Bob Dylan — The Bootleg Series Vol. 5: The Rolling Thunder Revue

The Bootleg Series Vol. 5: The Rolling Thunder Revue

Columbia/Sony

Joanne Huffa (CHARTattack)

12/10/2002 2:03pm

Fifth in the Bootleg Series meant to bring live Dylan recordings to the masses, The Rolling Thunder (Dylan Live In 1975) proves, if there was ever a doubt in anyone’s mind, that one of Dylan’s greatest talents is his ability to reinvent his own work.

Disc one kicks off with Nashville Skyline’s "Tonight, I’ll Be Staying Here With You" before segueing into a ska version of "It Ain’t Me Babe." By the time the violin cuts through "Hurricane" in the middle of disc two, you can’t help but feel that you’re hearing Dylan’s work through his ears (at least his ears as they were in 1975).

This is definitely not a record for album purists — no song remains true to its original form — but it is ideal for anyone who cares about the transformation of song. Backing Dylan on this tour was Joan Baez, Bobby Neuworth, T-Bone Burnett, Mick Ronson and a bunch of other huge talents. To make this package complete, there’s a terrific booklet written by Dylan biographer Larry "Ratso" Sloman and an added (though brief) DVD of live versions of "Tangled Up In Blue" and "Isis."