The BoormanBlog

Now this is good news for any Bob Dylan fan, but this is especially good for me. For years, I have been hoping against hope for an installment of the Bootleg Series that included more recent songs. As much as I love
Dylan’s 60’s work (and who doesn’t?), I think is has been overemphasized. Dylan has done fantastic work in the 70’s (Blood on the Tracks, Desire), the 80’s (Shot of Love, Infidels, Empire Burlesque) the 90’s (Time Out of Mind) and the 00’s (Love and Theft, Modern Times). In fact, the 80’s onward is my most favorite Bob career segment. I almost never listen to Bob’s 60’s output. Why bother? I get inundated with it by the radio, the TV, the tour T-shirts and merchandise and, until recently, Bob’s own Bootleg Series. Now, finally, he is opening up the vaults of his recent stuff. Woo hoo!

As with most Bootleg Series releases, this will comprise of 2 discs. Below is a partial track listing courtesy of the www.ExpectingRain.com message boards.

Bootleg Series Vol. 8 (release date Sep. 2008) – collated information from Belgian press report (”De Standaard”, June 9, 2008):

CD1 (1989–1993):
- Dignity (piano demo from “Oh Mercy” sessions)
- God Knows (piano demo “Oh Mercy” sessions)
(five outtakes from the “Oh Mercy” sessions in all)
-TV Talkin’ Song (unreleased take from “UTRS” sessions)
- Polly Vaughn (Bromberg sessions ‘92)
- Rise Again (Bromberg sessions ‘92)
(+ more from the Bromberg sessions ‘92)
- 32.20 Blues (outtake from “World Gone Wrong” sessions)
(+ more outtakes from the “Good As I Bee To You” and
“World Gone Wrong” sessions)

CD2 (1997–2006):
- Girl From The Red River Shore (outtake from “Time Out Of Mind”)
“Could be the strongest song Dylan has written in years.
The ghost ballad is an epic number where Duke Robillard’s guitar
and Jim Dickinsons piano are a contrast to Dylan’s hallucinatory
and ghostlike voice.”
- Shake Sugaree (outtake from “Time Out Of Mind”)
- Mississippi (outtake from “Time Out Of Mind”)
- ‘Cross The Green Mountain (the “complete version with 8 verses”)
- 2 unnamed demos from “Modern Times”
(+ more)

Bob must have known my 35th birthday (ugh) was coming up!

Woo Hoo!! Yes, Bobcats, Dylan is coming to the Worcester Palladium on May 16. It’s been MONTHS since I last saw Dylan in concert. I am THERE dude!

The shows haven’t been that great lately though. The set lists have been as boring as the backup band. I long for the days of 2003 when he still had Larry Campbell and Charlie Sexton in the band. Bob was playing obscurities like “Yea, Heavy and a Bottle of Bread”, as well as covers by Warren Zevon, Neil Young, even the Rolling Stones!

Yeah, those were the days.

Now all we get is greatest hits with a dull back up band.

But I don’t care. It’s Bob and I’m going. I’ll let you know how it is

Levon Helm, the voice behind The Band, is getting ready to release his first new album “Dirt Farmer” in over 25 years. Cancer treatments have dulled his voice a bit, but the passion is still there. Also on the album is Bob Dylan band alum Larry Campbell (whom I’ve shaken hands with, by the way), and Levon’s daughter Amy, who fronts her own band, Olabelle.

If you have the means, try to attend one of Levon’s “Midnight Rambles” - concerts Levon has at his home/recording studio in Woodstock, NY, featuring Amy, Larry, blues singer “Little” Sammy Davis, as well as surprise guests, like Emylou Harris, Elvis Costello, Dr. John and others.

This is authentic American music at it’s best. It doesn’t get any better. Cherish it while we still have it.

Yippie! It’s that time of year again. Time for the annual Bob Dylan fall tour of the northeast. I will be attending at least one of the following shows:

Sat 9/29 Kingston RI URI Ryan Center
Sun 9/30 Bridgeport CT Arena at Harbor Yard
Tue 10/2 Worcester MA DCU Center

Bob, if you’re reading this, how about you mix up the set lists a little, okay? Maybe pull out “Dear Landlord” or “Quinn The Eskimo” or “Property of Jesus”? C’mon. You know you want to

Saw my 42nd Bob show in Uncasville, CT tonight. This one was a little better than the last, but not by much. I had a better view, the place was indoors and air conditioned, and the set list was slightly better; not by much though. I’d give this show a C+. Nothing great, just another show to check off:

Setlist - 06/27/2007 - Uncasville, CT

(courtesey of Bill Pagel’s ULTIMATE Bob Dylan Site)

http://my.execpc.com/~billp61/dates.html

This may be the worst Dylan concert I’ve been to. Look park may be nice enough to catch a small act, but a huge mainstream act like Dylan just isn’t appropriate.

