Expecting Rain

I couldn't find any pictures except on this ebay link:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bob-Dylan-LP-Do ... 0197563854

I've always been curious since I had this record as a kid, what the story was on the picture from the back? I don't think I've ever read a thing about it, but it remains, at least in my eyes, one of the strangest Dylan photos I've seen. It just about looks like they set up a tiny stage on a street corner somewhere (you can even see the No Parking sign) with a drum set and guitar, and a school bus on the side of the stage.

The stage looks incredibly small, and he is talking to someone (a backup singer circa 86 Im guessing?), but it's so dark it also appears to be the middle of the night. So many strange things about this photo, and like I've said, I don't ever recall coming across anything relating to it (improptu practice? random gig? busking for some lucky park walkers?). Who knows? Anyone else wonder the same things, or know anything about the photo? I had the album in 11th grade, and I'm 36 now, and have no idea still.

Here's the photo if that helps....
http://www.searchingforagem.com/1980s/1 ... LPBack.jpg

Is it me or do i remember....there being something hidden in the photo bit like JWH
L.P. cover !

I have wondered the same thing

By the way, Down in the Groove is a great, even masterful album. I was just spinning it last week -- I don't get the "hate" for this LP. It's wonderful!

I found that photo interesting too, when I first bought the album. Besides the strange setting, he doesn't really look much like he does in any other photograths around that time, that i've seen anyway. Especially his clothes. Night and day compared to those tight leather pants and wife beaters etc.

Could it be from the Hearts of Fire shoot?

Isn't that the same woman as on the back of Empire Burlesque?

i recall someone telling me that it was from one of the video shoots with Dave Stewart from 85 one of the videos, if i remember, had the band riding the bus.
its not h of f since the weather is nice not cold.

I always liked the contrast of the very alive feeling back cover with the almost mannequinish Dylan on the front cover. Too bad the album is a long way from great in my view - although I certainly don't hate it.

It's better now than when it came out.

That was just before I started really listening but I don't doubt it. There's always an expectation that a new Dylan album will be a "major statement" of some kind...and some enjoyable music gets overlooked when an album doesn't meet that expectation. Funny how it all fits in the great tapestry O'Bob as the years go by...

And it continues...

Here's a picture i took of it so you could see it a little better, the album is too big for my scanner.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com ... O0AG6uk%3D

I don't think it's the same woman as Empire Burlesque, but this shot always reminds me of this Memorial day show that goes on at my local town hall. They pull up semis in the parking lot and set up folding chairs in front of it where awards are given out, speeches are made, and music is played.

Sorry, but I've gotta know... what's hidden in the JWH cover photo??

I thought everyone knew that one. Stones and Beatles faces!

Hearts of Fire shoot is an option. Bob was doing quite a lot of videos too in those days. Stuff with Dave Steward, as was mentioned. Could've been from any of those around 1986..

That's really an odd photo, isn't it? It looks like it was taken in the middle of the night, and there's only three people in it. The back door of the bus is open, almost like it's ready for a quick get away. And is that a school bus? I'm also wondering if the woman is one of Bob's back up singers?

Not so odd. A precursor to Masked and Anonymous in a strange sort of way...OK, odd.

Let's say that the picture is not mirror-inverted. This would probably rule out countries with left-hand traffic (unless it's a situation on a parking lot or a bus station or something like this).
Someone wrote that traffic sign (on the right side of the bright light) would be a no-parking sign. Knowing this, I see the letters NO in the upper left corner of the sign. Let's say therefore it is a country, were the official language is english. Cant't say, in which countries these kind of non parking signs are in use, though.
It's night and it's warm, judging from the people's outfight and it is windy, you can see it from the flags above the makeshift stage.
As to the flags: I strongly believe that the right flag in the foreground is the flag of Barbados (blue yellow blue, with a trident on the yellow part).
Other flags I cannot decipher, but the left one is blue white blue, and there a some coutries in Middle America and Argentina which this flag might come from.
Between the bright light and the traffic sign could be a flag, too. Its not the US flag, the stripes are to few.

If I had to guess I would say that this foto is taken on some carribbean island (with right-hand traffic) or maybe somewhere in the Golf region, US not excluded.

The bus indeed looks like a school bus in the wrong colour, I believe.
But I sense a similarity between the sign above the open backdoor of the bus and the banner hanging form the makeshift stage. Is it a truck or so?

Was there ever a campaign for or against something Bob was involved? The stage seems to be laid out for some local musicans to call attention to a charity thing or so.

Most likely I wrote all rubbish and the foto is taken in Locarno, Switzerland, like someone claimed back in 1988. I doubted that then and still do it, though.

Good logic. I'm with ya.

I always just thought of the back cover picture of Bob on a traveling stage - like a float in a parade... only with way the things are at this point... there's no love for him... there's only one person in the crowd and that person has their fingers in their ears - can't stand the sounds he's making... but he's defiant - the gesture he makes seems to be 'why don't you just shove off if it bothers you so much?!'

Almost like a jokey, pre-emptive strike response as to the reaction his 'Self Portrait, part 2' ( mostly covers) album would get.

The album is not good. But it does have some very good moments.

Sort of similar to a response above, it always reminded me when I attended Pitt, and they would shut a street down, and have sort of an all day/all night concert with local bands playing on the small, makeshift stage that was put up. I guess for now, the photo will remain a mystery.

I do think thd video for "When the Nigt Comes Falling" started with Dylan and Stewart in a school bus, so that might explain that part of the picture, but don't recall anywhere in the video the small stage.

Sometime in 1988, when I was living in Bilbao in northern Spain, he did a concert at a small venue in San Sebastian, the next big town along the coast. I heard that after the concert he went busking in the streets in the town centre. This is not especially relevant, except that he seems to have been into doing impromptu gigs, so that's maybe what he's doing here. (I didn't go to the concert and have been kicking myself ever since).

The album is pretty much the low point of Bob's career - with the possible exception of "Dylan & the Dead". Don't talk it up.