Positively Bob Dylan - The Annotated Recordings
Bob Dylan in Australia


Tour 1978

TICKET : "UNRESERVED GRASS" was Unreserved Mud.


April 1st 1978  Sydney Showground
Note
1. "UNRESERVED GRASS" was UNRESERVED MUD.
2. "CAMERAS AND RECORDING DEVICES STRICTLY PROHIBITED"
- see photographs and bootleg recording below.



''Bob Dylan Live in Sydney 1978''
Bootleg Two Record Set.

Album cover photograph

Back cover
photograph
Sleeve Credits  (sic):
Front
Side One
Hard Rain 
Love Her With a Feeling 
Mr Tambourine Man 
I Threw It All Away 
Shelter From The Storm 
Love Minus Zero:No Limit
Side Two
Maggies Farm 
I Don't Believe You 
 Like a Rolling Stone 
 I Shall Be Released 
Going, Going, Gone
Side Three 
Your'e a Big Girl Now 
One More Cup of Coffee 
Blowin' in the Wind
Don't Think Twice, It's Alright 
Just Like a Woman.
Side Four
All Along the Watchtower 
The Man in Me 
All I Really Want to Do
It's Alright Ma
The Times Are A Changing 
Knockin' On Heaven's Door
(Recorded live at Randwick Park, Sydney, on April 1, 1978.)  BD-6893
Back
Tour Dates
Australia 1978
March 13     Festival Hall, Brisbane, Qld.
March 18     Westlakes, Adelaide, S.A.
March 21     Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne, Vic.
March 22     Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne, Vic.
March 26     Perth Entertainment Centre, W.A.
March 27     Perth Entertainment Centre, W.A
April 1         Sydney Showgrounds, N.S.W.
NOTES
1. Track listing is suspect, awaiting further research.
2. Concert at Sydney Showground as noted on the back, not 'Randwick Park'. There is no such place - there is a Randwick Racecourse.
3. Record labels are numbered 1 to 4 with a black and white image of David Bowie/Aladdin Sane. Originally had manufacturer's insert  assuring the customer these were the correct  discs.
4. The bootleg album images are actually sepia (printed on yellow paper), but scans terribly.
5. This photograph not from the concert, see below.
6. Song  arrangements and personel similar to BOB DYLAN AT BUDOKAN.
7. Australian (Far East?) program has same text as European program but with some different photographs and is printed on lighter paper.
8. Bootleg album purchased from Anthem Records, Town Hall Station, Sydney
circa May 1978. Recording Engineer unknown.
THE RECORDINGS
Quality
Recording quality is reasonable.

Personel
Bob Dylan vocals, rythm guitar, harmonica
Billy Cross lead guitar
Ian Wallace drums
Andy Pasqua keyboards
Rob Stoner bass
Steven Soles acoustic rythm guitar
David Mansfield pedal steel, violin, mandolin, guiar, dobro
Steve Douglas saxaphone, flute, recorder
Bobbye Hall percussion
Helena Springs vocals
Jo Ann Harris vocals
Debi Dye vocals   (as per BUDOKAN)

Overview
Most tracks have lyrics and musical arrangements very similar to the BUDOKAN  release from the same tour, the tracks of most interest being those not on the official release.The recording/concert is notable for the introductions and comments made by Bob Dylan, a lack of which is usually noted by commentators. Although several are indecipherable,  they indicate an enthusiasm for the performance, tee are indicated by italics.

Track analysis
Side 1
Track 1, designated as Hard Rain, is instrumental.

Track 2, Love Her With a Feeling  is a cover version of a song by Tampa Red. Another Bob Dylan version of the song appears on the bootleg recording PICNIC AT BLACKBUSHE (15 June 1978), released by Hollow Horn Records in 1993. Another Tampa Red cover, It Hurts me Too, was recorded for SELF PORTRAIT.
End Track 2  Love Her With a Feeling  "Thank you"

End Track 3  Mr Tambourine Man  "Alright, thank you very much"

Track 4,  I Threw It All Away minor has lyrical changes particually, strong use of backing vocals , saxphone solo in the bridge and is possibly closer to the HARD RAIN, than the original NASHVILLE SKYLINE version.
End Track 4 "Thank you, it's nice to be back in Australia again, for the second time."

Intro Track 5  Shelter From The Storm "This is the story of my life.."

Side 2
Intro Track 1  Maggies Farm  " Oh Ho!" (approximation)

Track 2, I Don't Believe You is a unusual arrangement with an emphasis to  the backup vocals, with extended outro featuring madolin, of this outstanding song.

End Track 3 Like a Rolling Stone  "Thank you very much"

Side 3
Track 1 Your'e a Big Girl Now has a slower/bluer arrangement with accent on saxophone with some minor lyric changes. Perhaps has some similarity with the HARD RAIN version, like I Threw It All Away, above.

End Track 2 One More Cup of Coffee "Thank you very much. Bobbye Hall on congas (?). I don't know who that beautiful young lady was, but I hope she comes back." - the latter in response to a naked woman appearing on stage.

Track 4 Don't Think Twice, It's Alright  similar to the BUDOKAN version with extended vocal call and response on the last chorus.

Side 4
End Track 1 All Along the Watchtower "Thank you. David Mansfield on violin."

Track 2 The Man in Me has a  major lyric variation, with the change in musical arrangement. Originally from NEW MORNING, this is probably a rare selection.

End Track 3 All I Really Want to Do "Thank you"

Intro Track 4 It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) "This is a pleasure being here in this country, xxx, I'm going to be sorry to leave. This is ...xxx"

End Track 5 The Times They  Are A'Changin' "Thank you, xxxxx"

Performance note
For one song (cannot remember which) Bob Dylan sang with a microphone only (no guitar) in classic crooner style. This was apparently a standard feature of this tour, a photograph appears on the BUDOKAN vinyl ablum cover only (are you sure you have this right?)



Concert Photographs Sydney Showground 1 April 1978
Concert photographs (above) purchased from Anthem Records, Town Hall Station, Sydney
circa May 1978.  Photographer unknown.
Back Bob Links home Next : 1986
Page by Geoff Cater
For correspondence, please use the address below...
hporter@surfresearch.com.au