Mr Tambourine Man – A History in Performance, Part 6: 1994 – 99: My weariness amazes me

Mr Tambourine Man – A History in Performance, Part 6: 1994 – 99: My weariness amazes me

By Mike Johnson

• Part 1: A masterpiece is born
• Part 2: 1966 – Darker hues.
• Part 3: Chasing Shadows
• Part 4: 1978-1986. Far From the Twisted Reach
• Part 5: 1986-1993: Evening’s Empire

[I read somewhere once that if you wanted the very best, the acme of Dylan’s pre-electric work, you couldn’t do better than listen to side B of Bringing It All Back Home, 1964. Four songs, ‘Mr Tambourine Man,’ ‘Gates of Eden,’ ‘It’s All Right Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)’ and ‘It’s All Over Now Baby Blue’ represent the pinnacle of Dylan’s acoustic achievement. In this series I aim to chart how each of these foundation songs fared in performance over the years, the changing face of each song and its ultimate fate (at least to date). This is the sixth article about the first track, ‘Mr Tambourine Man.’]

I  am really just a tambourine

Good
Poetry
Makes the universe admit a
Secret:
‘I am
Really just a tambourine
Grab hold
Play me
Against your warm
Thigh

(Hafez, 1315 – 1390)

Those of you who have followed the story of this sublime song so far, as it unfolded in performance, might be forgiven for concluding that the ‘magic swirling ship’ that is the song itself had lost its magic for Dylan. Apart from two very different but very imaginative reworkings of the song in 1978, Dylan stayed with a solo acoustic approach to the song, which kept it rooted in the 1960’s, but by the early nineties he was racing through it as if he just wanted to get to the other side, mostly singing three but sometimes only two verses, the delicate, subtle nuances of the song lost in the blur and vocal fry. The song’s world weariness doesn’t come across when performed at full tilt, nor does its yearning for transcendence.

In 1994/95 all that changed and the song emerged restored to its full epic glory, all the verses restored, the magic restored, Dylan lavishing on the song the kind of loving attention we haven’t heard since 1966. In the stellar year of 1995, like the moon coming out from behind a cloud and sailing free, Dylan’s voice emerged from the creaky voice, glottal scrape of the early 90’s to give us soft, pellucid and intimate renditions that break new ground for Dylan as a performer.

But I get ahead of myself. 1994 was the entrée, 1995 was the mains, so it’s with 1994 we begin. The song is now thirty years old and ripe for reclamation. Early in 1994, the performances continued the brisk tempo and extended acoustic guitar breaks of 1993. Add a sensitive harp break and slow ending. This Kokura performance is similar to those of 1993, and only three verses are sung. As I see it, what is new here is, while keeping the feel acoustic, the full band is there and the influence of the steel guitar/dobro makes itself felt. And Dylan’s voice has improved. He’s stretching it, and builds to a fair climax at the end. (Kokura, 14^th Feb) He does, however, seem to me to fake a line or two that he’s forgotten.

1994 Kokura

Later in the year (Boston, Oct 7^th) however, we find the song further evolved. He has slowed it down, making it sound more wistful and heartfelt. This is the approach he will build on in 1995. No harp break, however.

1994 Boston

This next version from Nashville (Nov 7^th) is a more confident rendition of the Boston arrangement, a better sound quality, and the video is worth watching. There’s a bonus with this one, a performance of ‘It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue.’ This is essentially the same sound that we hear on the 1994 MTV Unplugged concert.

1994 Nashville

1995 saw an upswing in all of Dylan’s performances, and ‘Mr T Man’ was caught in that upswing. Dylan’s 1995 performances built on the previous year’s arrangement to deliver a series of brilliant, slow, dreamy renditions, intimate and tender. Dylan rediscovers the song. We could argue back and forth as to whether or not the 1995 performances are ‘better’ than those of 1966, but whichever way we look at it these performances give us a new feel for the song.

In my NET series I concentrated on the remarkable Prague concerts, with a nod to a couple of later performances of ‘Mr T Man.’ I still think the Prague concerts have a special magic to them, with a kind of keening spookiness, but here I want to pick up on two performances I missed in that NET series. Lovers of the song might well like to check out the Manchester performance, there’s a fine sound upgrade on YouTube…

…. but I prefer this Birmingham version (April 2^nd). The recording is a bit clearer and Dylan’s performance is electrifying. What a pleasure it is to hear all the verses restored, some fine acoustic guitar work and Dylan’s haunting harmonica. The harp does not have the swooping, vertiginous sense of the 1966 recordings but is arguably more subtle and sensitive to the ambience of the song. And, again arguably, the slower pace of the song delivers its nuances more tellingly than the faster versions.

