NOTE: This compilation has a running time of 78m36s thus it is compatible with the
CD-Audio standard of 79m59s.
This compilation was first uploaded to ExpectingRain.com by Nightingale's Code
on March 8, 2021.
Shadows Of Moonlight
1996 US Fall Tour
Bob Dylan
Bucky Baxter
John Jackson
Tony Garnier
David Kemper
1. Impromptu Jazz Instrumental
2. Tombstone Blues
3. Where Teardrops Fall
4. When I Paint My Masterpiece
5. Joey
6. Born In Time
7. I And I
8. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
9. What Good Am I?
10. Man Of Peace
11. She Belongs To Me
12. Cat's In The Well
Track 01: 1996-11-02, Birmingham, Alabama, USA, Track from LB-8881
Track 02: 1996-11-06, Charleston, West Virginia, USA, Track from LB-778
Track 03: 1996-10-26, Austin, Texas, USA, Track from LB-7931
Track 04: 1996-11-21, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, Track from LB-4146
Track 05: 1996-11-20, East Lansing, Michigan, USA, Track from LB-7129
Track 06: 1996-11-23, Akron, Ohio, USA, Track from LB-4148 (snippets from LB-2915)
Track 07: 1996-11-09, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, Track from LB-6562
Track 08: 1996-11-04, Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA, Track from LB-5173
Track 09: 1996-10-17, San Luis Obispo, California, USA, Track from LB-9511
Track 10: 1996-10-26, Austin, Texas, USA, Track from LB-7931
Track 11: 1996-10-21, Tucson, Arizona, USA, Track from LB-9498
Track 12: 1996-11-16, Davenport, Iowa, USA, Track from LB-6164
Ahoy hoy everyone! I'm back for my final compilation of 1996 focusing on the US Fall
Tour. After the relatively popular summer tour, this one is a bit more lowkey. I don't see it
discussed very often around here, and it doesn't seem to have a tentpole show that gets
lots of attention in the same way that something like Berlin from June does. The 1996 Fall
Tour started on October 17 in California and, after 28 concerts, ended on November 23 in
Ohio. Perhaps the most groundbreaking aspect of this tour was the introduction of David
Kemper. After over four years with Winston at the kit, Kemper took over and would be a
defining sound for this band as it reinvented itself through Time Out Of Mind (recorded
only about 6 weeks after the conclusion of this tour). The other notable feature from this
tour (albeit a disappointing one) is the lack of harmonica. Whereas the summer tour has
glorious harp on numerous occasions, this tour rarely ever features a harp solo. In most
concerts Bob actually doesn't play the harmonica once, and in the others he only plays it
for one song in the encore. Not sure why he lost interest in the instrument, but it's a very
noticeable absence in the soundscape during these shows.
This collection opens a little unconventionally with a fun improvisation from Birmingham.
The fall tour had a more lax policy when it came to stage crowding, and many of the
concerts, especially towards the end in November, would have a full stage of audience
members after about 5 or 6 songs. In Birmingham though, they started to clear the stage
during the second electric set, and in the meantime Bob and the boys just started riffing a
little jazz tune while they waited. It was a charming moment that stood out when I listened
to that concert so I thought it'd make a nice prelude to the main set here. Tombstone
Blues kicks off the set proper, and it's a raucous performance with guitar solos so bluesy
you can get contact drunk if you listen too closely! Charleston was lucky enough to see
the only performance this tour of Tombstone, and it's a hell of a toe-tapper.
One of the clear goals of this tour in my eyes was Bob realigning his sights onto his more
recent output. The summer tour did a wonderful job highlighting his 60's material, evident
by all the fantastic acoustic sets full of protest-era songs, songs which are virtually
absent from this tour. Here, he seems to be leaning on his 80's and early 90's work. The
always rare Where Teardrops Fall got its only outing of the year in Austin (and its last
performance until 2001), with Charlie Sexton guesting on the guitar in a preview of what
the NET would eventually look like. Terrific singing from Bob on Teardrops, a really
delicate voice that shines perfectly with Bucky's pedal steel. From the same Austin
concert is the only performance of Man Of Peace between the years of 1991 and 1999, a
very laidback country-fied version in stark contrast with the upbeat rock ones of the past.
