Bob Dylan / CT, USA 1990 Complete Upgrade

Bob Dylan’s legendary four-hour public rehearsal gig at Toad’s Place in 1990 stands as a landmark in his live history, boasting a trifecta of qualities: a setlist packed with rare songs, high-energy performances from start to finish, and a superb audience recording. The definitive release of this event was *Toad’s Place 1990*, but a full decade has already passed since that highly acclaimed title first appeared. While that release was rightly praised as the ultimate version of the legendary rehearsal gig, the source material used in 2016—though labeled “low generation”—was actually based on files circulating online of unknown generation. That was the best choice available at the time, but today, files transferred directly from the genuine master cassette are in circulation. Furthermore, *Toad’s Place 1990* has long been out of print and difficult to find. Yet, simply reissuing that decade-old release—despite the existence of the true master copy—would be unthinkable. Thus, we now present a 100% pure version of *Toad’s Place* sourced directly from the master cassette for the very first time. The sound quality is in a different league. A comparison between the release from ten years ago and this new master reveals an undeniable difference; the clarity unique to this master makes it painfully obvious that the previous edition relied on a source that had passed through several generations of cassette copying. The distinction is clear even in the hiss noise heard before the opening track, “Walk a Mile in My Shoes,” begins; you can experience the freshness and dynamic energy unique to a master recording right from the start. While the original audience recording was of exceptional quality, it suffered from a major flaw: a volume adjustment made the moment “Walk a Mile in My Shoes” began, causing the performance to cut out momentarily. While the 2016 edition’s main selling point was its use of “Source 2” to achieve the first-ever complete recording, this new release takes that patching process even further. It fills in not only the opening section but also the gaps caused by cassette changes during the four-hour gig. Consequently, this release captures the full performance—including the segment before “I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine” (previously missing along with Dylan’s stage banter) and the ending of “Man In The Long Black Coat” (which had always been cut off in earlier releases). The result is a groundbreaking release that stands as the longest recording of the Toad’s Place show to date. The total runtime exceeds that of the 2016 version; the final set begins near the end of Disc 3—a detail that serves as proof the audio was sourced directly from the master tape. By combining this with the “Source 2” patches, the release achieves an unprecedented level of completeness as a historical document. Above all, it is wonderful to hear Dylan singing and playing with such genuine joy throughout the four-hour performance. One remains amazed by the spontaneous, unrehearsed nature of the setlist—featuring unexpected choices like the Traveling Wilburys’ “Congratulations” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing In The Dark”—as the band simply went with the flow of the moment. Dylan sang wherever the mood took him, perfectly supported by G.E. Smith and the band. Thanks to this seamless musical rapport, the performance never drags for a single second, despite the marathon four-hour duration. This legendary “public rehearsal” gig has finally been perfected as the definitive edition, boasting the best-ever sound quality and the most complete recording in history. Toad’s Place, New Haven, CT, USA – January 12, 1990 (Ultimate Sound Upgrade & Extended Runtime). Exceptional sound quality. Disc-1 (set 1) (54:29)1. Walk A Mile In My Shoes 2. One More Cup Of Coffee 3. Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35 4. Trouble No More 5. I’ve Been All Around This World 6. Political World 7. Where Teardrops Fall 8. Tears Of Rage 9. I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine 10 It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry 11 Everybody’s Movin’ Disc-2 (set 2) (39:49) 1. Watching The River Flow 2. What Was It You Wanted 3. Oh Baby It Ain’t No Lie 4. Lenny Bruce 5. I Believe In You 6. Man Of Peace 7. Across The Borderline 8. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat 9. All Along The Watchtower Disc-3 (set 3) (74:32) 1. Tight Connection To My Heart (Has Anybody Seen My Love) 2. Political World 3. What Good Am I? 4. Wiggle Wiggle 5. Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again 6. Pay The Price 7. Help Me Make It Through The Night 8. Man In The Long Black Coat 9. Congratulations 10. Dancing In The Dark 11. Lonesome Whistle Blues 12. Confidential 13. In The Garden 14. Everything Is Broken (set 4) 15. So Long, Good Luck And Goodbye 16. Where Teardrops Fall Disc-4 (set 4) (72:55) 1. Political World 2. Pretty Peggy-O 3. I’ll Remember You 4. Key To The Highway 5. Joey 6. Lay Lady Lay 7. I Don’t Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met) 8. When Did You Leave Heaven? 9. Maggie’s Farm 10. I’ve Been All Around This World 11. In The Pines 12. Highway 61 Revisited 13. Precious Memories 14. Like A Rolling Stone Bob Dylan – vocal & guitar G. E. Smith – guitar & backing vocal Tony Garnier – bass Christopher Parker – drums