloomfield's guitar, Kooper's organ (even though he's "not a keyboard player"), Charlie McCoy on "Mr.Tambourine Man" ... some great collaborators, and great songs. "Memphis Blues Again", from B on B is a classic, imo. Tons of great music there. Enjoy!

Cool, thanks for the tip in "Don't Look Back", will check it out.

Great film (not a documentary, really).

Exactly.

Al Kooper has a great story about playing the iconic organ part on "Like a Rolling Stone":

Love this!! I have really tried to impress upon my kids that just CREATING situations for yourself in life is the biggest key to getting what you want. That's certainly what Kooper did, as he said in the video.

I like most of Dylan's albums, but my favourite is usually Oh Mercy. I don't think I've ever admitted that around other Dylan fans, thoughts?

Oh Mercy and Time Out of Mind are two of my favorites in the Dylan catalog. I thought Daniel Lanois was a perfect producer for Dylan.

He actually devotes nearly an entire chapter in Chronicles to the recording of Oh Mercy. I don't know that album other than "Most of the Time" due to it's inclusion on a playlist. I like Lanois though, as well as that song, so will check it out.

I like your discoveries of the artist. He is truly a wordsmith.

That was a great movie. I was fortunate enough to see that show in Niagara Falls NY. It was a memorable show.

Wow, that's cool. He played my local venue back in December, unfortunately I had yet to have my eyes opened. Ugh! I had actually considered going because he's a legend, and was 80 at the time, but ended up taking a pass. Really kicking myself for that one.

this is on my all time greatest live discs. it's very hard to get on my list

Good read.

Thanks!

I bought "Desire" on vinyl when it first came out, I think because i heard "Hurricane" on the radio and liked the intensity. After that picked up on 'Serve Somebody' but Dylan more or less fell off my radar for a long time after that - until the Traveling Wilburys (!!)

Big thanks to JMacBass65 for pointing out the netflix flick - my wife has a netflix account, I'll ask her to dial it up!

Cool, hope you enjoy!

I have a scarf called Blonde on Blonde — made by Kelley Deal — and, like the album, it's comforting and unique. And I once wrote an essay about Hard Rain, and other poems, in answer to the question 'How does a poem mean?' or something like that. Served me very well, magic song Have a look at Lord Randall.

Used to listen to Masterpieces, a lot. Didn't stop there. Forever grateful to Bob. May he live forever (young).

​

Cool story about the scarf!! Will check out Lord Randall.

I remember posting that version of Isis in the what are you listening to thread son of wobble quoted me and said that the approach seemed very punk rock to him,everyone just playing full bore. had to agree. always loved that cut. not sure what life would be like if l hadnt ever heard bob

The live 'Isis' is a whirling dervish of metaphorical mysticism with a groove that hammers your aura to the floor-ah. Bob's that drill press in the machine shop that just keep's working year after year, cutting through whatever comes his way.

Yeah, that live Isis is amazing!!!

It's a great film, even for a casual Dylan fan, but the high point for me is the sequence where Joni Mitchell plays "Coyote." Jaw-dropping.

Yeah, that was a super cool scene, such a fantastic song!

It's a fun watch — I was the only one in my viewing party who enjoyed the performance of "Hard Rain." Big payoff for me was getting a bead on the location of Jack Kerouac's gravesite in Lowell MA. (It's his birth centennial year, if you're keeping score at home.)

just dropping by to say, the dylan museum in tulsa is an awesomely impressive place to visit, whether you're a fan or not.

Thanks for the tip. Wonder why it's in Tulsa?

Has anyone mentioned Nashville Skyline?

You just did, LOL! It's a bit jarring to hear in a random playlist, but Girl from the North Country is cool with Johnny Cash. He mentions it in Chronicles but not by name, as an effort to distance himself from his past.

My biggest appreciation of Dylan comes from the way he never plays the same same the same way twice.
I caught a few shows on his tour with Lesh back in the day and was very impressed.

Agreed!

