NES 032: Bob Dylan LIVE, 8/19/98

Summary

Jokermen Podcast Episode Summary: NES 032 – Bob Dylan LIVE, 8/19/98

Host: Jokermen
Release Date: March 5, 2025
Episode Title: NES 032: Bob Dylan LIVE, 8/19/98
Description: Jokermen Podcast serves as your spirit guide to the enchanting world of Bob Dylan and the Neverending Tour, delving into every song and performance with insightful analysis.

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Introduction

In episode NES 032, the Jokermen Podcast team—comprising Ian, Evan, and Steve—dives deep into Bob Dylan's live performance on August 19, 1998, at the Mercury Lounge in Melbourne, Australia. This episode is part of the "Tony's Choice" series, where live shows are meticulously analyzed and reviewed based on listener recommendations.

Notable Quote:

• Ian (01:06): “August 19, 1998, at the Mercury Lounge, which apparently doesn't exist anymore.”

Listener Submission: Lewis’s Introduction

The episode features an insightful introduction from listener Lewis, who provides context and personal reflections on the Melbourne show. Lewis emphasizes the intimate atmosphere of the Mercury Lounge and highlights the unique energy of Dylan’s performance.

Notable Quotes:

• Lewis (48:05): “The Mercury Lounge was a small room at the back of Crown Casino, which only held about 500 people... the energy and intimacy of the performance.”
• Lewis (51:22): “I love the set list. I love the expansive and jammy electric numbers and then the warm acoustic portion.”

Setlist Analysis

The hosts meticulously break down the 21-song setlist, commending Dylan's blend of classic hits and deep cuts. They highlight standout performances and discuss the flow of the concert, noting the seamless transition between electric and acoustic sets.

Key Songs Discussed:

• "Tough Mama" (60:14): Praised as a rare and energetic performance, showcasing Dylan's ability to deliver high-octane renditions of less frequently played tracks.
• "Pretty Peggy O' Life" (62:33): Celebrated as a masterful highlight, with the hosts lauding the guitar interplay between Bob and Larry Campbell.
• "Can't Wait" (75:41): Recognized for its electrifying live energy, distinguishing it from the studio version.

Notable Quotes:

• Steve (62:33): “Pretty Peggy O' is the filet of this show.”
• Ian (73:06): “One of the hardest, loudest, just most extraordinary incarnations of that song that I've ever heard.”

Band Performance and Interplay

The episode delves into the dynamics of Dylan's band during this performance. Larry Campbell and Bucky Baxter are commended for their exceptional musicianship, particularly in their guitar work and pedal steel contributions. The hosts appreciate the balance and chemistry between the band members, noting how it enhances the overall performance.

Notable Quotes:

• Steve (64:16): “The interplay between Bob and Larry Campbell is really interesting in this show.”
• Ian (71:46): “I think the way they play on Highway 61 is fucking badass. The best Highway 61 I can remember hearing.”

Comparative Analysis: Toads and Melbourne Show

The hosts draw parallels between this Melbourne performance and Dylan's legendary "Toads" shows, contrasting the relaxed, jam-oriented vibe of "Toads" with the polished and energetic atmosphere of the 1998 Melbourne show. They appreciate the evolution in Dylan's live performances, highlighting the strengths of both eras.

Notable Quotes:

• Evan (54:45): “It's one of those performances where it's like, you can tell it's in a small club, you can tell it's intimate.”
• Ian (55:51): “This feels like just a ridiculous chance to be seeing, like peak, close to peak Dylan Never Ending tour material right in front of you.”

Listener Engagement and Contributions

The episode emphasizes the importance of listener submissions, with Lewis’s detailed introduction setting the stage for an enriching analysis. They also introduce a group exercise where each host creates a hypothetical condensed album from Dylan's Rough and Rowdy Ways era, fostering community interaction and creativity.

Group Exercise Highlights:

• Album Creation: Hosts select and order songs from "Empire Burlesque," "Knocked Out Loaded," and "Down in the Groove," including unreleased tracks and alternate takes.
• Shared Preferences: The exercise reveals overlapping song preferences, underscoring the hosts' shared tastes and deep familiarity with Dylan's catalog.

Notable Quotes:

• Ian (29:19): “Tim requests Bob Dylan has just arrived in a time machine... naming it 'Knock Down Empire.'”
• Steve (37:20): “I love mine, by the way.”

Critical Reception and Ratings

The hosts unanimously rate the Melbourne show as a "triple three-star" performance, indicating a highly positive reception. This rating underscores the show's excellence, with the hosts noting the absence of criticisms due to the show's overall quality.

Notable Quotes:

• Ian (98:18): “Triple three star perfect scores. Perfect marks.”
• Evan (91:37): “I’m giving this one three stars just because... there's nothing wrong with it.”

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

The episode wraps up with reflections on the significance of the Melbourne show within Dylan's Neverending Tour. The hosts express gratitude to listeners like Lewis for their contributions and emphasize the enduring appeal of Dylan's live performances. They also tease future episodes and encourage listener engagement.

Notable Quotes:

• Steve (99:53): “Louis, we love you. Thank you so much.”
• Ian (99:58): “The rare triple three star perfect scores.”

Key Takeaways

• Intimate Setting: The Melbourne show’s small venue fostered a close connection between Dylan, his band, and the audience.
• Exceptional Setlist: A blend of rare tracks and classic hits, executed with high energy and precision.
• Musical Interplay: Highlighted the exceptional musicianship of Dylan’s band, particularly between guitarists Larry Campbell and Bucky Baxter.
• Listener Involvement: Active engagement and creative contributions from listeners enrich the podcast experience.
• Unanimous Praise: The show stands out as one of the best performances from Dylan's Neverending Tour, earning high accolades from the hosts.

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**For **more episodes and detailed analyses of Bob Dylan’s live performances, subscribe to Jokermen Podcast on Patreon and follow @jokermenpodcast on Instagram and Twitter.

Transcript

[Steve]

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Would you please welcome Columbia recording artist Bob Dylan?

[Evan]

I ain't completed by what I got.

[Ian]

Welcome back to Never Ending Stories podcast, podcast about Bob Dylan and the Neverending Tour. I'm Ian.

[Evan]

I'm Evan.

[Steve]

And I'm Steve.

[Ian]

And today's show is another pick in the Tony's Choice series. Fantastic pick. I'm so excited to announce August 19, 1998 at the Mercury Lounge, which apparently doesn't exist anymore. But we'll get into that in Melbourne, Australia, courtesy of listener Lewis, who we'll hear from in just a little bit.

[Steve]

Did you attempt, like, a little Australian accent?

[Ian]

Melbourne, yeah. Did that come. Did that. Did that. Did that work? I feel like Melbourne is kind of the easiest thing to pull off with an accent.

[Steve]

I mean, like, I'm not going to critique someone else's Australian accent because mine is not very good.

[Ian]

I'm hoping it's going to make an appearance.

[Steve]

Well, it might.

[Ian]

I'm assuming we're all going to be slinging these. These Australian accents.

[Evan]

You just dipped into it like. Like it was Ibiza. You just kind of slid in there.

[Ian]

I'm just trying to get into the monster Barcelona.

[Steve]

You were like a character actor there. You were like, I'm not gonna. Because I feel like with the Australian accent, it's the. At least for me, like, the impulse is to be very over the top.

[Evan]

Melbourne.

[Steve]

But you were very much like, oh, like I'm a character, you know, like I'm Leonardo DiCaprio doing the Australian accent in a very serious film.

[Ian]

Wow. You're flattering me, Steven.

[Evan]

Blood Diamond. But I guess that's South Africa.

[Ian]

That's South African.

[Steve]

Exactly. Well, Zimbabwean, technically.

[Ian]

Right.

[Steve]

Which I know because I'm in the middle of writing a Leonardo DiCaprio article. I just actually wrote a little bit about Blood Diamond.

[Evan]

Oh, really?

[Ian]

Wow. All right.

[Evan]

I liked Blood Diamond. Pretty good movie.

[Steve]

Very good. And the thing about that movie, too, is, I mean, the best part of that movie is Leo. And if I may say respectfully.

[Evan]

Yes, I know what you're about to say.

[Steve]

An extremely attractive Jennifer Connelly, like, flirting at the bar.

[Ian]

A Wooga.

[Steve]

Yeah. Which rare instance of Leo in, like, a slightly older woman in the same scene.

[Ian]

Yeah. Well, certainly in reality, that's not something that you're gonna see outside of the.

[Steve]

Silver screen, but even in film, like, it's not normally Leo and a slightly. But like, Jennifer Connelly. I mean, come on. Yeah, enough said there.

[Evan]

Yes.

[Ian]

Well, I'm looking forward to. To this Leo article. I don't Think I've ever seen Blood diamond. But I'm a big fan of solid TNT movie.

[Evan]

Yes.

[Ian]

Like a Cinemax, Sunday afternoon type of film watching experience.

[Steve]

If you're in a hotel and you're. You checked in, you're tired, 10pm you turn on the TV, blood diamonds on TNT, you're taken care of.

[Ian]

Well, I look forward to that perhaps happening in August when I am traveling out of town. Because wouldn't you know it, my summer travel plans that already existed were completely already set. And so I won't be able to attend any of the California dates of the just announced outlaw festival. Bob and Willie and company hitting stages all across the country. Like, fuck it. Like, hell. Yeah. I'm so fucking stoked for this.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Steve]

You're going to the Gorge, right?

[Ian]

The Gorge, Yeah. I've never been. I've always. I was looked for an excuse to get up there. I know Sasquatch is there every year, but this seems primo. I'm so fucking.

[Steve]

You got Willie, you got Bob, you got Billy Strings.

[Ian]

Billy Strings is at that one. Exactly.

[Steve]

And you got John Mellencamp, which we got.

[Ian]

And the Cougar. That's right. We're gonna have to do some Cougar shit when we get closer.

[Evan]

We will.

[Steve]

Look, you say that with a. You know, I can hear the sort of, like, resigned sigh and should I be more excited?

[Evan]

Please, gas me up, because I want a good time. You know, I just don't know. And I feel like my instinct tells me, boring maybe, but am I wrong?

[Steve]

No, no. I think. I really think that, like, you know, like, mid-80s cougar, very underrated. And even, like, into the early 90s, I think he's got some good stuff. I mean, like, Bob Dylan loves John Mellencamp. I mean, you know, he's covered Mellencamp on the Rough and Ready Ways tour. He clearly has a lot of respect for him. I also feel like some of his adoration of Mellencamp is him trolling Bruce Springsteen. But we can, like, go back to that another day. It's, like, easier for him to praise Mellencamp than it would be someone like Springsteen. I think there's, like.

[Ian]

Because he's actually threatened by Bruce. Exactly.