1995 Birmingham

Of course, this no longer sounds like a solo, or a two acoustic guitar performance. The whole band is here, but the song hasn’t lost its acoustic feel, and Bucky Baxter’s slide guitar is heard to full advantage, creating that dreamy, orchestral effect. Just how the addition of that instrument has changed Dylan’s sound becomes evident.

Aside from Prague, one of the best concerts of the years was Brixton, March 26th. Same arrangement as Birmingham, with both guitar and harp breaks, the epic scope of the song fully restored.

1995 Brixton

The soft luminosity of Dylan’s voice in 1995 was not carried over into 1996. A new grittiness entered Dylan’s voice, and 1996 saw some hard-edged rock performances, particularly Berlin

This was not the same scratchiness that bedevilled Dylan in the early 90’s, rather a deliberate roughness. In the late 90’s Dylan was able to sing softly, as we will see when we come to ‘Gates of Eden,’ but often chose a more jaggy, rugged voice, especially for the faster songs.

For this year I have chosen the Konstanz concert (July 3^rd), a nearly ten minute epic with once more all the verses performed. He’s kept the slow pace with the guitar and harp breaks, but in this case he builds the vocal for the climactic last verse. This building the vocal to a climax is one way Dylan evolved in the late 90’s to deal with the length of his songs and the repetitive pattern of the verses. We get the same effect with ‘Desolation Row’ in those years.

It’s not as spooky as the 1995 versions but the passion is undiminished.

1997 was of course the year of Time Out Of Mind and much of the interest in that year centres on the introduction of live performances of some of those songs, like ‘Can’t Wait’ and ‘Cold Irons Bound’ but these new songs were introduced gradually, and Dylan didn’t overwhelm his concerts with them. He certainly didn’t forget ‘Mr T Man,’ which was performed some thirty-six times in that year.

In that year, however, Dylan was becoming enamoured with his own lead guitar playing, and dropped the harmonica in favour of an extended guitar break before the last verse and at the end of the song. We find a spirited and impassioned performance even though the third verse has once more been dropped, one suspects to allow more space for Dylan’s acoustic guitar picking. I prefer the 1995 performances, but admirers of Dylan’s late 90’s guitar work may well feel differently. And how Dylan’s voice has roughened since 1995, again possibly deliberately. The song has become more bristly, even aggressive compared to the mid-90’s performances. (Vienna Aug 23^rd)

Vienna 1997  

In 1998 Dylan follows the same pattern as in 1997, with the third verse missing and extended guitar breaks but there is a lovely gentleness in the tempo and Dylan uses the choruses to lift his voice into the passion of the song. This one’s from Sheffield, June 23^rd.

1998 Sheffield

It’s worth comparing the Sheffield performance with New York earlier in the year, Jan 21^st. I prefer Sheffield as the sound is softer and more reflective than New York, but the latter performance is better recorded, at least sharper, and the audience more responsive. The tearing edge in Dylan’s voice is more obvious here, as if he’s ripping it out of his throat.

1998 New York

We can’t pass through 1999 without taking in this video of Madison Square Gardens (New York) concert of that year. To my mind Dylan has done better vocal performances of the song, mainly sung here in a lower register, but his stage presence is irresistible, with one leg waving free while bending into a stunning harmonica break to finish the song. I recognise some of the harp riffs, which he uses to eerie effect in ‘Gates of Eden’ in the same year (we’ll come to that). You get the feeling that the song still has a strong hold on him, in this case taking his body for a ride.

1999 Madison Square Gardens

I wish I could leave it there for 1999, but in that year Dylan had leapt aboard a rising curve, the first of three peak years, taking him through to the end of 2001.

If we had a peak in 1966, and again in 1994/5, we get another peak at the end of the century. ‘Mr T Man’ was not the only song to benefit, but Madison Square Gardens was, for all its visual theatrics, perhaps not the most interesting vocal performance. For that, maybe, we should visit the Colorado Springs concert where Dylan, who doesn’t get into such theatrics, discovers a new melodic line for the vocals, dropping from a higher register to a lower one as the verse or chorus unfolds. For me this conveys a different sense of what it means to surrender, to start off high and then ‘go under it.’ We’re also treated to a subdued, quivering harp break at the end, which rivals that of Madison Square Gardens.

1999 Colorado Springs

What I did notice, however, was shortening of the last verse, skipping right over ‘the haunted frightened trees.’ Hard to know if that was a lapse or intentional, but it won’t be the last time we’ll notice it.

You’ll notice it in this otherwise perfect rendition at Layfette, ‘into my own parade’ gets lost in the dancing spells. Again, we don’t know if it’s intentional, however he seems to lose track of some of the song’s other lines, giving credence to the thought that these ellipses are mistakes.

1999 Layfette

So we look forward to 2000 and a radical makeover for the song. Until that time, take Hafez’s advice and become a cosmic tambourine!

Kia Ora