Dylan Grabs You Instantly into Each Song
Danielle Lane | Horseshoe, North Carolina | 05/20/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This CD opens with the up tempo rocker "Watching the River Flow," then slows down some with the acoustic "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right," then jumps into a great Dylan countryesqe love song, "Lay, Lady Lay," then onto "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" from the "John Wesley Album." It is a testament to how strongly Bob Dylan presents his songs that he can take you from fast to slow, electric to acoustic and grab you instantly into each song. Dylan is a master, no doubt about it.
I also like the photograph on the cover which was taken during the Bangladesh benefit with George Harrison. I like how the photographer tried to duplicate the cover of the "Greatest Hits, Volume 1." This is a good package with good songs. Then again, all Mr. Dylan's songs are all good aren't they? And then there's the new stuff on here that wasn't really a greatest hit, though now that the record has been out for umpteen years, probably nobody knows that, but anyway, that stuff is a good too, no it's great."
Plenty Jewels and Gems Here
Zachary Hackett | Reno, Nevada | 04/22/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This Double Record was a shocker when it came out, because it not only had some of Dylan's Greatest hits, but it had plenty of new stuff as well, and some stuff that had been left behind. "Tomorrow is a Long Time," one of Dylan's best acoustic songs, heretofore unreleased, is presented here live, taken from the 1963 Town Hall Concert that Columbia never released, but should've (If anyone from CBS/Sony is reading this, Town Hall would make an excellent addition to the official Bootleg Series). Two other unreleased gems are the hard driving, hard rocking, "Watching the River Flow," produced by Leon Russell and the beyond superb "When I Paint My Masterpiece" also produced by Mr. Russell.
But in my opinion, the three jewels of this album are the songs recorded with banjo player Happy Traum, "I Shall Be Released", "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" and "Down in the Flood". Oh, wouldn't it have been great if Dylan would have reworked a whole albums worth of those songs he'd done down in that basement with the Band. Not that the "Basement Tapes" aren't good, they are excellent, but I sure do love they way he's done these three songs. I guess they just wetted our whistles for "Blood on the Tracks." The Bob Dylan we knew and loved was coming back.
This record is packed with plenty more gems, like "The Mighty Quinn," taken from the Isle of Wight show with Bob singing in his countryfied voice, "She Belongs to Me" from "Bringing it all Back Home", "If Not for you," from "New Morning," and lots more. Thumbs up from me for this one."