[Steve]

Exactly. Like, Mellencamp. He's not a threat. Like, Mellencamp is like, okay, I can praise Mellencamp and, like, look again. Like, I. There are a lot of Mellencamp records that I like a lot, but I also feel like, yeah, like, from Dylan's perspective, him being a competitive guy, he's not going to be threatened by Mellencamp. He can praise him safely and not have to, you know, worry about Springsteen when he's doing that.

[Ian]

Mellencamp's got a lot of. I'm just looking at his AllMusic page. The dude has put out. He's, like, still cranking out records. He's got a 20. He's got two 2014 records, one of which is a live record, a 2017 record, a 2018 record, a 2020 record, a 2023 record. This guy's man. Salute to him. I don't know if any of this shit is any good, but he's been. He's been putting it out and like.

[Steve]

Okay, forgive me for my lack of Jokerman knowledge here. Did you guys cover the live record that he put out? Like, where it was Mellencamp and.

[Ian]

And Lou.

[Steve]

Yeah, like Mellon Camp.

[Evan]

No, we didn't. That's the one in Bloomington.

[Steve]

Yeah, it was like Lou Reed and Mellencamp. It's like we.

[Evan]

We. That actually slipped through the cracks, but we can cover that, I think. Special. That is exactly the type of thing we should cover on this show.

[Steve]

Yeah, that's a never ending story is like, just waiting to. Okay, we will do that.

[Evan]

That's perfect.

[Steve]

Because that's literally like Lou Reed and Mellencamp on the same show. It's a very scuzzy sounding tape, which really, maybe that's the perfect thing for Lou and Mellencamp coming together. You know, you don't want that to sound too good. Yeah, we should talk about that for sure. Because. And the people listening to this, they may not even know what we're talking about, but there is like a. Like a tape. I forget what label put it out.

[Evan]

Well, I know a friend. Friend of the show, Eric Dynas. I think that he.

[Ian]

He put it out on Ulyssa.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Ian]

At least as a cassette.

[Evan]

Yeah. So, yeah, we at least have that as a physical version. I don't know where. What its origins really are, but yeah, it was like a club show. It was like a small venue.

[Ian]

And I think Lou. I think it was a Mellencamp show. And I think Lou came out like at the end, sort of by surprise as like an extra guest and ran through a couple songs. Mellencamp, of course, is also, you know, his quote unquote, painter friend, Donald. So the story goes in last Great American Whale. So this, you know, I have zero knowledge of Mellencamp, like, you know, tip to tail, nothing. But I feel like a lot of our dudes are, you know, in league with him. Orbiting around him. So I'm stoked too.

[Steve]

Can we just say that, like, Mellencamp is maybe the Forrest Gump of our universe?

[Ian]

Wow. Sure.

[Steve]

He's stumbling into like various corners of Bob Dylan and Lou Reed and, you know, doing Farm Aid and all these other things. Yeah, he's the Forest Gump.

[Evan]

Yeah. I don't know, Zelig or Forrest Gump.

[Ian]

Or take your pick.

[Evan]

Yeah, one of those.

[Steve]

To people, let's say Forrest Gump. I think Forrest Gump is more abs.

[Evan]

Mellencamp is absolutely not very.

[Ian]

So, yeah, he wouldn't be exactly.

[Evan]

He's not really that type.

[Ian]

But I mean, this is going to be. It's going to be fucking incredible. Like, we're going to have so much to talk about, so we don't need to, you know, blow our loads right now. But just like this. This had been rumored, you know, I think early or late, late last year. I think we started getting a couple messages about it here and there. And then, you know, lo and behold here. I don't know exactly what is gonna be in store for us in terms of like, I'm guessing Willy's gonna headlot, like play last in most of these shows. I don't know if we're gonna get a full Bob set. I'm guessing it's gonna sound more like the live aided appearance from last fall than the Rough and Rowdy Way stuff, but who knows? Like, there's so much. This is a delicious treat for all of us because the whole world has just been blown open and there's a whole new universe of Bob Dylan live. Possibly.

[Evan]

I mean, I feel really kind of. I've had some thoughts about this though, that where I'm kind of like, wow, it's really gonna be over the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour. Like having an end in sight is kind of crazy because. But it's just knowing that it's not gonna be going anymore is kind of amazing and sad, you know, I mean.

[Ian]

He said from the very beginning, 2021 to 2024, and here we are. So sure enough, you know, we knew this was coming. But I think this is the best possible way for the Rough ways to ending going on a summer long festival performance that's presumably going to be radically different than the Rough and Running Way. Shit.

[Steve]

Yeah. I mean, look, I've seen Bob on this tour because he's done. Because like this Willie Nelson thing, he's done this for years. I saw Bob on the Outlaw tour. I'm trying to think it was, I think 2017. I saw it in Milwaukee. And this was like, when he was still doing, like, a lot of the standards material. Like, that was like, the first Bob show I had seen for several years. So, like, I have a good idea, like, Bob's going to be doing probably about 75 minutes, like, on this tour.

[Ian]

All right. That's not nothing to shake us down because, like, Willie.

[Steve]

Willie is the headliner of this tour. Like, he's going on last. Bob will go on before him. I'm just going to say, look, I love the Rough and Ready Ways tour. I'm ready for him to. Yeah, look again, I love this tour. I'm not going to, you know, diss this tour at all. But it's like, when I Pay My Masterpiece, even if he's doing, like, radically different versions of it, I don't need to hear that song.

[Ian]

Yeah, I don't care When I Pay him or Masterpiece ever again.

[Evan]

It feels kind of great to know. Just. I don't know, like, right when everyone, I think, was kind of in the back of their mind getting used to, like, this being like, oh, Dylan's like, maybe not going to tour anymore after this and this is it. And it's this way because he wants it to be this way. Just like all of that kind of stuff, it's now that's not the case. Like, there was all those rumors about, like, he's tacky, he's packing it in.

[Ian]

It's almost after the Rough and Round He Waits tour is over, but it's just.

[Evan]

It's not. And so that's just the biggest gift he could give, I guess, is just, you know, just saying, like, more, there's more later. Whatever that happened, I'm still looking forward.

[Ian]

It's. Who knows what's what, what the future has in store for us.

[Steve]

And I never really bought that. I really feel like Bob Dylan's going to be someone who is going to tour until he physically can't tour.

[Evan]

Willie Nelson is 90 and he's doing the same thing, so.

[Steve]

Exactly.

[Ian]

90.

[Evan]

Yeah, he's 90.

[Steve]

He's going to be probably 91.

[Ian]

Actually, he'll be 91. April 29th, 1933. God damn.

[Steve]

Exactly. And look, the thing about Willie Nelson, too, like, because I think the last time I saw him was on the outlaw tour that I saw Bob Dylan on, which was, like, when he was a ripe old age of, like, 86, I think.

[Ian]

Spring chicken.

[Steve]

And I don't know if you guys have seen Willie before live, but not I. He's amazing. He comes out there and he's like, wow. Like, this guy is like pretty old and you're like, wow, is he gonna be able to like, deliver up there? And then like, he starts playing guitar. And like, every time I see Willie Nelson live, it's like, I know he's an amazing guitar player, but I'm always freshly amazed by how well this guy plays guitar. And it really is like every time you see Neil Young, like, Neil Young is an amazing guitar player alive. That's like what Willie Nelson is like when you see him. Only it's like Django Reinhardt type jazz guitar stuff. It's amazing. And his voice sounds amazing. And this is our modern equivalent of like Mark Twain or like William Shakespeare, you know what I mean? These people that at some point are going to be gone and when they're gone, you're going to look back on them and they're like these iconic American figures. Not William Shakespeare, but like Mark Twain, a great American. Yeah. And it is funny to think about Bob because I. I know Bob is, you know, 82. He's going to be 83 when he plays these shows. I still don't think of him as being that old.

[Ian]

Yeah.

[Steve]

You know, even though he is. But I don't know, I'm excited to see, like, what he is going to do on these shows. I don't know what it's going to be. Is he going to do a greatest hit set? Is he going to be digging out other deep cuts from his catalog?

[Evan]

Well, that's the most exciting thing is just the potential for him to be doing that. To be just doing shows that have no set structure.

[Ian]

It's gonna be so fun if he just plays the rough and rowdy ways. Shit. And it's just the same exact show that we've been getting in theaters.

[Steve]

He could do the rough and rowdy ways thing continuing or maybe. And I know this probably won't happen because he probably would have announced this as, you know, to entice ticket goers.

[Evan]

What.

[Steve]

What's the chance he's bringing out the knobs? That he's bringing the knobs off the top rope?

[Evan]

That's very. That's very possible.

[Steve]

The knobs are just like the secret weapon. We're bringing out the knobs here.

[Ian]

We're gonna do the knobs, baby.

[Steve]

We're gonna do a knobs tour. I mean, you know, because we were talking about this on text and, you know, I think Ian said this. If he was gonna do that, they probably would have said that to, you know, entice ticket goers. To buy. To buy tickets. And I think that's probably right. Part of me just wants to believe that, like, Mike Campbell and Ben Monte are just in a closet somewhere and they're going to burst out.

[Ian]

Just coming out.

[Steve]

They're going to burst out of the closet and like, here we go, baby. Mike Campbell.

[Evan]

I mean, that is kind of funny, the idea of like, well, we've got Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan. How are we going to get people to come to this show? The Kno.

[Ian]

The Dirty Knobs.

[Evan]

I'm seeing him at the Hollywood bowl, by the way. That's where I'm going to go see.

[Ian]

Yes.

[Evan]

Bob Dylan and potentially the Dirty Knobs.

[Ian]

You'll be representing at Bolstick 2.

[Evan]

Bolstick Part 2. Yeah.

[Ian]

At the Hollywood Bowl. I'll be at the Gorge in Washington. Steven.

[Steve]

Yes, yes. And this reminds me, I was going to, you know, make this complaint. I'm not making a complaint because I'm excited to see this show. But the show I'm going to is in Somerset, Wisconsin, which is literally right on the border of Wisconsin and Minnesota. It's about maybe 20, 25 minutes from the outskirts of the Twin Cities.

[Ian]

It's like a suburb of Minneapolis, it looks like.

[Steve]

Exactly. It's a venue that exists because people from Minnesota are going to go over the border and go to the show. But I just like to think that Bob is trolling those of us who live in Minnesota, Bob's home country, the north country, if you will. But he's not going to actually play Minnesota. I'm not going to play Minnesota. I'm going to play literally on the border of Wisconsin and Minnesota. Assuming the Rough and Ready Ways Tour ends like in the spring here, he will not have played a single Rough and Ready Ways tour date in the North Country.

[Ian]

He's not doing any Minnesota dates.

[Steve]

I am infuriated by this, but I also tip my cap to the master. So. Well done, Bob. Well done.

