Bob Dylan: MTV Unplugged [Live]

Bob Dylan | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 2, 1995)
• Original Release Date: May 2, 1995
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Live
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000002B12
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #74,481 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An incredible perfomance--Dylan never sounded better, August 10, 2002

By 

Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bob Dylan: MTV Unplugged (Audio CD)

Dylan's more than deserving resurgence in recent years traces its birth back, in my opinion, to this incredible live performance. This album has it all, mixing old and new music that more than satisfies longtime fans like myself and appeals to the younger generation, many of whom would know Dylan only by name had MTV not provided the medium for Dylan to prove his genius and longevity to them. Dylan's tendency to be reclusive and mysterious has made him inaccessible to some listeners in the past, but the appreciative audience is an important part of this recording, and you can tell that Dylan really enjoyed the whole performance.

The older songs on this CD are great, but they do have a different sound from their originals; this may disappoint some fans, and I admit it took me a while to appreciate this version of "The Times They Are A-Changin,'" but the soul of the songs remain the same, no matter what kind of modernized or different interpretation Dylan decides to go with on a certain night. I love "Tombstone Blues," and it does start the CD out with a great kick. It's always nice to hear Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower," if for no other reason than to let people know the song didn't originate with Jimi Hendrix. "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" has never been a favorite of mine, but this version is a enjoyable splash of fun in between a couple of slow, serious songs. "John Brown" is a significant track, dating back to the 1960s but never having been released. It truly reflects the anti-war feelings Dylan expressed so forcibly in his formative years. As great as the classic tracks are, the tremendous newer songs only build on the musical momentum and prove that Dylan's great songwriting days have yet to come to an end. I was a little surprised to see "Shooting Star" from the Oh Mercy album, but it sounds great and fits right in here. "Dignity" is another recent song that showcases Dylan's songwriting and singing.

Three songs particularly stand out on this CD for me. "Desolation Row" is a truly incredible, meaningful song that only Dylan could write and perform. Lasting more than eight minutes, I still always hate to hear it end. "Knockin' On Heaven's Door," a song which some listeners may not enjoy as much as I do, 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, he is definitely "feeling it" when he gets to this trademark song. Its length is matched only by its powerful delivery, and I get the feeling listening to it that even Dylan is a little surprised at how great a show he is putting on. "With God On Our Side" is an interesting song with which to end the CD, but it reflects the heart and soul of music's greatest songwriter. Following on the heels of a rocking performance, it reminds listeners that the old Dylan so many have loved for decades is still there, even if his classic songs have been given a fresh overhaul.

This is by far my favorite Dylan CD. Having a rather small audience so close to the musicians makes this live performance a true personal triumph, and the sense of intimacy between Dylan and his fans is powerful and palpable. Dylan has never seemed happier or sounded better than he does here.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A joy and a revelation, August 29, 1999

By 

LAWRENCE JOHN SEAN HUTCHINSON (Saudi Arabia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bob Dylan: MTV Unplugged (Audio CD)

Having pretty much stopped listening to Dylan when "Slow Train Coming" came out, preferring to listen to the sixties albums, and the stuff from '74 to '78, with the exception of the very poor "Desire" album, I didn't think he could do it anymore, and Then "Time Out Of Mind" came out and gave me a new belief in 'the man'. So, I went and bought "Oh Mercy", "Infidels", and "Empire Burlesque". My feeling is that none of those are up to the standards of earlier Dylan, save for the occasional great song like "Most Of The Time", but "Unplugged" was a wonderful surprise! I don't know what the 'disappointed ones' were looking for - they surely couldn't have expected Bob to be singing 30-year-old songs with the same vocal style he had back then, after smoking 2 or 3 packs a day, and they must realise that he wouldn't want to faithfully reproduce the original recordings. Here we have Dylan backed up by a superb team of musicians, giving old songs a new lease of life, with different arrangements that really work. The most important thing is that Dylan sounds like he cares about these songs. He conveys emotion, as he's almost always done, even when the voice is shaky, and the versions of "Watchtower" and "Rolling Stone" are great, the former because it's simply thrilling, and the latter because the organist plays those wonderful chords and then Bob, struggling to sing, sings "how does it feel?" in a way that sends shivers down my spine and tears to my eyes. If you listen to the CD right through, you may well feel emotionally drained, and your faith in Bobby D reaffirmed. Buy it - today!!!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dylan Unplugged and Unstoppable, June 10, 2002

By 

S. Sroczynski "stevenuccj" (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bob Dylan: MTV Unplugged (Audio CD)

Bob Dylan has been known to purposefuly rush and slur his lyrics in live performances. Combine that with the toll time has taken on his voice, and some of his classic songs when played live are nearly unrecognizable. On Unplugged we see some of this, but only the good parts. The music is certainly different from that of the original song (most notable on "The Times they are a-Changin") but Dylan always keeps it meaningful and touching. He may rush the last few lines to verse, or sing it to a different tune, or change a few words, but on this album it sounds like Bob having fun with the music while still keeping it's integrity and meaning.

"Tombstone Blues" is a great opener. It gets the crowd energized, and is one of the great Bob songs you wouldn't know unless you bought the album Highway 61. My only complaint is that he cut out 2 verses, one of which had the great line "The sun's not yellow, it's chicken."

"Shooting Star" is a memorable, fairly obscure Dylan song.

On "All Along the Watchtower" Dylan rushes the ends to the verses but somehow it works. He surprises us with his quick delivery but it remains meaningful.

"The Times they are a-Changin" is barely recongnizable until Dylan belts out the first line. Dylan's band is great on this one, never losing track of their place despite Bob's playing around with the lyrics. Still, you find this tune stuck in your head afterwards the way it is performed here, as opposed to the famous original.

"John Brown" is Dylan's previously unreleased track. Hard to get through the brisk mumbles in some places (luckily the lyrics are included) but in the end it's an emotional anti-war piece that ranks up with his best.

"Rainy Day Women" here seems like Dylan just wants to get it over with, but the crowd sure loves it. I liked it as well.

"Desolation Row" is one of Dylan's best performances on the whole CD. Dylan sounds like he really wanted to play it, and it shows.

"Dignity" is also a part of "Greatest Hits 3" but otherwise unreleased. An upbeat number sandwiched between slow ballads.

"Knockin on Heaven's Door" is one track I've heard too many times, whether by Dylan or by other artists. Still, Dylan keeps it short here with only 2 verses, and he manages to switch the words around a little.

"Like a Rolling Stone" is drawn out to near 9 minutes on this performance, but it is one of my favorites on the whole CD. The crowd sure is into it, cheering at multiple places during the song. Dylan mumbles a few early lines, but really gets into it at the end.

"With God on Our Side" is one of Dylan's early protest songs. A welcome, surprising inclusion on this package. Dylan's band is great here; they amazingly manage to precisely follow Dylan's unpredictable beginnings and endings to verses. This inclusion seems like one Dylan himself really was eager to play, which makes it all the more memorable.