Only A River: Live, 2023

Only A River: Live 2023

Forty Days & Forty Nights - Live - Chicago - October 6, 2023
Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I Go Mine) - Live - Nagoya - April 19, 2023
I Contain Multitudes - Live - Indianapolis - October 16, 2023
When I Paint My Masterpiece - Live - Lyon - June 29, 2023
Black Rider - Live - Newark - November 21, 2023
My Own Version Of You - Live - Kansas City - October 1, 2023
Longest Days - Live - Indianapolis - October 17, 2023
I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight - Live - Lyon - June 29, 2023
Crossing The Rubicon - Live - Newark - November 21, 2023
South Of Cincinnati - Live - Cincinnati - October 20, 2023
Gotta Serve Somebody - Live - Tokyo - April 15, 2023
Mother Of Muses - Live - Lyon - June 29, 2023
Not Fade Away - Live - Nagoya - April 19, 2023
Only A River - Live - Nagoya - April 20, 2023

Bonus Tracks

Dance Me To The End Of Love - Live - Montreal - October 29, 2023
Footlights - Live - Boston - November 5, 2023
Goodbye Jimmy Reed - Live - Tokyo - April 11, 2023
To Be Alone With You - Live - Carcassonne - June 26, 2023
Truckin’ - Live - Indianapolis - October 16, 2023
When I Paint My Masterpiece - Live - St. Louis - October 4, 2023

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With two years of pandemic-era touring behind him, Bob Dylan amped up his show in 2023. On the surface, this is achieved through the integration of a multitude of cover songs. Rarely has the singer introduced this many first-timers within the span of a year; only 1979, 1989, and 2000 spring to mind (though this writer could be mis-remembering). Five appear on this collection, and four of those had never been played publicly before 2023: Muddy Waters’ “Forty Days & Forty Nights,” John Mellancamp’s “Longest Days,” Dwight Yoakam’s “South of Cincinnati,” and Josh Ritter and Bob Weir’s “Only A River.”

Beyond this novelty, though, Bob Dylan’s original compositions also received impressive makeovers in 2023. “I Contain Multitudes,” “Black Rider,” and “My Own Version Of You” were thoroughly rearranged to feature more complex contributions from the band. Songs that were still played in arrangements they’d been treated to since 2021 - including “When I Paint My Masterpiece,” “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight,” “Crossing The Rubicon,” “Gotta Serve Somebody,” and “Mother Of Muses,” - were similarly improved by the addition of drummer Jerry Pentecost (of Old Crow Medicine Show fame). His performance is subtle, but note how much swing he brings to the instrumental breaks in “Masterpiece” and “Baby Tonight.” “Crossing the Rubicon” likewise sounds better than ever.

With regard to the bonus tracks, we have a few interesting covers that fall short of the quality present on the fourteen primary songs. “Dance Me To The End Of Love” has an eerie vibe, “Footlights” is a wonderful country ballad of the style Dylan could play in his sleep, and “Truckin’” rocks hard. Two of the originals here - “When I Paint My Masterpiece” and “To Be Alone With You” - were my favorite renditions of those songs, but they didn’t fit in with the other tracks due to sound quality differences. Finally, “Goodbye Jimmy Reed” is played here in a fascinating one-off arrangement reminiscent of “Cold Irons Bound”; it’s a cool novelty, if ultimately not a performance that serves the lyrics well.

While compiling this record, I was struck by how much it reminded me of the Basement Tapes. You’ve got portions that are deadly serious (“Only A River,” “Longest Days,” “Mother Of Muses”) sitting alongside whimsical humor (“When I Paint My Masterpiece,” “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight,” “I Contain Multitudes”), and covers from throughout the American songwriting tradition (“South Of Cincinnatti,” “Not Fade Away,” “Forty Days & Forty Nights”) coexisting with mysterious, mystical original compositions (“Black Rider,” “My Own Version Of You”). Little bits kept rising to the surface: Dylan’s laughter interrupting his own lines in “My Own Version Of You,” the barroom piano on “Forty Days & Forty Nights,” the David Wise-esque swing of the instrumental passage in “When I Paint My Masterpiece,” the synergy of vocals and acoustic guitar in the final verse of “Black Rider,” the way Dylan sings “sometimes you get sick, and you don’t get better,” an audience member knowingly shouting “the Rolling Stones!” during “I Contain Multitudes.” And it’s all performed with the same respect for each song’s unique tone. I hope you enjoy these songs as much as I do.

Until next time, keep yourself healthy and listen to some good tunes.

Cheers,
CS