One of the truest signs of a great artist is the ability to continually re-evaluate and re-invent himself creatively. Bob Dylan’s 1974 album Blood on the Tracks, reissued here in a sumptuous 6 disc set (with a gorgeous book), is a perfect example of an artistic renaissance.
After rebounding from a nadir of releases such as Self Portrait and the disastrous Dylan, Mr. Zimmerman reunited with The Band for a successful tour and live recording. Subsequently, he returned to studios in New York and his home state of Minneapolis where he recorded and re-recorded a collection of tracks that combine the Big Pink homespun cozy band sound reminiscent of Nashville Skyline and John Wesley Harding with solos and duets with bassist Tony Brown for intimate folk tunes that rival and even surpass his early 60s material such as The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.
At this stage in his career, Dylan’s voice has a rich maturity that combined the angst of his early days with the perspective and richness of a man who’s lived a full life. Armed with his guitar and harmonica, he delivers gravitas readings of “If You See Her, Say Hello,” “You’re A Big Girl Now” and “”Simple Twist of Fate.” The multiple takes give a fascinating insight to the evolution of the songs, included with vocal banter and rich vocal inflection variations to see which reading best represents the proper mood.
Duets with Brown include personal interpretations of “Idiot Wind,” while with the team of Brown and Eric Weissberg/g, Charles Brown III/g, Barry Kornfield/g, Thomas McFaou/key, Richard Crooks/dr and Buddy Cage/stg, the team does some nice Cumberland Gap moods with “Simple Twist of Fate” while Dylan directs the band to sound “like church” on “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go” for the New York session. In Minneapolis with Brown, Chris Webber/g, Kevin Odegard/g, Peter Ostroushko/mand, Gregg Inhofer/key, Billy Peterson/b and Bill Berg/dr, Dylan delivers travelling road show takes of “Tangled Up in Blue,” “Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts” and “You’re a Big Gilr Now”which became staples of the iconic album.
The division of the songs into acoustic, band and geography is judicious. The massive liner notes, song annotation and musician listing is well researched, and the book that includes “photographs, writings and memorabilia” is a fan’s and collector’s delight. This album can be considered the last of the Bob Dylan as we knew him before he became a Christian and a voice in TV commercials. Absolutely essential, with this album adding 3-D depth to the classic original lp.