I've Got A Song To Sing ('96 rare songs compilation) : A- (B+/A-)
This is a compilation CD of rare songs from '96. There are fade-outs and fade-ins between some of the tracks, and the sound quality varies from track to track. There is a lot of bass on tracks 1 and 4. Shake Sugaree is sung very well, but the guitar is a bit annoying at times. Highlights include: This Wheel's On Fire, Visions Of Johanna, and Pretty Peggy-O. Blowin' In The Wind is absolutely awesome! The final song, Bob Dylan singing Like A Rolling Stone with The Rolling Stones, is terrible; it's in bad quality, it's performed terribly (with lyric mess-ups and with singing at the wrong time), and just sounds horrid overall - other than this song, this bootleg is pretty good.

1. Shake Sugaree (live debut of this song) - written by Elizabeth Cotton
2. This Wheel's On Fire (Bob on harp) (live debut of this song from The Basement Tapes)
3. Friend Of The Devil (acoustic) - written by Robert Hunter, Jerry Garcia, and John Dawson
4. Seven Days
5. Visions Of Johanna (acoustic)
6. Disease Of Conceit
7. The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll (acoustic)
8. The New Minglewood Blues - written by Noah Lewis (arranged by Bob Dylan)
9. Pretty Peggy-O - written by unknown (traditional - arranged by Bob Dylan)
10. Blowin' In The Wind (acoustic) (Bob on harp)
11. Like A Rolling Stone (Mick Jagger? on harmonica) (sung with The Rolling Stones) - a word is skipped in the first verse

- Track 1 is from 06/17/96 Berlin, Germany
- Track 2 is from 04/13/96 Madison, New Jersey
- Track 3 is from 05/03/96 Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
- Track 4 is from 06/19/96 Frankfurt, Germany
- Tracks 5,8 are from 06/24/96 Differdange, Luxembourg
- Track 6 is from 05/11/96 Buffalo, New York
- Track 7 is from 04/23/96 Orono, Maine
- Track 9 is from 07/02/96 Mannheim, Germany
- Track 10 is from 07/14/96 Cottbus, Germany
- Track 11 is from 07/27/95 Montpellier, France

05/04/96 Richmond, Virginia : B+ (B/A-)
The opening Drifter's Escape is really good. Other highlights are The Man In Me, Mr. Tambourine Man, Mama You Been On My Mind, and This Wheel's On Fire. The Mama, You Been On My Mind is unbelievably good with a long harmonica solo by Bob! The rest of the show is also very very good. The sound quality letter grade was lowered one step because of the problems mentioned below.

Disc 1:
1. Drifter's Escape (Bob on harp)
2. The Man In Me
3. All Along The Watchtower
4. I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Met)
5. Watching The River Flow
6. Silvio - there is the occasional small dropout
7. Mr. Tambourine Man (acoustic) (Bob on harp) - there is the occasional small dropout
8. Masters Of War (acoustic) - there is the occasional small dropout

Disc 2:
1. Mama, You Been On My Mind (acoustic) (Bob on harp)
2. Seeing The Real You At Last
3. This Wheel's On Fire (Bob on harp)
4. Maggie's Farm

encore:
5. Alabama Getaway - written by Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia
6. The Times They Are A-Changin' (acoustic) (Bob on harp)
7. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35

06/17/96 Berlin, Germany ("Soul") : A (A-/A)
This is a wonderful all-around show. Bob's consistently and constantly great throughout. I can't pick any highlights because all the tracks stand out as well performed. This show has the live debut of Shake Sugaree.

Disc 1:
1. Drifter's Escape (Bob on harp)
2. Shake Sugaree (live debut of this song) - written by Elizabeth Cotton
3. All Along The Watchtower
4. Positively 4th Street
5. Watching The River Flow
6. Silvio
7. Tangled Up In Blue (acoustic) (Bob on harp)
8. Love Minus Zero/No Limit (acoustic) - mic bumped at 1:09 and 4:00-4:02 (this is on original)
9. Friend Of The Devil (acoustic) - written by Robert Hunter, Jerry Garcia, and John Dawson

Disc 2:
1. Seeing The Real You At Last
2. Queen Jane Approximately
3. Maggie's Farm

encore:
4. Alabama Getaway - written by Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia
5. My Back Pages (acoustic) (Bob on harp)
6. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35

06/21/96 Utrecht, Holland : A- (B+/A)
These songs are all pretty long: each song is about 6-8 minutes long! This is really a great great show. The electric set is very good, with long instrumental parts and Bob doing best what he knows. Man In The Long Black Coat is excellent, the acoustic set (especially Desolation Row) is incredible, and the rest of the show is great as well. Bob's guitar soloing is even at a peak during this show: I'd be tempted to play parts of this show to anyone who says Bob can't play good guitar solos. On the same track as She Belongs To Me, at the end, while introducing the band, Bob talks to someone in the audience called Chopper (aka Lambchop) and it's quite interesting (though you can't hear what Chopper says to Bob).

