DEEP BENEATH THE WAVES vol 60
Subject: DEEP BENEATH THE WAVES vol 60 (Long)
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 1997 21:13:14 -0400
A much-welcome beehive of activity lately from the underground,
no? Seems like one label is attempting to single-handedly make
up for the (apparent?) demise of Dylan labels Red Sky & Wanted
Man by releasing four, count 'em, four doubles simultaneously,
albeit in supposedly very limited quantities. Problems abound
on all four, however, these ranging from mislabeling and errors
of omission to erroneous dates and, worst of all, questionable
judgment on selection. Many positives to weigh against the
negatives, though, so let's examine further and, at the end,
you'll be able to make an informed decision whether to purchase
or not to purchase, that is the question........
FYI, the first Watchtower release (001/2) was "Ancient Odes" some
time back. New from that label are the following four doubles:
DALLAS, TEXAS (Watchtower 003/4) 25 Oct 96 Dallas, TX
Tracks: 15 Times: 60/59 Source: Audience Quality: Very Good
BEST WISHES (Watchtower 005/6) 7 June 78 Los Angeles, CA**
Tracks: 27(+2#) Times: 71/71 Source: Audience Quality: Decent
Note: **/+ Contains (mistakenly) two tracks from Kiel, GER 17 May 94
JUST THE GIRLS (Watchtower 007/8) 13 Jun 84 Berlin, Germany
Tracks: 21 Times: 61/61 Source: Audience Quality: Decent
ON A NIGHT LIKE THIS (Watchtower 009/10) 17 May 94 Kiel, Germany (inc)
(12 tracks**) & Rotterdam, NETH (inc) 19 Sept 1987 (12 tracks)
Tracks: 24 Times: 70/72 Source: Audience Quality: Very Good
Note:**two tracks omitted here are the final 2 tracks on BEST WISHES
First, some general comments. All four titles have the same
generic cover design (an early 60s b&w shot of Bob w/cap, guitar
and harp), with the titles being the only distinguishing
characteristic on the very ordinary looking sets. The back
covers supply the date, city & track listing (save for the
Kiel/ Rotterdam set, which says the tracks are listed on the
inlay card inside. Problem is, there is no inlay card so you
don't get a track list on this one).
The disks are identified as limited editions in the following
(unusual) quantities: Dallas: 315, LA: 317, Kiel/Rotterdam: 320,
Berlin: 325. A friend of mine in Germany has heard rumors that
these will not be re-pressed, so in these quantities they will
not be around long.
Some things you may want to know.....Dallas is the only one
of the four w/out a major fuck-up, unless you consider labeling
track 5 Tombstone Blues instead of JLTomThumb's Blues, major.
Berlin is not only mislabeled but omits one track from the show
- It Ain't Me Babe is listed but has been omitted in favor of
the unlisted JustMyImagination by Greg Sutton. This is an
unforgivable oversight, being that there was plenty of room to
include both. LA 78 fails to list RDW#12&35 as the last track on
disk one, but it is there. OneOfUsMustKnow was played that night
- it is neither listed nor included. Forever Young & Times are
listed as the concluding tracks but are not included. In their
places are ThinMan & GirlFromNC from Kiel '94, so if you want
Kiel complete on CD, you must own this one also. You'd never
know you were missing these 2 tracks from the Kiel/Rotterdam
set because there is no track listing. The other obvious problem
is the unlikely pairing of '94 and '87 shows, not to mention
that the entire Rotterdam show was previously released on a CD
called "Live" in fine quality. This CD contains 12 of 14 tracks
performed at Rotterdam, omitting Chimes & Slow Train Coming.
Two other nitpickin' thoughts - the CDs are housed in lame,
bulky double jewel cases and all the recordings are indexed
w/silence between tracks, hence they are not continuous. This
may bother some people (me excluded). Disks themselves are black
w/only the titles printed, along with the Watchtower logo (WTP).
This eliminates any doubt that they are CD-Rs, which I must admit
I suspected for several brief moments.
Dallas is a fine recording, with just the right balance and range
and separation. Dylan's vocals are clear and upfront and ride
nicely above the music, as they should. He sounds particularly
inspired and energetic in his vocal delivery this evening, as
upbeat and spunkier than normal versions of IfYouSeeHer &
TomThumbs will attest. Of particular note is the funkiest
ShelterFromTheStorm this side of Roseland '94 - though it is
doubtful the Roseland version will ever be topped, this is
easily #2 on the "can you dance to it" meter. I imagine Bob had
a few nice grins during this one. A jewel of an acoustic set
(Tangled/Baby Blue/Boots) precedes a nicely raucous GodKnows
and a somewhat perfunctory and incomplete Joey (he never goes
to jail :-) . Forever Young is given an inspired reading,
though more vocals would have been nice. Still, it is sung with
such precision and feeling that I should'nt complain. What a
tune. Remaining tunes not discussed are DownInTheFlood/Watch-
tower/Silvio/H61/Alabama/RDW. Overall, a nice effort quality-wise
that would have been enormously improved with the addition of
bonus track material. Don't they get it??
