Track Listing

1. Slow Train
2. I Want You
3. Gotta Serve Somebody
4. Queen Jane Approximately
5. Joey
6. All Along the Watchtower
7. Knockin' on Heaven's Door

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #127441 in Music
• Released on: 1990-10-25
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Live

Amazon.com
For a man openly hostile to tie-dyed nostalgia, Bob Dylan's 1987 summer tour with the Grateful Dead was a confounding event indeed. The result on this concert recording is Dylan warbling across the usual Dead groove: neither rock nor roll. No new compositions emerged from the summit, so their repertoire is limited to an unsurprising list of chestnuts ("All Along the Watchtower," "Knocking on Heaven's Door," etc.). Their meandering version of Dylan's "I Want You" would be a vicious parody of the original if it weren't so sadly true. And if these were the stadium tour's best performances, pity anyone who actually sat through one of these concerts with a clear head. --Steve Appleford

Customer Reviews

Let's Keep This In Perspective
Over the years, I held off on purchasing this disc due to the almost uniformly scathing reviews blasting it - some of the most virulent and sarcastic can be found here on Amazon. However, the intriguing pairing of these two classic artists (and I'll admit like other reviews state - the beyond cool album cover) got the better of me and I bought it used as a hedge.

I've taken a listen - what do I think? a) Dylan and The Dead is not the place to start your collection of either artist; b) There are better commercially available live albums of each artist individually; and c) keeping those caveats in perspective, this is a ragged, free-wheeling, and ultimately satisfying performance that I will go back to from time to time, because I seek out this type of music for the feel and inspiration it gives me.

Contrary to what I have read, Dylan's vocals are acceptable, and they are intriguing for what he chooses to include and leave out given the generally accepted crossroads he was at in his career. The Dead's sound is unmistakable, and provides an interesting filter to standard and not so standard selections within Dylan's substantial song catalog.

Finally, I find this unique album (it will never happen again with all the same key players present) every bit as listenable as any of the countless live Dave Matthews/Phish/String Cheese Incident/You Name It albums out there that I have heard bits and pieces of but would never be motivated to purchase based on their meandering sound and lack of songcraft.

All and all, a worthy album that you will be surprised by if you are a fan of either artist, given the amount of negative reviews associated with it.

Underappreciated Work
Like many people I hated this album but after careful listening I have come to love it. This is far from Dylan at his best but this offering demands attention. What we get is a mster version of Queen Jane and my personal favorite rendition of I Want You. Almost as compelling is Slow Train and Gotta Serve Somebody, unusual choices but well worth the inclusion on this album. The standard Watchtower ruins an almost perfect collection as is Knockin' so count on ending the CD at track #5. The CD is worth the price for tracks #1-5. So give it a chance, it will grow on you!!

Forget Dylan, Listen To Garcia
Being a Dylan fan of sorts (moreso early than later)and a so so Dead fan I found this album of interest and after listening to it several times decided it's not bad at all, in fact it has some bright spots. It's probably Dylan at his worst or as some reviewer put it, his most relaxed??? But Garcia and the Dead are the bright spot here. I'm not sure who was back up for whom. Perhaps this is a Garcia interpretation having listened to Dylan all those years, but whatever the case, there is merit here. If you do nothing else but listen to Garcia this is an excellent album and one that I'm glad I purchased despite almost not doing so because of the negative reviews. Besides, the price was right.