[Ian]

Bravo. I am looking at the Nobbs tour dates. They have two dates here at the end of April it looks like. And that is. That's it. That's all they've got coming up for 2024 that's announced. So, you know, it certainly seems like Mike Campbell and Ben Mott and company might have some free time on their hands this coming summer.

[Steve]

I gotta say, if it was with the Knobs, that just ups the anticipation for me where I'm like, maybe I'm gonna go to Chicago because, like, look, this show in Somerset that I'm going to, it's the day before my birthday.

[Ian]

Giving you a birthday gift. It's all wrapped up and delivered. Delivered right your door.

[Steve]

And the Chicago date is on my birthday. And friend of the pod, Rob Mitchum, reached out to me. He's like, do you want to come to Chicago to see the show? And I was like, well, you know, look, I like to be with my family on my birthday. I don't want to leave, you know, like, my kids are still young. I want them to be around me.

[Ian]

If the Dirty Knobs are going to be out there on stage, I might need. I might need to change my.

[Steve]

If the knobs are coming. I had to sit the kids down and be like, look, the knobs and Dylan. You got to like, you know, this is. This is just like a. It's like my 47th birthday. It doesn't really matter that much.

[Ian]

Sorry, kids. Daddy's gotta see the knobs.

[Evan]

They've fucked this up for you too many times. I think that they can maybe take a backseat and have a extra special birthday next year.

[Steve]

That's true. It's like, yeah, these kids, they're really taking up too much of my time and attention.

[Ian]

If it were the Rough and Rowdy Ways Band plus the Knobs, to me, like, if you just throw Benmont and Campbell in there and you keep like Donny Heron and Tony up on stage and I guess what, maybe like keep Bob Brit or Lancio or something like.

[Evan]

That, how cool would it be if there was just rocked out versions of Rough and Rowdy songs?

[Ian]

That's actually what I'm kind of stoked on.

[Steve]

That's true.

[Evan]

What if they just went like, okay, now these are just. I mean, they've been messing with them and adjusting them and changing them the whole time in the Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour. But within certain subtle, more delicate parameters. But what if they're just like, okay, we're just going to do. I contain multitudes with full scale electric, right?

[Steve]

Like, we'll just play this material Rough and Ready Ways. Like it's Highway 61 revisited. Because we've got.

[Ian]

Oh, yeah.

[Evan]

And then, and then play Highway 61. Just fold it into the, the, the repertoire. That would be the most interesting thing.

[Steve]

I'll set the kids down. I'll have the flowchart of like all the band members. And I'll be like, look, it's the knobs. It's also the Rough and Ready Ways Era band. And it's also my birthday. So, like, don't be so selfish. I know you're young, you're Going to be out of the house, you know, much sooner than I think you will be. But I'm going to drive eight hours to Chicago to see a second show.

[Ian]

Of the same set, of the same.

[Steve]

Set list, because, come on, what's important here? It's Bob Dylan. It's the knobs. It's his own.

[Ian]

It's Mike Campbell. It's been my intention.

[Evan]

Well, with that, I think we should move on along because we have a lot to cover on. On this program tonight.

[Ian]

We do. And before we talk about the show that we're assembled here to talk about, we have to talk about a show that you, Steven, just attended the other night. You went. You hit up the Cat Power thing. How was that?

[Steve]

It was really good. You know, I don't know if you guys, like, listened to that live album. I really like that record a lot.

[Evan]

I ended up at the release party for it, and I. And I met Kat Power.

[Steve]

Yeah, you were rubbing shoulders with Shawn Marshall.

[Evan]

Very nice. And I think everybody likes it. I haven't met anyone who doesn't like that record.

[Steve]

It's really good. And again, for those who don't know, this is like Kat Power doing the iconic Judas show from the 66 Tour, Manchester Free Trade Hall. And it's a great live album. It's interesting because when I listen to the Dylan version of that album, I love the acoustic side of it, but I'm always drawn to the electric side. The electric side is the one that I'm just like, this is the greatest rock music of all time. I've said that before. I really believe that. I think it's the greatest rock show. Dylan, the Hawks, the drama of it. It's incredible. And when you listen to the Cat Power show, it really is inverted. Like, I think that the acoustic portion of the show is just incredible. Like, the way that she performs that, the way she performs it on the record, the way she performs it in the show, it's just amazing. And then, like, the electric portion is, like, really good. Like, she has a really good band, but it can't help but feel diminished compared to, like, what Dylan does. And that's no slight on Cat Power. It's just that the Dylan and the Hawks thing is, like, so dramatic and powerful, empowered by, like, the negative reaction of the crowd that, you know, it feels like a little.

[Ian]

You're never gonna get that.

[Steve]

Yeah, you're not gonna get that. Like, it feels like a little bit of an anti climax. So, yeah, that. That's my feeling about that. Like, Cat Power doing the Acoustic songs is incredible. And like, the electric songs are like, really nice, you know.

[Ian]

Sure.

[Steve]

But it's not. You know what I mean? Like, and again, like, oh, it's not as good as Dylan doing it. Like, that's not. That's not a slice.

[Evan]

Dylan and the Hawks. That's just like, absolutely unrepleated.

[Ian]

Yeah. You can't ever has ever been.

[Steve]

Yeah, yeah.

[Evan]

No rock band has ever sounded that good ever would. It's just you. That's a one time.

[Steve]

And the stakes of it, like, you can't replicate that. And she doesn't really try. Like, the way she does it. Like, when she does just like, Tom Thumb blues, she plays it more like the album version than like the live version that they did. Which I think is actually like a cool decision. Like, it's kind of. It's nice to hear her do it that way, you know, like, you're not going to match the intensity of that. So, like, again, like. So that is really nice. The electric side, it's nice. But like, the acoustic portion of it again, like, it is so beautiful. And she's able to evoke what Dylan does and pay tribute to it, but also make it completely her own. And it's like a testament to how good of a singer she is, you know, that she can make you remember his phrasing, but, like, do it in her in her own way. The ghost of electricity house and the bones of her face.

[Ian]

Where these visions of Johanna have not taken my place.

[Steve]

I mean, like. Like, I got choked up multiple times watching her do the acoustic part of that show. It was great, you know, like, come on. Like, these are the greatest songs of all time. And this is like one of the greatest concerts of all time. And to hear an artist for caliber perform, that was a real treat. So, yeah, if you get a chance to see it, you should go. For sure.

[Ian]

Go check it. Is she on the acoustic stuff? Like, I mean, Bob. The acoustic part of the Bob show. Right. Bob is just. It's Bob. It's just Bob up there. Is she doing. Is she just up there alone herself in acoustic?

[Steve]

No.

[Ian]

Does she have people playing?

[Steve]

No, there's a. There's a guitar player and a harmonica player. So she's just singing.

[Ian]

Okay.

[Steve]

And, you know, and that's another thing where you're just like, oh, yeah, Bob Dylan's like, really good. Bob Dylan's good because he sang and he did these heart parts and he played the guitar. So, yeah, Bob Dylan was pretty good in 1966.

[Ian]

Bob Dylan, 1966. I know that's an interesting novel take from us here on this program, but I think it's.

[Steve]

He's pretty, pretty good in 1966. Bob Dylan.

[Evan]

I like him. I like him anyway. Yeah, I don't know about you guys. I think he's good, actually. I liked him first too.

[Ian]

I don't know about that.

[Evan]

No one else liked him before.

[Ian]

Well, lots of great stuff happening in live concert going experience as we speak. I'm about to go see our boy Danny B in just like two nights. Are you, man? I. He's coming in Los Angeles like two nights later. You're not.

[Evan]

I did not get tickets and so I'm trying to get hopefully Danny B.

[Steve]

I'm working with something Dan Behar.

[Evan]

I'm trying to figure out how I can get Danny boy, Danny Bobby, Dany.

[Steve]

B. I've never heard of Dan Behar called Danny.

[Evan]

No, I'm trying to figure out how I can get some kind of, you know, someone can help me out. I'm trying.

[Ian]

It isn't even.

[Evan]

It's sold out, so I just. I just didn't know it was happening that soon and then it sold out. So I'm. I'm going to try to do everything I can to pull strings or. Or if I can't, I'll just go there and someone will have not arrived to claim their ticket and I'll.

[Steve]

You've got a lot of strings, Evan. I think you can pull some strings.

[Evan]

I. I think I can.

[Steve]

You got a lot of strings. I mean, it's Danny.

[Evan]

Danny B. Yeah.

[Steve]

Danny B is in your area, which I. I love Slash hate calling him Danny B. Maddie B.

[Evan]

No, it's an acoustic show. I've seen Dan Behar play as Destroyer acoustic solo at the Large Room before. And yeah, I am gonna make it my. It's my mission not to miss this time around. But until then, I don't want to talk about it because.

[Ian]

Fair enough.

[Evan]

What if.

[Steve]

I mean, and by the way, it was great hearing the response to our Destroyer episode.

[Ian]

Oh yeah, everyone seems stoked on that.

[Evan]

A lot of people. Yeah, A lot of people said, thankfully you finally did this. Like, I was waiting for you guys.

[Steve]

And we're gonna do future top five episodes in the future. We've already been discussing top five future albums. We could do top five future albums. But yeah, I mean, again, like Dan Behar, it's like so I think in line, like with what we talk about here and hopefully Dan Behar, dream guest of our show. And I think he's. I think he's Gettable. I think we can get him on the show.

[Evan]

I hope so. I would love to ask him about the captions on his Instagram.

[Ian]

I love his Instagram presence. It's incredible.

[Evan]

Sometimes I. I just can't believe that's him. And then sometimes it's like it's totally him. Of course that's him.

[Ian]

Of course it's him. Oh, well, you know, live music, pretty good. Pretty good stuff, folks. I'm gonna talk about some live music here before too long.

[Evan]

We still got more stuff. We have a very fun little project here that we all participated in our little group group exercise. So I'm curious to know what you guys did for the Unlocked Mailbox question.

[Ian]

On this week's Unlocked Mailbox. Great question. Long question, but great question from listener Tim. Tim Swadling, who's a musician in his own right, folks. Check him out on Spotify. But he's got a great Pain Blood cover.

[Evan]

Legs and arms and body and bone. They are playing blood, but not my.

[Ian]

I think the only official Pain Blood cover that's out there. So give that, give that a spin online.

[Evan]

Respect.

[Ian]

Serious respect. Tim asks. Tim states. Tim requests Bob Dylan has just arrived in a time machine and has asked us to help fix the rough patch of the 80s by condensing, you know, rough patch. Just a sidebar. Is it a rough patch?

[Evan]

What if he was just worried about sales? He's just like, I just want to sell more and I wonder if this could, if you could help me.

