I'll Be Your Baby Tonight is pretty terrible (in my opinion), but the bootleg becomes better after that. The Times They Are A-Changin' is well done. However, the highlights are If You See Her, Say Hello (an outstanding re-written version), Tomorrow Is A Long Time, You're A Big Girl Now, I Threw It All Away, and Girl From The North Country. If you have Darkness At The Break Of Noon, you might still want to obtain this bootleg because it contains Maggie's Farm and I Threw It All Away (which aren't on Darkness At The Break Of Noon). However, Moving Violation is missing The Man In Me, Forever Young (only a clip - about 1:20 or so long), and One Of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later).
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight is pretty terrible (in my opinion), but the bootleg becomes better after that. The Times They Are A-Changin' is well done. However, the highlights are If You See Her, Say Hello and The Man In Me (both are outstanding re-written versions), Tomorrow Is A Long Time, You're A Big Girl Now, and Girl From The North Country (which happens to make the bootleg worth owning just by itself). If you have Moving Violation, you might still want to obtain this bootleg because it contains The Man In Me, Forever Young, and One Of Us Must Know (which aren't on Darkness At The Break Of Noon), and it has better sound. However, Darkness At The Break Of Noon is missing Maggie's Farm and I Threw It All Away.
This show is very good. I like I Threw It All Away, which has a few slight (but very interesting!) lyric changes and an awesome sax solo. The Man In Me also has slight but very interesting lyric changes. Girl From The North Country and All Along The Watchtower are both great. There are unfortunately a few technical problems (see below for details).
'78 Rundown Rehearsals : A- (B/A-)
This is a much more complete set of the '78 Rundown Rehearsals than what previously circulated (without checking for sound but just looking at song titles, this appears to have everything that was available on Darkness At The Break Of Noon and Moving Violation, two recordings with '78 rehearsal material): actually, tracks with a * after them were, apparently, previously uncirculating. These rehearsals are an amazing listen: sure, some of these aren't complete songs and Bob's vocals aren't very upfront for some of them (the late '77 rehearsals, for example), but one gets a real privileged glimpse at the creative process. One can hear different versions of songs that they rehearse (some quite different from what was played on tour, or some weren't played at all). And, as you might know, '78 had some very drastically different arrangements for songs: these rehearsals follow in that vein, causing for quite a few interesting surprises and highlights. At the end of the disc four there are three interesting live tracks from '78, amongst them the live debut of Do Right To Me Baby (Do Unto Others). At the very end is a song called More Than Flesh And Blood, sung by Helena Springs (I think).
Disc 1:
1. Like A Rolling Stone *
2. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
3. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
4. Blowin' In The Wind - sound drops out of left speaker from 0:09-0:20
5. Maggie's Farm
6. Like A Rolling Stone
7. The Man In Me
8. To Ramona
9. Most Likely You Go Your Way And I'll Go Mine
10. Simple Twist Of Fate
11. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
12. If Not For You
13. I Threw It All Away
14. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
15. Going, Going, Gone
16. You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go
17. Simple Twist Of Fate
18. My Babe * - written by unknown (traditional?)
19. Like A Rolling Stone *
- Tracks 1, 18-19 are from 01/78
- Tracks 2-14 are from 12/30/77
- Tracks 15-17 are from early 01/78
Disc 2:
1. Just Like A Woman *
2. Just Like A Woman *
3. Blowin' In The Wind
4. Blowin' In The Wind
5. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight *
6. The Man In Me *
7. You're A Big Girl Now *
8. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right *
9. I Threw It All Away *
10. Love Minus Zero/No Limit *
11. Maggie's Farm *
12. Ballad Of A Thin Man
13. Simple Twist Of Fate *
14. To Ramona *
15. If You See Her, Say Hello *
- Tracks 1-15 are from 01/78
Disc 3:
1. I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
2. Going, Going, Gone *
3. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
4. The Times They Are A-Changin'
5. If You See Her, Say Hello
6. The Man In Me
7. I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
8. Tomorrow Is A Long Time
9. You're A Big Girl Now
10. Knockin' On Heaven's Door
11. It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
12. Forever Young - first verse and most of chorus (this is on original)
13. Repossession Blues - written by Billy Lee Rileys
14. One Of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later)
15. Girl From The North Country
- Tracks 1-2 are from 01/78
- Tracks 3-12 are from 01/30/78
- Tracks 13-15 are from 02/01/78
Disc 4:
