Bob Dylan: Unplugged

Amazon.com Recorded in 1994, Bob Dylan: MTV Unplugged is a brilliant, quietly impassioned performance by one of pop music's most significant figures. Fronting his empathetic five-piece band (Bucky Baxter excels on dobro, mandolin, and pedal steel guitar; Bob himself plays frequent "rhythm leads" on his Martin), Dylan performs four of his best-known and potentially most overdone tunes in the 73-minute show; but "All Along the Watchtower," "The Times They Are A-Changin'," "Like a Rolling Stone," and "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" all sound great, with Dylan, as is his wont, re-casting both the arrangements and melodies. Even better is the obscure "John Brown" (written in the early '60s), a driving, biting war protest song of the kind that made him famous, while "Dignity," a lesser-known tune from the '90s, is filled with great lines ("Met Prince Phillip at the home of the blues... said he was abused by dignity"), and "Shooting Star" revisits Oh Mercy, Dylan's best '80s album. Through it all, Dylan says nary a word, although he does smile and shake some hands (even removing his shades) at the end. And as good as it may be, this show is most likely different from every Dylan concert before or since, a sure sign of an artist in no danger of becoming irrelevant. --Sam Graham Product Description On November 17, 1994, Bob Dylan entered Sony Studios in New York City to tape an historic performance. Drawing from his extensive songbook of classics, Dylan brought the house down for two nights of shows comprising a long-awaited MTV Unplugged concert. Songs include Tombstone Blues, Shooting Star, All Along the Watchtower, The Times They are A-Changin', John Brown, Desolation Row, Rainy Day Women #13 and 35, Love Minus Zero/No Limit, Diginity, Knockin' on Heaven's Door, Like a Rolling Stone, and With God on Our Side.