[Ian]

Right? I know it's good stuff, but it's all good stuff. Maximize its commercial potential. We're going to help fix the rough patch of the 80s by condensing empire Burlesque, Knocked Out, Loaded and Down in the Grove into one single album, which Tim has helpfully named for us. Empire Knocked Down.

[Evan]

I prefer Knock Down Empire.

[Ian]

Knock Down Empire I think also works, but either one I think is that's a. That's got the right kind of a mindset to it. Bob has stipulated the time travel rules will permit it, provided the album contains 10 songs total, three each from Empire Burlesque and Down in the Groove, and two from Knocked Out Loaded, which is the shorter of the three records. Of course, an eight song record compared to 10 on the others. You can also are there 11 songs on Empire Burlesque? Whatever, who cares? You can also include up to two unreleased tracks from these three album sessions and or alternate takes from the sessions of release songs, stuff from bootleg series releases. For instance, name your 10 song empire knocked down or Knocked Down Empire album in order, five tracks per side on vinyl or cassette tape. Side Bob thanks you in advance. And before he departs, he says that he has indulged in higher knowledge, took scans of encyclopedias, and is keeping constant research of our reports in the news media.

[Steve]

Wow, that's an epic.

[Ian]

Thank you for setting a record for the sheer length of question here, Tim, but it's also a fantastic question.

[Steve]

Fantastic and kind of confusing, I have to say. I was a little confused. We figured it out, but yeah, I think we got it. It was like you got three from this, three from that, but you can do two unreleased tracks. It was like a little. I had to read this like five times.

[Evan]

Yeah, I mean, you as the listener. I don't anybody to just have got all of that. But what you need to know, the only important thing is that we all combined those three records and created one, which is Knock Down Burlesque or Empire Knockdown or whatever. And I don't know about you, but I really felt like I like about yours. Yeah, I like.

[Ian]

I like mine too. Well, what's yours?

[Steve]

I love mine, by the way.

[Ian]

I love mine.

[Evan]

Maybe I love mine the most.

[Ian]

Okay. Whatever. They end up being folks out there in the comments. Let us know who's knocked down burlesque.

[Evan]

In some you want to listen to. We'll put them all up, I guess. Okay. So mine begins humbly, but I think in a way that I really like. We have Shenandoah as the first drawer from down in the Groove, which I think is just like. It took a while for me to get to what I would want the first track to be, but it just seemed right. After a while I was like, wow. Like, what if it just started with Shenandoah? Just sort of this, like totally unexpected, very. I love this recording. I love this version. It's like. Sounds so clear and bright and crisp and it's just an utter classic. So I really liked that as a way to start. We then go into tight connection in my heart. Second, like the bold second track, don't need to tell you how good that is. We then go into the third track, Trust Yourself, which is kind of taking the mood down to like a little bit more like a sultry I strut. Then we go in for a bit of fun. After Trust Yourself, we're really just like blowing the doors off with Silvio, you know, just a real bar and burner and that. Then the end of side A, I guess, is death is not the end. Sort of an interesting. I think just a good. A great Song a really interesting halfway point for the record. Then you flip the record over and you're wondering, okay, what could. What could be awaiting me on side 2B? Got my mind made up. We're blowing the doors off again.

[Ian]

Oh, boy.

[Evan]

Then we're gonna take it down. Very unexpected. Left turn with dark eyes. A tender ballad. A very spectral and haunting.

[Ian]

Just in the middle of side, too.

[Evan]

Yeah, yeah. But like, just sort of out of nowhere, we're back in a kind of introspective mood. Then we bring it up for the real show stopping number with Brownsville Girl. After Brownsville Girl, we have the penultimate track, I'll remember you taking things back down kind of re. I think it kind of looks back on some of the themes we've. We've gone through, you know, Brownsville Girl follow with like an I'll remember you coda I thought was kind of nice. And we're ending kind of as we began with a classic from down on the groove. As in a traditional. We're ending with rank strangers to me.

[Ian]

Oh, ranked. That's a nice ending there.

[Evan]

Okay, so I felt like this was a very specific journey, and it's gonna be completely different from whatever you guys did.

[Ian]

Honestly, not that different from mine.

[Steve]

Not super different. Yeah.

[Ian]

I feel like we might be zeroing in on a series of, you know, ideal favorite tracks here between the three of us. What do you got, Steven?

[Steve]

Oh, you want me to go next?

[Ian]

Sure.

[Steve]

Okay. So I'm starting out. I want to rock at the beginning of this record. So I'm doing. You want to ramble at the beginning of my record?

[Evan]

That's good.

[Steve]

That.

[Evan]

I mean, that's.

[Ian]

That's good. That's what you want to ramble is good.

[Steve]

We're rambling out of the gate. Okay, so we got. You want to ramble at the end of the gate. And then echoing Evan here. I got take connection in my heart in the second track. I just feel like it's a great track too. We're giving some people a little pop candy here in the second track. Third got Silvio. Gotta have Silvio on your, like, mid-80s Dylan record. Come on. Number four. I have when the night comes Falling. But the bootleg series version.

[Ian]

Yes.

[Evan]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ian]

Little Steven version.

[Steve]

Little Steven, Max Weinberg and Roy Bitton. Just like a goddamn masterpiece. Like, that performance kills me. Love it. So got that there. And then at the end of side A, Dark eyes. Gotta have dark eyes on there.

[Evan]

I mean, that's kind of like mine, but.

[Steve]

Yeah, exactly. We're all gonna have dark eyes. I think I'd be shocked if Ian doesn't have dark eyes on his record. Yeah. This is also echoing Evan. I got my mind made up at the beginning of side two. I think you got, like a. You got the rollicking rocker. It's like Tom Petty.

[Evan]

The Tom. Yeah.

[Steve]

Co write, I think. Totally great side, too. I'm going with New Dansville Girl here.

[Ian]

Ooh, I knew that was coming.

[Steve]

I'm not doing Brownsville Girl.

[Evan]

New Danville Girl.

[Steve]

I'm doing New Danville Girl, number two track. I dislike the outtake a little bit more than Brownsville Girl. Then I've got a little bit of synth rock. When did you leave Heaven? I'm dropping that.

[Evan]

That almost made the cut for my.

[Steve]

I really. I really like that. From down in the Groove. Then I got Emotionally Yours. I'm just gonna.

[Evan]

Almost made it.

[Steve]

I'm gonna do that just like the album cut. I'm not doing, like, an alternate take with that. And then at the end of the album. Death is not the end. I just think, like, that's a great album.

[Ian]

Closer at the end.

[Steve]

Yeah, that's my record.

[Ian]

That's a good record. And again, like, bears some resemblance to mine. I think between the three of us, you know, we kind of will have triangulated the 10 best tracks here between these three records. Mine starts off, I mean, side one, track one from Empire. Like, tight Connection to My Heart is Built to be a side one. Track one. That's like. I respect the track two positioning from both of you, but, like, come on, that's a track. That's a side one. Track one to me.

[Steve]

Yeah, but you could put.

[Evan]

You could put.

[Steve]

You want to ramble there, though. You could put that.

[Ian]

You could.

[Evan]

That's the tough thing is there's so many kind of lighter weight ones, and then it's like, what do you do with them? So it's. Anyway, I don't want to go on. I'm curious what you did.

[Ian]

Tight connection. I just. I can't. I can't listen to that song and not think of it as the start of an album so iconic at the beginning of Empire. Track two, Shenandoah.

[Evan]

Okay. Just reverse.

[Steve]

Wow.

[Evan]

You're both mine.

[Steve]

But Flip, you're both doing Shenandoah.

[Ian]

That's right. I thought I was expecting Shenandoah from you, too.

[Evan]

I love this version of Shin, and.

[Ian]

That'S such a great Shin.

[Evan]

And it sounds so good.

[Steve]

You're making me. You're making me second out my Shenandoah exclusion. So, you know, well done, Shenandoah.

[Ian]

Hate. Noted.

[Steve]

No, no, no, no, no. No hate.

[Evan]

No hate. There's plenty of justice for Shenandoah up on this podcast right now.

[Ian]

No, I know.

[Steve]

No hate.

[Evan]

And next, you have to trust yourself. Right? That's number three.

[Ian]

I don't have trust yourself. I kind of wish I had trust my. Trust myself. Trust yourself.

[Evan]

You should have trusted yourself.

[Ian]

I should have. Especially thinking of the T shirt, which is just iconic. No. Track three. This was my swerve here. I don't even know if you guys are gonna remember this song, but Tim allowed us to pick bootleg series material. Track three. I've got Straight A's in Love.

[Steve]

I was gonna say I almost put Straight A's In Love on my album.

[Evan]

Oh, yeah, Straight A's in love. Wait, that's an outtake from which?

[Steve]

From Empire. Yeah.

[Evan]

Okay.

[Ian]

Straight A's In Love is a dumbass song, but it's a great rave up rocker. So that's. That's my version of, you know, Got My Mind Made up.

[Steve]

Can I just say, like, before you continue that, I hope Ian puts Clean Cut Kid on his album, because I really wanted to put Clean Cut Kid on my record. And I was like, I can't really.

[Evan]

He's eating Burger King.

[Ian]

Bob Dylan's Born in the usa. Clean Cut Kid.

[Steve]

Someone needs to put Clean Cut Kid. So, like, I'm hoping you put Clean Cut Kid somewhere in your album. No. You're shaking your head.

[Ian]

Knock it. Not gonna make it. I honestly, I thought about it. I thought about it, but Straight A's In Love.

[Evan]

You know, it'd be a funny exercise is if we just made another. We also. We do this exercise again, but we don't try to make it good. We just try to make it as bad as any of these could be, but just a different version of the bad song.

[Ian]

Someone ask us that question and then we'll. We'll hit that question on the next.

[Steve]

I gotta say that, like, this exercise made me feel like. Oh, yeah, I really love Empire Burlesque. Like that.

[Ian]

It's a great. It's definitely the best of those.

[Steve]

It made me feel like.

[Evan]

I don't know, man. It made me feel like. I love down in the Groove.

[Steve]

Well, down in the Groove. I love Not Loaded. I fucking. I don't hate it, but, like, not Loaded. I think I put it as, like, my worst album on my Dylan list. And, like, doing this exercise, I was.

[Evan]

Like, yeah, it's tough.

[Steve]

I was right.

[Evan]

There's not many. I mean, we haven't gotten through Ian's yet. So. What?

[Steve]

Sorry, sorry.

[Ian]

When you get to the second. No, it's all good. I mean, when you get to the second side of Knocked Out, Loaded Past Brownsville, it's. It's a tough hang, you know, Precious memories. Okay, so we had Traders in Love, number three, Number four. Drifting Too far from shore.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Ian]

Shocked. Shocked that I didn't see that at least. At least from you, Evan.

[Evan]

I did almost put it in there.

[Ian]

The way the backing vocals hit that drift in right after Bob says it, like a half beat too early.