Blonde On Blonde and Blood On The Tracks are my two favorites. Along with this song from one of the Greatest Hits album. LOVE this song!! (Jesse Ed Davis on lead guitar.)

Nice, thanks for sharing that!

So, it turns out that when I went to watch it last night, I had already started watching it previously and only made it 20 minutes in. Hmm, strange I thought and started it over. I could have skipped the first 20 minutes. The movie dragged at times, and mostly I liked the live stage footage and found some of the stuff in between not intriguing enough. But I did get excited and drawn in for most of it and think I'll explore more. I enjoyed the violin player a lot. The highlight for me was Joni playing Coyote. That was making me smile and laugh with joy. Overall, I really dug it, but it could have been about 30 minutes shorter. I did get into the Dylan album Modern Times years ago and loved it. Time to break it out again.

Cool, thanks for circling back. Yeah, it is LONG! I have watched it twice all the way through. Since then I have just revisited the performance bits.

I heard a lot of the movie was made up BS to be more dramatic. For instance, Sharon Stone's story is mostly, if not all, fake. It's a movie, apparently, not a documentary. I felt a tad cheated after I heard that. The performance pieces were marvelous and turned me into a Rob Stoner fan.

Yeah, Rob kills, as does Ronson. Def don't get the fictional bits.

Kinda weird how certain filmmakers think that it makes sense to do stuff like this lol.

Could have probably made it more interesting as a factual documentary, instead of cluttering it with fiction. Kind of a cop out considering the subject matter.

Yeah, I agree.

It is almost beyond comprehension to imagine what it would be like to be Bob Dylan he has not been able to live anything like a normal life for close to 60 years. People have put him on a pedestal and hounded him for years. I know people who are friends of some of his associates and he lives a reclusive life and enjoys sculpting and welding metal sculptures. One friend of mine is close to his musical director Tony Garnier and he handles all rehearsal and communication with various players Bob doesn't speak with the players.

He devotes a big part of Chronicles to exactly pressure and burden.

Your vinyl list is must have stuff. Also, the Bootleg Series and the Biograph set are great on vinyl. His early acoustic-based stuff is perfect on vinyl and a decent stereo setup. The 1992 30th Anniversary concert film from Madison Square Garden is great viewing too. You realize how great his songs are when so many other artists perform and inerpret them. His set on George Harrison's Concert for Bangla Desh is pretty cool too. Glad you finally "came over."

Sweet, thanks for the tips!

 

[JMacBass65]

So, since we are exchanging thoughts and ideas......

"Queen Jane Approximately"

I really like this tune in spite of the, er, issues with it. It might be part of the reason I like it, I'm not sure.

Thoughts?

 

[5StringBlues]

Love that tune! Sounds really great on a Sunday morning when you done a little too much indulgence the night before.

So, since we are exchanging thoughts and ideas......

"Queen Jane Approximately"

I really like this tune in spite of the, er, issues with it. It might be part of the reason I like it, I'm not sure.

Thoughts?

 

[yodedude2]

...
Thanks for the tip. Wonder why it's in Tulsa?

dylan's choice. it's near the woody guthrie museum. tulsa has a rich musical history. the oklahoma jazz hall of fame is there also, just a few blocks away.

 

[TyBo]

So, since we are exchanging thoughts and ideas......

"Queen Jane Approximately"

I really like this tune in spite of the, er, issues with it. It might be part of the reason I like it, I'm not sure.

Thoughts?

Yeah, Dylan generally was going after feeling, not perfection. Didn't generally do a lot of takes. So he got a feeling with that tune, I'd say. Certainly didn't get perfection, but who cares? His hero was Woody Guthrie, who was a very off the cuff guy, so there you go.

 

[TyBo]

Another clip talking about Dylan in his early, classic phase, up through Nashville Skyline. Focused mostly on Nashville and the recording there of Blonde on Blonde and Nashville Skyline, and the Nashville studio guys who played on those albums. I hadn't realized the extent to which Dylan changed Nashville itself when he recorded there. Led to a musical explosion there. Interesting interviews with some great musicians. About 20 minutes.

