Bob Dylan: The Bootleg Series

haha but yeah totally agree on the cocaine thoughts vibe

and of course we also get the mirror image of paranoia: megalomania

I was exposed a lot to that type of apocalyptic born-again "Jesus freak" Christianity growing up. It's a very specific flavor the religion, which sprouted up in Southern California in the '70s among ex-hippies. There's an edge to it of, I'm not sure paranoia is the wrong word, maybe "pre-millenial tension". It's very focused on the book of Revelations, end-time prophecies, the Rapture, etc. It rejects mainstream denominations and established churches. Anyway I don't want to go on and on. There are probably books about it. But it's that particular strain of Christianity that Bob converted to. If you've never listened to the Keith Green, check out some of his albums, for a similar vibe. Actually I think Green helped to bring Bob to Christ. "So You Wanna Go Back to Egypt" is maybe a good place to start. That kind of bipolar flip from "God is Love" to "God is About to Rain Hellfire on Your Ass" is something that just sounds normal to me.

xp hmm I think the idea is that he ditched cocaine in favor of born again christianity but not sure if that's true (wasn't there something about a drug influence on the recording of Empire Burlesque?)

― niels,

the drug was called Yamaha DX-7.

dylan seems to have been born for the mindset of the particular style of born-again christianity he adopted, and this more than anything is why i tend to look askance at this period of his. his sixties work, particularly his earlier work, trades heavily on righteousness, which, even before the jesus thing, had a nasty tendency to curdle into self-righteousness. once he started believing he had god on his side... well, he's not the first person in history to become the very thing he once denounced.

His sixties work had an emotional range, but his alienation from American get-along-go-along was part of the appeal: he really was the Punk Laureate, though sometimes merely nasty, kneejerk, or cranky, yeah. Goes with the territory.

once he started believing he had god on his side

see what you did here but (as yr basically saying) he always thought this; something like "when the ship comes in" is almost indistinguishable from the xtian stuff. so, otm. that's why i don't look askance at it tho-- whenever someone describes this material by way of making it sound Bad it just sounds to me like they're describing the 60s stuff and don't know it. the politics are obv worse and don't begrudge anyone disliking it who just dnfw paranoid xtians but his politics were always odd rly and turned inward quickly; that's the other side of the folkies getting mad at him that isn't just rite of spring philistinism, i guess.

xp and yeah urite this is a more monochromatic era than his 60s.

lyrically.

maybe.

Judging by descriptions of the music on this new box, guess it maybe wasn't as monochromatic/reductive as I once thought, but have to wait for a nice-priced Used to find out for sure.

As I once suspected, I should say, cos still haven't listened to Slow Train Coming or Saved or Shot of Love, or Infidels, for that matter, not all the way through any of those, just enough of 'em (along with the crazier songs on Street Legal)to get a whiff of that already-familiar xpost Cali street preacher, only with Big Money, hurrah ("Mr. Hughes hid in Dylan's shoes"). Political avatar.

But his specific xpost inward-turning politics only surface occasionally--like when he told that French interviewer that God cursed America for its involvement with slavery, from the beginning.

So: political symptom, I should have said about the eccentric rich man's righteous caravan bit.

But his specific xpost inward-turning politics only surface occasionally--like when he told that French interviewer that God cursed America for its involvement with slavery, from the beginning.

― dow

the guy who gave the world "tarantula" and "renaldo and clara" was never going to fit comfortably in the long term as a born-again christian; revivalist movements tend not to differentiate strangeness and moral deviancy. the crusade, the promise of liberation, all the great gospel music he grew up on, may have drawn him to the movement but to stay as a white evangelical he would have had to, for instance, abandon his anti-racism (pace nugent). i've never known white evangelicals to say that america was cursed by god for being founded on slavery. i've known a lot who say that america was divinely ordained by god.

I dunno, some of the stuff on this is the only time outside of idiot wind and a few parts of blood on the tracks that Dylan turns his vitriol on himself as well, like I Ain't Gonna Go to Hell For Anybody

when are we gonna get the BOTT set anyway?

I thought there was some talk about that prior to this, tylerw might know

would be cool to hear the complete Minneapolis and New York sessions

how much from those sessions hasn't already been bootlegged? just wondering if I should get my hopes up, or if it'll just be better sounding version of what's long been available.

i'm not a dylan expert but my impression is basically none of it has been bootlegged? the original new york acetate has been bootlegged but aside from that i think all that's out there is stuff from earlier volumes of the bootleg series.

Oh wtf are yall talking about now? My poor wallet can't take no more (well not much more)

some of the stuff on this is the only time outside of idiot wind and a few parts of blood on the tracks that Dylan turns his vitriol on himself as well
Get thee behind me Satan, now I gotta hear it! You're also making me think of the confessional ending of "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine" (to the tune of the pure-minded "I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night") and the upfront warning in "I Pity The Poor Immigrant", "who turns his back on me", despite the more sympathetic or empathetic lines that follow---not so far from "Dear Landlord"'s "Every one of us can fill his life up with things he can see but he just cannot touch." Empathy takes some turns in the musically attractive, otherwise sometimes repulsive American cultural tradition, which incl. complicity and business-minded post-betrayal.
Also, in the version of "Ballad of A Thin Man" on Before The Flood, he sounds like he is Mr. Jones, lost and trapped, ditto (lost and trapped in knowledge of self and another, of a fucked relationship which will go on a while)in "Dirge" on Planet Waves.
And yeah, "Idiot Wind" hadda happen: after being on his best, sympathy-seeking behavior all through Blood On The Tracks, he lets the mask slip (maybe the divorce is finally a done deal). Go, Idiot Bob!

