Records: Bob Dylan's Live 1966: The Bootleg Series, Vol. IV

By Daniel Benaim

In the last few years, music fans have been flooded with a glut of re-releases, special editions, box sets, and bootlegs. Whether it's a teenage John Lennon singing "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" in German or Jimi Hendrix noodling between takes at a recording session, collectors are strangely attracted to elegantly packaged commercial creations that often leave fans penniless and disappointed. By releasing things which should have remained in the vaults in order to make a quick buck, record companies dilute the overall quality of an artist's work.

Although Bob Dylan's Live 1966: The Bootleg Series, Vol. IV is a unified, brilliant performance, skeptical collectors might be as excited about it as they would be about Bob Marley: the Shower Sessions. These fans will be surprised. Live 1966, a two-CD set, has no alternate takes, no boring interview footage, and it doesn't even work on CD-ROM.

Instead, the listener gets a double dose of Dylan at his best, performing a charged acoustic set on the first disc before unleashing the young hellions that would later become The Band on an unsuspecting Manchester crowd on the second disc. History has since vindicated Dylan's decision to "plug in," which spawned a generation of rock 'n' roll poets like Jimi Hendrix and Lou Reed. But to the folk scene, the apolitical lyrics and rowdy sound of Dylan's transition to electric was a betrayal of all that they held dear.

This tension between artist and audience reaches a boiling point during the electric set. The crowd heckles and boos, and Dylan goads them on. The audience responds by clapping a different rhythm to the next song, forcing him to start over. When someone in the crowd calls Dylan "Judas," the crowd erupts in laughter and applause. Dylan defiantly yells back, "I don't believe you! You're a liar!"

The solo acoustic set on the first disc features tender renditions of several classic Dylan tunes. Backed only by his own guitar and harmonica, Dylan's raspy, warbling voice lays bare the beauty of his songs. His uncanny ability to reinterpret his own lyrics keep any two performances from being exactly the same. Instead, Dylan seems to rediscover the meaning of each line as he sings it.

The minimalism of the acoustic set only heightens the audience's indignation when he begins the electric set. Vocally, the first CD is much better--Dylan the rock star is anything but delicate as he shouts over his blaring accompaniment.

But Dylan's loose backup group, featuring several future Band members, breathes life into his vision. Drummer Mickey Jones and guitarist Robbie Robertson play edgy grooves to match Dylan's delivery, and Garth Hudson's quirky organ complements Dylan's absurd sense of humor.

Purists may take offense at the group's handling of such beautiful, melancholy songs, but the group does capture the noisy joy of rock 'n' roll. The performance of "Like a Rolling Stone," which caps the second CD, is an exhausting and ecstatic romp.

Live 1966 has something for every Dylan fan. Unlike most box sets, it has historical relevance, consistently high musical quality, and tasteful production. The concert falls perfectly onto the two discs.

This set isn't a great introduction to Dylan for the casual fan--so many of his albums are so near perfect that it's silly to start with a bootleg. But anyone who enjoys Dylan, acoustic or electric, will be happy to get a hold of this dramatic, groundbreaking music. (Columbia/Legacy)

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