 

[LBS-bass]

Dylan was of a time. If you did not live through that time, it's harder to comprehend the impact he had, and why. I am about six years older than the OP and I'm pretty much too young to have gotten the full impact. I lived it vicariously through people ten years my senior that I worked with in music, but it was still fresh enough in them to rub off a little.

Nice post, OP.

 

[TyBo]

Dylan was of a time. If you did not live through that time, it's harder to comprehend the impact he had, and why. I am about six years older than the OP and I'm pretty much too young to have gotten the full impact. I lived it vicariously through people ten years my senior that I worked with in music, but it was still fresh enough in them to rub off a little.

Nice post, OP.

Yes, I think that may be particularly true for Dylan, though I've seen it with the Beatles too, where someone who encounters them after the fact says, "Meh, not such a big deal. Basically a boy band."

Maybe a dynamic present in some degree for any era. But Dylan is a guy who just turned the musical landscape on its ear, setting poetry to popular music in a way that was all new, turning the folk scene in which he first appeared on its ear by going electric, turning Nashville on its ear while recording his unique material in his unique way there. He influenced everyone. I think of the Beatles of course, who started writing differently after encountering Dylan (John Lennon especially, though George was the one who became close to him). And Dylan was a revelation for Hendrix, realizing that, hey Dylan can do these songs, with that voice ... I can do it too! And taking the poetic element strongly to heart as well in his own lyrics. (And reimagining "All Along the Watchtower" in such a way that Dylan himself commented that that was how the song should go! )

I first heard Dylan when a friend's older sister was playing his first album. I remember thinking it was an odd voice, but also feeling vaguely interested in it. Odd, different ... but interesting. Yep.

 

[Ostie]

Dylan was of a time. If you did not live through that time, it's harder to comprehend the impact he had, and why. I am about six years older than the OP and I'm pretty much too young to have gotten the full impact. I lived it vicariously through people ten years my senior that I worked with in music, but it was still fresh enough in them to rub off a little.

Nice post, OP.

Same with the Beatles. If you experienced Beatlemania, chances are you like them. If not, it’s hit or miss. I can’t imagine anyone who doesn’t like a single Beatles tune. I probably like 99% of them.

When I was learning to play guitar, I listened to a lot of Bob, because the songs were simple to play, and I could sing along and it didn’t sound that bad. I think the first one I learned was Hard Rain Gonna Fall, and I still love that song. Love Leon Russel’s take on it as well.

 

[TyBo]

Same with the Beatles. If you experienced Beatlemania, chances are you like them. If not, it’s hit or miss. I can’t imagine anyone who doesn’t like a single Beatles tune. I probably like 99% of them.

When I was learning to play guitar, I listened to a lot of Bob, because the songs were simple to play, and I could sing along and it didn’t sound that bad. I think the first one I learned was Hard Rain Gonna Fall, and I still love that song. Love Leon Russel’s take on it as well.

"Don't Think Twice" for me. Got the picking pattern going, not a wide range to sing the melody ... I was naively pleased with myself .

 

[Barton Lee]

I got a call for a gig back in early May, a last-minute sub opportunity with a group of local musicians who were to perform on Memorial Day weekend at the annual Dylan Fest. The venue was the Sacred Heart Music Center, a beautiful old former Catholic cathedral in downtown Duluth (MN). I got a list of 33 potential songs, many of which I'd never heard before on account of the fact that I'd never been a big fan of Dylan's music and had only heard the obvious radio hits. Not one to turn a decent gig down, I said yes despite the fact that there was going to be only one hour of rehearsal before the show, mostly to go over key changes (thanks for that) and a few arrangement issues.

When I got the list and began listening to the songs, one of the first things I said to myself was, "there's no way they're going to pick Isis" as there were (I thought) better choices on the list. I was wrong about that. As I was told, our version of Isis took inspiration from the Rolling Thunder Revue. If I only I'd seen it before our performance...That said, the audience response at the end of Isis was arguably the most demonstrative of the whole night. I asked one of the band members later what the lyrics to Isis were about and he proceeded to begin a lengthy explanation which I didn't really follow and soon gave up trying.

