Track Listing

1. Tombstone Blues
2. Shooting Star
3. All Along the Watchtower
4. Times They Are A-Changin'
5. John Brown
6. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
7. Desolation Row
8. Dignity
9. Knockin' on Heaven's Door
10. Like a Rolling Stone
11. With God on Our Side

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23727 in Music
• Released on: 1995-05-02
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Live

Amazon.com
Unplugged albums are frequently corny, but this was an important artistic move for Dylan in 1995, when many fans had given up on his incomprehensible singing and lackluster concerts. With sympathetic backup musicians, including organist Brendan O'Brien and guitarist John Jackson, Dylan returns the coherence to his originals ("All Along the Watchtower," "The Times They Are A-Changin'," "Desolation Row," "Like a Rolling Stone") and rearranges them just enough to freshen their sound. The previously unreleased "Dignity" is one of Dylan's best songs this decade, and it fits nicely with the rickety versions of "John Brown" and the finale, "With God On Our Side." --Steve Knopper

Customer Reviews

An incredible perfomance--Dylan never sounded better
Dylan's more than deserving resurgence in recent years traces its birth back, in my opinion, to this incredible live performance. This album has it all, mixing old and new music that more than satisfies longtime fans like myself and appeals to the younger generation, many of whom would know Dylan only by name had MTV not provided the medium for Dylan to prove his genius and longevity to them. Dylan's tendency to be reclusive and mysterious has made him inaccessible to some listeners in the past, but the appreciative audience is an important part of this recording, and you can tell that Dylan really enjoyed the whole performance.

The older songs on this CD are great, but they do have a different sound from their originals; this may disappoint some fans, and I admit it took me a while to appreciate this version of "The Times They Are A-Changin,'" but the soul of the songs remain the same, no matter what kind of modernized or different interpretation Dylan decides to go with on a certain night. I love "Tombstone Blues," and it does start the CD out with a great kick. It's always nice to hear Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower," if for no other reason than to let people know the song didn't originate with Jimi Hendrix. "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" has never been a favorite of mine, but this version is a enjoyable splash of fun in between a couple of slow, serious songs. "John Brown" is a significant track, dating back to the 1960s but never having been released. It truly reflects the anti-war feelings Dylan expressed so forcibly in his formative years. As great as the classic tracks are, the tremendous newer songs only build on the musical momentum and prove that Dylan's great songwriting days have yet to come to an end. I was a little surprised to see "Shooting Star" from the Oh Mercy album, but it sounds great and fits right in here. "Dignity" is another recent song that showcases Dylan's songwriting and singing.

Three songs particularly stand out on this CD for me. "Desolation Row" is a truly incredible, meaningful song that only Dylan could write and perform. Lasting more than eight minutes, I still always hate to hear it end. "Knockin' On Heaven's Door," a song which some listeners may not enjoy as much as I do, really starts building the momentum that reaches its crescendo with my favorite Dylan performance ever of his greatest song, "Like a Rolling Stone." Having wowed his audience for close to an hour, he is definitely "feeling it" when he gets to this trademark song. Its length is matched only by its powerful delivery, and I get the feeling listening to it that even Dylan is a little surprised at how great a show he is putting on. "With God On Our Side" is an interesting song with which to end the CD, but it reflects the heart and soul of music's greatest songwriter. Following on the heels of a rocking performance, it reminds listeners that the old Dylan so many have loved for decades is still there, even if his classic songs have been given a fresh overhaul.

This is by far my favorite Dylan CD. Having a rather small audience so close to the musicians makes this live performance a true personal triumph, and the sense of intimacy between Dylan and his fans is powerful and palpable. Dylan has never seemed happier or sounded better than he does here.

A joy and a revelation
Having pretty much stopped listening to Dylan when "Slow Train Coming" came out, preferring to listen to the sixties albums, and the stuff from '74 to '78, with the exception of the very poor "Desire" album, I didn't think he could do it anymore, and Then "Time Out Of Mind" came out and gave me a new belief in 'the man'. So, I went and bought "Oh Mercy", "Infidels", and "Empire Burlesque". My feeling is that none of those are up to the standards of earlier Dylan, save for the occasional great song like "Most Of The Time", but "Unplugged" was a wonderful surprise! I don't know what the 'disappointed ones' were looking for - they surely couldn't have expected Bob to be singing 30-year-old songs with the same vocal style he had back then, after smoking 2 or 3 packs a day, and they must realise that he wouldn't want to faithfully reproduce the original recordings. Here we have Dylan backed up by a superb team of musicians, giving old songs a new lease of life, with different arrangements that really work. The most important thing is that Dylan sounds like he cares about these songs. He conveys emotion, as he's almost always done, even when the voice is shaky, and the versions of "Watchtower" and "Rolling Stone" are great, the former because it's simply thrilling, and the latter because the organist plays those wonderful chords and then Bob, struggling to sing, sings "how does it feel?" in a way that sends shivers down my spine and tears to my eyes. If you listen to the CD right through, you may well feel emotionally drained, and your faith in Bobby D reaffirmed. Buy it - today!!!

Unplugged and Loaded
The first thing anyone should consider when listening to a recent Dylan recording is yes, his voice has changed. Thirty plus years of singing have taken their toll on Bob. So no the Dylan of 'Dylan Unplugged' and the one of "Highway 61 Revisted" are not the same. If you can't deal with the difference than you probably shouldn't get this album. Secondly, performing many songs thousands of times caused Dylan to change the melody and the way he sings songs. Past these two points is a great recording of old and newer songs. I had the chance to hear Dylan live and this CD captures the feeling of being there and many of the songs like 'Dignity' sound exactly the same. A few other reviews mention this and they're correct. I think i like Dignity the best of all the tracks, but only because I heard it first in concert. So if you have heard Dylan live or would like to, 'Dylan unplugged' is perfect to revisit or visit the experience.