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
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:
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