[Evan]

Drifting too far from shore.

[Ian]

Yeah, It's a thing of beauty. But, I mean, you know, we got. We have some. You want to ramble representation. We've got some. Got My mind made up representation. So we've got some Drifting Too Far from shore representation. So. End of sign one for me is Co Sign with Steven here. The little Stephen E. Street Band version of when the Night Comes Falling from the Sky. Just iconic recording. One of the greats. It's also kind of a stupid song, but it sounds amazing.

[Evan]

Have you seen Road House? Any of you? Either of you?

[Steve]

Are you kidding?

[Ian]

I have not.

[Evan]

You've seen it many times, Ian. You haven't seen Road House?

[Ian]

No.

[Steve]

You haven't seen Road House?

[Ian]

No.

[Steve]

Oh, my fucking God.

[Ian]

I haven't seen Roadhouse.

[Evan]

We actually have the right to do a Roadhouse episode. I was gonna say, because the end credits are a cover version of that very song. A cover of when the Night Goes Fallen.

[Steve]

It's probably a Jeff Healy band doing.

[Evan]

Yeah, it is. That movie is so good. And they're making a dog food version of it now. Like a remake, which just looks like it misses the point entirely. So sad. Yeah, but that movie.

[Ian]

All right, well, let's do an episode on Roadhouse.

[Evan]

I mean, it has that song in it. It's like Empire Burlesque. The film.

[Ian]

The soundtrack looks amazing from. There's some Bob Seger on here. There's the COVID of when the Night Comes Falling from the Sky. There's some little Feet on here. There's a Patrick Swayze song.

[Evan]

There's not just a Patrick Swayze song. The whole movie is a Patrick Swayze song.

[Ian]

Right?

[Steve]

Yeah.

[Ian]

Okay, so where do we. That was the end of my side one. When the knight comes falling from the side. Side two, Drop the needle. What do we got? Kick it off, Silvio. Come on.

[Evan]

Okay, cool.

[Ian]

That's a side one track too. Tight Connection, Silvio. Two songs kicking off the two sides of this record. I couldn't be any happier. Next song. Death is not the End right there with, I think, both of you guys. Right. Maybe.

[Evan]

Did you not know Death is not the End was end of side one for me.

[Ian]

Okay. But it was on there. Yeah. Yeah. You both had it on your list then. Next track for me, I'll Remember your also on mine.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Ian]

Beautiful song. I love.

[Steve]

I feel like I had that on mine and then it got cut. It should have been on my album.

[Ian]

I was going back and forth between I'll Remember your and emotionally yours.

[Evan]

I think that I'll Remember you is just sort of slightly the better song.

[Ian]

I think it is better.

[Steve]

It is.

[Ian]

And honestly, what made me make my mind up on that was not even the original versions of this, but the.

[Evan]

Version from the master Anonymous version, which.

[Ian]

Is not, you know, is not. We're not allowed to put that on here. Right. But just like knowing what Bob got out of that song, you know?

[Steve]

Yeah. I mean, like, the live versions of I'll Remember your are like, yeah, Money in the Bank.

[Evan]

Yeah. Him and Lou Reed both have a song called that.

[Ian]

It's beautiful stuff. And then second last track, Brownsville, last track, Dark Eyes, Pretty Chalk picks to wrap it up. But, you know, I feel like that's a pretty. That's a pretty tight 10 song package there.

[Steve]

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, great album. I think, like, all of our albums, like, were really great.

[Evan]

Yeah, they're pretty good. I have reason to believe that we would say all of them. We would. We would defend all of them when. When drunk. If that was the album.

[Ian]

That's right.

[Steve]

We should just say, like, for our listeners. Contribute your own version of this album. I. I want to. I want to see other versions of this record. I feel like there's certain bedrock tracks that are going to be on every album. You know, you're gonna have Brownsville Girl or Danville Girl. You're gonna have Silvio.

[Ian]

Tight connection.

[Steve]

You have tight connection. But, like, what is everyone's. When did you leave heaven? You know, who is everyone's, you know.

[Ian]

Straight A's in love.

[Steve]

Straight ace in love. I want to see those songs pop up.

[Ian]

I feel like I. I wanted to find a way to get. They killed him in there somewhere. It's so good. It's so good. I just. I couldn't. I couldn't, you know, actually decide to kill anything on my list in place of that. And then Something's Burning, Baby also, which I think is an undersung classic is probably not the right word, but, you know, is better maybe than people might give it credit for. I honestly forget about that. Song all the time.

[Evan]

Yeah. In the Night. In the night. In the Night.

[Steve]

That came up on, like, one of.

[Ian]

Our recent bootlegs, Something's Burning Baby.

[Steve]

Yeah. Didn't it? Am I. Am I imagining that?

[Ian]

I feel like I would remember that, and I don't remember that.

[Steve]

Okay, Maybe I'm just totally hallucinating that. I feel like.

[Ian]

I mean, are you just thinking I'm on fire? No, I feel like Springsteen.

[Evan]

It wasn't I'm on Fire. It was Dancing in the Dark.

[Steve]

No, it wasn't that. I feel like it was in that 1990s show, but I feel like he played that in the. In the 90s show. But I could be totally mistaken.

[Ian]

The Toad. The Toad show.

[Steve]

Yeah. I feel like he played Something's Burning Baby. And, like, I was like, this sucks. And you guys defended it. But, like, maybe that was some other song.

[Ian]

That does sound like something that would.

[Steve]

Have happened from this period.

[Evan]

But anyway, yeah, all right, let's move on. Let's press on, because we got. We got a lot.

[Ian]

Yeah, that's right. We got a great show to get to. Thanks again to listener Lewis, who suggested this show as part of the Tony's Choice series. The band here down in Melbourne, Australia, in 1998.

[Steve]

Melbourne. Melbourne, Australia, Australia Nailed it.

[Ian]

Killed it. The band. Bob Dylan on the vocals and the guitar. Fascinating pair of guitarists here. Love this. This is the ship's passing in the night show. Larry Campbell on one guitar, Bucky Baxter on the other, and pedal steel. David Kemper on the drums, Tony Garnier on the bass. Can I play for you guys Lewis's intro to the show? Great. Let's hear from Lewis.

[Lewis]

G'day Neverending Stories. Thank you for choosing this show. Bob Dylan in Melbourne, 1998, at the Mercury Lounge, Crown Casino here in Australia. I first discovered this bootleg after I saw a documentary called Melbourne on Dylan, which was basically a bunch of interviews with Melbourne musicians and artists talking about Bob Dylan. And a number of people talked about going to this show. And what I find so compelling about this tape, really, is just the vibe and the atmosphere and the images I have in my mind based on what I've heard from people who were there. The Mercury Lounge, which no longer exists, was a small room at the back of Crown Casino, which only held about 500 people. The stage was only just off the ground, so people in the front row found themselves almost within reaching distance of Bob. I've heard folks say that he was getting so into the performance that there were times he was duck walking up and down the stage while playing guitar. Whether or not you think that's true, I think it provides a great mental image while listening to the show. In suggesting this show, I referred to it as like an Australian Toad's place. While obviously it's not as comprehensive as Toads, there are a few things that remind me of it. And interestingly, this 21 song set list was apparently his longest since Toads eight and a half years earlier. And like Toads, this was sort of a warm up show before starting the tour. So you get like a very loose, very jammy vibe to the songs. You get the feeling that he's playing around with new material and arrangements and just like having a lot of fun. Obviously, 98 is a great year for the Neverending Tour, and I wouldn't want to suggest that this show represents the best of 98, but it's one I find myself coming back to time and time again, really just because of the vibe. I love the energy and intimacy of the performance. I love the set list. I love the expansive and jammy electric numbers and then the warm acoustic portion with the great harmonies from Larry and Bucky. Not quite the Tough Guy Angels, but still pretty nice. And. And then the fact that it was in my own backyard here in Melbourne just makes this a very special show for me. And I'm really interested to hear what you guys think. So, yeah, love the show and keep up the great work.

[Steve]

Wow, that was great. Wow, Louis, thank you so much for. Well, look, we're going to talk about this show. I mean, this is an amazing selection. I'll just say that right now. We'll get deeper into it later. But like, I didn't know that Lewis was actually Australian until you heard him.

[Ian]

Sound like an Australian.

[Steve]

Louis, I love your voice. I could listen to you talk about Bob Dylan for a very long time.

[Evan]

Feel like I was just like settling in to listen to his podcast just now.

[Ian]

Honestly, I feel like we should do an episode on Melbourne on Dylan, the documentary about a bunch of Australian people talking about Bob Dylan. At this point. That sounds Taylor, but I'm just like.

[Steve]

Like, Louis, I want to pay for your patreon to like, listen to you talk about Bob Dylan. Like, that was amazing. And again, like, can I just say, like, our listeners are great. I thank you so much. The people who listen to the show, who contribute to it, we're so grateful for you. It's an amazing audience.

[Ian]

Killing it.

[Steve]

You guys are just like the shit. And man, it's so good.

[Evan]

It's good people. It's good it's good. Podcast listeners.

[Ian]

That's right.

[Evan]

And contributors, really.

[Steve]

He provided a lot of the context for this show already.

[Evan]

I mean, yeah, thankfully, but, you know, he didn't provide the weather.

[Ian]

The weather.

[Evan]

He said nothing about it. In fact.

[Ian]

The segment making its triumphant return after, like, six weeks.

[Evan]

That's not true.

[Ian]

Having bothered to do it.

[Evan]

Well, look, sometimes it's just hard to get the information. If we ever don't have it, it's because it's not easy to get for some reason. But it was very easy to get the weather for Wednesday 19 August, 1998 in Melbourne. And it was 56.84. That's the high. And the low is 42.08. This is obviously in Fahrenheit.

[Ian]

This is Fahrenheit, because August, many might not know this, but Australia in the Southern hemisphere, August, that's the winter, folks. So this is a frosty February evening for the people down under. You know, at least putting it in Northern hemisphere terms, right?

[Steve]

This show seemed like it was like a warmup, essentially, for a tour in this part of the country. Like, he, you know, like, as you know, we talked about in that segment there that he's playing. It was a club show, kind of like Toads. I think, like, the Toads parallel is that, like, Bob played Toads as, like, essentially a rehearsal in front of an audience to get ready for a tour. And, like, that's, like, what this show is as well. I mean, the difference between this and Toads, I mean, there's many differences. I mean, Toads is like a very long show. That show is also, like, very rough and unpolished, and it's great for that reason. But you listen to this performance and it sounds like, wow, like. Like they're incredibly perfect here, you know, like, they're rehearsing, ostensibly, but, like, they sound amazing.

