BOB DYLAN : LIVE BY FAITH

 

Disc One

  1. Monologue (Regina McCrae Havis)
  2. I've Got My Ticket, Lord (Havis - Springs - Young)
  3. it's gonna rain (Havis - Springs - Young)
  4. Do Lord, Remember Me (Havis - Springs - Young)
  5. Look Up And Live By Faith (Havis - Springs - Young)
  6. Oh Freedom (Havis - Springs - Young)
  7. This Train (Havis - Springs - Young)
  8. Gotta Serve Somebody
  9. I Believe In You
  10. When You Gonna Wake Up
  11. When He Returns
  12. Man Gave Names To All The Animals
  13. Precious Angel
  14. Slow Train

Disc Two

  1. Covenant Woman
  2. What Are You Doing With Your Heart ? (Helena Springs)
  3. Gonna Change My Way Of Thinking
  4. Do Right To Me Baby (Do Unto Others)
  5. Solid Rock
  6. Saving Grace
  7. Saved
  8. What Can I Do For You?
  9. In The Garden
  10. Blessed Be The Name
  11. Pressing On

Label : ThinMan Records

Venue : Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, California, USA

Date : November 18, 1979

Quality : Audience recording (A+)

Review (Bob's Boots) : This is the second venue for the Gospel Tour. The first venue was San Francisco's Fox Warfield Theatre where Dylan played for fourteen nights. Dylan does a little preaching / witnessing four different times when introducing various songs to this audience. There is quite a bit of Dylan talking here. Only minor heckeling when the audience hollers for Like A Rolling Stone. As for the packaging, a mixed review. Although, there is more good to be said than bad. so it gets a thumbs up. Sound quality is superb. Another must have for gospel fans.

Review (Collectors Music Reviews) : Up until now there have been two incomplete audience recordings circulating for Bob Dylan's first gospel show in Santa Monica on November 18th. Thinman have, for Live By Faith, found and finally released for all to enjoy the long-exist-to-exist complete audience source. It is very close to the stage and very clear. The only negative about it is the high amount of hiss, but that disappears once the captivating performance begins. Like with the others Regina Havis begins with the "ticket" story leading into "I've Got My Ticket Lord". The tape very audibly reveals the audience at first assaulting her with catcalls and heckling ("ROCK AND ROLL!!" one guy yells out to much laughter). But by "Do Lord Remember Me", a fast gospel number with tambourines the audience are up on their feet, clapping along proving the central truth that it is impossible to hate gospel music. The traditional Negro spiritual "This Train" is the perfect segway into Dylan's set and his then current hit "Gotta Serve Somebody" where he spits out the lyrics. His entire set is well rehearsed and some of the numbers that gave him trouble in San Francisco like "Covenant Woman" and "What Can I Do For You?" are tight. Before "Slow Train" Dylan gives a little sermon: "Thank you. I suppose you've been reading the newspapers and watching the TV? And you see how much trouble this world is in. Madmen running loose everywhere. Anyway we, we're not worried about that though -- it doesn't bother us -- because we know this world is going to be destroyed. Christ will set up his kingdom for a thousand years in Jerusalem where the lion will lie down with the lamb -- we know this is true. No doubt about it. So, it's a slow train coming. It's been coming for a long time. Ah, but it's picking up speed." (Just an aside, this is a philosophy called "pre-millennial dispensationalist" advocated by Hal Lindsey, who was influential with Dylan's thinking about this time). The only noticeable miscue this evening comes during the second chorus of "Solid Rock" where Dylan surprises the band by jumping in on a new cadence, but they recover nicely. Before "Saved" Dylan says, "All right, you know Satan, he . . . We wrestle now against flesh and blood, but it's all happening at a spiritual level. Satan is called the god of this world and, as you look around, you have much proof to see that he really is the god of this world. But, for those of you who don't know . . . I'd be curious to know, how many of you do know or, how many of you don't know, that Satan himself has been defeated at the cross? Does everybody know that? Huh, at least, ah, at least we're not alone!" This is a great show from Dylan's gospel period and Thinman have produced an instant classic with this release. At the very least the complete tape is here adding more to the overall picture to this period, but the concert and sound quality is so enjoyable it makes this a must own. (GS)