Bob Dylan - MTV Unplugged (1994)

Bob Dylan doesnt release a lot concert DVDs. So when one comes along, they have to appreciate it for its rarity and value. I watched this DVD several times and it's great to experience another dimension to him that is not found in his quintessential albums. Get this DVD right now even if you are a casual Bob Dylan listener.

Dylan is of course the master of the political lyric. With this set of songs it takes one on a jouney back through time, to HIS roots. The selection of songs is outstanding. The throat catches on occassion with the truth in his word. The band meshes incredibly well with all players giving a more than credible performance. Despite the fact that organ and pedal are plugged, without them the performance would not have been as great.
Stellar performance by the folk singer!!

Dylan concerts are famously uneven: Some are magical, some are dead, but this is one of the magical ones. Not only are the performances terrific with Dylan upbeat and engaging the audience, but he shows how a performer should age. Rather than try to recreate the youthful rock and rolling that existed when "Tombstone Blues" and "Like A Rolling Stone" were recorded, Dylan brings the tempo down and provides arrangements that are different but just as good as the originals. The best part is the music fits the man singing it, so instead of looking like a middle aged rocker clinging to youth, Dylan has recreated his music to age with him.

Dylan's music has always been timeless, and it's wonderful to see he has the creativity and self-awareness to make himself timeless in the vein of BB King, John Lee Hooker, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, and not a ridiculous looking Mick Jagger pretending he's still twenty-five.

Coming from more of a classical music background, one might think what-in-heck-credibility would a gal like me have to evaluate this amazing soul, Bob Dylan and his music? Well, I know what it's like to feel those jitters before you go onstage while pretending (mostly for own sake and sanity) that you're cool. I also know what it feels like to have aged enough that many might wonder if you have enough left to deliver - as you once did. Critics may be helpful in pointing out areas of their experience and expertise, but unitl you perform on a stage like Bob Dylan did with one of the best back up bands I have ever heard (...even an orchestra can be "back up"), we'd all be better off to take in and enjoy as much of this unparalleled artist, poet, musician, composer, arranger as we can while gifted with that intangible illumination rendering one completely still and...in tears.

In the blackest of sunglasses and a polka dot shirt, Dylan, and his musicians, are fabulous in this concert taped in Sony Music Studios on November of 1994, in an intimate setting with a small but enthusiastic audience.
From the mellow country feel of "Shooting Star", the up-tempo "Dignity", or the somber "With God on Our Side", the musicianship is a marvel, and being a "nobody sings Dylan like Dylan" person, I love the way he sings his music with his gravelly voice that gets rougher as the years go by.
The acoustic instruments are a pleasure to listen to, as well as a visual delight, especially the gleaming rich wood of the double bass.

This disc contains 4 tracks that were not included in the MTV Unplugged broadcast (# 1, 5, 6 and 8), and total running time is 73 minutes.
The terrific musicians are: Tony Garnier on bass, Bucky Baxter on dobro, Winston Watson on drums, John Jackson on guitar and Brendan O'Brien on organ.
Track list with original release album dates:
1: "Tombstone Blues" (Highway 61 Revisited '65)
2: "Shooting Star" (Oh Mercy '89)
3: "All Along the Watchtower" (John Wesley Harding '67)
4: "The Times They Are A-Changin'" (The Times They Are A-Changin' '64)
5: "John Brown" (MTV Unplugged '94)
6: "Desolation Row" (Highway 61 Revisited '65)
7: Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35" (Blonde on Blonde '66)
8: "Love Minus Zero / No Limit" (Bringing it All Back Home '65)
9: "Dignity" (Greatest Hits Vol. 3 '94)
10: "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid '73)
11: "Like a Rolling Stone" (Highway 61 Revisited '65)
12: "With God on Our Side" (The Times They Are A-Changin' '64)