Slow Train Coming is the only ostensibly major Dylan I don't own, so I look forward to entry greasing my entry. I was mightily impressed by his vocal on "When He Returns" when I streamed the track a few months ago.

" i've never known white evangelicals to say that america was cursed by god for being founded on slavery. i've known a lot who say that america was divinely ordained by god."

those types say america is cursed for tolerating abortion and homosexuality very very often…

whatever god you pray to Jim Keltner and Tim Drummond are a hot shit rhythm section

those types say america is cursed for tolerating abortion and homosexuality very very often…

― veronica moser

or taking the bible out of schools. it has strayed, they will tell you, from the True Path of the sainted Founders - they wish to Restore America as a Shining City on a Hill.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DN6DVHWUEAEK9V3.jpg:large

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DN40EipUQAAyYTS.jpg:large

look at those upstanding young Christian gentlemen

I am so in love with this set, so funny (and weirdly typical Dylan) that this constitutes his Xtian period, cuz if you aren't listening close to lyrics, the music is fun, coked-up 70s rock. The band is awesome as has been mentioned but man props to the backing vocalists who are fucking great and couple times someone is busting out their best Roky Erickson scream.

yeah, i'm not sure who the raspy backup singer is, but she brings it ... totally into this set. I was a believer before, but the cleaned up live stuff (especially 79-80) is sounding so righteous. what a band! Drummond / Keltner are clearly really enjoying themselves.

Which version of this have people gone with? Would ideally like the big box, especially with the documentary, but don’t have the $ right now. Wondering if the 2CD set brings the cream and the rest would be overkill/diminishing returns?

Still haven’t bought the Cutting Edge in hopes of getting the unauthorized Japanese full set that was briefly around. Probably time to move on and “settle” for the 6 disc.

My soul wont let me get anything but the most complete version. My wallet says that shit is offensively overpriced, so just like the last few bootleg releases i won't be paying for any of em :-(

yeah, i'm not sure who the raspy backup singer is, but she brings it ... totally into this set.

is it Helena Springs?

she's up there, just not sure if she's the one who's belting out her vocals on things like "pressing on" ... will have to watch the doc at some point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K01EAM2TtD4

haha that guy at 4:23 is having such a good time

who's with dylan in those photos?

Keltner and Drummond (drummer and bass player, respectively)

Just got the 2-disc version. I've never really got into this stuff on the studio albums. Curious

here, take a brochure, it has the words to today's hymns in it

Jesus....rocks

have you heard the good news?

santana's solo on "the groom's still waiting at the altar" really goes in

https://image.spreadshirtmedia.com/image-server/v1/mp/compositions/P1001859509MPC1003190313/views/1,width=300,height=300,appearanceId=70,backgroundColor=E8E8E8,version=1468495391/jesus-rock-and-roll-men-s-ringer-t-shirt.jpg

the "Blessed by the Name" on disc 2 of the 2CD set is so nuts, just a freight (not slow) train of a groove

sometimes it's so over the top with the fervor and the backup singers i wonder if nick cave had heard some of these boots when he was making lyre of orpheus/abbatoir blues

(or henry's dream)

Consideringg what a "Street-Legal" fan Cave is I am guessing he most have, I was thinking the same thing over the wknd but yeah this live band is totally a Lyre of Oh/Abby Blues template

From Mojo magazine, January 1997:
MOJO: What, if push comes to shove, is your all-time favourite album?
CAVE: I guess it's Slow Train Coming by Bob Dylan. That's a great record, full of mean-spirited spirituality. It's a genuinely nasty record, certainly the nastiest 'Christian' album I've ever come across.

esp. the more gospelly they get (away from the apex of 'slow train' sleaze), i think the band often sounds not far from what you can often hear on like those 'fire in my bones' comps, church bands playing, don't see why cave couldn't have heard some of that sort of stuff the normal ways back in the day (or since)

Reminds me: wonder if he ever heard this, before doing all that? Originally released in 1969, so maybe---see for yourself which songs, several I wouldn't have thought of for this, but I like it (also might have been an influence on New Morning, a little bit*, though not sure when that was recorded):
https://lightintheattic.net/releases/1007-dylan-s-gospel

*Also maybe the black gospel-associated harmonists x white country-associated steel guitar [before most of us listeners knew about the black church communities documented much later in Sacred Steel) on the chorus of "George Jackson" ( a rare if not unprecented musical move at the time, and taken as standing for solidarity): https://revolutionaryfrontlines.wordpress.com/2011/08/21/george-jackson-a-song-by-bob-dylan-1971/ Not great, but very much to the point, and unabashedly related then to some events still controversial in some respects (incl. Jackson's whole life, as well as death, and the Marin County Courthouse shoot-out afterwards)
(Also "Property of Jesus" etc. got covered later.)

In case that won't play, here's a key line: "Sometimes I think this whole world/Is one big prison yard/Some of us are prisoners/The rest of us are guards."