1               Introduction

1980 started with the continuation of the extensive Gospel Tour. The songs written for the tour was recorded in February and released after the end of the tour on the Saved album. After having refused to play anything else but his new gospel songs Dylan played a string of 19 dates on the US West Coast in November-December. This time he played assorted old songs and also a couple of never before performed covers. This mini-tour was aptly called 'A Musical Retrospective Tour'.

 

2               1980 At A Glance

 

 

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3               The 1980 Calendar

13-14 January

The second leg of the Gospel tour starts with two shows in Seattle, Washington.

January

Release of the Slow Train/Do Right To Me Baby single.

9 February

The second leg of the Gospel tour ends with two shows in Charleston, West Virginia

11-15 February

Saved is recorded in just five days in the Muscle Shoals Studios in Sheffield, Alabama.

22 February

Dylan receives the Grammy for Best Vocal Performance 1979 at the 22nd Grammy Award at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. In his acceptance speech he thanks "The Lord, Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett who believed".

March

Dylan contributes harmonica on the recording of Keith Green's song Pledge My Head To Heaven, later released on the album So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt ... on Pretty Good Records.

17-20 April

Third and last leg of the Gospel Tour starts with four shows in the Massey Hall in Toronto.

15 May

Dylan is interviewed by Pat Crosby. The interview is broadcast by KDKA T

21 May

The 79th and last of the Gospel Tour shows is played at the Memorial Hall in Dayton, Ohio. A second show was planned but had to be cancelled due to poor ticket sales.

 

Karen Hughes again interviews Dylan.

20 June

Saved is released.

June

Release of the Solid Rock/Covenant Woman single.

August

Release of the Saved/Are You Ready? single.

October

Rehearsals for the upcoming tour takes place at the Rundown Studios in Santa Monica.

9-22 November

Dylan hits the road for the third time this year and returns to Warfield Theater in San Francisco for twelve new shows.

12 November

Dylan tells the Leadbelly parable about how Leadbelly started to write children’s songs, but he hadn’t changed, he was “the same man”. Dylan then proceeds to perform the only known version of Caribbean Wind, a request from Paul Williams, who had met Bob Dylan backstage at one of the first Warfield shows.

13 November

A number of guests appear at the Warfield shows. First out is Carlos Santana who plays guitar on four songs in the second set, among them the live debut of The Groom's Still Waiting At The Altar.

15 November

Mike Bloomfield is tonight’s guest. He plays guitar on Like A Rolling Stone and The Groom's Still Waiting At The Altar. It turns out to be his last public performance.

16 November

Jerry Garcia turns up and plays guitar on four songs in the first set.

18 November

Paul Vincent interviews Dylan backstage. The interview is broadcast the next day by KMEL-FM radio.

19 November

Maria Muldaur is tonight’s guest. She sings Nobody’s Fault But Mine accompanied by Dylan and the band.

21 November

Ernesto Bladden interviews Dylan via telephone. The interview is broadcast by KPRI-FM radio on 25 November.

22 November

Roger McGuinn is the last Warfield guest. He sings and plays guitar on Mr. Tambourine Man and Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.

4 December

Last show of the fall tour in Portland, Oregon.

 

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4               Saved

Saved was recorded in five sessions in a week’s time in February. It was recorded with the second Gospel band and all songs except A Satisfied Mind and probably the unidentified song had been performed during the two first legs of the Gospel Tour. Like Slow Train Coming these sessions were recorded in Muscle Shoals Studio in Sheffield, Alabama and produced by Jerry Wexler & Barry Beckett. Here's a summary of these sessions:

 

 

# of

 

take released on

Date

Song

takes

Saved

BIOG[1]

single

 

11 February

Covenant Woman

11

 

 

 

 

12 February

Solid Rock

7

7

7

7

 

 

What Can I Do For You?

2

2

 

 

 

 

Saved

3

3

 

3

 

 

A Satisfied Mind

1

1

 

 

 

13 February

Saving Grace

4

3 or 4

 

 

 

 

Pressing On

9

9

 

 

 

 

Unidentified Song

2

 

 

 

 

14 February

In The Garden

4

4

 

 

 

 

Are You Ready?

9

9

 

 

 

15 February

Covenant Woman

1

1

 

1

 

 

Live history

Song

Debut

Covenant Woman

San Francisco, California, 1 November 1979

Solid Rock

San Francisco, California, 1 November 1979

What Can I Do For You?

San Francisco, California, 1 November 1979

Saved

San Francisco, California, 1 November 1979

A Satisfied Mind

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 9 November 1999, only known performance.

