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1974
Your All-Genres Guide To Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters
All Reviews In-Depth and from the Discs Themselves
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"...You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)..."
I remember my slightly (if I'm truthful) horrified response to the opening tracks of the 1974 double live-album "Before The Flood". Back with his spiritual brothers from another mother THE BAND - Dylan seemed to not give a rat's ass for nuance as he mostly shouted his way through songs that were once delicate but here felt like sledgehammers. At the time, I detested it at first; while others thought the revamps of old 60ts crusties refreshing if not a tad ragged.
But the trump card was of course The Band. You'd get Robbie Robertson's guitar playing clearly on fire as he rips through "Rainy Day Women ♯ 12 & 35" - Levon Helm also ramping things up with his great keyboard contributions. As The Band takes over vocals for "Up On Cripple Creek", a Rock-Soulful "I Shall Be Released" and the crazy August heat of "Endless Highway" - magic undoubtedly happens.
"Before The Flood" is like that – an awkward listen - I like half of it - hate the other half. It's a live set you sort of need to come at sideways - take it as it comes.
So here are the badges that should be taken off and the nights getting too dark to see...
So here are the badges that should be taken off and the nights getting too dark to see...
UK and Europe released 16 June 2009 - "Before The Flood: Recorded Live In Concert" by BOB DYLAN and THE BAND on Columbia/Sony Music 88697347022 (Barcode 886973470220) is a Standard Edition in a 2CD Jewel Case.
NOTE: It had been reissued 30 March 2009 in the UK and Europe on Columbia/Sony Music 88697082242 (Barcode 886970822428) as a Limited Edition Collector's Digipak with the same Greg Calbi Remasters (not an SACD issue).
CD1 (45:43 minutes):
1. Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine) [Side 1]
2. Lay Lady Lay
3. Rainy Day Women ♯ 12 & 35
4. Knockin' On Heaven's Door
5. It Ain't Me, Babe
6. Ballad Of A Thin Man
7. Up On Cripple Creek [Side 2]
8. I Shall Be Released
9. Endless Highway
10. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
11. Stage Fright
1. Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine) [Side 1]
2. Lay Lady Lay
3. Rainy Day Women ♯ 12 & 35
4. Knockin' On Heaven's Door
5. It Ain't Me, Babe
6. Ballad Of A Thin Man
7. Up On Cripple Creek [Side 2]
8. I Shall Be Released
9. Endless Highway
10. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
11. Stage Fright
CD2 (46:47 minutes):
1. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [Side 3]
2. Just Like A Woman
3. It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
4. The Shape I'm In
5. When You Awake
6. The Weight
7. All Along The Watchtower [Side 4]
8. Highway 61 Revisited
9. Like A Rolling Stone
10. Blowin' In The Wind
CD1 and 2 make up the double live album "Before The Flood: Recorded Live in Concert" - released 20 June 1974 in the USA on Asylum AB 201 and June 1974 in the UK on Island IDBD 1 (it peaked at No. 3 in the USA and No. 8 in the UK). The booklet lists the US catalogue number as C2 37661, but that issue was the 1983 variant when the 2LP set first appeared on Columbia Records as a Reissue.
1. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [Side 3]
2. Just Like A Woman
3. It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
4. The Shape I'm In
5. When You Awake
6. The Weight
7. All Along The Watchtower [Side 4]
8. Highway 61 Revisited
9. Like A Rolling Stone
10. Blowin' In The Wind
CD1 and 2 make up the double live album "Before The Flood: Recorded Live in Concert" - released 20 June 1974 in the USA on Asylum AB 201 and June 1974 in the UK on Island IDBD 1 (it peaked at No. 3 in the USA and No. 8 in the UK). The booklet lists the US catalogue number as C2 37661, but that issue was the 1983 variant when the 2LP set first appeared on Columbia Records as a Reissue.
BOB DYLAN – Lead Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica and Piano
THE BAND:
ROBBIE ROBERTSON – Lead Vocals and Lead Guitar
GARTH HUDSON – Keyboards – Organ, Piano and Clavinette
RICHARD MANUEL – Keyboards – Piano, Electric Piano, Organ, Drums and Vocals
RICK DANKO – Bass and Vocals
LEVON HELM – Drums and Vocals
ROBBIE ROBERTSON – Lead Vocals and Lead Guitar
GARTH HUDSON – Keyboards – Organ, Piano and Clavinette
RICHARD MANUEL – Keyboards – Piano, Electric Piano, Organ, Drums and Vocals
RICK DANKO – Bass and Vocals
LEVON HELM – Drums and Vocals
The big news here is a GREG CALBI Remaster that elevates things so much. For instance after the three incendiary acoustic numbers on Side 3 and the Band kicks in for a great version of "The Shape I'm In" – you can literally feel the oomph in the improvement. Calbi has done much-praised Remasters of key albums by Paul McCartney, Paul Simon and Bob Dylan. You have to suspend audiophile expectations here, but this is a definite improvement over my original vinyl and that 1996 double-disc set I once had.
The 8-page booklet (like so many of these Sony/Columbia releases) is nice but a purely functional affair nonetheless with Musician/Gig credits and some colour photos from the original double-album artwork. But there are no new liner notes or any history. It doesn’t even for instance tell you that Side 2 of the LP was entirely the Band or that Dylan opens Side 3 with Acoustic/Harmonica versions of "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" and "Just Like A Woman" – both of which are filled with passion and crowd pleasure. He follows that with a fantastic all-lyrics-blazing version of "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" – the acoustic guitar speeding as he spouts out more words in one song than some singers do in an entire album. And when he sings that sometimes "...even a President has to stand naked..." - the crowd thinks of dodgy Richard Nixon and erupts.
After excellent Band versions of "When You Awake" and put the load right on me of "The Weight" – Bob re-joins his boys again for a rapido geetar version of "All Along The Watchtower". Robertson and Hudson pump up the feel with great contributions and then get all Country Slide Rock for "Highway 61 Revisited" – a very cool live version of a smart Bob Dylan song. It rolls to a finish with seven minutes of "Like A Rolling Stone" – again Bob straining and perhaps shouting too much. But a magisterial "Blowin' In The Wind" comes on like a mountain of huge import – The Band being the perfect foil for his epic scene setting.
I have enjoyed re-hearing "Before The Flood..." – but in February of 1975 Bob Dylan would return with "Blood On The Tracks" and I was to be properly blown away rather than being just impressed.
Still if you want to put that candle aloft again like so many did on the cover art to this largely forgotten live double-album, then this 2009 Greg Calbi 2CD Remaster is the place to strike your first match...
