BOB DYLAN – BLACKBUSHE 1978 – 3 CD

　The first half of Bob Dylan’s 1978 world tour was capped off by a summer festival called “Picnic At Blackbushe” at Blackbushe Aerodrome in Surrey, England. Dylan was the final act of the festival, and the opening act was Surrey-born Clapton, making it a very luxurious event. Since a large audience was gathered in the vast venue, there are several audience recordings on this day. And yet, all of them have good sound quality. In particular, there are probably many enthusiasts who have listened to the record of a unique day in 1978 on the nostalgic WANTED MAN MUSIC’s “BLACKBUSHE”.

　However, although the audience recording used for “BLACKBUSHE” was basically clear sound quality, it also captured the phenomenon unique to festivals, such as the surrounding noise. For example, when “Gates Of Eden” started, the sound of an audience member near the taper spilling beer was even recorded. Ten years later, “BLACKBUSHE CITY LIMITS”, released by a label called “UK Scorpio” based on a sound source that had spread among traders, used a rough sound source and was not well received.

　Furthermore, in recent years, a new sound source has been discovered, which was recorded in an environment that avoided the surrounding noise well, and the sound quality is very clear, making it a good audience recording, and this version is what you hear on YouTube now… It has become so standard. However, the wholesaler does not sell it so well. When this version was distributed, it was remastered by “Captain Acid” of all things. It certainly felt clearer, and it was a sound source that was suitable for him, but as expected, it had a hard finish like “Captain Acid”.

　This time, we have obtained the natural master before the addition of “Captain Acid”! This alone is sure to be good news for Dylan enthusiasts around the world, but since we have the original sound source, we have thoroughly adjusted the high pitch while respecting the natural original sound quality. Once again, we are reminded of the extremely clear sound quality, and at the same time, it seems inevitable that this will be released on a press CD without any exaggeration.

　The main sound source minimizes the noise that is typical of festivals, and yet captures Dylan and the band’s performance with a very clear and on-the-fly sound image, which is a big deal. Moreover, compared to the previous “Captain Acid” remaster, the difference is clear. The sound of Ian Wallace’s cymbals hitting the opening instrumental “My Back Pages” is suddenly natural.

　Since this was the final performance of the festival, Dylan had a special set list and performed longer than usual. In fact, this was the only day of the 1978 tour where he had band members sing. Helena Springs covered the R&B classic “Change Is Gonna Come,” and Jo Ann Harris covered “The Long and Winding Road” because it was Beatles country. Steven Soles, a member who continued from Rolling Thunder Revue, performed his own original “Laissez-Faire.”

　Among these, Helena Springs is the strangest. The unexpected pattern of singing “Mr. Tambourine Man” instead of Dylan. Still, it’s interesting to see the audience excited rather than being stunned. The irregular content was one of the great attractions of Blackbush, but Dylan is Dylan and there are many irregularities, so I finished listening to the three discs in no time.

　First of all, “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues” was performed for the first time on the tour. This was just the beginning, and Dylan’s unreasonableness exploded even more. The member introductions that should usually be done during the intro of “It’s Alright, Ma” were completed before the song started on this day only. Furthermore, instead of dedicating a corner to the members, they did not play “Going, Going, Gone”, which they did every night. The best part was that when they tried to play the new song “Where Are You Tonight?”, Dylan mistook it for the similar tune “Like A Rolling Stone” and almost started (even though they had just done it a few songs ago), and there were not only rare performances but also interesting happenings everywhere.

Disc:1 (66:27)
1. Intro
2. My Back Pages (Instrumental)
3. Love With a Feeling
4. Baby, Stop Crying
5. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
6. Shelter From the Storm
7. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue
8. Girl From the North Country
9. Ballad of a Thin Man
10. Maggie’s Farm
11. Simple Twist of Fate
12. Like a Rolling Stone
13. I Shall Be Released
14. Is Your Love in Vain?
15. Where Are You Tonight? (Journey Through Dark Heat)

Disc:2(69:20)
1. A Change Is Gonna Come (with Carolyn Dennis)
2. Mr. Tambourine Man
3. The Long and Winding Road
4. The Man in Me
5. Gates of Eden
6. True Love Tends to Forget
7. One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below)
8. Blowin’ in the Wind
9. I Want You
10. Senor (Tales of Yankee Power)
11. Masters of War
12. Just Like a Woman
13. To Ramona
14. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right

Disc:3 (37:26)
1. All Along the Watchtower
2. All I Really Want to Do
3. Band Introductions
4. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
5. Forever Young (with Eric Clapton) ★
6. Changing of the Guards
7. The Times They Are A-Changin’
8. Outro