[Evan]

It's one of those performances where it's like, you can tell it's in a small club, you can tell it's intimate, and it's. It's one of those ones where, I mean, the difference. Someone described this as, like, Australian Toads, which is, like, not quite. I get what they meant, but this is much more polished feeling than that. That was like, really just kind of a hangout. And I feel like this is one of those shows that rightfully, everybody who went to it was probably like, I can't believe I got to see Bob Dylan in this little venue. Like, yeah. I mean, as much as people were saying that by the end of Toads, people were just like, feeling like they were friends with Bob Dylan. Like, they're just like, yeah, Bob and I, we just hung out together at the bar for nine hours the other night. He's a nice guy. He playing all kinds of. It was like karaoke. But this feels like just kind of a ridiculous chance to be seeing, like, peak, close to peak Dylan Never Ending tour material just like right in front of you.

[Ian]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, it feels like an actual show as opposed to Toads, which is something else in a great way. But, I mean, this is. It's a longer show. There's a lot of interesting picks here. Plenty of covers thrown in, but it's still a show. It's 20, 21 songs, I think long. And it's got a good flow to it. And I mean, you can absolutely tell that Bob is into it, the band is into it, the crowd is into it. I mean, it's a primo, pristine type of pick. The tape could be a little cleaner. I'm not gonna complain too much about it.

[Steve]

I think the tape sounds pretty spectacular. Yeah, I would not. I mean, I know we were a little critical of the 2018 tape, I think, that we just listened to. Yeah, this tape, I think, sounds pretty spectacular. I feel like this is an album that, like the Dylan organization will put out as a live record in like 20 years. You know, like when they start releasing Never Ending tour albums. Like this feels like, oh, this could be an album that they put out. You know, like, if they want to put out, like a late 90s record. This feels like a pretty good candidate for that. And they wouldn't have to clean it up that much. That's how I felt listening to it.

[Ian]

Yeah, it's fair. I mean, it certainly fidelity wise, put that aside. It certainly finds Bob and the band at just kind of the peak of their powers here. Time out of Mind had come out, I guess about a year earlier. Right. Because that was like later 1997. But he didn't really even start playing the Time out of Mind material until that club show run that we started this whole thing off with. The 97, December 97 shows. The El Rey stuff that we talked about on the very first episode. And so by this time he was starting to work that into the set. And we see that here in this show. But it still is a really fascinating mixture of classic classics, interesting covers, some more kind of deep cut, mid career highlights. I know there's at least one song that I guarantee is going to be on your pretty good stuff section. Stephen. Primo cut of Bob and the band here, which honestly I think we needed after some maybe lackluster live shows that we've talked about the last couple weeks between Bull Sick and the.

[Steve]

And The Beacon Show, 2018 was like really good. I mean, I think we.

[Ian]

It was. I think that that show was just not the. Not the best example of it.

[Steve]

Well, let's get into this here.

[Evan]

Yeah, let's do it.

[Ian]

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

[Steve]

Would you please welcome column recording artist Bob Dylan. So we'll do the Watchtower check. There's no Watchtower.

[Ian]

No Watchtower.

[Evan]

What a shame it's not there.

[Steve]

I gotta say.

[Ian]

You're upset. You're sad.

[Steve]

No, I'm not sad about it. But like at some point. Do we need to change this to a Highway 61 check?

[Ian]

Yeah, it's possible.

[Steve]

I feel like Highway 61 is like even more persistent or at least equally persistent as, you know, as Watchtower. In these shows as Watchtower, we seem.

[Ian]

To be selecting shows that have Highway 61 in it just as often, if not more often than the Watchtower shows. That's.

[Steve]

Yeah, I feel like Highway 61 is a pretty, you know, regular.

[Evan]

Well, we should just look up what the literal second most often played is. Because I think Watchtower is the number one. Right?

[Ian]

Watchtower is number one.

[Evan]

So what's number two?

[Ian]

Highway 61, honestly, may be it. I can pull this up here. 2000 plays on the button. Highway 61.

[Evan]

No way.

[Steve]

Yep.

[Evan]

No way. Wow.

[Ian]

Sure enough. And compared to Watchtower, which has got 2,268 plays. So you know, it's up there. Highway 61 is. But still a whole like two years worth of live shows behind Watchtower. In any case, we'll get to Highway 61. What have we got for. Pretty good stuff here?

[Evan]

Pretty good stuff.

[Steve]

Well, what do you guys think?

[Ian]

All of it. Okay. I mean, Tough mama, right? Tough Mama.

[Evan]

Not only is it a surprise, but it's not even like a. It's not like a weird sort of. It's not like a half step like shuffle version. It's not like. It's just sounds like he's doing. It sounds like they're doing Tough Mama.

[Ian]

It's tough.

[Evan]

From the record, the fills, the style, everything is there. It's. It's Tough Mama live in show and concert.

[Ian]

We love a sleep up mama here. It's a song that he played, I guess three times on the 74 tour with the band there in early January 1974. Appeared quite a bit on the 97 legs earlier in 97. Not the club leg that we did and then just three times in 1998 and looks like he's played it maybe a dozen times since then. Nothing since 2009. 44 total plays for Tough Mama, so that's a relative rarity for Bob. It sounds amazing here. I don't know about you guys, but I mean this is exactly what I'm looking for out of this man at this moment in time. Just loose, choogally easy, like a worn in pair of Levi's. Kind of jammy, but not too far out there. It's only like five, five and a half minutes, something like that. Incredible.

[Steve]

Yeah, I mean I had Tough Mama on my list too. I'm a little surprised that you both jumped out at Tough Mama.

[Evan]

Well, it's just good to see what's the surprise. Who doesn't love Tough Mama Meat shaking on her bones.

[Ian]

That's right.

[Steve]

I love Tough Mama. Again, I had Tough Mama on my pretty good stuff. It was actually like number two on my pretty good stuff list. To me, the greatest of the pretty good stuff clearly is pretty piggyo.

[Ian]

Wow.

[Steve]

I think like the pretty piggyo here was like so good, so beautiful. That is like the filet of this show.

[Ian]

Me, I said you.

[Steve]

The thing about this show that's interesting is that you've got this five piece lineup of the band where you have like Bucky Baxter doing a lot of pedal steel. You have Larry Campbell who joined the band in 97, really taking the lead I think on like lead guitar and then Bob Dylan playing guitar. And I really am fascinated by the interplay of like Bob and Larry Campbell, their guitar playing in this show because again Bucky Baxter is doing a lot of pedal steel. So like you hear Bob and Larry Campbell play against each other and it's interesting because you know we're going to be talking, you know, we've talked a lot about how we love the Charlie Sexton, Larry Campbell era of the band. And you know, like with the vocal harmony, like Lewis made reference to this with the Tough Guy Angels. Like we don't have the Tough Guy Angels harmonies going on in this show. And it's interesting, like where they don't show up and I'm going to talk about blowing in the wind later on here. It's interesting, like the arrangement here that we're used to from the Larry Campbell Charlie Sexton era. At times I felt like the absence of Charlie in this show, but like one thing I was really excited about was hearing Bob and Larry like their guitars playing against each other. Which I think is really interesting in this show. Like, how they play. Like, there's a lot of interesting interplay between Larry and Bob, their electric guitars in this show. And I think, like, this pretty Peggy O is an example of that. While you also have that just beautiful Bucky Baxter pedal steel going on in the background.

[Evan]

It just realized how much it sounds like Ring Them Bells. These are like the same song.

[Steve]

Like, to me, like, that is like the thing that really jumps out in this show. The Tough Mama is great. I love the Time out of Mind songs. Love Sick, Fell in love with you. Beautiful. Also want to do a shout out to Dark As a Dungeon.

[Evan]

Yeah, that one's really good.

[Steve]

It's so good. It's a song, you know, I associate with Johnny Cash. He didn't write that song. Merle Travis wrote that song in 1946. Johnny Cash played that on the at Folsom Prison live record. That's where it got popularized. But the version that they do here on this record is so good. Kind of circling back to our conversation before about the Rough and Ready Ways tour. Man, I love the era, like, where Bob did acoustic sets.

[Ian]

Yeah.

[Steve]

And I don't know, like, if that. If we're past that era, I would love for Bob to do acoustic sets again. Like, that was so good. That's like, one thing I love about this 90s era. You have the electric sets on either side, but you have the acoustic thing in the middle. I think that's such a great combination. And I really love what he does in the middle of the show as well. So, yeah, those are the things that stand out for me.

[Ian]

Absolutely. The acoustic stuff is always a highlight, I think, when it appears. Almost regardless of whatever year it appears, whether it's a 1992 acoustic thing or 95 acoustic thing, 98 acoustic that we get here. Which starts with one of my favorite covers that he does, Cocaine Blues.

[Evan]

Yeah, that's on my list as well. I love every time he does this.

[Ian]

It's one of my very favorites. And there's a great version, you know, a very hi fi glossy version on the Telltale Sign set. That's easier to listen to, obviously. But like, any instance of this, I think is just. Is magic to me. That's another song that Johnny did on Folsom in a slightly different arrangement.

[Steve]

Much more upbeat and kind of kick ass.

[Ian]

Yeah. But I love this downer, deadbeat, not depressive version of Cocaine Blues here.

[Evan]

But it like Sad Sack, like.

[Ian]

Yeah.

[Evan]

I love when he's like, this cocaine's.

[Ian]

Making me Sick, make me sick.

[Steve]

This is like the Jackson Brown on Running On Empty arrangement, you know, of the song. Like, he does. He does this song on. On that record.

[Ian]

Yeah, beautiful. I mean, all the covers in general are amazing. Cocaine, Cocaine Blues, Pagio, Darkest Dungeon, which we've talked about already. Roving Gambler also, I think, which is a fantastic slice in here. He's just reeling off incredible covers that are honestly, you know, the highlights of the show. To me, as much as any other actual Bob Dylan song. You know, you go to a show at this point in time at least, and maybe you're gonna get one, maybe two of those, but like, I think four or five. Yeah, you get a bunch in one show. It's like, that's. That's incredible shit. And the shows, you know, to Louis's or to Louis's point, you know, this being sort of a Proto Toads or a post Proto Toado Toad, spiritual successor to Toads. The shows on this tour leg ended up being about 13, 14 songs long. And this is a 21 song night. So it's, you know, you got some bang for your buck here. And those. Those covers are ones that end up getting axed in many of the following New Zealand and Australia dates on the 98 leg.

[Steve]

The guitar interplay, though, I think, like the first, like half of the show, I think is just incredible. And like. And Lewis talked about, like the jammy nature a little bit. It feels like a little jammy on the show, but like Larry and Bob and then having Bucky on the pedal steel, that combination.

[Ian]

Bucky on top of it.

[Steve]

Yeah, it's so good.

