Customer Reviews

Live at the Gaslight 1962

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Some great reviews here. I guess some people may wonder what the original set list was. I've gotten it off the original tapes and some web sites. Some people claim that it was one long show. Some claim it was multiple nights. I wasn't born yet myself, but the order seems acurate by the recordings I've heard.
Dylan is one to constantly refine his work through live performance. So, it's always interesting when you get to hear a real early live show. This album is terrific.

Note: This is not the set list included on this Album. It is from the original show that the album was taken from.

Man On The Street
He Was A Friend Of Mine
Talkin' Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues
Song To Woody
Pretty Polly
Car Car
Motherless Children
Handsome Molly
John Brown
Ballad Of Hollis Brown
Kindhearted Woman Blues
See That My Grave is Kept Clean
Ain't No More Cane
Cocaine
Cuckoo Is A Pretty Bird
West Texas
A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
Don't Think Twice, It's Alright
Black Cross
No More Auction Block
Rocks And Gravel
Barbara Allen
Moonshiner

This one has been floating around Dylan bootleg circles for years (and is reported to have been, in one variation, the first-ever bootleg compact disc!). As one previous reviewer notes, this disc, presently available at Starbucks coffeeshops, is not complete. We can speculate why some tracks are left off (most notably an early version of the stark "The Ballad of Hollis Brown") ... maybe Dylan did not think some of the performances were worthy of official release.

Despite the incompleteness of the track-listing on this Columbia release, it is a very vital piece documenting Dylan's transition from folkie-interpreter to powerhouse songwriting. An early performance of "A Hard Rain's A Gonna Fall" shows just how much he had evolved as a singer, guitar player and songwriter in just under a year after the recording of his self-titled debut album for Columbia in late 1961 (which had only one self-penned track, "Song to Woody"). The version of "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" is quite early, as the lyrics are improperly sung and different from the take issued on "Freewheelin'" in 1963. Also, the arrangements of the powerful anti-war song "John Brown" and the traditional "Cocaine" differ here from ones on other bootleg recordings. The closing cuts on the disc, most notably the incomplete "West Texas" and the eight-minute "Barbara Allen," show Dylan to be nearly as strong an interpreter of old traditional songs as he would later become as a songwriter. This is the kind of disc that both Dylan novices and hardcore Dylanologists can enjoy (though neither will heap tons of praise on it).

Although some might consider this statement heresy, I have to admit that I have long been a major fan of Bob Dylan The Rocker and less enthusiastic about the early folk stuff. Perhaps I am just getting older and wiser but lately I have begun to appreciate pre-electric Bob and this set has much to do with it.

Gaslight really is like a time machine to another time and place and proves a very rewarding journey. As others have said, Hard Rain and Cocaine are really special but the whole set is a gem.

One other thing: I often get cynical about the dubious necessity of "Remastering" that the record companies employ to sell us the same records over and over again. However, the state of the art audio technology employed for this release, the Zeppelin live CD and DVD from a few years ago, Kurt Cobain's cassette demo's from the Nirvana box and other recent archival releases truly is a wonder. Live At The Gaslight 1962 shouldn't sound this good, but it does.

A voice of rusting, wheat filled plains, iron ore resonant, weary of time but bursting beyond it...unbelievable, this kid singing these songs as if he were an ol man world wise and standing on top of the world with nothing but the blues and his eyes on providence...This was the Dylan I was first entranced with back then...his voice so authentic...taking you to the soul of each song, living out the experience...No wonder he became what he became...If he did not record past his first three albums,,people would still refer to him as they do Jimmie Rodgers... or Hank Williams...Hard Rain is fully realized here, Don't Think Twice not quite there, John Brown would have a better groove later on, Cocaine great with a falsetto of the reaaranged senses at the ending chorus..., West Texas as good as any blues guy still alive at the time...Barbara Allen, haunting, mesmerizing, pulling at the heart...Moon Shiner not as good as on the bootleg series, but good nonetheless, all this admittedly influenced by Dave Van Ronk at the time...but these recordings transcend all before it...This is where vision and the dust of times fore and aft are mixed with the glint of the sun as clouds roll across our lives...

I too am a little disappointed that Sony, Dylan, Rosen, whoever decided to make this a truncated version of the Gaslight tapes which are indeed the very first bootleg CD I ever bought (not to mention having it on tapes and vinyl for years...). But it's a great batch of performances and it sounds great on this release. However, to set the record straight (and in reponse to Jack Priest's review here where he states: "Why they left off songs like "Black Cross", "No More Auction Block" and some very good others is beyond me, because it wouldn't have cost one lickin', stickin' cent more"), it DOES cost more to include more songs on an album. It doesn't cost more to manufacture it, true, but you have to pay publishers for every song on the album. And while many of the songs could be construed as Public Domain and thus not subject to royalties, in reality, somebody is usually able to lay claim to a song and demand royalties for it... Anyway, this is still a great album, and I think the fact that Sony & Dylan have been pretty generous about opening their vaults (and others) to release these kinds of albums is commendable.

A great Dylan record from his folk days, when he sang his songs, and didn't talk or whine them. I picked this one up from Starbucks, and I love it! Having never heard the original Gaslight tapes, I don't know how complete this recording is, but I do know that all the songs fit very well. Every song is beautifully done, but there are a few that I feel are specifically worthy of mention by me, a Dylan novice.