1. We Better Talk This Over - start is clipped
2. Coming From The Heart (The Road Is Long) - one verse and part of the chorus
3. I Threw It All Away - dropout at 4:10
4. Maggie's Farm
5. Ballad Of A Thin Man
6. Simple Twist Of Fate
7. To Ramona
8. If You See Her, Say Hello
9. I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met) - end is clipped
10. Love Minus Zero/No Limit
11. Stop Now
12. Stop Now
13. Coming From The Heart (The Road Is Long)
14. Am I Your Stepchild? (Bob on harp)
15. Do Right To Me Baby (Do Unto Others) (live debut of this song from Slow Train Coming)
16. Coming From The Heart (The Road Is Long) (live debut of this song?)
17. More Than Flesh And Blood (sung by Helena Springs?)
- Tracks 1-10 are from 04/78
- Track 11 is from 06/08/78
- Track 12 is from 05/02/78
- Track 13 is from 05/01/78
- Track 14 is from 11/13/78 Oakland, California
- Track 15 is from 12/16/78 Miami, Florida
- Track 16 is from 10/31/78 St. Paul, Minneapolis
- Track 17 is from 09/78 (?)
'78 Rundown Studios, Santa Monica, California ("Moving Violation") : B+ (B/A-)
The sound quality isn't great but this is probably because it was recorded as a tour rehearsal (for the '78 tour). Keeping in mind that these are rehearsals, there are spaces between songs in which Dylan and the band are (I assume) talking to one another (or they're just getting ready for the next rehearsal). This is a great bootleg despite the mediocre sound quality. There is a part of Coming From The Heart (The Road Is Long) at the end of We Better Talk This Over. If you don't have Darkness At The Break Of Noon (which is another bootleg that contains songs from these same '78 tour rehearsal sessions), you might wanted to get it before you get this one. There are a few more problems mentioned below.
1. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
2. The Times They Are A-Changin'
3. If You See Her, Say Hello
4. I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Met)
5. Tomorrow Is A Long Time
6. You're A Big Girl Now
7. Simple Twist Of Fate - first line and some instrumental part cut (this is on original)
8. If You See Her, Say Hello
9. I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Met) - some of instrumental part is cut (this is on original)
10. We Better Talk This Over
Coming From The Heart (The Road Is Long) - one verse and part of the chorus
11. I Threw It All Away
12. Maggie's Farm
13. Repossession Blues - written by Billy Lee Riley
14. Girl From The North Country
15. Knockin' On Heaven's Door
16. It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
'78 Rundown Studios, Santa Monica, California ("Darkness at the Break of Noon") : A- (B+/A)
The sound quality is better here than on Moving Violation (which is another bootleg that contains songs from these same '78 tour rehearsal sessions) because Darkness At The Break Of Noon's songs have undergone some 'tweaking' or some process. Also, keeping in mind that these are rehearsals, there are spaces between songs in which Dylan and the band are (I assume) talking to one another (or they're just getting ready for the next rehearsal). This is a great bootleg. There is a part of Coming From The Heart (The Road Is Long) at the end of We Better Talk This Over. Forever Young is not a complete song - it is clipped after one verse and some of the chorus (this is on the original). The sound quality gets worse from track 14 to the end. There are a few more problems mentioned below.
1. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight - static-scratch sound at start
2. The Times They Are A-Changin'
3. If You See Her, Say Hello
4. The Man In Me
5. I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Met)
6. Tomorrow Is A Long Time
7. You're A Big Girl Now
8. Knockin' On Heaven's Door
9. It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
10. Forever Young - first verse and most of chorus (this is on original)
11. Repossession Blues - written by Billy Lee Riley
12. One Of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later)
13. Girl From The North Country
14. We Better Talk This Over - sound worsens from here on
Coming From The Heart (The Road Is Long) - one verse and part of the chorus
15. Simple Twist Of Fate - first line and some instrumental part cut (this is on original)
16. If You See Her, Say Hello
17. I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Met) - some of instrumental part is cut (this is on original)
03/15/78 Brisbane, Australia : A- (B+/A-)
This show is sourced from soundboard and, according to the trader, is the only show from '78 that we have from soundboard (I'm not sure if this is true). Unfortunately, the show isn't mixed as well as one would hope (several instruments are in the background). The good news is that Bob's vocals are very upfront. There is a bootleg called "Okay, I Still Get Stoned" which presents this show, but it omits the last three songs. This here is the complete show.
