DEEP BENEATH THE WAVES vol 44

Subject: DEEP BENEATH THE WAVES vol 44
From: xyx  
Date: Mon, 4 Nov 1996 12:45:18 +0500

A significant backlog down under precipitates capsule summaries of the latest
offerings from the underground. Chief amongst these are the long-awaited and
eagerly anticipated Razor's Edge titles, 3 in fact (one an alias), which all 
went through a most trying period of difficulties- postponements, delays 
and re-dos. Was it worth the wait? Read on.......

PARADISE REGAINED  2CD  (RAZ 025/26)  Electric Factory  17 Dec 95 + filler
16 Dec 95
Tracks:  18   Time: 76+/72+   Source: Audience   Quality: Excellent

Dylan's last show of the year proved to be one of the highlights.  From the
opening chords of DownInTheFlood, Dylan sings with a vim and vigor that 
never lets up until RDW closes out the show. An exceptionally strong and 
energetic vocal performance, with Dylan attacking EVERY song, bar none. 
The backing is no less impressive, especially the strong guitar work by JJ. 
Sound here is excellent, crisp and clean and well balanced, with Dylan's 
vocals upfront, loud and clear (some may find the sound a bit high end 
biased but a bit of the eq helps even things out).  So many treats to
hear, where to begin? With an unusually punchy and upbeat Senor or the
monumental 10 1/2 minute EveryGrainOfSand? An on the mark and nailed 
DesolationRow & BabyBlue or the up and down and up and down Knockin'On 
duet w/Patty Smith. DarkEyes makes its first appearance on CD here. 
Dylan bids farewell to Garcia w/a heavy WestLAFadeAway and the 
aforementioned Knockin'. Other trax-Watchtower, Pillbox, killer Silvio, 
Tangled, Maggie's, SheBelongs. A great, great show captured extremely 
well by the Edgers. A nice selection from the previous night - HardRain, 
ForeverYoung & Love -0 - puts this one over the top. 
One of the best of a lot of great shows from '95.

THE MIDAS TOUCH  2CD  (RAZ 023/24)   The Edge,  Ft. Lauderdale, FL 23 Sept 95 &
    filler (7) Spokane, Wash 7 June 95
Tracks: 21   Times: 140'+    Source: Audience    Quality: Very Good**

The interesting and surprise filled "free" Edge show whose purpose was (pick
'em): 
1) warm-up rehearsal for the fall tour, or    
2) Dylan's tribute/goodbye to Garcia, or
3) a little of both.    
Whatever it was, it turned out to be a most esoteric of "shows,"
with no less than 6 rarely-if-ever played tunes and some commoners given drastic
new arrangements.  The sound quality, given the tight security circumstances at
this show, is not up to the high standards of the best 95's, however, it is
the best I've heard. The sound is well balanced and, although Bob's 
vocals are not as upfront as we'd like, they are clear and distinct. 
Best are the "slower" tunes, where the sound nuances and vocalizing 
are a bit more distinctive- It'sTooLate, ConfidentialToMe, Willin', 
LuckyOldSun, Masterpiece, KeyToTheHighway. Lest I forget, MaggiesFarm is
given a slower, more funky treatment not since repeated. The show opens
w/RealReal Gone and FriendofTheDevil and they are also very good. 
I get the feeling that w/a little work, RealGone could have evolved 
into an enjoyable opener in place of Flood or Drifter's. Oh well.  
Anyway, this is an extremely enjoyable disk and a show unlike one
we will ever hear again. Remaining trax: Silvio, WestLAFadeAway, Tangled,
GodOnOurSide & H61. A good example of the ability of this band to handle 
any type of material Dylan throws at them, and handle it well. 
The filler trax are quite good, albeit a bit high end biased 
(REdge likes that high end), and well chosen: IfYouSeeHer, JustLike,
TomThumb's, Mr.TMan, RealYouAtLas t, I'llRememberYou & Knockin'.  
Another one that goes out highly recommended.

HUNTED (LIKE A CROCODILE)  1CD (Gash 001)   Den Haag, Netherlands  10 June 89
Tracks: 15   Time: 75+    Source: Audience      Quality: Very Good
The last Edger,  from a REdge subsidiary,  Gashcat Unpunished (??). 
Not my favorite tour (89), as I find the shows to be hurried, 
somewhat boring and with none of the enjoyable subtle nuances that 
characterize shows in later years (particularly the last 4). 
This show is presented in very good quality  and is reported to be 
one of the finest of that year. IMO, in a nutshell, it's just OK. 
The band beats up the songs until the listener is punch drunk 
and it sounds as if Dylan gives almost all the songs the
most perfunctory of treatments. He certainly is not singing 
w/much care or enthusiasm, more like he's got a train to catch 
and can't wait to get on it. Some of the tunes that escape the full 
KO punch are Shelter, IDontBelieveYou & IShallBeReleased. Of 
particular un-noteworthiness is a wretched ToRamona. The rest, 
well, all I can say is that I'd rather hear versions of these songs 
done by the 1992-1996 bands, none of them stand out as particularly 
memorable. The other trax: MostLikely, Hollis, Masters, BabyTonight, 
H61, MrTMan, DontThink2x>Knockin',TrailofBuffalo, LARS, Watchtower.
That said, if you like the '89 tour then you'll like this show. Personally,
though, there are other shows from that year that are better, 
IMO - "Nothing But You" (Maine) comesto mind (Red Sky).

Stay Tuned - xyx

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