"A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" is spectacularly performed. The things in the background such as coughing, glasses clinking, and a car horn honking just add to the effect, and the haunting singing of the crowd gives me the chills. Plus, there is a line here that I wish he had included in the final song: "I heard the sound of one person who cried he was human." Beautiful.

"John Brown" also became one of my favorites. The back of the CD case says that tracks 4 through 10 are traditional, but it sounds like a Dylan one to me -- did he in fact write it? Either way, it is a deep and moving performance. I nearly cried when I heard it first.

And finally, Dylan's version of "Barbara Allen" is perhaps the best I've heard. Simon and Garfunkel did a light, up-beat version of this ancient folk tune, and it just didn't fit the piece. Dylan's adaptation, somewhat reminiscent (or rather, preminiscent) of the tune for "Boots of Spanish Leather," accurately captures the solemnity and hope of the song.

The album is full of amazing songs, and I would highly recommend it.

... TRACK #1: There is no fade-in, and the recording starts a bit after the song has already begun. The vocal clarity is outstanding, and you can really hear the bass notes on Dylan's guitar. As for the performance? ... Man, if this don't ring true right now: "I heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world." When Dylan sings, "And what did you 'hair,' my darling young one?" you wonder if he is thinking that same thought right now. People sing along with him at the end. ... TRACK #2: I wonder if Paul Simon was inspired by the guitar intro to this one? Dylan is not just singing the words here. He's using his voice to extend the melody into a bluegrassy "high and lonesome sound." ... TRACK #3: It sounds like you're sitting right there in front of Dylan playing his guitar and singing. Real intimate. Real personal. Real lifelike. It's pristine, private, and perfect. (There's some cross-fade-out right before the 3:00 minute part of the song.) This is folk music at its best! ... TRACK #4: Some fancy finger-picking work from Dylan here. His voice sounds vibrant, young, and fresh. Very heartfelt and soulful. ... TRACK #5: Mellow and subdued. Sweet-voiced. You can see how Bruce Springsteen's approach to performing may have been influenced by Dylan's style of singing and playing here in this tune. ... TRACK #6: Here's another one you might be familiar with, through Jerry Garcia and David Grisman. ... TRACK #7: At first, you may think he's going to begin "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright," but you quickly realize that he's really moving into Taj Mahal territory. Too bad a whole generation of people did not pay closer attention to the theme of this song way back when in 1962. A few years later, Lou Reed would be writing a similar song about a different drug. Toward the end, Dylan almost breaks out in a laugh - which releases the tension. ... TRACK #8: Even when Dylan clears his throat in the early part of the song, it sounds good. I don't care if he was really clearing his throat or not, it still sounds good. This anti-war song is as timely today as it was then. A very powerful delivery. The applause at the end were well-deserved. ... TRACK #9: A very pretty song. You can hear the tenderness in Dylan's voice come through very sweetly. Dylan is really singing with his whole heart and soul here, using his voice as an instrument and not simply as a conveyor of the lyrics or as a tool to storytelling. Beautiful. It makes you wonder if Garcia ever heard this recording of this song? There was absolutely no snide yet in Dylan's voice here. It was simply pure and transparent in all its soulful, poetic glory. ... TRACK #10: The finger-picking is gone here. What remains is a pure, droney strum with a blues-based drive to it that pushes the story forward. The vocals are hard, strong, and intense. (Too bad the tape ran out before Dylan stopped playing!) When you listen to this, you'll understand why Dylan became so huge. He's serious! ... God bless his heart. ... YOWZA! - The Aeolian Kid

For those of you like myself who grew up on Dylan, and not only listen to it, but collect it as well. This is a must have CD.
It features "A Hard Rains Gonna Fall" and a version of Dont Think Twice It's Alright, that is in the process of still being written. Dylan uses the lyrics that Peter, Paul & Mary used on their recording.
Dylan is using songs he grew up on such as Handsome Molly, John Brown and Barbara Allen.
Dylan had never recorded John Brown until he did Unplugged for MTV a few years ago. Now you get to hear him sing it when he actaully sang instead of the chanting he does today.
I am glad Columbia is digging into the vaults and releasing Dylan songs from the past.
You need to buy this if for no other reason it will be a collectors item.

The 1963 Town Hall Concert that Columbia was going to release, but didn't was pretty doggone good. This is better. If you like the early Dylan records, Freewheelin' and Another Side, you are gonna love this. Good quality, super performance. I once heard Dolly Parton do "Barbara Allen". It was haunting. The young Bob Dylan's version is down right scary, it's so good. This is a must have for collectors and lovers of folk music.

I should mention that a very good version of this show, the complete show, has been bootlegged for years. You can still finds CDs of it for about forty dollars and if you can find one, I'd get it, because the whole show is well worth owning. Why they left off songs like "Black Cross", "No More Auction Block" and some very good others is beyond me, because it wouldn't have cost one lickin', stickin' cent more, but heck at eight bucks this is a steal. I can't praise this perfomance enough.

For anyone who cares at all about Bob, this album is a must. The versions of "A Hard Rain's A Gonna Fall," and "Don't Think Twice it's Alright," are really spectacular, and, in my opinion, are superior to the studio versions. "Rocks and Gravel," which was left off of Freewheelin' at the last minute, is incredible. Find it at your local Starbucks if none of the 3rd party retailers work for you.

So why only four stars? Basically because it's an incomplete version of the Gaslight Tapes, as even a little internet research will show. Why couldn't Sony/Columbia release the entire set of tapes?