For me, this Desolation Row speaks volumes about what Bob's all about: it has awesome phrasing, guitar soloing, and harmonica playing. It's also fit that it occurs on one of Bob's masterpieces. Most likely, if you get this and listen to it after I've raved about, you won't see what I see, but the point is that I think for all us Bob fans a song or concert or whatever just might suddenly capture it all, and this Desolation Row does it for me.

Disc 1:
1. Drifter's Escape (Bob on harp)
2. Man In The Long Black Coat
3. All Along The Watchtower
4. Positively 4th Street
5. Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
6. Silvio
7. Boots Of Spanish Leather (acoustic)

Disc 2:
1. Desolation Row (acoustic) (Bob on harp)
2. Friend Of The Devil (acoustic) - written by Robert Hunter, Jerry Garcia, and John Dawson
3. Ballad Of A Thin Man
4. She Belongs To Me
5. Seven Days

encore:
6. Alabama Getaway - written by Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia
7. My Back Pages (acoustic) (Bob on harp)
8. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35

07/03/96 Konstanz, Germany and 08/29/94 Detroit, Michigan
("Always On My Mind vol. 1 + 2") : B (B-/A-)
The sound quality rating for each of the two shows is in brackets next to the source of the songs (see below). There are, unfortunately, very small gaps between each track and there are larger (2 sec) gaps between each track on disc 3 - this drops the sound quality letter grade from B to B-. This bootleg has both a show from '94 and a show from '96. The '94 show is unbelievably good: all the songs are superbly done. If I had to pick a favourite, I'd say One Too Many Mornings which just blows me away, with In The Garden as a close second. The '96 show starts on disc 2, but these five songs are the last five from the show...the songs that came before these five are on disc 3. Why it was done this way, I don't know. The violin is very nice in the '96 show, especially on The Times They Are A-Changin'.

Disc 1:

08/29/94 Detroit, Michigan: ("B")
1. Jokerman - weird noise from 1:49-1:53
2. If Not For You (Bob on harp)
3. All Along The Watchtower
4. Positively 4th Street
5. Tangled Up In Blue (Bob on harp) - static glitch at 8:02
6. Under The Red Sky (Bob on harp) - gap at end
7. Mama, You Been On My Mind (acoustic) (Bob on harp)
8. Masters Of War (acoustic)
9. One Too Many Mornings (acoustic) (Bob on harp)
10. God Knows

Disc 2:
1. In The Garden
2. Maggie's Farm

encore:
3. Ballad Of A Thin Man
4. It Ain't Me, Babe (acoustic) (Bob on harp)

07/03/96 Konstanz, Germany (last 5 songs): ("B+")
5. I'll Remember You
6. Everything Is Broken (Boyd Tinsley on violin) (Dave Matthews on electric guitar)

encore:
7. Alabama Getaway - written by Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia
8. The Times They Are A-Changin' (acoustic) (Boyd Tinsley on violin) (Bob on harp)
9. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (Boyd Tinsley on violin) (Dave Matthews on electric guitar) (Leroi Moore on saxophone)

Disc 3:

07/03/96 Konstanz, Germany (first 10 songs): ("B+")
1. Down In The Flood (Bob on harp)
2. I Want You - gap at start
3. All Along The Watchtower - gap at start
4. Shelter From The Storm - gap at start
5. Watching The River Flow - gap at start
6. Silvio - gap at start
7. Mr. Tambourine Man (acoustic) (Bob on harp) - gap at start - skip at 6:38
8. Masters Of War (acoustic) - gap at start - skip at 6:38
9. One Too Many Mornings (acoustic) (Bob on harp) - gap at start - skip at 6:38
10. Maggie's Farm - gap at start

07/12/96 Magdeburg, Germany ("Eyes Of The Idol") : A- (A-/A-)
This show's very good. It Takes A Lot To Laugh is very bluesy and very well done. The acoustic set is fantastic, with an unbelievable Ballad Of Hollis Brown (John Jackson's on the banjo). The filler is awesome (the violin adds so much!): Maggie's Farm and The Times They Are A-Changin' are superb!