The place only holds 2500 people. When you add in lawn chairs, blankets and what not, that doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for people to see. The audience was packed in like sardines, arranged chaotically. The outdoor venue had been baking in the 90+ degree heat and humidity all day.

The Dylan fans themselves also weren’t much help. The older ones still have this mindset of “I’m right, because Bob agrees with me”. An incorrect confusion from an incorrect premise.

Attention pathetic aging baby boomer losers: You have no idea what Bob thinks about most issues. Which is exactly why Bob’s just as big now as he was 40 years ago. If you really did know what Bob thought about most things, I bet your head would explode and you’d yell “Judas!” all over again. Even if you and Dylan managed to agree on anything, that doesn’t make either of you right. But what do I know. I wasn’t “there” in the summer of love. Whatever.

The concert itself pretty much sucked too. Bob just has been phoning it in lately. His voice is shot, I get that. But heck, he can at least try to hit SOME notes…ANY notes. It doesn’t have to be all rasp and croak for an hour and forty five minutes. The set list was pretty stale too. You can check it out at Bill Pagel’s ultimate Bob Dylan site (link below)

http://my.execpc.com/~billp61/062607s.html

Just came across an online column from UNCUT (U.K. music magazine) columnist Allan Jones. Seems he’s heard a rumor about a new Dylan album to be released this year called “Blue Eyes In the Darkness”. This would be a big treat for Dylan fans, who were greeted with the excellent “Modern Times” in August of last year. Supposedly, this new album contains more songs from the same sessions. Is the rumor true, or is this more April Fool’s fallout? Like Bob sang: “God Knows”.
Anyway, to read the article for yourself, click here

Update: Looks like the rumor he heard was from a comment that one “Sweetwater Johnson” made on Allan’s blog. A dubious source at best. At any rate, you can find the comment here.

Expectingrain.com linked to a great article in the Weekly Standard about Bob Dylan and how he’s not what most people think he is; but then again, isn’t that part of his appeal

What Dylan Is Not

This is a backdated post. I’m posting twice a day to get this baby up to date. Can’t remember what I was doing back in November so let me just plug a great Dylan live album “Hard Rain”, released on September 1, 1976, this, at the time, best captures Dylan at his “Rolling Thunder Review” period. Some radical reworking of classics, and even some remaking of newer material on this album.

This was Dylan’s first official live album, quite a surprise, considering he had been recording since 1962.

For me, the standout track is “Shelter From the Storm”. Just compare this to the original version on Blood on the Tracks. They are as different as night and day, yet both are absolutely incredible. The live version is full of raw energy, with three guitarists buzzsawing away. Just listen to the way he sings “Everything up to that point had been left unresolved”. You won’t be able to hear that line any other way

Back in high school, I took a lot of crap for being a Bob Dylan fan. Back then everybody was into Milli Vanilli and C&C Music Factory while I was listening to The Beatles, The Black Crowes and plenty of Dylan. Classmates made fun of his voice (you know the characature people always use). Unintelligible lyrics, the wheezy voice. Back in the late 80’s / early 90’s, even I couldn’t have seen the remarkable comeback Bob would make.

After 1990’s Under the Red Sky which was…not Dylan’s best work, Bob launched his Never Ending Tour (which continues to this day). After years of gradually improving his live performances, Bob went into the studio again to record a new record. Before it came out, we nearly lost Bob. In 1997, Bob was hospitalized with a heart infection. The news outlets went nuts and started writing his obit there and then. A few months later, Time Out of Mind was released, debuting at #10 on Billboard (his highest debut at the time) to unanimous critical praise. The album went on to win 3 Grammys, including the coveted Album of the Year. Take that Babyface!

But Bob wasn’t done. In 2001, Bob won an academy award for best song from a film (for you homegamers, the song was “Things Have Changed” from the crap film “Wonder Boys”).

But Bob still wasn’t done. On September 11, 2001 he released an even better album “Love and Theft”. The album was as good as the timing was bad. Love and Theft debuted at #5 on Billboard , his highest debut at the time. More unanimous critical praise. Another Grammy award for the trophy case.

But Bob STILL wasn’t done. This August 29, he released his third masterpiece in a row: “Modern Times”. By this time, it was clear that Bob was BACK, and just as popular as he was in the `60’s making great music, selling out arenas, winning Grammys and enjoying tremendous critical praise. With an iTunes commercial to promote the album and a free single download cupon given out at concerts, everyone was primed for Bob’s new album. Modern Times debuted at #1 on Billboad. Bob Dylan has the number one album in the country. Not #1 on the “blues” or “modern rock” or “catalog” or “folk” or any other qualifiers. This is the top 200, baby. THE #1 album in America. I swear I never thought I see the day. It almost sounds like a foreign thought. Like when the New England Patriots won the Super Bowl. Takes awhile to sink in.

You know what they say about the one who laughs last. Allow me to just say BWAA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!

Wonder if my classmates are still listening to C&C Music Factory and Milli Vanilli? Almost makes we want to go to a high school reunion to find out…..almost