The Bootleg Series, Vol. 4: Bob Dylan Live, 1966: The "Royal Albert Hall Concert"

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.com's Best of 1998
Nineteen ninety-eight: The same year he dances with Soy Bomb at the Grammys, his record label finally issues Bob Dylan's ultimate live document. A classic case of not giving the audience what they want but what they need, Mr. Dylan's oft-bootlegged 1966 gig begins with lovely and supple folk that foreshadows folk music's turn from protest song to introspection. The album's true highlight is the legendarily ill received and rocked-out electric set, with Dylan backed by members of the Band. There are too many perfect, on-fire guitar solos by Robbie Robertson to count, and Dylan himself responds to the audience's angry bewilderment with equal parts menace, grace, and brilliance. --Mike McGonigal

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Amazon.com essential recording
The greatest live recording in rock & roll history was--officially, at least--buried in the vaults of Columbia Records for more than a quarter of a century. But no more: Live 1966: The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert has surfaced on two discs mixed and mastered from three-track source tapes that put the myriad pirated recordings to shame. More important, Live 1966 documents a momentous artistic showdown between a willful, inflamed, and utterly fearless performer and his headstrong core following. The Dylan of the mid '60s had made the leap from socially conscious voice of his generation to surrealistic electric poet, a transformation that was met with contempt by a vocal element of his audience. The most telling moment of the recording centers on the standoff: A folk zealot in the audience shouts, "Judas!" earning cheers from the contentious crowd. Dylan responds by snarling, "I don't believe you. You're a liar," then turns to his group, the Hawks (soon to become the Band), and, as the intro to "Like a Rolling Stone" takes shape, commands, "Play loud!" A crucial moment and, time has demonstrated, the correct call. --Steven Stolder

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-12-30 rating:
Changing Rock N Roll Forever
Probably one of the top three most essential Bob Dylan recordings of all time. You know the legend, you need the music. The second CD is so confrontational and powerful you'll rock out on it over and over, probably for the rest of your life if given half the chance.

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review by: date: 2008-10-16 rating:
Dylan & The Band - essential recordings
For a while the most bootlegged rock record of all. When this was released in 1998 I rushed out and bought it immediately. I had an old cassette recording that somebody had copied from somebody else from a bootleg LP. So at least 3rd hand and thought I would never see the day that Dylan allowed this to be issued properly.

I'm not going to talk about the recordings, as other reviewers have already covered these in ample detail. The CD's (2) are well packaged with a 54 page booklet which gives you a lot of information into the background and history of these recordings. As a leftfield starter the booklet mentions the famous 1913 Stravinsky performance of "The Rite of Spring" which caused a riot. Despite this excellent packaging its the recordings that will grab you by the throat. Dylan in the mid 60's changed popular music for ever.

Although The Band worked and toured with Dylan many times this is the essential live album to get. The Basement Tapes are another set of brilliant recordings never intended for release originally. Both sets are highly recommended.

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review by: date: 2008-10-10 rating:
The Bootleg Series, Vol. 4: Bob Dylan Live, 1966: The "Royal Albert Hall Concert"
The Bootleg Series, Vol. 4: Bob Dylan Live, 1966: The "Royal Albert Hall Concert" is a stupendous live album that is surrounded with plenty of controversy. At the time people wanted Dylan to continue to play protest songs. On the first half of the concert we only get Dylan, guitar and harmonica. But instead of political songs we get introspective songs that deal with life, feelings and such. It is the seond cd part of the concert that was considered controversial. Here we have Dylan playing electric guitar and playing together with a rock band. As it is written so well in the book-let "Bob Dylan, intent on following his own inner vision, wasn't the first artist to NOT give the audience what they wanted...but he may have been the loudest". I could not agree any more with this. The book-let is quite amazing. It is quite massive to be a concert record, i.e., 50 pages and is loaded with information and very nice photographs. This is a live album not to be missed.

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review by: date: 2008-06-02 rating:
What more can be said about it?
I'll just give it five stars. The fact it's also really well released with an amazing booklet just makes it vital. Dylan at full command of his craft. If you haven't got it... get it!


review by: Nadia date: 2008-05-20 rating:
TIME CAPSULE DICHOTOMY
This is the infamous 1966 "Judas" concert at Royal Albert Hall, Manchester, England, where Bob Dylan formally performs electric in front of a British audience. The first half is done in classic acoustic, and I must admit it is awesome. The second half of the show is an electric joke & confrontation between Bob and fans: BUT IT'S HISTORY! Bob was booed, and this was even mentioned on the evening news. (I may be wrong, but I think I remember this was on the evening news).

Bob really knows how to infuriate fans or stir up intense feelings for him. One fan, as I read, felt he had to drink beer in order to drown away his feelings of being let down by a DVD that supposedly had a less-than enthusiastic Bob performing live somewhere--what happened to the boy that once lit up the whole world?--was his observation. In this intense relationship with Bob come intense expectations. After all, Adoration, Admiration, Love, Loyalty, Devotion, and yes, even Worship in some cases, need to be reciprocated with at least some enthusiasm, don't you think? In this second part where he plays really awful renditions of his brilliant songs that were done correctly on the original CDs, he totally traumatizes helpless and horrified fans who don't even want him to go electric. Oh well, maybe there are one or two songs that are done well. But what you will be sure to get, however, is LOADS of ENTHUSIASM. You're not complaining, are you?

Bob changes into his leather jacket for the electric half and he brings out his band. Fans are not happy throughout the second half, but toward the end of the program, you can actually hear someone call him "Judas!" and Bob answers with "I don't believe you" after which he sings with more forceful indignation--"how does it FEEEEEL!" Bob is booed in the second half (poor Bob). There is confrontation between fans, purists and Bob. INTENSE indignation is felt on both sides of the stage, and Bob, equally very hurt plays even louder and more horrible (you can even hear him saying, "play F--- loud!". You can get highlights of what some of the fans say after the concert from the DVD No Direction Home. Get this as a historical event, and you won't be disappointed. All is forgiven and forgotten by now.

Hey, really cool pictures in the insert booklet! And look at that cute innocent adorable face on the cover of the CD! It's a sure deal!

I am pretty much done with my Dylan albums. The only ones I don't have is Self Portrait, (which I won't get because Bob did this album just to get rid of his fans & he hardly wrote any songs in it) and Knocked Out Loaded and Under the Red Sky (maybe a little later I'll get these last two) and maybe a couple of live ones I still don't have.

Now I want to look up and listen and honor Bruce Hornsby a little.

I won't forget Bob. His CDs are still in my stereo (especially Oh Mercy)--see my reviews, and I will jump on his new CD when he makes one, and I wish him a very very very long life. WHAT ON EARTH would we fans do without him?!

(I got this CD a while back, but I guess I'll leave my opinion).

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