Whereas Charlie took a backseat during Teardrops, here Bob lets him off the leash to
introduce himself on this stage, and he makes the most of it. Charlie sounds so natural
here and fits so perfectly into the tableau Bob is trying to create that you can't help but
assume Bob remembered this performance years later when he offered Charlie a
permanent role. A really nice, relaxed performance full of tasty country-blues licks.
What Good Am I? had its only performance of the tour in San Luis Obispo, and it's a
sublime effort. An extremely focused vocal from Bob, a real subtle, pleading whisper. The
clean recording certainly helps too, like Bob is singing this hushed plaintive song right
over your shoulder. A very different take from the banshee-wailing versions from the early
90's, but this one is a stunner and a highlight of the tour for me. Similarly, Born In Time
had its only outings of the year this tour, and this one from the final concert in Akron is a
gorgeous rendition. It's one of those songs Bob just can't help but sing perfectly every
time. Also from Under The Red Sky, Cat's In The Well is the closer for this collection
because I wanted to end the year on a fun rocker that spotlights the band. They really
knock this one out of the park, and even though Bob starts off a little sluggish, he quickly
finds his energy. The slide guitar is intoxicating, flowing in and out of the soundscape
with ease, and the shifts in the song from subtle instrumentation to explosive jamming is
really exciting.
Among the older songs that were showcased this tour, When I Paint My Masterpiece
was a highlight. An understated performance with some always welcome harmonization
from the band, and the hushed bridges are a treat. Joey has a hint of country tinge
creeping in, and this performance from East Lansing starts out as a straight reading but
eventually some fun phrasing comes crashing in. One of the consistent highlights of the
tour is this enchanting arrangement of She Belongs To Me full of gorgeous pedal steel
work from Bucky. Bob's vocals shine too, riding the wave of Bucky's pedal steel expertly.
This particular arrangement of Don't Think Twice, It's All Right from Spartanburg is one
of the fastest I've heard, turning the song into a bluegrass shuffle with a shot of
espresso. Bob has a lot of fun with the phrasing on this one too, and they nail the string
band sound perfectly. A jug or a washboard could be played alongside this and it
wouldn't sound out of place!
Lastly, I wanted to highlight the song that's the most obvious precursor to Time Out Of
Mind. The centerpiece of this collection, I And I was always something of a prelude to
the TOOM sound, but here the discordant guitars create such a swampy soundscape
that it would fit right in on that record. We don't have a recording of any Time Out Of
Mind rehearsals, but I can't help but think they'd sound a lot like this. This particular
performance from Milwaukee is stellar, with an interesting speed-up towards the end that
turns the song into a double-time stomper out of nowhere. One of the real clear
performances this tour that hint at what's to come in the following year.
Hope everyone who is interested enjoys this, and the previous two as well! One last
quick note about the production. This tour saw an increase in extended jamming
compared to the earlier tours and I felt that in some instances it dragged the flow of this
set, so I took a page out of Thousand Highways' book and modestly trimmed a couple of
the tracks. If you find this too blasphemous, the full-length versions are attached in the
download link, so feel free to swap those in for the edited ones. Also, Born In Time was a
bit of a nightmare, as the best recording of that Akron show had three minor drop-outs of
about a second each. I've resorted to filling in the drop-outs with the relative snippets
from an inferior recording, so if you notice a few blips where the sound is wonky that's
why. While these plug-ins are distracting, I don't think they're nearly as bad as the
drop-outs were. I've had a fun time wading through 1996 over the last 8 months or so, and
I hope anyone who followed along enjoyed it too!
Compiled by Nightingale's Code
No comments:
Post a Comment