The Bootleg Series, Vol. 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964 - Concert at Philharmonic Hall
 | By Bob Dylan Sony, 2004, Audio CD Customer Rating: 59 reviews Recommend |
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The brooding Bob Dylan of the 1966 live collection in the Dylan bootleg series gave way to an even more hooded character on the second live bootleg album from 1974. Which makes the jump back to a younger Dylan in this set all the more jarring. Here is Dylan as an eager-to-please 23 year old with nothing between him and his worshippers but a guitar, a harmonica, and, for four songs, his lover, Joan Baez. In marked contrast to the acerbic electric Dylan of the mid-'60s and the tight-lipped living legend of the mid-'70s, here is Dylan as entertainer. Joking and bantering with the crowd, Dylan deals up some favorites ("The Times They Are A-Changin'," "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"), but is already shedding his earnest folkie persona; imagine another artist a mere two years into his career declining to perform a hit on the scale of "Blowin' in the Wind." But Dylan was moving fast. Having completed the last all-acoustic collection of his early years three months before the Philharmonic concert, he would record the half-electric/half-acoustic Bringing It All Back Home three months later. Three of the four acoustic songs from that album are presented here, as are a handful of then-unreleased songs, including "Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues," "If You Gotta Go, Go Now" (which was soon given a rock arrangement), and a protest-period remnant, "Who Killed Davey Moore?" Had Concert at the Philharmonic Hall appeared the year it was recorded, it would been seen as a respite for folk fans to catch their collective breath before Dylan reappeared in his rock & roll Rimbaud guise. Heard for the first time decades later, it's simply a testament of his gifts as a showman and songwriter. — Steven Stolder
Disc 1Disc 2
- The Times They Are A-Changin'
- Spanish Harlem Incident
- Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues
- To Ramona
- Who Killed Davey Moore?
- Gates Of Eden
- If You Gotta Go, Go Now (Or Else You Got To Stay All Night)
- It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
- I Don't Believe You
- Mr. Tamborine Man
- A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
- Talkin' World War III Blues
- Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
- The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll
- Mama, You Been On My Mind - with Joan Baez
- Silver Dagger - with Joan Baez
- With God On Our Side - with Joan Baez
- It Ain't Me, Babe - with Joan Baez
- All I Really Want To Do
Title: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964 - Concert at Philharmonic Hall
Sales Rank: 1910 in Music
Artist: Bob Dylan
Label: Sony, 2004-03-30, Audio CD, 2 Discs
Format: Live
Package Dimensions: 5.55 x 4.97 x 0.54 inches, 0.18 pounds
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- This album is a brilliant piece of history. Bob Dylan sings his heart out and interacts with the crowd in a way you would have to hear to understand. He does seem a little stoned or drunk, i'll admit but as far as quality goes, the sound is great considering the time frame it was captured in. The unexpected guest appearance on tracks 4-7 on the… More reviews
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