Jokerman had the most challenging bass part on the set list, and was also the most fun to play. I'd decided to bring my 2017 Guild Starfire II strung with TI Jazz flats and that was definitely the right choice for the gig. And what an amazingly fun and largely successful gig it turned out to be! Yes, there were numerous wrong notes and sloppy moments but both the audience and the band (myself included) truly enjoyed a celebration of Bob Dylan's 80th birthday and his music in the town where he was born.

(There is a very well-done video of this performance available on YouTube, but no link from me as I'm not that proud of it).

 

[JMacBass65]

I got a call for a gig back in early May, a last-minute sub opportunity with a group of local musicians who were to perform on Memorial Day weekend at the annual Dylan Fest. The venue was the Sacred Heart Music Center, a beautiful old former Catholic cathedral in downtown Duluth (MN). I got a list of 33 potential songs, many of which I'd never heard before on account of the fact that I'd never been a big fan of Dylan's music and had only heard the obvious radio hits. Not one to turn a decent gig down, I said yes despite the fact that there was going to be only one hour of rehearsal before the show, mostly to go over key changes (thanks for that) and a few arrangement issues.

When I got the list and began listening to the songs, one of the first things I said to myself was, "there's no way they're going to pick Isis" as there were (I thought) better choices on the list. I was wrong about that. As I was told, our version of Isis took inspiration from the Rolling Thunder Revue. If I only I'd seen it before our performance...That said, the audience response at the end of Isis was arguably the most demonstrative of the whole night. I asked one of the band members later what the lyrics to Isis were about and he proceeded to begin a lengthy explanation which I didn't really follow and soon gave up trying.

Jokerman had the most challenging bass part on the set list, and was also the most fun to play. I'd decided to bring my 2017 Guild Starfire II strung with TI Jazz flats and that was definitely the right choice for the gig. And what an amazingly fun and largely successful gig it turned out to be! Yes, there were numerous wrong notes and sloppy moments but both the audience and the band (myself included) truly enjoyed a celebration of Bob Dylan's 80th birthday and his music in the town where he was born.

(There is a very well-done video of this performance available on YouTube, but no link from me as I'm not that proud of it).

WOW, sounds like a super cool gig!! Jokerman is a cool tune with a cool bass part. I don't think Bob has played Isis for decades, so not surprised it got a great response. I think I read somewhere that Dylan said it was simply a song about marriage. I think that's an oversimplification.

It'd be cool to know more of the setlist, whatever you recall.

 

[Barton Lee]

WOW, sounds like a super cool gig!! Jokerman is a cool tune with a cool bass part. I don't think Bob has played Isis for decades, so not surprised it got a great response. I think I read somewhere that Dylan said it was simply a song about marriage. I think that's an oversimplification.

It'd be cool to know more of the setlist, whatever you recall.

Thanks for your interest in this. The list in order was:

Tom Thumb's Blues
Queen Jane Approximately
Political World
Mozambique
I Want You
I Shall Be Released
Positively 4th Street
From A Buick
You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone
Highway 61 Revisited
Lay Lady, Lay
Blind Willie McTell
All Along the Watchtower (I live a few blocks from the tower that inspired Dylan to write this)
Shelter From the Storm
Isis
You Go Your Way, I'll Go Mine
Tangled Up in Blue
??? (I've forgotten the title!)
Rainy Day Woman
Jokerman
Like a Rolling Stone
Silvio (only because we came up short of material and had to add something easy at the last second)
Forever Young

The sound engineer did a great job in a challenging acoustical environment, and I was very impressed at the quality of the video the camera crew put out for the live stream. It's one of the only gigs in my life that I can remember where the venue/booking party came back a week after the gig to offer a band extra money for a show they'd already played. We didn't say no, whether or not we actually deserved it. If you google the venue (Sacred Heart Music Center Duluth), the Dylan video is easy to find and you can judge for yourself. The piano player is really a guitar player, and some of my bass playing decisions where poorly made, but overall it hold up fairly well. I hope.

