Bob Dylan: Trouble No More - The Bootleg Series Vol. 13 1979-1981
Recorded live from 1979-1982
Whatever Dylan's motivation/inspirations were during the "Christian years" of 1979-1982 he absolutely played it as if he meant it, which is something he does not always do. He was on fire here. A fervent fire. It shows in his vocal delivery, his interaction with his top notch band and just the general "feel" on the performances. It is really good to hear Dylan so enthusiastic, and to hear performances from this often ignored period in his long career.
The live shows are great. A bit of variation in sound quality between them as is to be expected given the years they were recorded in, but overall I was pleasantly surprised by the excellent, warm, full sound quality. The Toronto gig has a lovely bassy sound. the London show is great too. I would give the former the edge for sound quality, however, sounding more like a “proper” live album in comparison with a very, very good bootleg.
When he kicks off with Slow Train and Gotta Serve Somebody on the earlier dates there is a vibrancy about the renditions rare in Dylan live cuts since Hard Rain. Whereas the complete Toronto show that you get is totally taken up with "born again" material, by the 1981 Wembley show, Bob had deigned to put Like A Rolling Stone, Mr. Tambourine Man, Forever Young, Just Like A Woman and several other old favourites into the set and included only eight songs from the Christian trio.
It is all just very enjoyable. Great to hear other material rather than Watchtower or Thin Man again (although the latter is played in 1981 at Wembley).
I am not always a big fan of "outtakes" but those contained here are very impressive. Indeed, for the both the live cuts and the outtakes, I am finding I prefer listening to them to the studio originals. This is particularly true of the material from Saved and Shot Of Love. Songs like Covenant Woman, In The Garden, Pressing On and Solid Rock really come to life in a way just not heard on the somewhat dull originals. What Can I Do For You? features some stonking backing vocals and a killer harmonica solo from Dylan. It is twice the track it is on the original album. Check out the horn-enhanced version of Gonna Change My Way Of Thinking too, or indeed the equally horn-improved Slow Train.
Ain't No Man Righteous, Not One is an impressive, previously unreleased outtake as is the evocative, organ-driven, soulful Making A Liar Out Of Me. What a superb hidden diamond this one is. The same applies to the muscular, pounding rock of Yonder Comes Sin. The gospelly, acoustic tones of Rise Again hark back to parts of the Rolling Thunder tour (The Water Is Wide). Three more previously unreleased good ones are Ye Shall Be Changed, Trouble In Mind and You Changed My Life.
I guess as many of these "bootleg series" box sets have proved, there are outtakes and there are Dylan outtakes. The great re-inventor often leaves an absolute gem of a version of a song on the cutting room floor, only to show up on these sets years later.
You may wish to read my reviews of the original studio albums from this period (click on the titles) -