[Ian]

Well, and that's what I was gonna say about the acoustic set, right, is that we love to see it sounds incredible here. Sounds incredible anywhere. But like it. It is the way that he's playing now and has been playing for the last couple years. It almost like there wouldn't necessarily be enough variation between the way that most of the songs sound and an acoustic set, because the full band sound that, you know, we get, you know, like on the Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour, for instance, is not. I mean, it's a full band.

[Evan]

It's more subtle, it's a bit more mute.

[Ian]

It's not a hard rocking, like, kick your ass type of sound that you get on something like Cold Iron's Boundary at this show, for instance. Right. Which is the last song before the acoustic set starts. And it's such a clear, strong contrast. Immediately Cold Irons into Cocaine Blues and then you transition out of that very cleanly From, I think, Forever Young, which is one of the great forever youngs as far as I'm concerned. I know this is a song that we've all been kind of down on recently, but in this case, I think it sounds fantastic.

[Evan]

Yeah, it sounds really good.

[Ian]

Very clean, strong transition from that into this. This hot rod. Highway 61, if we want to touch on that. Like, that's where the guitar fireworks really explode and burst in your face. To me, that thing is explode and.

[Evan]

Burst in your face.

[Ian]

Nuclear powered. That's. Yeah, it's like, you know, the way that we talk about, like, summer days, you know, early 2000s type of stuff. 2002, 2003 versions of Summer Days. That's what I feel like they're doing on this Highway 61. It is like, one of the hardest, loudest, just most extraordinary incarnations of that song that I've ever heard.

[Evan]

I have to say, this is one of the sexiest and coolest Can't Waits I've ever heard. This is one of those Can't Waits where you're like. Like when you hear that anecdote about Lanois being like, this is the single. And it's so, like, what is he. What was he talking about? Because that. That's how I interpret. I was confused when I first heard that. He was like, this has to be the single. I think he heard the potential for this in It.

[Ian]

Can't Wait always sounds amazing live. I've made that literal meme before and posted it on the Jokerman Twitter account where it's can't wait. The piddly little, like, Doge, you know, Munchkin is Can't Wait album version, and then the big buff Gigachad Doge version is Can't Wait live.

[Steve]

I mean, look, I'm a Can't wait, you know, apologists, because I love the studio version too, but I love this live version. I mean, like, the Time out of Mind songs, I think in here in general are, like, incredible. Again, like, I mean, we. I don't know if I mentioned Lovesick.

[Ian]

And Until I Fell in Love.

[Steve]

Until I fell in love with you.

[Evan]

Yeah, that. That one has the same. It has the energy of the Wreck. Till I Fell in Love with you has, like, it. It nails that feeling. There's some. All those songs are done well here.

[Ian]

But, yeah, I'll put some in some.

[Steve]

I really. I really feel like the initial electric set on this show is a masterpiece. I think every song is incredible. Like, the first, you know, like, seven, eight songs in the show. I think all Sound great. And the thing about it, too, is that, like, a lot of those songs, like, it is this sort of, like, languid, vibey, just guitars intersecting, like, Jungle Vines type vibe to it, you know, like, where. I mean, I love how Time out of Mind sounds, but, like, this might be how people wished Time out of Mind sounded on the record. Like, the way that they sound here in this bootleg. Yeah, I mean, it's just perfect. And again, like, I'll go back to Pretty Peggy. Oh, I just. To me, like, that is the masterful track of this tape. Like, if I had to pick one song, it's the Pretty Peggy. And, like, I've always loved Pretty Peggy. Oh, I love, like, when the. When the Grateful Dead did it. I love when Bob Dylan did it. I love the fact that, like, when he was assembling the initial Neverending Tour Band, that's the song he wanted to play with G.E. smith. It's like, can you play Pretty Peggy O? That's the song. I think it's such a beautiful song and Dylan obviously has a connection with it. But, yeah, I think this performance is, like, so great. Great. It's so good. And it's the song for me. Like, if I had to pick one performance from this show, like, that would be the one for me.

[Ian]

That Peggy.

[Steve]

Oh, yeah. The Peggy. Oh, I think is so. Is great.

[Ian]

I gotta listen to this masterpiece. I love Peggy O. And this version sounds amazing for some reason that we did that One of those 88 shows a few months ago at this point that had, you know, it was GE doing the Hot Dog Garage Roc sound on the lead guitar. And I really. I fell in love with that. Like, that sounded. Something about that was like. It kind of like, clashed with the feeling of Peggio, but made a lot of sense. And, you know, obviously, the anecdote that.

[Steve]

You just shared, Stephen, this Peggio is like a slow back rub with, like, really nice hot honey being poured in your back as you're listening to it.

[Ian]

Yeah. Very sensual experience.

[Steve]

It sounds exactly, exactly something I've looked up.

[Evan]

Is Finerio not a real place? And it only exists in folk songs.

[Ian]

Listen, if it exists in Pretty Pio and if Bob Dylan is singing about it, that's good enough for me.

[Evan]

I'm just saying that exists. It's an odd word. And every time I hear the song, I'm just like, what is Finer IO? And I looked it up and it's a fake place. So I'm looking at Reddit. There's like, what is Funario? And why do The Grateful Dead and others sing about it.

[Ian]

That's Funn.

[Evan]

A fictional Scottish town. I should know.

[Ian]

Yes. Well take it up with the Scots. You know, whoever wrote Pretty Peggy oh 1000 years ago. I'll co sign the the first half or the first third of this set. Also that first Electra set because it contains two other songs that I wanted to highlight here which are Blood on the Tracks songs. Just once again, Blood on the Tracks material, shocker. I know this is a hot take, but the Blood on the Tracks material here sounds amazing.

[Evan]

You like that album?

[Ian]

Album, it's good. Yes. Songs on it, good album, good. Played live as we get here. Also shockingly good. But like the Shelter from the Storm that you get on this show. That's right after Can't Wait that little run there, man. To start this off, Peggy O to Can't Wait to Shelter to Tough Mama to you're a Big Girl Now. Cold Irons Bound, Cocaine Blues. That's like an unimpeachable seven song sandwich. That's like a multi. That's like a club sandwich right there. You know, you got the bread, you got the Swiss cheese, you got the lettuce, the tomato, the turkey, the bacon, the mustard, the mayo. Then you got the bread. I was, I'm expecting you to jump in here. We had sandwich talk going. Evan, this is.

[Evan]

Well, I was thinking of a Monte Cristo sandwich a little bit.

[Ian]

This is not a Monte Cristo. No, no, no, no, no.

[Evan]

I don't even know. It's much better than Monte Cristo Sandwich would be like the same thing, but songs from Empire, Burlesque, Knocked Out Loaded and Down in the Groove. That's a Monte Cristo sandwich.

[Ian]

Toads is a Monte Cristo.

[Evan]

This is a club. Yeah. I mean, I think a club sandwich is a good analogy for this because this show, while it doesn't thrill me, it satisfies.

[Ian]

It really hits the spot. To me, it really just hits the spot. Like sometimes I sit, I don't know about you, I sit down at a table in a delicatessen and I think to myself, you know, I could really go for a club sandwich right about now. I ordered the club sandwich and you get the little, you know, they cut it in the fours and the little triangle.

[Evan]

Sure.

[Ian]

Big long toothpick through it and you got a nice big thick steak fry there in the middle. And that's just a. That's a fantastic lunch. Right.

[Evan]

A life and a world where there was only club sandwich. Like, I mean, where you had to have a club sandwich that would Be awful, You know, that would be terrible. But the appeal of the club Sandwich, as is the appeal of this show is like, I know that when I need it, it.

[Ian]

It's going to never gonna fail you.

[Evan]

It's going to work. It's just gonna be. There's nothing wrong. And that's why leading into. I don't really have anything for. For. Oh, Mercy. I just don't. I would have to be like, making out. I'd be making something up because what am I going to criticize? Like, oh, the. The tomato is out of season. It's a little mealy in my club sandwich. I'm not. You don't. Nobody does that. It's just like, you don't criticize the parts of. Of something like that. I really can't think of something on here where I'm like, this is bad. Anything I don't love on here is like boring in a way that isn't even offensive. It's fine.

[Ian]

Yeah. I also didn't really have anything for no Mercy selection. Like, the most. The closest I could come is like, I get a little like, less excited when I have to hear Tambourine man and Masters of War there in the middle, you know, surrounded by Cocaine Blues and Roving Gambler.

[Steve]

Those are great versions of those songs.

[Evan]

They're so good, but they're great.

[Ian]

Exactly like. Exactly. Woe is me that I have to hear a really great 1998 version of tambourine man and Masters of War from Bob Dylan.

[Steve]

The one thing I have had in this category, and it's not even a complaint really, it's just like an observation is, again, I. I think I alluded to this earlier, is like the harmonies on Blown in the Wind, which I would just say, like, pointing to the Tough Guy Angels version of the song because it's the same arrangement of it. And it was interesting to me that he was playing it this way. And you can hear Larry singing with him here. And you don't have Charlie there too. And you can hear, like, how Charlie and Larry and Bob lifted that up, like when they were all together in the 99 to, I guess 2002 or so version of the band. So that would be something. I wouldn't even put it in. Oh, mercy. Really, it's just more of like an interesting thing. Like. Oh, it's an evolution of the band working towards it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But if I didn't know how great that Blowing in the Wind sounded and I just knew this thing, I'd be like, oh, this sounds great. Like, it sounds really good. So, yeah, like, yeah, there is no or mercy in this show. Not at all.

[Ian]

No mercy.

[Steve]

Are you going to be like a big enough asshole to nitpick? 1998 Bob Dylan.

[Ian]

No, no, no, no, no.

[Steve]

You can't be.

[Evan]

There's Silvio on here right before the end. I mean, it's like if you were.

[Ian]

This Silvio, if you were ever having.

[Evan]

A problem with anything here, it's just like, oh, I don't know, I didn't like this or that. It's like right before the end. HE PLAYS SILVIO and then I shall be released. It's like, shut the fuck up. It's just like, what are you. You're about to fix your mouth to say that you didn't like something here. It's like, come on. There are times when there's nothing to.

[Ian]

Complain about that conclusion there at the end, man. Till I fell in love with you Silvio. I shall be released. That's. That's. I'm. I'm levitating.

[Evan]

What a sick Three songs. I mean, like the. It's utterly random. Feels like it was picked by a dartboard. But like, that worst song.

[Ian]

I can't imagine three more. Three songs that I would want to hear more, especially sequentially. Till I Fell in Love with you. Like, seriously, like one of the, like, the absolute, like, snoozers on Time out of Mind for me, sounds so great here. Like, I really gotta give that, you know, a little more love and a little more attention at this point. Because when you're not getting it in the middle of the not Dark yets and the standing in the doorways, it sounds fucking great.

