Bob Dylan - 1975-1981 Rolling Thunder and The Gospel Years
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Movie Reviews of Bob Dylan - 1975-1981 Rolling Thunder and The Gospel Years
Movie Review: An essential DVD for Bob Dylan fans to own
Summary: 5 Stars
I popped the "Rolling Thunder & Gospel Years" into my DVD player thinking I would watch part of it and the rest later. But I must say that I saw the whole movie (which is 4 hours in length) in one sitting.
I enjoyed it on many fronts: As a musician I found the interviews with Scarlet Rivera, Rob Stoner and Ramblin Jack Elliot and their recolections of the studio sessions and Rolling Thunder Revue very compelling to me. As a fan of Bob Dylan, it gave me more insight into the way he handled his recording sessions, touring schedule, as well as his compassion for the underdog.As far as being a film buff is concerned, It was quite evident that this documentary was a labor of love for Joel Gilbert. It was put together very creatively and flowed.I thought the interview with Ruben Carter was very well put together.
This is a DVD is a keeper in my collection, and very well worth the time to watch it.
Movie Review: An in depth look at Dylan's late 70's period
Summary: 5 Stars
As an admirer of this period of Dylan's music I have to say I really loved the detailed, terrific interviews with Hurricane Carter, Ramblin' Jack, Scarlet Rivera and Rob Stoner. I think that all of Bob's music can make for intersting analysis but the one in particular that never ceases to fascinate me is the 79-81 music. So many opinions and views from all kinds of people - it was amazing to hear straight from Bill Dwyer, Jerry Wexler, Al Kasha and especially Regina McCrary regarding what I feel is a very underrated period of Dylan's career. Movie Review: Dylan's Rolling Thunder and "Jesus Years"; The questions are finally answered
Summary: 3 Stars
DVD Review: Bob Dylan: Rolling Thunder and The Gospel Years 1975-1981
So let's talk about Mr. Bob Dylan for a minute.
I have always found Dylan's so called "Jesus Years"...the period from 1979 to 1981 when he did his so-called "Born Again" album trilogy...to be one of the most fascinating of his career. And I could never figure out just exactly why it upset so many people at the time.
Well at least apart from the obvious anyway.
Dylan was (and of course still is) Jewish. His audience was largely made up of hippies and other counter culture types who had come up with Dylan through the sixties as pretty much the poster boy for everything "anti-establishment" during those turbulent years. These we're folks who weren't necessarily ready for a new "700 Club" model Bob Dylan...particularly at a time coinciding with the dawn of the Reagan era.
Fine. I can accept that.
But what always bothered me about that was that Dylan at the time was simply doing what Dylan as an artist had always done. He was speaking what he saw to be the truth at the time, and doing so in a particularly forceful fashion.
Once you get past the actual subject matter, how different...at least in terms of the delivery...is something like say, "When You Gonna Wake Up?" from Slow Train Coming, from something like "Idiot Wind" from Blood On The Tracks or "Ballad of a Thin Man" from Highway 61 Revisited?
How different was "The Gospel Show" Dylan toured in 1979, from the way he horrified the folkie purists at Newport in 1965 by strapping on an electric guitar?
The answer is it wasn't any different at all.
Dylan was simply doing what he always has done. Dylan was simply following his heart through his art. He was being consistent. And, bottom line, he was being Dylan...which meant, once again, pretty much putting his career on the line at the time. Despite the suspicions and generally prevailing anti-Christian biases (and lets call a spade a spade here) of the day, Dylan chose to put his personal and artistic integrity first...at considerable risk.
That, at least to me, is one of the things that makes Bob Dylan such a special artist. It is what makes Dylan...well, Dylan. And personally, I find those so-called "Jesus Years" to be one of the most fascinating periods of his career.
And there is now finally a DVD out which chronicles this most fascinating period...along with the equally interesting "Rolling Thunder" period which immediately preceded it.
So lets get the flaws out of the way first. Bob Dylan: Rolling Thunder and the Gospel Years, clocking in at some four hours in length...is just way too long to hold the interest of anyone but the most ardent, hardcore "Dylanologist".
Being an unauthorized documentary which includes absolutely no Dylan music doesn't help matters either.
It does however offer fascinating new insights into this most fascinating phase of Dylan's career.
