1975 THE CIRCUS IS IN TOWN

 

1      Introduction.. 1

2      1975 At A Glance.. 1

3      The 1975 Calendar.. 2

4      Desire.. 4

4.1       The recording sessions. 4

4.2       Live history. 5

4.3       Officially released live versions. 6

4.4       Performances during The Never-Ending Tour. 6

 

 

Next

 

The Circus Is In Town

 

 

1           Introduction

Bob Dylan was back on the road and also back on the streets. He returned to New York City in the summer and started hanging out in the Village. He met Jacques Levy and they started writing a number of songs that were later to become Desire, one of Dylan’s most commercially successful albums. Late in the summer the idea of a new tour took form. This turned out to be something completely different compared to the last year’s comeback tour with The Band. This was to be a low-key tour with a number of friends like Bob Neuwirth, Roger McGuinn, Allen Ginsberg, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and Joan Baez. He called it the Rolling Thunder Revue.

 

2           1975 At A Glance

 

 

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3           The 1975 Calendar

17 January

Release of Blood On The Tracks.

February

Release of Tangled Up In Blue/If You See Her Say Hello single

23 March

SNACK benefit concert in Golden Gate park - Kezar Stadium in San Francisco together with members from The Band and Neil Young. The whole show is broadcast by a local radio station, but Dylan's microphone is somehow turned away, making his vocals practically inaudible.

26 April

Mary Travis and Friends radio show on KNX-FM.

May-June

Dylan visits France.

Mid-June

Dylan visits Rubin Carter in jail for the first time.

26 June

Release of The Basement Tapes

26 June

Dylan attends a concert with Patti Smith at The Other End in New York City, New York and turns up backstage after the show.  For photos and more information please go to Bob Dylan his 1975 adventures: Thursday June 26, 1975 at The Other End -Patti Smith and Bob Dylan & Patti Smith-most from the June 26, 1975 Other End show.

July

Release of Million Dollar Bash/Tears Of Rage single.

3 July

Dylan joins Ramblin’ Jack Elliott on stage at the Other End in Greenwich Village.

Summer

Dylan plays harmonica on the song Who Love (If Not You Love) on David Blue's album 'Comin' Back For More' (Asylum).

Summer

Dylan meets Jacques Levy and starts co-writing the Desire songs.

14 July

1st Desire recording session in New York City

28 July

2nd Desire recording session in New York City

29 July

3rd Desire recording session in New York City

30 July

4th Desire recording session in New York City

31 July

5th Desire recording session in New York City

10 September

Dylan appears in The World Of John Hammond TV-program.

October

Recording of Buckets Of Rain with Bette Midler.

24 October

6th Desire recording session in New York City is spent re-recording Hurricane with slightly changed but accurate lyrics. The first recorded versions had mistakenly placed Arthur Dexter Bradley in the bar.

October

Rolling Thunder Revue rehearsals in New York City.

30 October

The first Rolling Thunder Revue starts with a show in the War Memorial Auditorium in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The show contains five new songs from the unreleased Desire album: Romance In Durango, Isis, Oh, Sister, Hurricane, One More Cup Of Coffee (Valley Below), and Sara. The songs I Shall Be Released and Never Let Me Go get their first live treatment.

November

Release of Hurricane single.

4 November

At the afternoon show in Providence, Rhode Island, Dylan sings With God On Our Side for the first and last time during Rolling Thunder Revue. Lyrics include extra lines about having learned to hate Korea, Vietnam, Poland, South America and Cuba.

 

The evening show features the only version of It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) during Rolling Thunder Revue.

6 November

Arlo Guthrie is guest at the evening show in Springfield, Massachusetts, and plays two songs with Roger McGuinn.

8 November

Simple Twist Of Fate is played for the first time in concert at the show in Burlington, Vermont.

10 November

People Weekly publishes interview by Jim Jerome.

13 November

During the afternoon show in New Haven, Connecticut, Dark As A Dungeon and Tangled Up In Blue are played for the first time.

 

Joni Mitchell joins The Rolling Thunder Revue at the evening show and stays on until the last show in December.

22 November

In Waltham, Massachusetts Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You is played live for the first time. This version has rewritten lyrics.

1 December

Dylan’s mother Beatty attends the show in Toronto, Canada, and comes up on stage.

8 December

Night Of The Hurricane 1, a special Hurricane Carter Benefit show takes place in Madison Square Garden in New York City. It is also the last show in 1975.