Disc 1:
1. Love Her With A Feeling - written by Sam Cooke
2. Mr. Tambourine Man
3. I Threw It All Away
4. Shelter From The Storm
5. Love Minus Zero/No Limit (Bob on harp)
6. Girl From The North Country
7. Ballad Of A Thin Man
8. Maggie's Farm
9. To Ramona - gap between this and next
10. Oh, Sister
11. Simple Twist Of Fate
12. All Along The Watchtower
13. The Man In Me
14. All I Really Want To Do
Disc 2:
1. It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) - volume gets quieter from disc 1 to disc 2 - long gap between this and next
2. Forever Young - a little tape fluctuation at the start
encore:
3. The Times They Are A-Changin'
4. Knockin' On Heaven's Door - dropout at 2:17 and then the three seconds before the dropout are played again
06/02/78 Los Angeles, California ("Stop Crying") : A- (B+/A)
This is a great concert. I prefer this show many times more than the shows later on in '78. Baby, Stop Crying is awesome. Although the singing on Love Minus Zero/No Limit is great, the harmonica isn't. I think that this bootleg is sourced from acetate (there are some pops every so often). The sound fades out after tracks 4, 7, and 12. This bootleg is missing the following from the original concert (but this is how the bootleg circulates): A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall (instrumental) and Love Her With A Feeling (before track 1); Maggie's Farm and I Don't Believe You (between tracks 6 and 7); I Shall Be Released, Going Going Gone, Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35 (instrumental), One Of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later), and You're A Big Girl Now (between tracks 7 and 8); Masters Of War (between tracks 11 and 12); To Ramona (between tracks 12 and 15); Forever Young and The Times They Are A-Changin' after track 17. The left speaker dropouts for a second or so during Mr. Tambourine Man, and at 2:25 into All Along The Watchtower there's a less-than-one-second dropout. The transition from track 16 to track 17 doesn't sound right, and It's Alright Ma fades out before it's over. Despite all these technical problems, this bootleg is really quite great.
1. Baby, Stop Crying
2. Mr. Tambourine Man - dropout in left speaker for a second or so at one point
3. Shelter From The Storm
4. Love Minus Zero/No Limit (Bob on harp) - fades out at end
5. Tangled Up In Blue
6. Ballad Of A Thin Man
7. Like A Rolling Stone - fades out at end
8. One More Cup Of Coffee
9. Blowin' In The Wind
10. I Want You
11. Senor (Tales Of Yankee Power)
12. Just Like A Woman (Bob on harp) - fades out at end
13. Simple Twist Of Fate
14. Oh, Sister
15. All Along The Watchtower - very small dropout at 2:25
16. All I Really Want To Do
17. It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) - transition from track 16 to track 17 doesn't sound right - fades out before song is over
filler:
- Tracks 13-14 are from 06/07/78 Los Angeles, California
07/01/78 Nurnberg, West Germany : B (B/B+)
Baby, Stop Crying is awesome as is the Tangled Up In Blue (if you haven't heard the '78 arrangement of Tangled Up In Blue, you definitely should!). One Of Us Must Know, You're A Big Girl Now, and One More Cup Of Coffee are all highlights. Eric Clapton plays guitar on the two encore songs. Unfortunately, the sound isn't great.
Disc 1:
1. She's Love Crazy - written by Sam Cooke
2. Baby, Stop Crying
3. Mr. Tambourine Man
4. Shelter From The Storm
5. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (Bob on harp)
6. Tangled Up In Blue
7. Ballad Of A Thin Man
8. Maggie's Farm
9. I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Met)
10. Like A Rolling Stone
11. I Shall Be Released
12. Going, Going, Gone
13. A Change Is Gonna Come (sung by Carolyn Dennis) - written by Sam Cooke
14. Love Minus Zero/No Limit (sung by Helena Springs)
15. Laissez Faire (sung by Stephen Soles) - written by unknown (?)
Disc 2:
1. A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall (solo acoustic)
2. One Of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later)
3. You're A Big Girl Now
4. One More Cup Of Coffee
5. Blowin' In The Wind
6. I Want You
7. Senor (Tales Of Yankee Power)
8. Masters Of War
9. Just Like A Woman (Bob on harp)
10. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
11. All Along The Watchtower - gap at start and start is clipped
12. All I Really Want To Do
13. It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
14. Forever Young
encore:
15. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight (Eric Clapton on guitar)
16. The Times They Are A-Changin' (Eric Clapton on guitar) - some thumping sound appears near end
07/04/78 Paris, France ("My Back Pages") : B (B/B+)
The sound gets a bit crackly in the right speaker when the volume gets loud and the sound waves around a bit on parts of disc 2. The show opens very strongly and is then just ok up until the breathtaking solo acoustic It Ain't Me, Babe. Afterwards, We Better Talk This Over (the live debut) and It's Alright Ma are highlights.