I admit I'm not a frequent listener of the '78 tour but I decided
to give the LA '78 BEST WISHES my full attention. I'd heard it
sounded arena-like and a tad distant. Much to my surprise, I
find it anything but. Granted, it's not upfront and in your
face but Dylan's vocals shine through very clear and the
instruments are all there, if not full-bodied. I've always
found the drastically re-arranged tunes interesting, to say
the least, and Dylan sings them with a certain gusto and the
Band performs with equal aplomb. If you can get by the flute
and the saxes (supposedly the reason for the "disco" criticism
of this tour), there is much to offer from this performance.
Dylan's singing, phrasing, the guitar playing, the back-up
singers, blues, reggae backbeats are all on fine display.
GoingGoingGone is totally redone lyrically and a real treat,
while you have to marvel at the enthusiastic way Dylan sings
the re-arranged OneMoreCup & OhSister. The unadorned and
stripped-naked vocal of IWantYou is truly magnificent and a
similarly bare-boned TangledUpInBlue is also noteworthy.
Despite the problems noted above, this set is a fine addition
to the few '78s in circulation and one that will put more
'78 performances in my playlist rotation. For full track list
see Olof's files.
Berlin's BEST WISHES ('84) is similar to other documents of
the '84 tour- Les Temps Changent & Mountains of Madrid come to
mind - decent enough quality though not exceptional. In fact,
I'd put this a bit behind those 2 in that department. It's
clear and distinct vocally and instrumentally but a bit thin
and tinny, though this can be fleshed out with a bit of the eq.
This is a nice performance, however, the '84 shows are all
very similar so what's the point, methinks. I could wax poetic
about several tunes, particularly the acoustic numbers, but I
won't. Suffice it to say you've heard it all before- of course,
you may not have.....and being that the previously mentioned
'84 disks are nigh impossible to get (and add "Oh The Streets
of Rome" to that list) - you may consider picking this one up
if you don't own any of those. You won't be disappointed.
Of course, if you do own those then this becomes a tricky
purchase decision. I'd say pass if you got 'em..........see
Olof's file for the full track list.
ON A NIGHT LIKE THIS is the most befuddling of the four.
Combining Kiel '94 and Rotterdam '87 is a decision that was
obviously made by someone who just doesn't get it.
Hey, Watchtower, your efforts are noble but get some common
sense in your "new release" department. Anyway, the Kiel is
a nice show in very good quality, though not as distinctively
crisp and clear, on the whole, as the best audience recordings.
The vocals are upfront and in your face, instruments are well
balanced and sharp, but I have a nagging feeling that we're
talking a couple of generations below the master here.
Nevertheless, it is a fine show with an acoustic set that will
leave you slack jawed. The only terms I can use to describe it
are thus: Stately & divinely elegant. How about magnificently
dignified and beautiful. If these 3 tracks were a person, they
would be Grace Kelly (or perhaps Carolyn Bessette Kennedy :-)
Sorry, girls, I could'nt resist. Baby Blue/Masters/Love-0 are
softly sung with such grace and skill as to be mind-blowing.
The band plays with a certain tenderness and Bob's vocals
softly caress and stroke the lyrics which, amazingly, gives
them even more power. An unbelievable stretch of genius here.
Bob also shines on strong renditions of DiseaseOfConceit &
Pos4thStreet, his unique phrasing and crackling pipes providing
a world weary kingdom of experience to these tunes. The same
care is given to Girl From the North Country but, regrettably,
this track (along with Thin Man to complete the show) is not
included but can be found on Best Wishes.
Remaining tracks:Jokerman/JustLike/Watchtower/H61 and (almost
forgot) a truly haunting rendition of ManInTheLongBlack Coat
that is oh so "out there," with some amazing guitar work. You
gotta hear that one - only Dylan can do these things to you!!!!
Previously, I slagged off the inclusion of the Rotterdam show.
After just playing it in the car, my current position is that
I'm glad they included it because it reminded me of just how
good this show was. Dylan and the HBs steamroll through 12
tracks with a fiery gusto, most driven by some sweet keyboard
tinkling by Benmont Tench and Dylan's no-nonsense vocals.
The '87 tour of Europe is often overlooked but contains some
incredible performances. On this show, Queen Jane, John Brown
and an ebullient and rollicking WatchingThe RiverFlow are the
clear standouts. Everyone shines, from the Queens of Rhythm on
down, and I have to mention Tench's piano once again - he really
GETS it. An incredibly fun show to listen to, despite the fact
that the final two tracks are missing. Once again, consult
Olof's for the complete track list.
Hope that helps all you CD nuts out there. Glad to see another
label picking up the ball, oh yes. An overall thumbs up but
let's hope the future brings a better selection process and a
bit more care with the details from Watchtower.
xyx
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