Saving Grace

San Francisco, California, 1 November 1979

Pressing On

San Francisco, California, 1 November 1979

In The Garden

San Francisco, California, 1 November 1979

Are You Ready?

Charleston, West Virginia, 8 February 1980

 

Officially released live version

Video: Hard To Handle

In The Garden

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 24 February 1986


 

Performances during The Never-Ending Tour

Solid Rock

2002

A Satisfied Mind

1999

Saving Grace

2003

In The Garden

1988-1991, 1994-1996, 2001, 2002

 

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5               The Gospel Tours 1980

5.1         Introduction

The Gospel Tour consisted of three parts:

1.      The first leg in November-December 1979

2.      The second leg in January-February 1980

3.      The third leg in April-May 1980

 

5.2         The show

A gospel concert consisted of:

Set 1

6 songs by the backing singers plus Terry Young on piano

 

8 or 9 songs by Bob Dylan and the band

 

1 song by one of the backing singers and the band

Set 2

7 songs by Bob Dylan and the band

Encore

2 songs by Bob Dylan and the band

 

5.3         The musicians

Fred Tackett                         guitar

Spooner Oldham                   keyboards

Terry Young                         keyboards

Tim Drummond                    bass

Jim Keltner                           drums

Regina Havis                        vocal

Mona Lisa Young                 vocal

Carolyn Dennis                     vocal – second leg only

Regina Peeples                     vocal – second leg only

Clydie King                          vocal – third leg only

Gwen Evans                         vocal – third leg only

Mary Elizabeth Bridgett         vocal – third leg only

 

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5.4         Second Gospel Tour – January-February 1980

5.4.1    The dates

January

11

Portland, Oregon

Paramount Theatre

12

Portland, Oregon

Paramount Theatre

13

Seattle, Washington

Paramount Northwest Theatre

SA

14

Seattle, Washington

Paramount Northwest Theatre

SA

15

Seattle, Washington

Paramount Northwest Theatre

16

Portland, Oregon

Paramount Theatre

SA

17

Spokane, Washington

Opera House

18

Spokane, Washington

Opera House

SA

21

Denver, Colorado

Rainbow Music Hall

MA

22

Denver, Colorado

Rainbow Music Hall

PA,I

23

Denver, Colorado

Rainbow Music Hall

MA

25

Omaha, Nebraska

Orpheum Theater

MA

26

Omaha, Nebraska

Orpheum Theater

MA

27

Kansas City, Missouri

Uptown Theater

MA

28

Kansas City, Missouri

Uptown Theater

MA

29

Kansas City, Missouri

Uptown Theater

MA

31

Memphis, Tennessee

Orpheum Theater

MA

February

  1

Memphis, Tennessee

Orpheum Theater

MA

  2

Birmingham, Alabama

Jefferson Civic Center

MA

  3

Birmingham, Alabama

Jefferson Civic Center

MA

  5

Knoxville, Tennessee

Civic Auditorium

SA

  6

Knoxville, Tennessee

Civic Auditorium

SA

  8

Charleston, West Virginia

Municipal Auditorium

SA

  9

Charleston, West Virginia

Municipal Auditorium

SA

 

 

MA

mono audience recording

SA

stereo audience recording

no recording available

I

incomplete recording

 

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5.4.2    The Songs

 

Set

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

February

 

 

 

list

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

21

22

23

25

26

27

28

29

31

1

2

3

5

6

8

9

A

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

B

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

C

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

D

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

E

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In order played

Set list

A

B

C

D

E

S

Gotta Serve Somebody

1

1

1

1

1

19

I Believe In You

2

2

2

2

2

19

When You Gonna Wake Up

3

3

3

3

3

19

When He Returns

4

4

4

4

4

19

Man Gave Names To All The Animals

5

5

5

5

5

19

Precious Angel

6

6

6

6

6

19

Slow Train

7

7

7

7

7

19

Covenant Woman

8

8

8

8

8

19

Gonna Change My Way Of Thinking

9

9

9

9

9

19

Do Right To Me Baby (Do Unto Others)

10

10

10

10

10

19

Solid Rock

11

11

11

11

11

19

Saving Grace

12

12

12

12

12

19

What Can I Do For You?

13

14

14

14

14

19

Saved

14

13

13

13

13

19

In The Garden

15

15

15

15

15

19

Blessed Be The Name

16

16

16

17

 

18

Pressing On

17

17

 

 

17

16

Are You Ready?