Bob Dylan/Czech Republic 3.11.1995

Bob Dylan’s first live performance in 1995, the European tour, began in Prague on March 11th, and that stage was a big topic among enthusiasts at the time. This is because Dylan rarely played the guitar on stage, concentrating on singing and playing the harmonica. In 1995, the Internet had already begun to spread, but it was still at a primitive level compared to today. Because of this, it was falsely spread that Dylan didn’t play any guitar at the Prague show, but in reality he only played electric on two songs, and for the rest he was on stage in a “singing state.” I was there. Regarding this matter, it was said among enthusiasts that at the time, Dylan had a chronic back disease that caused pain and made him unable to play the guitar. However, when I listened to the audio source from that day, he made a rare explanation to the audience before “Watching The River Flow,” which was “I caught the flu yesterday, but this place is nice, so I think I can handle it.” thing. At that time, the amount of information available on the Internet was still limited, so it was not possible to convey this scene properly. A nostalgic two-disc set called “12/- A POUND” that recorded the first day of the 1995 tour that was carried out under such circumstances. It was also the first item released during the 1995 European tour, and many enthusiasts probably picked it up at shops at the time. This time, the master cassette used for this release was provided by a Dylan collector in Europe, and unlike “12/- A POUND”, it will appear as a stunning upper version for the first time in a while. Compared to “12/- A POUND”, which was released in 1995, it is much warmer and more comfortable to listen to, and the technology that has evolved over the past 25 years is the master. The great thing is that we were able to capture all the good parts. This audience recording is not in a state that would be described as “just like a sound board,” but the balance between distance and sound image is exquisite, and even if you listen to it in 2021, it is excellent without complaint. On the contrary, the warmer feeling has improved compared to “12/- A POUND”, so you may be surprised again, “How good was the sound?” What’s even more surprising is that Dylan sings with such ease that it’s hard to believe that he was in such poor physical condition that he had refrained from playing the guitar. Ironically, since he doesn’t have to play the guitar anymore, he seems to be able to focus on singing as much as he wants as a singer, which is impressive. When it comes to the acoustic corner, where the performance is a bit subdued, he is in top form, and you can currently see the audience shot of “Boots Of Spanish Leather” on YouTube, where he sings passionately with gestures. Then, when it came to “Watching The River Flow” and “God Knows,” Dylan hung his Stratocaster on his shoulder and exploded with his typical lead guitar at the time. For this release, the cuts between songs that occurred during recording were also carefully supplemented by diverting them from the “1995 EUROPEAN TOUR ANTHOLOGY” source released by the nostalgic maniac label Doberman. As a result, the release will be an upper version in terms of sound quality as well as content. Prague was the first day of the now nostalgic 1995 European tour, where Dylan became legendary for not playing the guitar as much as possible. Was he really in poor health considering he was singing so well? Supplemented with two types of sources, all songs are completely recorded non-stop. The previous work “12/- A Pound” (2CD) was based on this cassette, and it was packed with a bonus recording of the next day, the 12th. Kongresovy sal, Prague, Czech Republic 11th March 1995 PERFECT SOUND(from Original Masters)*UPGRADE Disc 1 (37:51) 01. Introduction ★Longer start than the previous edition “12/- A Pound” 02. Crash On The Levee (Down In The Flood) 03. If Not For You 04. All Along The Watchtower 05. Just Like A Woman 06. Tangled Up In Blue 07. Watching The River Flow ★Cuts between songs Compensated with previously released Doberman Disc 2 (56: 21) 08. Mr. Tambourine Man 09. Boots Of Spanish Leather 10. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue 11. Man In The Long Black Coat ★Cut between songs Compensate by flipping the already released Doberman left and right 12. God Knows 13. Maggie’s Farm ★Cuts between songs are supplemented with a third source 14. Shelter From The Storm 15. It Ain’t Me, Babe ★The end section is longer than the previous edition “12/- A Pound”. Bob Dylan – vocal & guitar Bucky Baxter – pedal steel guitar & electric slide guitar John Jackson – guitar Tony Garnier – bass Winston Watson – drums & percussion