BOB DYLAN : LIVE AT THE SUMMER SOUND FESTIVAL

 

Disc One (71:18)

  1. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
  2. If You See Her, Say Hello
  3. Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
  4. The Levee's Gonna Break
  5. Moonlight
  6. Things Have Changed
  7. A Hard Rain's a-gonna fall
  8. High Water (For Charlie Patton)
  9. When The Deal Goes Down
  10. Honest With Me
  11. Just Like A Woman

Disc Two (68:57)

  1. Highway 61 Revisited
  2. Beyond The Horizon
  3. Summer Days
  4. Ballad Of A Thin Man
  5. Happy Birthday (instrumental)
  6. Thunder On The Mountain
  7. Like A Rolling Stone
    Bonus Tracks :
  8. Blind Willie McTell
  9. It's Alright, Ma (I'm only bleeding)
  10. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
  11. Blowin' In The Wind

Label : The Godfatherecords

Venue : Summer Sound Festival Bergamo, Lazzaretto, Italy

Date : June 16, 2008

Quality : audience recording (A+)

Review (Collectors Music Reviews) : Live At The Summer Sound Festival documents Bob Dylan's set in Bergamo on July 16th, 2008. A yearly event featuring local artists organized by D'Alessandro and Galli, this year was focused upon both music and sport since Italy were facing Spain in the quarterfinals of the Euro 2008 on July 22nd, during the festival (where Italy lost to Spain 4-2). Bob Dylan played on the first night of the week with no supporting acts. Godfather use a clear, excellent audience recording similar to many from the tour. The only drawback is the occasional conversations taking place around the tape recorder between some of the songs. The label also include four bonus tracks from the other show in Italy the previous day in Trento. The sound quality of these tracks are almost identical to Bergamo. "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat" is employed as the set opener followed by a rare performance of "If You See Her, Say Hello." This song had not been played for three years before receiving five outings this summer in an absurdly up beat musical. Dylan changes the final two lines of the second verse from "And though our separation, it pierced me to the heart / She still lives inside of me, we've never been apart" to "and though our separation, it cut me to the bone / I got to find somebody to take her place, I don't like to be alone" and drops the third verse altogether. Another scarcely played song "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" follows and features what passes for vocal dynamic for Dylan these days. In "Moonlight" he changes "I know the kinds of things you like" to "we talk the same way / even dress alike" and improvises a unique verse in the middle. Freeman stumbled in the beginning of the guitar solo but recovers to deliver a tender melody. Another highlight of the set is a dynamic seven minute performance of "Just Like A Woman" dominated by the petal steel guitar and the audience singing along on the chorus. A review reports that Dylan smiled to either George or Tony after a "bizarre" beginning to one of the verses in "Summer Day." At the beginning of the encores the band plays "Happy Birthday" with Dylan joining in on the harp. Live At The Summer Sound Festivalis packaged in a tri-fold gatefold sleeve with several photos from the tour and is a very good document of his time in Italy.

Review (Bob's Boots) : The Godfather has done it again. Here's one you can't refuse! Its a beauty, and the sound is fantastic, with up front vocals and the music backing just perfectly. It's worth the price of the set for If You See Her Say Hello alone. One slight criticism is that, during intermission the entire stamping and whistling before Bob and the Band return to the stage is left intact. Then there is a funky instrumental Happy Birthday that goes straight into Thunder On the Mountain. To top it off included are top notch Bonus tracks, with a brilliant Blind Willie McTell. The packaging is a tri fold digi pack that's a bit busy and over the top with borderline gaudy. There are a few nice concert photos. The usual Godfather standard silk screen printed CDs are identical apart from the numbering. All in all, this is a fantastic release from what is turning out to be a quality label.