11/01/79 San Francisco, California ("New Found Faith") : B+ (B/A-)
This is the first gospel concert that Bob did; he didn't perform any of his previous songs but played only his religious songs. Obviously, this show is historically important. Also, it's a pretty good show. Bob sounds fairly comfortable with what he's doing, despite that as the concert progresses the heckles get more and more persistent (ex. "Where's Bob Dylan?"). This show is actually quite good and is interesting when compared to shows of early '80 (when he was still singing only gospel songs); some of the songs sound quite a bit different and are interesting in their own way. There are a few technical problems as mentioned below.
Disc 1:
1. Gotta Serve Somebody - sound takes half a minute or so to get properly balanced
2. I Believe In You
3. When You Gonna Wake Up?
4. When He Returns (live debut of this song from Slow Train Coming)
5. Man Gave Names To All The Animals (live debut of this song from Slow Train Coming) - small gap between this and next
6. Precious Angel (live debut of this song from Slow Train Coming)
7. Slow Train (live debut of this song from Slow Train Coming) - some kind of edit between this and next
8. Covenant Woman (live debut of this song from Saved)
Disc 2:
1. Gonna Change My Way Of Thinking (live debut of this song from Slow Train Coming)
2. Do Right To Me Baby (Do Unto Others)
3. Solid Rock (live debut of this song from Slow Train Coming) - second-long gap at 1:12 which cuts out half-chorus and a verse
4. Saving Grace (live debut of this song from Saved)
5. What Can I Do For You? (Bob on harp) (live debut of this song from Slow Train Coming)
6. Saved (live debut of this song from Saved)
7. In The Garden (live debut of this song from Saved)
8. Blessed Is The Name (live debut of this song?) - small gap between this and next (presumably because track 9 is an encore)
encore:
9. Pressing On (live debut of this song from Saved)
11/16/79 San Francisco, California ("Contract With The Lord I & II") : A- (B/A)
At times it sounds as though this show is sourced from a tape and the tape 'waves' a bit. One of the major highlights is Ain't No Man Righteous, No Not One. This is not only the live debut, but one of only two performances ever by Bob. There's also no studio version known. Some people call this a defining show from '79 - a must-have - but I just don't see it as being that good. The filler has a song from the studio sessions for Slow Train Coming: Trouble In Mind. It's a religious song with a nice sound to it.
Disc 1:
1. Gotta Serve Somebody
2. I Believe In You
3. When You Gonna Wake Up?
4. When He Returns
5. Man Gave Names To All The Animals
6. Precious Angel - gap at end of song before Bob talks
7. Slow Train Coming - volume gets quieter around 2:15 - some crackles in the sound
8. Covenant Woman - gap at end of song before Bob talks
9. Ain't No Man Righteous, No Not One (live debut of this song) (sung with Regina Havis)
10. God Uses Ordinary People (sung by Mona Lisa Young) - written by unknown (?)
11. Gonna Change My Way Of Thinking
12. Do Right To Me Baby (Do Unto Others)
Disc 2:
1. Solid Rock
2. Saving Grace
3. Saved
4. What Can I Do For You? (Bob on harp)
5. In The Garden - song ends abruptly at 5:53 - glitch at 7:37
6. Blessed Is The Name
encore:
7. Pressing On
filler:
8. Religious talk - on Peter
In The Garden
9. Trouble In Mind
- Track 8 is from 11/??/79 Santa Monica, Caalifornia
- Track 9 is from 04/30/79 Slow Train Cominng sessions, Sheffield, Alabama
11/21/79 Santa Monica, California ("Preaching To The Converted") : B (B-/A)
It was rare for Bob to play in front of a largely enthusiastic crowd in '79, but the four Santa Monica shows (this being the final of the four) were played to get aid to World Vision International: a non-denominational Christian charity organization (according to Olof's Chronicles). However, this bootleg isn't recommended by me: there is some annoying distortion in the background throughout the whole show. Also, there is a very slight change in sound that allows you to know when one track has ended and another has begun. There are a bunch of glitches in the first track and some of the other tracks (see below for details). This is very unfortunate because the quality of the performance is quite high; this is a great show.
