Bob Dylan - Unplugged [DVD]

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.

So it is with a certain hesitency that I criticise this DVD. But I have to. My theory is he was having a bit of an off night. And he was definitely not happy with that mike stand. So his mind, and his playing, and most of all his phrasing, starts to go all over the place.

The other guy playing guitar is doing a display of perfect chord foramation and rhythm, and Bobs just plucking around here and there way down the fretboard (with his guitar way down in the mix). The phrasing goes really awray in "All along the watchtower", which is unfortunate as the essence of this song its its tight rhythmic structure. First Bob fiddles with that mike, and then two lines come tumbling out all at once. And while the other guitarist ticks over the familiar chord sequence, Bob is fiddlng about.

So, who am I to critise genius. After all, its Bob's own amazing songs to which he's not quite doing justice. But this could have been better.

Powerful? --- Yes. His music remains as fantastic as ever, even when it undergoes a radical re-interpretation, as is the case with 'The times they are a-changin'.

Is this a classic 'Unplugged' performance? --- Absolutely. The musicians perform as a tight-knit group which really shows just how effective and powerful an acoustic ensemble can be. The use of an acoustic, dobro-style slide guitar is especially notable in several songs.

So why only 4 stars? --- Because brilliant as Bob Dylan was and often still is, his singing on this DVD leaves a fair bit to desired - the most important element being understandability. At times, his nasal tones sound more like John Martyn than John Martyn ever did after he'd been on one of his benders, with words becoming no more than a modulated whine. This is a real shame as the greatness of his lyrics is thus frequently obscured or even totally obliterated. Thank heavens, this is NOT the case when he sings 'With God on our side'.

Bob has never been one for overt showmanship on stage. He gets up there and sings - but this performance takes that approach to an extreme, and is amplified by the wearing of black 'shades' throughout the entire event. Only a minor point, I know, but it goes towards the feeling of increasing the distance between the singer, the great songs, and the viewer.

All-in-all, it's a worthy effort but is, I feel, an example of an opportunity that has been lost when trying to create a record of one of the greatest poet/songwriters of our generation.