Bob Dylan,Mick Taylor/Belgium 1984 Upgrade & more

Dylan’s live activities in the early 1980s seem to have been reevaluated considerably in the past 10 years. The so-called Gospel period had been highly evaluated by enthusiasts for some time, but with the release of the “TROUBLE NO MORE” box, it suddenly became reevaluated. In that respect, the 1984 European tour was more quickly re-evaluated than the gospel period because the live album “REAL LIVE” was released at the time, but the recording time was short, just the length of one LP, and the tour itself was neglected. Isn’t this the time when it was needed? As if to reflect this situation, the number of CD items from this tour was extremely small. “BRUSSELS AFFAIR”, released on June 7th, 2014, changed this situation. This is a masterpiece audience album that captures in the best sound quality how Dylan and the band are playing hard because they are still in the first half of the tour and are not fully organized. In fact, this title has become a bestseller and has been sold out for a long time. After that, Barcelona on June 28th, which is called the best performance of the 1984 tour, was released as “THE BEST SHOW: BARCERONA 1984”, and the full-length sound board of Wembley Stadium at the end of the tour was released from the EMPRESS VALLEY label. Nowadays, high-quality items are being released that are as good as they were 10 years ago. Furthermore, it is a truly blessed situation, such as the best version of the 1984 tour standard sound board “ROME 1984 1ST NIGHT” in the rehearsal before the start of the tour “THE ESSENTIAL 1984 TOUR REHEARSALS”. The masterpiece that triggered this current situation is “BRUSSELS AFFAIR,” but it has been sold out for a long time, and there have been many calls for its re-release. In order to respond to the voices of enthusiasts, and more than 5 years have passed since its release (how fast!), the long-awaited re-release has finally been realized. However, there is no art in re-releasing the sound source as it is after so many years have passed. Therefore, we decided to review the sound source again. Although it does not reach the level of a sound board, it is a very clear and powerful recording state. Due to its impact, the release in 2014 was very popular, but in reality, the sound image of the performance was balanced to the left. After all, the sound quality is clear and spacious, so it seems that there were many enthusiasts who were still satisfied with it, but this time we have carefully adjusted this point. The difference is obvious when you listen to it with headphones. The left-leaning balance of the previous example has been largely eliminated, and the performance is centered firmly in the center. As a result, it seems that hiss noise is sometimes noticeable from the right channel, but in fact, hiss was heard even in the 2014 release. The reason why we did not suppress this both last time and this time is because we respect the clear and natural listening comfort. In other words, no changes have been made to the sound quality itself. Besides, the performance on this day was outstanding. Listening to it again, it is true that the band does not have an ironclad unity like Wembley Stadium, nor is it supported by the enthusiasm of the audience like Barcelona. Rather, I think the great appeal of this sound source is the fumbling feel of Dylan and the band, who have not yet come together in a good sense. As I mentioned when it was released in 2014, the hard work of “All Along The Watchtower” in the first half of the live performance is a must-listen. These standard songs tend to become “promises” if you make a mistake in Dylan’s tour with any band in each generation, but on this day, the development that Mick Taylor’s lead and Dylan’s harmonica are involved is thrilling. In the first place, the fact that Taylor’s guitar was captured in a larger sound image was a big attraction of this audience recording, and that was also one of the reasons why it was well received. Furthermore, an interesting performance that I was reminded of on this re-release is the encore “Tombstone Blues.” When it came to this song, Carlos Santana, who served as the opening act on the tour, always joined, and he was developing a solo turn with Taylor. In fact, the Newcastle take adopted in “REAL LIVE” captured a typical development of the two people, and it is familiar among enthusiasts that at Wembley, even Eric Clapton participated in the solo rotation. However, here in Brussels, there was a new person who joined the solo rotation after the two. It was Dylan himself (!). After 5 minutes of the performance, it’s easy to understand because you can hear the lead with a slightly distorted (lol) tone, neither Santana with many notes nor smooth Taylor. Of course, in terms of skill, it is not even close to the feet of the two, but the scene where Dylan cuts into it seems like this day. What’s more impressive is that as soon as Dylan starts playing, Santana suddenly stops playing and hands it over to him. Of course, Taylor is gently turning around in the back, but that situation is also clearly transmitted thanks to Taylor’s large sound image, and at the same time it is a scene that makes you realize that Taylor and Santana are outstanding players. Above all, the solo rotation, which is extremely rare even in the 1984 tour, is too interesting. And this time, the bonus includes two songs from Cologne, which are also audience recordings with very good sound quality. The masterpiece audience album from the 1984 tour is finally back! (Remaster Memo) After correcting the phase, the left and right volume and band balance were revised to the extent that they were not overdone. The sound image, which was heavily biased to the left, has been brought to the center. As a result of the adjustment, the right channel has definitely improved. Stade de Schaerbeek Stadion, Brussels, Belgium 7th June 1984 TRULY PERFECT SOUND(UPGRADE) Disc 1(72:29) 1. Highway 61 Revisited 2. Jokerman 3. All Along The Watchtower 4. Just Like A Woman 5. Maggie’s Farm 6. I & I 7. License To Kill 8. I’ve Got To Use My Imagination (sung by Greg Sutton) 9. Mr. Tambourine Man 10. It Ain’t Me, Babe 11. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) 12. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue Disc 2(63:39) 1. Masters Of War 2. Ballad Of A Thin Man 3. Simple Twist Of Fate 4. Every Grain Of Sand 5. Like A Rolling Stone 6. Tangled Up In Blue 7. Girl From The North Country 8. Love Minus Zero/No Limit 9. Tombstone Blues (with Carlos Santana) 10. Why Do I Have To Choose? (with Carlos Santana) Bonus Tracks Mungersdorfer Stadion, Cologne, West Germany 16th June 1984 11. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat 12. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues Bob Dylan – vocals & guitar Mick Taylor – guitar Ian McLagan – keyboards Greg Sutton – bass Colin Allen – drums