Disc 1:
1. Gotta Serve Somebody - glitch at start - static glitch at 1:27, 3:46, 5:18, 5:26, 5:36, and 5:47
2. I Believe In You
3. When You Gonna Wake Up?
4. When He Returns
5. Man Gave Names To All The Animals
6. Precious Angel
7. Slow Train
8. Covenant Woman
Disc 2:
1. Religious talk - on Moses and Pharaoh
2. Gonna Change My Way Of Thinking - minor static glitch at 1:59
3. Do Right To Me Baby (Do Unto Others)
4. Solid Rock
5. Saving Grace
6. Saved
7. What Can I Do For You? (Bob on harp)
8. In The Garden
9. Blessed Is The Name - a few dropouts at the end
encore:
10. Pressing On
11/25/79 Tempe, Arizona : B (B-/B+)
This is another religious show in which quite a few people seem pretty unhappy with Bob. You can hear people yelling out for Lay Lady Lay or Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 or whatever else every so often, but Bob sticks to his religious material (of course). The show's ok - not great and not bad.
Disc 1:
1. Gotta Serve Somebody
2. I Believe In You
3. When You Gonna Wake Up? - sound becomes a bit muffled and a high-pitched noise appears in the background starting at 4:30 and continues to end of track
4. When He Returns
5. Man Gave Names To All The Animals - sound becomes a bit muffled and a high-pitched noise appears in the background at start until end - gap at end
6. Precious Angel
7. Slow Train - religious talk on Shah of Iran at start
8. Covenant Woman
9. Put Your Hand In The Hand (sung by Regina McCrary?) - written by Gene Maclellan - Bob's intro to this song is clipped at start
Disc 2:
1. Gonna Change My Way Of Thinking
2. Do Right To Me Baby (Do Unto Others)
3. Solid Rock
4. Saving Grace - gap at end
5. Saved
6. What Can I Do For You? (Bob on harp)
7. In The Garden
encore?:
8. Blessed Is The Name
11/26/79 Tempe, Arizona : A- (B/A)
This was a show that Bob played and he was faced with very angry fans. Of this show and the other Tempe show (which I have, but it doesn't come through as much as on this recording), Olof writes: "the audiences at the two shows in Tempe are probably the most hostile Dylan has ever played to, before and since. The second show in particular features some lengthy angry raps by Dylan and is unique in that Dylan refused to play any encores." This is the second of the two Tempe shows. The "religious talk" mentioned below on disc 1 track 3 features a determined Bob despite crowd heckling and he even has the house lights turned on (I read somewhere that they remain on for the show's duration). At the start of disc 1 track 5, Bob replies to some heckles with "Why, are they too bright for you?". A transcript of the "religious talk" on disc 1 track 3 can be found here and a transcript for the "religious talk" on disc 2 track 1 can be found here (I didn't transcribe these - this linked pages are from someone else's site).
Disc 1:
1. Gotta Serve Somebody
2. I Believe In You
3. Religious talk - on Gurus
When You Gonna Wake Up - gap of silence from 4:33-4:37 (cuts out intro to song)
4. When He Returns
5. Man Gave Names To All The Animals
6. Precious Angel - static glitch at 4:33
7. Slow Train
8. Covenant Woman
9. Put Your Hand In The Hand (sung by Regina McCrary) - written by Gene Maclellan - gap at end
10. Gonna Change My Way Of Thinking
11. Do Right To Me Baby (Do Unto Others) - small glitches at 0:42 and 0:55 - minor tape fluctuation at 1:15 - minor static glitches throughout
12. 20 second silence
Disc 2:
1. Religious talk - on Armageddon
Solid Rock
2. Saving Grace
3. Saved
4. What Can I Do For You? (Bob on harp)
5. In The Garden