Disc 1:
1. To Be Alone With You (Bob on harp)
2. Lay, Lady, Lay
3. All Along The Watchtower
4. Positively 4th Street
5. It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry
6. Silvio
7. Ballad Of Hollis Brown (acoustic) (John Jackson on banjo)
8. Gates Of Eden (acoustic)
9. Mr. Tambourine Man (acoustic) (Bob on harp)
10. Jokerman - Bob says "Thanks everybody!" at 8:14 and then this repeats at 8:26 (this is on original)

Disc 2:
1. Like A Rolling Stone
2. Absolutely Sweet Marie

encore:
3. The Times They Are A-Changin' (acoustic) (Bob on harp)
4. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35

filler:
5. Maggie's Farm (Boyd Tinsley on violin)
6. I'll Remember You
7. Everything Is Broken (Boyd Tinsley on violin) (Dave Matthews on electric guitar)
8. The Times They Are A-Changin' (acoustic) (Boyd Tinsley on violin) (Bob on harp)
9. Never Gonna Be The Same Again

- Tracks 5-8 are from 07/03/96 Konstanz, Germany
- Track 9 is from 05/07/96 Louisville, Kentucky

07/23-24/96 Copenhagen, Denmark ("Christiania") : A- (B+/A)
Bob's phrasing is quite good at the 07/23/96 concert. Highlights are If You See Her Say Hello, Boots Of Spanish Leather, and a very rockin' Tombstone Blues. There are very long instrumental parts in both of the encore songs. From the filler on disc 2, I really like the Pretty Peggy-O, while the rest of the filler on disc 2 is relatively rare material but isn't great (this was the only Ring Them Bells from '96). The 07/24/96 show is also quite great with the following as highlights: I'll Be Your Baby Tonight, Love Minus Zero/No Limit, and The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll. The filler from Munster is quite good.

Disc 1:
07/23/96 Copenhagen, Denmark:
1. Intro
2. To Be Alone With You
3. If You See Her, Say Hello (Bob on harp)
4. All Along The Watchtower
5. Tears Of Rage
6. I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Met)
7. Silvio
8. Boots Of Spanish Leather (acoustic)
9. Masters Of War (acoustic)
10. Friend Of The Devil (acoustic) - written by Robert Hunter, Jerry Garcia, and John Dawson - part of a word is cut at 0:15
11. Tombstone Blues

Disc 2:
1. She Belongs To Me
2. Everything Is Broken

encore:
3. It Ain't Me, Babe (acoustic) (Bob on harp)
4. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35

filler:
5. Pretty Peggy-O - written by unknown (traditional: arranged by Bob Dylan)
6. To Ramona (acoustic)
7. What Good Am I?
8. Alabama Getaway - written by Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia
9. Ring Them Bells
10. Shelter From The Storm

- Tracks 5-8 are from 07/02/96 Mannheim, Germany
- Track 9 is from 06/24/96 Differdange, Luxembourg
- Track 10 is from 07/03/96 Konstanz, Germany

Disc 3:
07/24/96 Copenhagen, Denmark:
1. Intro
2. To Be Alone With You
3. I Want You
4. All Along The Watchtower
5. You're A Big Girl Now
6. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight (Bob on harp)
7. Silvio
8. Love Minus Zero/No Limit (acoustic)
9. Tangled Up In Blue (acoustic) (Bob on harp)
10. The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll (acoustic)
11. Maggie's Farm

Disc 4:
1. Lenny Bruce
2. Cat's In The Well

encore:
3. My Back Pages (acoustic) (Bob on harp)
4. Highway 61 Revisited
5. Girl From The North Country (acoustic) (Bob on harp)

filler:
6. Simple Twist Of Fate
7. John Brown (acoustic) (John Jackson on banjo)
8. Mama, You Been On My Mind (acoustic) (Bob on harp)

- Tracks 6-8 are from 07/01/96 Munster, Germany

10/17/96 San Luis Obispo, California : B+ (B/A-)
The opening electric set is full of well played, long jam songs. Silvio, despite lyric fumbles by Bob, could be considered a highlight. The rest are all great too. What Good Am I? is another highlight, as is One Too Many Mornings. This is a great show.

Disc 1:
1. To Be Alone With You
2. If Not For You
3. All Along The Watchtower
4. It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry
5. Jokerman
6. Silvio

Disc 2:
1. My Back Pages (acoustic) (Bob on harp)
2. Masters Of War (acoustic)
3. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (acoustic)
4. Seeing The Real You At Last
5. What Good Am I?
6. Maggie's Farm

encore:
7. Alabama Getaway - written by Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia - static scratch from 6:37-6:39
8. One Too Many Mornings (acoustic)
9. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35