Bob Dylan - MTV Unplugged (1994)

Dylan's more than deserving resurgence in recent years traces its birth back, in my opinion, to this incredible live performance from 1994. This show has it all, mixing old and new music that more than satisfies longtime fans such as myself while also managing to appeal strongly to the younger generation, many of whom would know Dylan only by name had MTV not provided the medium for him to prove his genius and longevity to them first-hand. Dylan's tendency to be reclusive and mysterious has made him inaccessible to some listeners in the past, but the energetically appreciative audience is an important part of this recording, and you can tell that Dylan is really enjoying the whole performance. He even smiles at one point; having seen Dylan perform live, I know just how rare an occurrence this can be.

The older songs are great, but they differ significantly from the original recordings (Dylan is constantly redefining and recreating his legendary classics); this may disappoint some fans, and I admit it took me a while to appreciate this particular version of The Times They Are A-Changin', but the soul of each song remains the same, no matter what kind of modernized or different interpretation Dylan decides to go with on a certain night. I love Tombstone Blues, and it does start the show off with a great kick. It's always nice to hear Dylan's All Along the Watchtower, if for no other reason than to let people know the song didn't originate with Jimi Hendrix. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 has never been a favorite of mine, but this version is an enjoyable splash of fun in between a couple of slow, serious songs. John Brown is a significant track, dating back to 1963 but never having been released. It vividly reflects the anti-war feelings Dylan expressed so forcibly in his formative years. Dylan's newer songs only build on the musical momentum. I was a little surprised to see Shooting Star from the Oh Mercy album included, but the track looks and sounds great and fits right in. Dignity was a brand new song at the time, standing as a true showcase of Dylan's unparalleled songwriting and performing skills. He may have aged, but his musical vision and talent are eternal.

Three songs particularly stand out to me. Desolation Row is a truly incredible, meaningful song that only Dylan could write and perform. Lasting more than eight minutes, it's the kind of song you never want to end. Knockin' on Heaven's Door really starts building the momentum that reaches its crescendo with my favorite Dylan performance ever of his greatest song, Like a Rolling Stone. Having wowed his audience for close to an hour, Dylan is definitely "feeling it" when he gets to this crowd-pleasing classic (after a rather humorous false start). Its length is matched only by its powerful delivery, and I get the feeling watching it that even Dylan is a little surprised at how great a show he is putting on. He is absolutely on fire, and he knows it. With God On Our Side is an interesting song with which to end the show, but it reflects the heart and soul of music's greatest songwriter. Following on the heels of a rocking performance, it reminds the audience that the old Dylan so many have loved for decades is still there, even if his classic songs have been given a fresh overhaul.

Having a rather small audience so close to the musicians makes this live performance a true personal triumph for Dylan, and the sense of intimacy between the legendary performer and his fans is powerful and palpable. Dylan never looked or sounded better than he did on this unforgettable night in 1994. If you saw the performance on MTV, you should know that the DVD contains four bonus songs not included in the television broadcast (as well as one song - Love Minus Zero/No Limit - not included on the CD). If you already have the CD, buy the DVD as well - the visuals capture the magical effects of the performance in ways the audio cannot.

The CD of this performance did nothing for me, so the added dimension of watching this show does makes this set palatable, I guess. It's kinda interesting to watch. I just can't get excited about it because Dylan and the band don't seem too excited about it. The energy level does start to pick up in the end somewhat, I think. But there's a feeling of "going through the motions" here that is unfortunate. And the set list leaves a lot to be desired. John Brown and God on Our Side are interesting, I guess. Dignity's kinda fun because it's not on an album, I guess. Oh yawn, think I'll take a nap.

Este espectacular concierto para la cadena Mtv muestra a un Dylan acustico que se conserva en perfecta forma.
El sonido es brillante, el despliege de camaras no es digamos de lo mas novedoso pero recrea muy bien el ambiente.
Los temas elegidos son tocados con esa "magia" increible, tipica de Dylan.
Este DVD es sumamente recomendable tanto para fanaticos como para aquellos que no conozcan mucho su obra.
Brillante una leyenda viviente de la musica.

What we have here is the video replica of the self-titled 1995 live cd, with an identical setlist of songs extracted from 2 gigs at NYC Sony studios. The owners of the previous VHS tape edition can now throw it away or give it as a present to some annoying relative, and enjoy the four "new" songs (that do appear in the cd, they are 'Tombstone Blues', 'John Brown', 'Desolation Row', and 'Love Minus Zero/No Limit') and the improved image and sound (both PCM stereo & Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround) quality.

These differences with last century's tape version are boasted on the dvd cover as 'special features' (cheeky guys!) and, yes, that's all there is. No previously officially unavailable songs from the sessions have been added (big 'OOOH' here), nor anything at all anybody might have expected or fantasized with. The disc contains 4.20 Gb of information consisting in a 73 mins concert, and nothing else, that's all, folks. It neither has subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing which, given the state of Dylan's voice, might've been welcomed. But i know every word of the lyrics, and so do you. At least it's cheap, and cheaper than here in Spain, my dear lucky americans, i paid 17+ euros for my fresh copy.

As for concert itself ... well, we've all heard or seen it, don't you? ye fellow dylan-iacs. I quite like it, especially the totally plugged rocking acoustic guitars. Not your average mellow unplugged 'oh-but-we-are-sensitive-souls-deep-inside' concert, thanks Bob. The Major drawback is the cinematic quality itself: dull, unimaginative, repetitive. what can you expect from an awful channel such as MTV? the thing is filmed in a kind of loop of a few shots with lots of showoff dollys showing nothing interesting. the same shots over and over again. you can predict which will come next like with the lyrics of a bad song. Sometimes Bob starts a solo and boom! they cut to the bass player or something. maybe it's very avant-garde and i didn't get it. or maybe it's that i bought 'The Last Waltz' dvd the same day and watched bits of it before and, boy, 'The Last Waltz' is, simply put, the best filmation of a concert EVER made, and comparing the work of Martin Scorsese with that of some MTV director is well, like comparing the animation of Walt Disney's 'Pinocchio' with that of 'Beavis and Butthead'.

Let me begin by saying how excited I was when I picked up this DVD. However, as the first track passed, it was very apparent that the quality of Bob Dylan's performance was definitely lacking. I'm sitting here guzzling a couple beers to contain my frustration. I would strongly discourage anyone from getting this awful DVD.