 

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4           Desire

4.1       The recording sessions

Desire was recorded in six recording sessions during July and October. Here's a summary of these sessions:

 

 

# of

take released on

 

Date

Song

takes

Desire

BS[1]

Single

BIOG[2]

14 July

Rita May

7

 

 

 

 

 

Joey

10

 

 

 

 

28 July

Catfish

3

 

 

 

 

 

Hurricane

3

 

 

 

 

 

Money Blues

1

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, Sister

1

 

 

 

 

 

One More Cup Of Coffee (Valley Below)

1

 

 

 

 

 

Romance In Durango

6

2

 

 

 

29 July

Black Diamond Bay

12

 

 

 

 

 

Catfish

2

 

1 or 2

 

 

 

Money Blues

1

 

 

 

 

 

Mozambique

7

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, Sister

8

 

 

 

 

 

Black Diamond Bay

5

4

 

 

 

 

Golden Loom

4

 

2

 

 

 

Hurricane

1

 

 

 

 

 

Isis

2

 

 

 

 

 

Joey

2

 

 

 

 

 

Mozambique

4

4

 

 

 

 

Oh, Sister

5

2

 

 

 

 

One More Cup Of Coffee (Valley Below)

3

1

 

 

 

 

Rita May

4

 

 

4

 

31 July

Golden Loom

1

 

 

 

 

 

Abandoned Love

2

 

 

 

1

 

Town (Reference)

2

 

 

 

 

 

Sara

6

6

 

 

 

 

Isis

2

2

 

 

 

11 August [3]

Joey

1

1

 

 

 

24 October

Hurricane

10

2/6

 

 

 

For more details about some of these sessions please refer to the corresponding session pages.

 

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4.2       Live history

Song

Debut

Abandoned Love

Other End, New York City 3 July 1975, the only live performance

Hurricane

In the TV-program The World Of John Hammond, Chicago 10 September 1975. First concert performance was in Plymouth 30 October 1975. Last performance was in Houston 25 January 1976.

Isis

Plymouth 30 October 1975. Last performance was most probably in Salt Lake City 25 May 1976.

Joey

Foxboro 4 July 1987 with The Grateful Dead.

Mozambique

Lakeland 18 April 1976. Last performance was most probably in Salt Lake City 25 May 1976.

Oh, Sister

In the TV-program The World Of John Hammond, Chicago 10 September 1975. First concert performance was in Plymouth 30 October 1975. Last performance was in Tempe 18 November 1978.

One More Cup Of Coffee (Valley Below)

Plymouth 30 October 1975.

Rita May

New Orleans 3 May 1976, being the only known live performance.

Romance In Durango

Plymouth 30 October 1975. Last performance was in San Antonio 11 May 1976.

Sara

Plymouth 30 October 1975. Last performance was in Houston 25 January 1976.

Black Diamond Bay might have been played at the last Rolling Thunder Revue concert in Salt Lake City, Utah, 25 May 1975.

Catfish, Golden Loom, Money Blues and Town (Reference) have probably never been played live.


4.3       Officially released live versions

4 Songs From Renaldo And Clara

Isis

Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 4 December 1975.

At Budokan

Oh, Sister

Tokyo, Japan, 1 March 1978

 

One More Cup Of Coffee (Valley Below)

Tokyo, Japan, 1 March 1978

Biograph

Isis

Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 4 December 1975.

 

Romance In Durango

Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 4 December 1975.

Bootleg Series Vol. 5.

Hurricane

Worcester, Massachusetts 19 November 1975.

 

Isis

Boston, Massachusetts, second show 21 Nov. 1975.

 

Oh, Sister

Boston, Massachusetts, second show 21 Nov. 1975.

 

One More Cup Of Coffee (Valley Below)

Boston, Massachusetts, second show 21 Nov. 1975.

 

Romance In Durango

Cambridge, Massachusetts, 20 November 1975.

 

Sara

Boston, Massachusetts, second show 21

Dylan And The Dead

Joey

Foxboro, Massachusetts, 4 July 1987

Hard Rain

Oh, Sister

Fort Worth, Texas, 16 May 1976

Hard Rain TV Special

Mozambique

Fort Collins, Colorado, 23 May 1976

Renaldo And Clara

One More Cup Of Coffee (Valley Below)

Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 4 December 1975.

 

Sara

Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 4 December 1975.

 

Romance In Durango

Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 4 December 1975.

 

Isis

Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 4 December 1975.

Single 1984

Isis

Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 4 December 1975.

 

4.4       Performances during The Never-Ending Tour

Joey

1988, 1990-1992, 1994-2000

One More Cup Of Coffee (Valley Below)

1988, 1990, 1991, 1993

 

 

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[1]  Bootleg Series

[2]  Biograph

[3]  overdub session