The filmaker is a guy named Joel Gilbert who, in his day job, fronts a Dylan tribute band called Highway 61 Revisited. The guy is an obvious fan...which makes for some borderline humorous moments as he goes from Dylan's hometown in Hibbing, Minnesota to Muscle Shoals to New York and California dressed and couiffed as pretty much a late seventies Dylan clone to get his interviews with the people who were actually there.
But the interviews themselves are quite revealing. Rubin "Hurricane" Carter talks about his prison visits with Dylan and the legendary song Dylan recorded on the Desire album which eventually helped him earn his freedom from a bogus murder conviction.
Pastor Bill Dwyer from the Vineyard Christian Church in California speaks candidly for the first time about Dylan's Christian conversion. Legendary record producer Jerry Wexler talks about the recording sessions for both the Slow Train Coming and Saved albums.
And San Francisco critic Joel Selvin talks openly about the "God Awful Gospel" review he gave Dylan's shows at The Warfield Theatre on the infamous "Gospel Tour" ("I gave him "short shrift", he now admits in retrospect).
For the hardcore Dylan fan, much is revealed here. Rambling Jack Elliott talks about the "carnival atmosphere" of the Rolling Thunder Tour...and later reveals his hurt at not being asked out again for the tours second leg. Violinist Scarlett Rivera talks about her chance meeting with Dylan on a New York Street and how it led to her being invited to be on the sessions for Desire, and eventually to be part of his touring band for "Rolling Thunder".
And then there's the clips from that "Born Again" tour. When a fan yells "rock and roll", Dylan replies "if you want rock and roll you can go see Kiss...and let them carry you down into the pit".
Priceless.
In retrospect, Dylan's so called Gospel period produced one classic album, Slow Train Coming. It's followup, Saved...which was basioally a recording of the fire and brimstone material he had been doing on the "Slow Train" tour...is, sadly, a largely forgotten album that still has at least one side of great songs. Shot of Love, the final album of the "Gospel Trilogy" is remembered mainly for one great song...the lovely "Every Grain Of Sand".
This DVD is not for everybody. But for the hardcore Dylan fan looking to gain new insights into one of the strangest periods of his career, it answers a ton of questions.
Movie Review: Enlightening Look at Underrated Dylan Era
Summary: 4 Stars
I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this documentary on Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Review and the Gospel Years. ?The first Bob Dylan album that I bought as a senior in high school was Slow Train Coming and I was always fascinated by what brought about his conversion and the music that he produced during that time. ?I've always considered those albums to be the most underrated in his entire career. ?I loved how this documentary tied together the two things that I always thought made those albums memorable-the fervency of his religious thought and the unbelievably good musicianship and production of those albums.
As noted in other reviews, there is no actual Dylan music in this film and very little footage of him actually talking. You do see him in performance (sans sound) in a number of interesting clips that give you a hint of what those concerts must have been like. As an interviewer, Joel Gilbert does an excellent job of getting his interviewees to open up and give as many details as they can about their expereinces with Dylan during this time. It is probably for Dylan fanatics only, but Dylan fanatics will find a lot to interest them.
Movie Review: Worth the money, but...............
Summary: 3 Stars
It could have been better. As other reviewers have commented, this is for hard-core Dylan fans. It provides a lot of insight into these two times in his life, and the contrast between the Rolling Thunder years and the Gospel years is truly amazing. The interviews are outstanding. And at 4 hours, you definitely feel like you've gotten your money's worth.
On the negative side, the interviewer(Dylan wannabe)really detracted from the interviews. Not only does he not look like Bob, he is reading questions off of a notepad. AND THEY SHOW IT ON FILM! Some of the questions are lame, but for the most part they do illicit honest feedback from the performers and hangers-on.
Of course, this would have been greatly enhanced with the addition of some footage and songs from both the Revue and Slow Train Coming. On the other hand, it might not have been as revealing if Bob had editorial approval.
Finally, it does reinforce Dylan's stature as the most important musical influence of the 20th century. Although this represents only 2 of his many re-inventions, it becomes clear that Bob was never comfortable with repeating things. And we are all better for it!
P.S. By sheer coincidence, I ended up watching the Gospel segment the Saturday evening before Easter. I thought I was going to be born again before it was over. I believe that his conversion was truly heartfelt.