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Original cover for 1980's "Saved" (Columbia Records)
Thirty years ago, on April 20, 1980, Bob Dylan brought his "gospel" show to Massey Hall, in Toronto. The concert was professionally filmed, and recorded on 24-track, according to Clinton Heylin. The concert has languished in the vault ever since. Both the audio and visual records of this performance, however, have been in the hands of collectors for years.
The "gospel" phase of Dylan's career was controversial at the time for many reasons. Not only were many put-off by the direction Dylan's music had taken, but also by the lack of any material earlier than 1979's Slow Train Coming LP being performed at his concerts. This period is understood much more in retrospect. At the time, however, it did bring Dylan a whole new type of fan to his shows.
With 20/20 hindsight, this was one of Dylan's most inspired times for songwriting and performing. He was giving impassioned interpretations of his own material, often interspersed with seemingly improvised sermonizing. Dylan's shows featured material from Slow Train and the upcoming Saved, plus still-unreleased songs like "Ain't Gonna Go To Hell For Anybody", "Cover Down, Break Through", and, occasionally, "I Will Love Him".
While Slow Train was a commercial and critical success, the follow-up Saved, was not. Dylan wanted to release a live album next, to be titled Solid Rock, featuring seven recent songs recorded at Massey Hall on April 19. However, his record label is said to have made the decision not to release it.
Here's the information for the April 20 concert:
Musicians: Bob Dylan (vocal, guitar, piano, harmonica), Fred Tackett (guitar), Spooner Oldham (keyboards), Tim Drummond (bass), Terry Young (keyboards), Jim Keltner (drums), Clydie King, Gwen Evans, Mary Elizabeth Bridges, Regina Havis, Mona Lisa Young (background vocals).
Bridges, Evans, King, Havis, Young:
Let It Ride (McCoy/Dennis)
(You've Got To) Hold On (?)
It's Gonna Rain (C Johnson)
Look Up And Live By Faith (Roberts Lawrence Curtis)
Show Me The Way Lord (?)
Freedom At The Wall (?)
This Train Is Bound For Glory (This Train) (Big Bill Broonzy)
1. Gotta Serve Somebody
2. I Believe In You
3. When He Returns
4. Ain't Gonna Go To Hell For Anybody
5. Cover Down, Break Through
6. Man Gave Names To All The Animals
7. Precious Angel
8. Slow Train
Mona Lisa Young:Stranger In The City (Healing) (?)
Mary Elizabeth Bridges:Walk Around Heaven All Day (Rev. James Cleveland/Cassietta George)
9. Do Right To Me Baby (Do Unto Others)
10. Solid Rock
11. Saving Grace
12. What Can I Do For You?
13. Saved (Bob Dylan/Tim Drummond)
14. In The Garden
—
15. Are You Ready?
16. Pressing On
While there are no known plans to release this concert, there is always the hope that it might be added to The Bootleg Series, with both an audio and a DVD/Blu-ray disc.
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Comments
I've had the audio recording for years...it's one of the great Dylan live shows IMHO
I completely agree with Phil--it is a fantastic show. Would love to see DVD as it is a vastly underrated period. I was a huge fan pre-"born again" phase and tuned this Dylan phase out at the time--discovered this live recording several years ago and was blown away.
Dylan in top form, really peaking as a live performing vocalist with a band that could move mountains with a bad beat boogie. Who says the devil has all the good music
Yeah, Brother Bob really socks it to the heathens, i love it, its great, great music and the band are just supernatural, WOW. On a down side though, a few years back i spent many uncomfortable hours in a football stadium putting up with all the naff support acts trying to hold my spot and get close to the great Bob himself. Imagine my annoyance when finally Dylan hits the stage, a bunch of nutty christians hold up a huge placard saying something like Jesus saves souls, totally blocking my view. Unforgivable and unnecessary, i'm glad Dylan recorded the song Beyond here lies Nothing. i'm sure it annoys him too. By the way he was brilliant, don't mind the critics, none of them can sing.
that 'cover down, break through' song really rocks
How about releasing a Bootleg Series of this stuff and some more. I was raised a Catholic so am well grounded and got Jesus on the mainline, but am disillusioned by all the fakery and evil carry on by those who wear the cloak of decency. This music is my link to Jesus and i reckon more folks need to hear this stuff. All those great blues legends sang this kind of redemption song and kudos to Dylan for carrying on the tradition.
He was not going to hell for someone else's sins; Make a woman so sick she don't know which skin she's in,
creep and around never confess to, it was 1980 must be exempt . Some people are still waiting for the truth. You knew exactly
where you heading
, and just the cost that would be spent.
IT"s good thing I don't thin about you most of the time,
You are never gonna show up, I'f you said so you'd be lying
The recording by the choir above labeled "Freedom at the Wall" is actually "Freedom After a While" a well-known gospel song composed by Joseph Wallace (member of The Sensational Nightingales). There are sound bytes from several different recordings of the song in the AllMusic database (allmusic dot com -- search for song title).
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