Doom & Gloom From the Tomb

A selection of rad bootlegs + other music-y stuff. Come fly with me. tywilc at gmail.com @tywilc
All I See Are Dark Eyes I’m in the midst of Patti Smith’s absorbing memoir, Just Kids, right now, which deals with her early, pre-fame years in New York City and her relationship with artist Robert Mapplethorpe. In many ways, it’s a book that sits comfortably alongside Bob Dylan’s Chronicles, so I thought I’d post this incredible late 1995 show featuring both Bob and Patti. After almost 15 years, Smith was just returning to live performance and recording at this point, but her opening set sounds like she’s barely missed a beat. It helps that she has her old bandmates, guitarist Lenny Kaye and drummer Jay Dee Daugherty, still backing her up. From the bold opening of Dylan’s own “Wicked Messenger” to the closing, riotous “Not Fade Away” (dedicated to the then-recently deceased Jerry Garcia), Patti and her band make the most of their brief time on stage. Perhaps inspired by such a powerful opener, Dylan comes out firing on all cylinders, leading his group through a stellar songlist and singing like his life depends on it. The highlight for me is the hushed, heartwrenching acoustic set, with Dylan barely whispering to a pin-drop silent audience, finding brand new nuances in decades-old songs. It’s moments like these when when I’m reminded why I listen to so many Dylan bootlegs — when the guy is on top of his game, he can’t be beat, no matter what the era. The beautifully-sung “Mr. Tambourine Man,” the devastating “Desolation Row,” and finally, the duet he sings with Smith: “Dark Eyes.” These two might not be Gram and Emmylou, but what they’re missing in pitch perfect harmonies, they make up for with pure, raw emotion. It’s a special performance. After such heights, the remainder of Dylan’s set has nowhere to go but down, but stick around for his own Garcia tribute, a rollicking cover of the Dead’s “Alabama Getaway.” This is an audience recording, but it sounds pretty much perfect — kudos to the taper! Disc One (Patti Smith + First Half of Dylan’s Set) Disc Two (The Rest of Dylan’s Set)

All I See Are Dark Eyes

I’m in the midst of Patti Smith’s absorbing memoir, Just Kids, right now, which deals with her early, pre-fame years in New York City and her relationship with artist Robert Mapplethorpe. In many ways, it’s a book that sits comfortably alongside Bob Dylan’s Chronicles, so I thought I’d post this incredible late 1995 show featuring both Bob and Patti. After almost 15 years, Smith was just returning to live performance and recording at this point, but her opening set sounds like she’s barely missed a beat. It helps that she has her old bandmates, guitarist Lenny Kaye and drummer Jay Dee Daugherty, still backing her up. From the bold opening of Dylan’s own “Wicked Messenger” to the closing, riotous “Not Fade Away” (dedicated to the then-recently deceased Jerry Garcia), Patti and her band make the most of their brief time on stage. Perhaps inspired by such a powerful opener, Dylan comes out firing on all cylinders, leading his group through a stellar songlist and singing like his life depends on it. The highlight for me is the hushed, heartwrenching acoustic set, with Dylan barely whispering to a pin-drop silent audience, finding brand new nuances in decades-old songs. It’s moments like these when when I’m reminded why I listen to so many Dylan bootlegs — when the guy is on top of his game, he can’t be beat, no matter what the era. The beautifully-sung “Mr. Tambourine Man,” the devastating “Desolation Row,” and finally, the duet he sings with Smith: “Dark Eyes.” These two might not be Gram and Emmylou, but what they’re missing in pitch perfect harmonies, they make up for with pure, raw emotion. It’s a special performance. After such heights, the remainder of Dylan’s set has nowhere to go but down, but stick around for his own Garcia tribute, a rollicking cover of the Dead’s “Alabama Getaway.” This is an audience recording, but it sounds pretty much perfect — kudos to the taper!

Disc One (Patti Smith + First Half of Dylan’s Set)

Disc Two (The Rest of Dylan’s Set)

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