BOB DYLAN : HIGHLANDS OF WORCESTER

 

  1. Somebody Touched Me
  2. To Ramona
  3. Mama, you been on mind
  4. A hard rain's a-gonna fall
  5. Don't think twice, it's alright
  6. all along the watchtower
  7. highlands
  8. stuck inside of mobile with the memphis blues again
  9. not dark yet
  10. everything is broken
  11. girl from the north country

Label : Wild Wolf

Venue : Centrum Arena, Worcester, Massachussetts, USA

Recording Date : November 14, 1999

Length : 75:46

Quality : Audience recording

Review (DEEP) : This one goes down nice and easy with many highlights, in crystal clear, warm, smooth sound. Obviously whittled down to fit on a single disk; if the purist in you can get by the omitted tracks and concentrate on what is there and the impeccable sound quality, repeated listenings will ensue. An excellent, well-balanced audience recording that's unhappily incomplete, missing most of the encore songs. The crisp, detailed sound captures the warmth and quiet soulfulness of the performance.
Review (Bob's Boots) : This disc is drawn from the much praised Nov. '99 joint tour with former Grateful Dead bass player Phil Lesh. A tour which is strangely underrepresented on genuine glass-mastered boots (possibly because Rattlesnake was, at one point, planning to release a 3 CD compilation from this tour. This may have put off other label's efforts). This is an incomplete recording. Missing from the show is: Love Sick, Like A Rolling Stone and Not Fade Away, These three tracks were edited out of the 14 song setlist in order to accommodate a single CD. No great loss, since these songs have been regulars in the set list for the past few years, and can be heard on many other releases. While completeist may complain about their absence, it doesn't really detract from the disc too much at all. It feels somehow 'complete'. The sound, while perhaps not the 'in-your-face, front row' quality of some releases, is warm, and clear, and very listenable. The performance is top notch as well, with soulful vocals and excellent backing. While a rare performance of Highlands is an obvious highlight, the opening acoustic numbers shouldn't be overlooked. There are excellent outings for To Ramona, featuring Larry Campbell on mandolin, and a tender Mama, You Been On My Mind. Packaging is minimal: front and back cover in familiar Wild Wolf style. The CD is pressed on gold and contains the standard label logo.