Disc 1:
1. My Back Pages (instrumental) - sound levels balance with left speaker at 0:24
2. She's Love Crazy - written by Sam Cooke
3. Baby, Stop Crying
4. Mr. Tambourine Man
5. Shelter From The Storm - gap at 2:37
6. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (Bob on harp)
7. Tangled Up In Blue
8. Ballad Of A Thin Man
9. Maggie's Farm
10. I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Met)
11. Like A Rolling Stone
12. I Shall Be Released
13. Going, Going, Gone
second set:
14. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (instrumental)
15. True Love Tends To Forget
16. It Ain't Me, Babe (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp)
Disc 2:
1. The Man In Me
2. One More Cup Of Coffee
3. Blowin' In The Wind
4. I Want You
5. Senor (Tales Of Yankee Power) - gap at 2:54
6. Masters Of War
7. Just Like A Woman (Bob on harp)
8. We Better Talk This Over (live debut of this song from Street Legal)
9. All Along The Watchtower
10. All I Really Want To Do
11. Band intro
12. It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
13. Forever Young
encore:
14. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
15. The Times They Are A-Changin'
07/06/78 Paris, France ("Border Beneath The Sun") : A- (B+/A)
This is a great great show. One of the highlights is the awesome '78 version of Tangled Up In Blue. If you haven't heard it yet, do yourself a favour and find a copy of it! Almost every other song is just so well done, and Bob's vocals are unbelievable. The solo acoustic Gates Of Eden is pretty rare: it was only performed 6 times in '78. All Along The Watchtower has an awesome violin part in it! This is probably my favourite show out of the ones I've heard from '78.
Disc 1:
1. My Back Pages (intrumental) - sound levels balance with right speaker at 0:15
2. She's Love Crazy - written by Sam Cooke
3. Baby, Stop Crying
4. Mr. Tambourine Man
5. Shelter From The Storm
6. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (Bob on harp) - glitch between this track and next
7. Tangled Up In Blue
8. Ballad Of A Thin Man
9. Maggie's Farm
10. I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Met)
11. Like A Rolling Stone - some distortion at 0:09
12. I Shall Be Released
13. Going, Going, Gone
second set:
14. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (instrumental)
15. True Love Tends To Forget - mic bumped (?) at 1:17
16. Gates Of Eden (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - a rather odd glitch comes up every now and then starting when Bob plays harp and continues to the end
Disc 2:
1. The Man In Me
2. One More Cup Of Coffee
3. Blowin' In The Wind
4. I Want You
5. Senor (Tales Of Yankee Power)
6. Masters Of War
7. Just Like A Woman (Bob on harp)
8. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right - Bob says "Thank you! Merci!", the next song starts and then fades out, only for all this to reappear on the next track
9. All Along The Watchtower
10. All I Really Want To Do
11. It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
12. Forever Young
encore:
13. Changing Of The Guards
14. The Times They Are A-Changin'
07/15/78 Camberley, England ("Picnic At Blackbushe") : B (B/B+)
The sound becomes fuller after track 2, but then the bass becomes too high in the mix. The bass is then too low in the mix by track 4, and then the sound levels are still being fiddled with (causing the sound to move from one speaker to the other). While in track 5, the bass is turned up again in the mix (to a level which appeals to me). This sound level fluctuation continues, so, in short: there are some problems with the sound levels. After Where Are You Tonight?, there are two songs cut out from the original concert: Mr. Tambourine Man and The Man In Me. The only highlight for me is One More Cup Of Coffee. The rest of the show seems relatively mediocre to me (though I've noticed that this show has been praised numerous times, and the show does pick up a bit near the end). This show has a rare solo acoustic Gates Of Eden, the live debut of Where Are You Tonight?, and Eric Clapton on Forever Young.
Disc 1:
1. My Back Pages (instrumental)
2. Love Her With A Feeling - written by Sam Cooke
3. Baby, Stop Crying
4. Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
5. Shelter From The Storm
6. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (Bob on harp)
7. Girl From The North Country
8. Ballad Of A Thin Man
9. Maggie's Farm
10. Simple Twist Of Fate - words to be spoken by Bob at end are clipped
11. Like A Rolling Stone
12. I Shall Be Released
13. Is Your Love In Vain?
14. Where Are You Tonight? (Journey Through Dark Heat) (live debut of this song from Street Legal) - dropout at 1:18 - gap at end
second set:
15. Gates Of Eden (solo acoustic) (Bob on harp) - annoying audience shouts at start
Disc 2:
1. True Love Tends To Forget
2. One More Cup Of Coffee
3. Blowin' In The Wind
4. I Want You
5. Senor (Tales Of Yankee Power)
6. Masters Of War - glitch at 3:04
7. Just Like A Woman (Bob on harp)
8. To Ramona
9. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
10. All Along The Watchtower
11. All I Really Want To Do
12. It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
13. Forever Young (Eric Clapton on guitar)
encore:
14. Changing Of The Guards
15. The Times They Are A-Changin'