The Bootleg Series Vol. 5: Live 1975: The Rolling Thunder Revue [2 CD + DVD] [Import] [Limited Edition]

From the opening bars of 'Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You', it is clear that these four concerts were towering performances. Originally a delightfully wistful kiss-off on 'Nashville Skyline', the song becomes charged with wild abandon, Dylan almost yelping out the opening line: 'Throw my ticket in the wind!' - neatly encapsulating the energy and commitment which this album captures so well.

There are other equally powerul reinventions of earlier songs: 'A Hard Rain's A Gonna Fall' becomes a violent, apocalyptic blues, 'The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll', in its original form a great example of the liberties solo Dylan would take with phrasing and time now becomes a tightly controlled, palpably powerful band performance. 'It Ain't Me Babe' has its melody substantially reworked to dramatic effect.

The acoustic moments are just as astonishing - beautifully sparing and subtle renditions of 'Love Minus Zero', 'Simple Twist of Fate' and 'Tangled Up In Blue' the latter two undergoing many notable lyrical and musical alterations. Joan Baez joins in for a controlled and affecting rendition of 'Blowing in the wind', a rare CD appearance for 'Mama You've Been On My Mind', and genuinely soulful deliveries of 'I Shall Be Released' and 'The Water is Wide'. On the latter three tracks, the backing band demonstrate that they are as adept with plaitive, restrained accompaniments as they are with the apocalyptic fervour of the opening tracks here.

Dylan seems more comfortable with his material here than on the insubstantial 'Hard Rain' set (which somehow managed to obscure the brilliant essence of this tour) and certainly more so than on the largely dreadful 'Live At The Budokan'. Whilst Budokan featured vocals that sound perfectly acceptable, if a little impassioned, and some tremendously tacky reworkings of popular material, the reworkings here are both unconventional and inspired and Dylan's voice is striking in its impact. He yelps, enunciates and forces out each lyric, clearly wanting to communicate his peerless artistry with real clarity and emotion. The selections from the then recently recorded 'Desire' are arguably of less interest as they are much closer to their studio counterparts (with the notable exception of 'Isis' which is blasted into submission in the most brilliant of ways). Nevertheless, Dylan is clearly invigorated by the political protest of 'Hurricane' and the intimate confessional of 'Sara', truly one of his most overwhelmingly excellent songs.

Early copies of the CD come free with a bonus DVD featuring two musical highlights from the Renaldo and Clara movie, which make for an extra delight. This may well be the best Dylan live album currently on the market. Perhaps not as revolutionary as the '66 concerts (or indeed as shocking), but the quality of songwriting and performance here easily demonstrate that Dylan was at the very top of his form here. If this becomes your first encounter with the music of Bob Dylan, it's an awesome starting point - don't let it be your last!

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I have all the studio albums and 'official' bootlegs, and have seen him live twice, coming away disappointed largely due to the size of the venue necessary to house the restless pilgrims, killing the chance of atmosphere.

I also have myth and legend. Then LIVE 1966 is released - one part the most intimate and captivating solo performance in the history of music, the other a giant hand cranking up the motor that told us what electricity was really for. I didn't need C.P. Lee to tell me stories anymore...

And now LIVE 1975, and the Rolling Thunder myth. I wouldn't have believed it: Bob the Medicine Man, bereft of guitar, waving his arms like the peyote has just kicked in and he's off on his journey to the place of darkness and light.

There are those of us who accept what we're given, and don't go hunting for mysterious bootlegs every chance we get. This compilation is for us. For those that were there, and those that weren't, it is another bullet in the barrel to tackle those non-believers who think of Dylan in one-dimension.

The only word is incendiary. When Dylan is enjoying what he is singing, he can spit flames. These two discs just about contain a man singing some of the best songs ever written, in the best way they can be sung this side of the Styx. The band is as tight and spot on as it can be, the vocal tracks are crystal clear, and the 22 songs pass so quickly you'll think E.T. has been at you with his chemistry set for 2 hours.

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