Bob Dylan "Hard Rain" 1976***

With the possible exception of his '66 "Judas!" concerts, no Dylan tour has received as much attention as the 75/76 Rolling Thunder Revue. Conceived as the modern equivalent of a travelling theater troupe, it was packed with guests from the musical, thespian and literary world, high on drama and -allegedly- a unique experience of aural pleasure. One has to appreciate how high the expectations were for the audio document of the tour to really comprehend why this underwhelming live album immediately became Dylan's most derided LP. The general consensus seems to be that, by the end of the tour i.e. the time of the recording, the original euphoria had been replaced by tiredness and nerves. Dylan certainly sounds cranky, if not malicious. This contributes to a horrible version of his tender ballad "Lay Lady Lay", but fits the opening "Maggie's Farm" perfectly. It's as raucous and wild as the lyrics demand and, unfortunately, the only song in this collection featuring Mick Ronson's dynamic glam rock guitar  - the rest of the band being mostly American folkies. "One Too Many Mornings" sounds fleshier with a full band. Scarlet Rivera's violin especially is a highlight of the tour, just as it was of Dylan's contemporary LP "Desire". "Oh, Sister" is the only song from that album present here, thankfully sporting a relatively warm vocal delivery. "Stuck Inside of Mobile..." rolls along nicely in a similar pace to the original, while "I Threw It All Away" is presented in a rather lackluster version. Which leaves us the three "Blood On The Tracks" songs which give the tone for "Hard Rain". Now I know it's considered Dylan's 70's masterpiece, but I was never crazy about B.O.T.T. People consider it heart wrenching, emotionally naked, the ultimate document of a disintegrating relationship. It may be all that, but musically the songs are over-long with too many verses and kinda monotonous. Thankfully each song included here is given a different approach: "You're A Big Girl Now" has a sensitive vocal with beautiful and poignant instrumental playing, while "Shelter from the Storm" is sped-up and transformed into a rocker sung with conviction and passion. The closing "Idiot Wind" seems to be most people's favorite, Dylan spitting his words as viciously as the song's acerbic lyrics command. I get it, it's like a powerful scene from a play where the central character finally cracks up and spills his repressed emotions, shocking everyone with the intensity of his hate: "Idiot wind/ blowing every time you move your mouth". Not a sentiment I care for, and at 10 minutes it's still way too long. To be fair "Hard Rain" isn't worth its bad rep. Dylan's vocals are ragged but sung with passion, and if the live versions sound more clattered or inferior to the original ones at least they're sufficiently different to be interesting. Meanwhile, in 2002 Dylan released hitherto unheard excellent performances from the first leg of the Rolling Thunder Revue as part 5 of his Bootleg Series.  There's almost no overlap (with the exception of "Oh, Sister") which means that you can use both albums to compile a 30-song, 3-hour extravaganza, close your eyes and pretend you're there in person.

**** for Maggie's Farm, Shelter from the Storm

*** for One Too Many Mornings, Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again, Oh Sister, You're A Big Girl Now, Idiot Wind

** for Lay Lady Lay, I Threw It All Away