BOB DYLAN – REAL LIVE LP – Nr MINT A2/B2 UK CBS

Bob Dylan – Real Live
(CBS Records  1984  CBS26334)
Matrix No’s: A2/B2 – UK Pressing

Sleeve in Nr MINT condition
– a little wear to edges
Inner Sleeve in Nr MINT condition

Vinyl in Nr MINT condition
(there are a few light surface marks visible on the vinyl when held up to the light but they don’t affect the sound quality)

Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author and painter, who has been an influential figure in popular music and culture for more than five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s, when he became a reluctant “voice of a generation” with songs such as “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “The Times They Are a-Changin'”, which became anthems for the Civil Rights Movement and anti-war movement. Leaving behind his initial base in the American folk music revival, his six-minute single “Like a Rolling Stone”, recorded in 1965, enlarged the range of popular music.

Dylan’s lyrics incorporate a wide range of political, social, philosophical, and literary influences. They defied existing pop music conventions and appealed to the burgeoning counterculture. Initially inspired by the performances of Little Richard and the songwriting of Woody Guthrie, Robert Johnson, and Hank Williams, Dylan has amplified and personalized musical genres. His recording career, spanning more than 50 years, has explored the traditions in American song—from folk, blues, and country to gospel, rock and roll, and rockabilly to English, Scottish, and Irish folk music, embracing even jazz and the Great American Songbook. Dylan performs with guitar, keyboards, and harmonica. Backed by a changing lineup of musicians, he has toured steadily since the late 1980s on what has been dubbed the Never Ending Tour. His accomplishments as a recording artist and performer have been central to his career, but his songwriting is considered his greatest contribution. Since 1994, Dylan has also published seven books of drawings and paintings, and his work has been exhibited in major art galleries.

As a musician, Dylan has sold more than 100 million records, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time. He has also received numerous awards including eleven Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and an Academy Award. Dylan has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Minnesota Music Hall of Fame, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and Songwriters Hall of Fame. The Pulitzer Prize jury in 2008 awarded him a special citation for “his profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power.” In May 2012, Dylan received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. In 2016, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition”.

Real Live is a live album documenting Bob Dylan’s 1984 tour of Europe, released at the end of that same year by Columbia Records. Most of the concert was recorded at Wembley Stadium on 7 July, but “License to Kill” and “Tombstone Blues” come from St James’ Park, Newcastle on 5 July, and “I and I” and “Girl from the North Country” were recorded at Slane Castle, Ireland on 8 July.

Produced by Glyn Johns, it features Mick Taylor (formerly of the Rolling Stones) on lead guitar, Ian McLagan (formerly of the Faces) on keyboards, and a guest appearance from Carlos Santana. The performances on Real Live were recorded in support of his successful Infidels album. While Infidels was hailed as a “return to musical form” (as described by Kurt Loder in Rolling Stone magazine), critical reception for Real Live was generally mixed.

Released in December to capitalize on the Christmas shopping season, Real Live still sold in disappointing numbers, reaching a then-career low of #115 in the US and #54 in the UK.

Track listing

All songs by Bob Dylan.

Side one

1. “Highway 61 Revisited” – 5:07
2. “Maggie’s Farm” – 4:54
3. “I and I” – 6:00
4. “License to Kill” – 3:26
5. “It Ain’t Me, Babe” – 5:17

Side two

6. “Tangled Up in Blue” – 6:54
7. “Masters of War” – 6:35
8. “Ballad of a Thin Man” – 4:17
9. “Girl from the North Country” – 4:25
10. “Tombstone Blues” – 4:32

Personnel

• Bob Dylan – guitar, harmonica, keyboards, vocals

Additional musicians

• Colin Allen – drums
• Ian McLagan – keyboards
• Carlos Santana – guitar on “Tombstone Blues”
• Gregg Sutton – bass guitar
• Mick Taylor – guitar

Technical personnel

• Glyn Johns – producer