[Evan]

That's the thing. If there's one thing, and I've thought about that album a bit lately, having recently just listened to it all the way through on a drive, it is probably a couple songs too long at least. And I only say that because I think certain songs get lost in the shuffle and not that they're even bad. I just think that, like a song that's as good as Till I Fell in love with you and. And Can't Wait. Like, there are songs on it that are not served by the length of that record.

[Ian]

It's an iconic CD era artifact, right? Like, this is a CD ass record. When every record was coming out and they were all too long and there were all too many songs packed in there and like, you know, like rap albums had had 15 minutes of skits on them. Like, if you listen to Equimani or at Aliens or something, you have to Skip through like 15 minutes.

[Steve]

Maybe you can cut Million Miles from that record.

[Evan]

Million Miles Until I fell in love with you. Are they that different? Like, they're kind of similar.

[Steve]

Until I Fell in Love with you I think is a better song than Million Miles.

[Ian]

Yeah.

[Evan]

But, yeah, I like them both, though.

[Steve]

I do too.

[Ian]

I think it could have been a double LP on it. Like, I think that might have been the solution.

[Evan]

Yeah, it's not that long.

[Ian]

Get Mississippi, get River, Get Red River Shore.

[Evan]

It is that long. When you factor Highlands, I was going.

[Steve]

To say, like, I was just going to say, like, if you cut off Highlands, it's about like a 40, you know, five minute record SA moment. I'm gonna float something out here because, like, I love the Shelter from the Storm in this show. I kind of feel like he's doing Shooting Star on Shelter. Yeah, I feel like he kind of like put the, the shooting Star melody on Shelter from the a little bit. Like, it kind of has that vibe to me.

[Ian]

I kind of see it.

[Steve]

Yeah, it's a very kind of. Oh, mercy time out of mind redo of that song.

[Evan]

Yeah, yeah. Or Lei Lady Lay almost.

[Steve]

Yeah, exactly. Yeah, it's like a very, it's that.

[Evan]

Like, lilting countryish thing, but yeah, I hear.

[Ian]

Totally. Sure. The Tough Mama in particular sounded like he was going for the Dead. Like, Larry is really like, pulling some Jerry kind of guitar work on this one. To me, at least with my untrained ears, I know I'm speaking to a master of Grateful Dead live material, but that seemed to be the dominant kind of theme running through that. Much more so than anything that Tough Mama sounded like in 1974. And shelter, yeah, was my pick here, which, yeah, it's got this kind of lackadaisical feeling to it, I think, where the original on Blood is driving and almost anthemic and, you know, there's a sense of momentum developing all the way through it. You know, a boulder tumbling down a hill. And here Bob is really just kind of like hanging. He's like, you know, treading water in a lazy river or something. Sounds fantastic.

[Evan]

It's really. But it's still kind of forceful. Like, it's a lot of the songs on here, even when they're a little bit like slackery, they, they're, they have like a really kind of bright present feeling. And that's what keeps this whole thing from like, I, I, I'll just say it. I'm giving this one three stars just because, like, if you, if, if I can't think of anything to give a mercy. It's not even like, I think this is the best show I've ever heard. But there's straight up nothing wrong with it. It's just good.

[Steve]

While you're doing the three stars already, I'm skipping ahead. No drama.

[Evan]

We can do our. Yeah, tease it out early Roman kings. But I'm not going to tease it out because we already just revealed that there's nothing really to bitch about. So, like, there it is. Like three. Sometimes three just means like the absence of. Of anything to complain.

[Steve]

Well, maybe I'll do like a 2 parentheses type score.

[Evan]

Do whatever you need to do, Steven. But I'm just saying three because sometimes, you know, just like one means, you know, sometimes it's like, wait, it's actually good. But it's just like I can't say it's great. Sometimes three means it's great. But I can't say it's the best.

[Ian]

Fair enough.

[Steve]

So Bobtok, there's no Bob talk.

[Evan]

Not none to speak.

[Ian]

No Bob talk. Although I do want to shout out the guy. Bob does say something, but he kind of mumbles it into the microphone. It's hard to make out After Lovesick. Someone in the audience just shouts out harmonica. So, you know, shouts to that guy.

[Steve]

Harmonica. Sorry, you didn't get harmonica. I was trying to do an Australian accent there.

[Ian]

Yeah, totally fair. No, no, no, sorry, Lewis, that's my. Oh, mercy. Is Steven. Steven's Australian pronunciation.

[Evan]

I'm the only one who hasn't tried. I don't think.

[Steve]

Sorry, Louis.

[Ian]

And it seemed like, you know, if anyone, if there were lines, you know, if you could take a bet coming into this episode, who was going to do an Australian accent, I feel like you would have been leading the pack here, you know, minus 200 or something.

[Evan]

But I don't think I'm very good. I can't. I don't think I can do an Australian accent.

[Steve]

Well, mean that doing it well didn't stop me from doing it.

[Ian]

Didn't stop him. Exactly.

[Steve]

You just gotta throw yourself out there. Okay, so bootleg title.

[Ian]

Bootleg titles.

[Evan]

Cold irons Band. Cold iron.

[Steve]

Look at you.

[Ian]

You've got it through Cold irons. But the bound you don't. You don't have it. Unbound. Lost it by that point.

[Evan]

I think it's banned.

[Ian]

Band Cold irons. Band Irons band. Okay, all right, we gotta stop. Yeah. Bootleg titles.

[Steve]

Pretty.

[Ian]

A pretty Aussie. O. Uh huh. Okay. Yep.

[Evan]

Dingo skin pillbox hat.

[Ian]

That. I literally have Dingo skin pillbox hat on mine.

[Steve]

Too.

[Ian]

Okay.

[Steve]

Wow. I know. Dingo. Wow. Okay. I like it. I like it.

[Ian]

I've got. I shall be released from Australia.

[Evan]

Well, from. What's the Australian prison in that song?

[Ian]

Jim James or Jim Jones?

[Evan]

Jim Jones. Yeah. Botany Bay.

[Ian]

Well, he's on a ship. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Botany Bay.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Steve]

What I shall be released isn't that song. What's that song is like some Australian mountain range. They're doing Outlaw blues. Yeah.

[Ian]

I wish I was on some Australian mountain range. Got no reason to be there, but I imagine it would be some type of change. Great song. Outlaw blues.

[Steve]

Outlaw blues.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Steve]

I had crocodile dun. Dylan.

[Evan]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Ian]

Dylan.

[Evan]

Crocodile Dundill.

[Steve]

Yeah.

[Ian]

And horrendous.

[Evan]

I had ry. Die women.

[Steve]

Dark as a down under dungeon.

[Ian]

Okay. Yep. I had something along.

[Evan]

Down under is a dungeon. Yeah.

[Ian]

And I had dark down under.

[Steve]

Pretty Australia. Oh, you had pretty Osio. That's probably better. And I had a tough Milburn mama.

[Ian]

Mm.

[Evan]

Mm.

[Ian]

I had another. I had another rainy day. You know, we all know what. You know the Australian slang term for women, right? Rainy day women, numbers 12 and 35. Rainy day Sheila's.

[Evan]

Sheila's number.

[Ian]

12 and 35. That's what they say. And then my favorite, I think, of all of the ones that I came up with is just forever Australian.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Steve]

Boo. All right. I'm. You know, I feel good about dingo skin pillbox hat. That's a good one. I'm.

[Evan]

I think dingo skin pillbox hat is kind of.

[Ian]

I like a crocodile done.

[Steve]

Crocodile done. Dylan. I'm like, I feel good about that one. I feel proud of how stupid that.

[Evan]

Is until I fell in love with Melbourne.

[Ian]

There it is. All right, we got one from you. Early Roman King.

[Evan]

Melbourne. Roman.

[Ian]

I got Melbourne. Early Melbourne King. Yeah. I got Bucky and Larry together. They got each got half of the crowns here because of that. Just the way that the two of them are playing off each other, you know, it's great to see Larry. Not, like taking a back seat, necessarily, but I always kind of think of him as like the big brother to Charlie, as the little brother. And here I feel like Bucky and Larry are a little more kind of equals, like, you know, fire and ice doing their own thing simultaneously, each pulling their own weight. And in particular, I think the way they, you know, kind of clash and go at each other on Highway 61 is fucking badass. The best Highway 61 I can remember hearing.

[Steve]

Yeah, I mean, I gave it to just Larry, but I definitely get the rationale for to give it to Bucky. And Larry, I won't dispute that. Yeah. I just think Larry as being the lead guitar player, I just like, like what he did and I like how he plays off a box. Bob with guitar and playing off of Bob and Bucky both just sounds phenomenal.

[Evan]

Lewis. I, I am going to give it to Lewis because I, I was so impressed with the effortless setup for the show. I, I just. And it's a, it's a really good pick that I know that we wouldn't have picked ourselves. I just don't think that we would have found it. And so I have to give it to Louis.

[Ian]

Great work, Louis. Once again, Tony's choice. Tony's choice picks. Coming through time and time again, our listeners.

[Steve]

Amazing. So good stars.

[Evan]

Well, I already said three stars.

[Ian]

Three stars for Evan, three stars for me. I mean, this is. Yeah. And it's not even. Because there's a lack of anything to critique. I think this is one of the great Bob shows.

[Evan]

It's just great.

[Ian]

Plain and simple.

[Evan]

It's just great.

[Steve]

You know, this is a show I went back and forth on because I was like, I've heard other 98 shows. This is a great era. I was like, oh, man, can I go three stars on this? Because I've heard other great 98 shows? And I was like, yes, I fucking did. I go three stars on this because I actually think that the tape sounds great too. I think the tape sounds great. I think the performance is great. I love that he's in Australia. I love it. He's like in a 500 person club.

[Evan]

Yeah. When Lewis says the intimacy of the room as being one of the assets, it's like, it's that. But it's also just that it seems like the band. It's as if they can like see the crowd. It feels like they're playing directly to them. They're not just like looking at Bob, wondering what to do next. It feels like everybody is playing to the crowd.

[Steve]

Man.

[Ian]

Just imagine seeing Bob Dylan in a 500 cap room like Bob Dylan at the Echo Plex. Like, that's fucking insane.

[Steve]

Yeah. And again, I always feel like, okay, what is the mark of a three star show? Is this a show I just want to throw on a Friday night when I just want something fun to listen to? When I'm having a couple drinks, I'm like, yeah, this show satisfies that because I'm going to want to put this show on. I think it's a great show. So, yeah. Louis, we love you. Thank you so much. Which it's a three star across the board show for all of us.

[Ian]

The rare triple three star perfect scores. Perfect marks.

[Evan]

The triplicate.

[Ian]

Yeah, that's right, the triplicate. Okay. Yeah, we'll keep that one in the back pocket for the future. Well done, Louis. And folks out there, high marks to live up to for the next Tony's Choice pick. Until then, don't you miss it.