A new, massive box set released Friday documents Bob Dylan’s whirlwind year of 1965 and 1966. While this compilation offers many examples of how masterpieces emerged in the recording studio, it also brings fans perhaps the greatest incomplete song in Dylan’s canon. Continue reading
When Dave Letterman is remembered in the history of television, it will likely be for his unique comedic persona and his pivotal role in upsetting the rather rote late-night talk-show format. Few, however, would recognize Letterman as a patron of pop music. Continue reading
Here’s a review of the most important songs every music fan should hear from Bob Dylan and the Band’s new “Basement Tapes” box set. Continue reading
Nearly 50 years after a batch of rogue home recordings transformed the pop-music world, Bob Dylan has finally released a box set of the legendary “Basement Tapes,” including nearly all of the songs set on tape with the Band in Woodstock, N.Y. area. After all this time, the only real surprise here might be taking in how important these recordings wound up being. Continue reading
The latest installment of Bob Dylan’s archival release, “The Bootleg Series Vol. 10: Another Self Portrait (1969-71),” seeks to reverse opinions on one of the most reviled periods in Dylan’s creative life. Unfortunately, Dylan’s assistants obscure the true treasures of this period. Continue reading
At a tour stop in Chicago on Friday night, a troupe of all-star performers including Bob Dylan, Wilco and My Morning Jacket captured much of that old folkie spirit of hootenanny collaboration and musical joie de vivre to an arena of fans. And rarely has such a six-hour musical lecture left such an impression. Continue reading
Bob Dylan underscored his trouble-making philosophy countless times during two back-to-back sets at Overture Hall in downtown Madison on Monday night. Throughout both concerts, he demonstrated many times how his unpredictability can reveal the breadth of his genius. Occasionally, however, it also showed his mischievousness. Continue reading
Looking to cash in your iTunes gift card from the holidays? Soundbytes’ David Hyland has recommendations where to spend it. Continue reading
Mercurial is certainly a label that even curmudgeon Bob Dylan would seem hard-pressed not to embrace. For his new album, “Together Through Life,” the rock legend surprises his audience yet again by re-embracing the sound of the roadhouse blues that first captivated his imagination back in the 1960s. Continue reading
Bob Dylan and his heavyweight opening act, the Foo Fighters, were surprising Halloween treats during their one-two punch performance at Madison’s Kohl Center on Tuesday night. Continue reading
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