 

[JMacBass65]

Thanks for your interest in this. The list in order was:

Tom Thumb's Blues
Queen Jane Approximately
Political World
Mozambique
I Want You
I Shall Be Released
Positively 4th Street
From A Buick
You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone
Highway 61 Revisited
Lay Lady, Lay
Blind Willie McTell
All Along the Watchtower (I live a few blocks from the tower that inspired Dylan to write this)
Shelter From the Storm
Isis
You Go Your Way, I'll Go Mine
Tangled Up in Blue
??? (I've forgotten the title!)
Rainy Day Woman
Jokerman
Like a Rolling Stone
Silvio (only because we came up short of material and had to add something easy at the last second)
Forever Young

The sound engineer did a great job in a challenging acoustical environment, and I was very impressed at the quality of the video the camera crew put out for the live stream. It's one of the only gigs in my life that I can remember where the venue/booking party came back a week after the gig to offer a band extra money for a show they'd already played. We didn't say no, whether or not we actually deserved it. If you google the venue (Sacred Heart Music Center Duluth), the Dylan video is easy to find and you can judge for yourself. The piano player is really a guitar player, and some of my bass playing decisions where poorly made, but overall it hold up fairly well. I hope.

Sweet setlist, thanks for sharing. And you guys got a bonus, that's fantastic.

So I actually found this on YouTube late last night (actually early AM) while I was waiting at the Kaiser Urgent Care with my son (he's fine, but did you know that eating too much dragon fruit turns your urine pink?).......

Anyway, will check it all out later when I can listen better, but skimming around listening on my phone (no earbuds) you all sounded great!! And I jumped to Isis and did listen to that all the way through. Great job and yeah, the crowd sure did respond to that, damn near a standing O!

Also - I recognized Steve, the guy on electric, straight away as being the guitarist in Tommy Stinson's original incarnation of his first post Replacements band, Bash and Pop. He's a great player (of course, you all were).

What an awesome gig!!

 

[Hurricane Jimmie]

So Anyway, watching TRTR movie I was surprised at how many folks really went 'To Church' at the concert. It was like they had a spiritual experience by being in the same building with Dylan.

And all the backstage antics, who gets time, who gets cut was also very revealing. A good movie.

 

[Barton Lee]

Sweet setlist, thanks for sharing. And you guys got a bonus, that's fantastic.

So I actually found this on YouTube late last night (actually early AM) while I was waiting at the Kaiser Urgent Care with my son (he's fine, but did you know that eating too much dragon fruit turns your urine pink?).......

Anyway, will check it all out later when I can listen better, but skimming around listening on my phone (no earbuds) you all sounded great!! And I jumped to Isis and did listen to that all the way through. Great job and yeah, the crowd sure did respond to that, damn near a standing O!

Also - I recognized Steve, the guy on electric, straight away as being the guitarist in Tommy Stinson's original incarnation of his first post Replacements band, Bash and Pop. He's a great player (of course, you all were).

What an awesome gig!!

Thanks, you are too kind, sir.

Okay, back to TRTR and Bob Dylan...

 

[Tom Bomb]

Great show. Great institution ​

 

[JMacBass65]

Thanks, you are too kind, sir.

Okay, back to TRTR and Bob Dylan...

So OK, I'll get back to Rolling Thunder in a moment.....

Just listened to a few songs from your gig, and this time with good headphones. You guys (and you w/ one rehearsal and a song list of 30 tunes) did a great job, and your tone is flipping great!! Any info about your bass and strings would be cool.

OK, next post will be about Dylan.

 

[5StringBlues]

Dylan's religious. Takes a lot of Flack, but musically I really enjoy slow train coming. Mark Knopfler is great on that record and Tim Drummond lays down sweet bass. SHOT OF LOVE is also underrated to me. dylans religious period,stupid voice to text...

 

[JMacBass65]

"I think it probably sounded like fun, but I had also experienced Dylan, and you know how much fun that can be on tour.....or NOT......."

Joan Baez