One More Night: Unreleased Live Recordings, 1961 - 2014 (Volume Five)

One More Night: 1961 – 2014

Volume Five

Desolation Row – September 3, 1965

Trouble – August 16, 1989

Mr. Tambourine Man – March 7, 2005

Uranium Rock – June 29, 1986

Shake Sugaree – June 17, 1996

Soon – March 11, 1987

Tough Mama – April 11, 2009

You’re Too Late – January 29, 1999

When First Unto This Country – June 12, 1991

One More Night – September 29, 1995

I Want You – May 18, 1976

Pretty Peggy-O – April 18, 1997

When I Paint My Masterpiece – October 29, 1999

Remember Me – 1961

Dignity – November 13, 2004

Restless Farewell – November 19, 1995

Bonus

Tell Me Mama – May 14, 1966

Visions Of Johanna – April 18, 1976

Vincent Van Gogh – May 16, 1976

With God On Our Side – October 18, 1988

Congratulations – June 6, 1989

I Believe In You – March 30, 1995

House Of The Rising Sun – June 18, 2000

Link

One More Night: Volume Five - Complete

This is the final installment in the five-part One More Night Collection, which compiles excellent live performances from throughout Bob Dylan’s career into a cohesive listening experience.

The first track, “Desolation Row,” is the song's debut. Recorded at an Autumn show in 1965, you can hear the audience laugh at surrealist imagery. The vocals are word-perfect, and reveal a man completely dedicated to his craft. Though some crowds would be hostile to Dylan's artistic evolution, the audience at this show was nothing but engaged.

“Trouble” is a gritty, dirty run-through of this rarely played Shot of Love b-side. The band, as it so frequently was in 1989, is fully engaged with the dystopic tone.

“Mr. Tambourine Man” appears for the second time in this collection in what has been called a funereal arrangement from 2005. It is delicate, and much of the song is very close to acapella. There is an unconfirmed rumor that this song was performed at this show as an unspoken dedication to the recently deceased American author Hunter S. Thompson, for whom it was a favorite.

The fourth song, “Uranium Rock,” is a stark tonal shift from the preceding track. This is Dylan at his rockabilly best of 1986, playing a song that has been controversially attributed to Warren Smith. In fact, much of the song has lyrics unrelated to the original; only the structure and part of the “money money” refrain has been retained from Smith’s 1958 original. This practice was one that Dylan would use a handful of times in the mid-‘80s, as his 1985 “Shake” (played at Farm Aid) was based on the template of Roy Head’s “Treat Her Right.”

“Shake Sugaree” was played with some regularity throughout 1996, but this is the version familiar to most listeners. A traditional-sounding song attributed to Elizabeth Cotton, the lyrics are fairly inscrutable. It may also have been recorded for Dylan’s 1997 record, Time Out of Mind, though no recording has been made available yet.

The fifth track, “Soon,” is a recording held in high esteem among tape collectors. It was played at a Gershwin Tribute Gala in 1987. Featuring some of Dylan’s most tender vocals of that decade, the song is accentuated by some melodic harmonica. This recording is likely derived from a TV feed or similar source, accounting for the less than ideal sound.

“Tough Mama,” from 2009, is my favorite live performance of this song. Appropriately rollicking, it is one of two performances of the song at a three-night Amsterdam residency. It has been almost entirely rewritten! New lyrical highlights include “the dress that your wearing weighs a ton” and “staring at the ceiling/sitting in a chair./Big fire blazing/ashes in the air.”

“You’re Too Late” is a 1999 cover from Daytona Beach. Bob Dylan’s covers during the 1997 – 2001 tours were frequently concert high points, and this is no exception. Larry Campbell adds some extraordinary pedal steel guitar to the recording.

Track eight, “When First Unto This Country,” is not an ideal recording. Though clear, the vocals are sometimes covered by a loudly mixed acoustic guitar. With that caveat, though, the song is magnificent. This is one of the singer’s numerous immigrant songs of a type shared by “Across The Borderline,” “I Pity The Poor Immigrant,” and “Deportees.” To be clear, all except one of these are covers, but Dylan consistently makes them his own.

“One More Night” is one of the best songs of the set. Again, despite the tape’s shortcomings, brilliance shines through. This is one of only two live performances of the Nashville Skyline song, and the only one with Bob Dylan on vocals. He is fully committed to the song, singing it with all the sorrow of a man who lost his sweetheart only yesterday. Allison Krauss is featured on violin.

“I Want You” dates from 1976. The Rolling Thunder Revue featured many songs that had not been played live until that time, and this is one of the most engaging. The band’s jaunty tone contributes significantly.

“Pretty Peggy-O,” which turned up earlier on A Thousand Highways in its 1988 guise, features dramatic vocals putting across all of the pathos possible in this old tale of unrequited love. The recording is sourced from the excellent Bathed in a Stream of Pure Heat 1997 tour compilation, and has long been a favorite of mine.

The twelfth song, “When I Paint My Masterpiece,” is a laid-back performance from 1999. This song has been truncated slightly to fit the runtime of a CD, but I’m sure you can seek out the full version if you enjoy it.

“Remember Me” is, like the recording of “Gypsy Davy” that appeared on an earlier volume of One More Night, among the first recordings we have of Bob Dylan’s performing career. It is on the Gleason tapes, and does not sound similar to the album he would record later in the year. Instead, it has a texture and cadence reminiscent of the great Johnny Cash. It is also one of Dylan’s most compelling performances of 1961.

“Dignity,” is incredible. It’s perhaps even the best live recording of this song. The 2004 arrangement is a passionate, powerfully driven version that’s propelled along by an almost Celtic-rock sound composed of guitar and piano. The vocal highlights include “have you seen… uh, Dignity” and, of course, “somebody showed me a picture and I just laughed, ha ha ha.” This one will get you rocking.

And finally, “Restless Farewell” concludes the set. How could it be any other way? From the singer’s soft croon to the band’s harmonious backing, Dylan’s rarely delivered a greater performance than this. The song was performed at a Sinatra Birthday Tribute in 1995, but it is a fitting farewell to the Thousand Highways Collection.

Concerning the bonus tracks, “Visions of Johanna” is a stunning rare rendition of the song from the Rolling Thunder Revue. “With God On Our Side” features a new verse concerning the Vietnam War written by Neville Brothers, and “Congratulations” is one of only three live performances of this Traveling Wilburys lost-love classic. Lastly, “I Believe In You” is a suitably muscular performance of Dylan’s 1979 hymn.

If you enjoy these songs, be sure to purchase the original studio recordings from Columbia Records:

Bob Dylan

The Times They Are A-Changin'

Bringing It All Back Home

Highway 61 Revisited

Blonde On Blonde

Nashville Skyline

Greatest Hits Volume 2

Planet Waves

Shot Of Love

The Bootleg Series, Volume 1-3

And so we have come to the end of the series. All things must end, after all. Hopefully you've found something here that enriched your experience of Bob Dylan's performance art. It seems that everyone has enjoyed it, and that's brought me quite a bit of joy. It's great to bring a little bit of happiness into the world; curating this collection of beautiful and unique recordings has been a privilege.

Thanks for listening,

CS