Bob Dylan Fiddle & Bow: On Tour ­ Spring 2005

 

 

 

Fiddle & Bow: On Tour ­ Spring 2005 

 

Absolutely Sweet Marie ­ Live ­ Detroit ­ April 12, 2005 

It's All Over Now, Baby Blue ­ Live ­ Seattle ­ March 8, 2005 

Stuck Inside Of Mobile ­ Live ­ Seattle ­ March 7, 2005 

Hazel ­ Live ­ Mashantucket ­ April 22, 2005 

Tweedle Dum & Tweedle Dee ­ Live ­ March 14, 2005 

Senor ­ Live ­ Chicago ­ April 3, 2005 

Under The Red Sky ­ Live ­ Detroit ­ April 12, 2005 

I'll Remember You ­ Live ­ Detroit ­ April 12, 2005 

Cat's In The Well ­ Live ­ Seattle ­ March 8, 2005 

Moonlight ­ Live ­ Seattle ­ March 7, 2005 

Honest With Me ­ Live ­ Reno ­ March 18, 2005 

Mississippi ­ Live ­ Reno ­ March 18, 2005 

All Along The Watchtower ­ Live ­ Seattle ­ March 7, 2005 

This is a truly superlative set of songs. In the Spring of 2005, violinist Elana Fremerman had joined Bob Dylan's band for a tour of the United States, and she contributed significantly to the overall sound of the band. At the same time, recording technology had progressed to the point of capturing audience recordings that often surpassed the soundboard tapes of previous decades. These factors combined to offer one of the most coherent, compelling compilations yet offered on The Thousand Highways Collection. 

Highlights include the best renditions of "Absolutely Sweet Marie," "Honest With Me," and "Mississippi" ever played outside of a studio setting. "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" is played with a vocal unrivaled since it had been played in the mid­1990s. The collection also includes a rare outing of "Hazel," including a pleasant violin interlude. Outside of these highlights, the remainder of the songs prove quite strong as well ­ "Stuck Inside of Mobile," "Moonlight," and "Tweedle Dum & Tweedle Dee" are enhanced not by violin solos, but rather by the presence of a violin on their rhythmic sections, propelling the tracks along delightfully. 

A handful of tracks didn't make it past the cutting room floor. "Folsom Prison Blues" was played to great acclaim in Reno, but I didn't think the vocals measured up to past outings of this classic. Similarly, "Sing Me Back Home" is an extraordinary song, but I didn't think it quite came together in the performances. I hope you'll forgive these omissions. 

While Fremerman would depart the band at the end of this brief tour, the violin sound lingered on, thanks to the presence of multi­instrumentalist Donnie Herron. Never again, though, would it have such a prominent role. Luckily, due to our community's generous tapers, we've been left with extraordinary documentation of this unique period in Bob Dylan's performance career. 

Thanks for listening, CS

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