In Concert: Brandeis University 1963

A young & not-yet-famous Bob Dylan’s live recording from the 1963 Brandeis Univ
Folk Festival. This recording was discovered in the archives of Ralph Gleason, music
critic & co-founder of Rolling Stones. The album gives you a peek into what Dylan
sounded like in a live show before he made it “big time.” It also gives you a sense &
flavor of topics & conversation among the young folks of America. War, arms race &
communism were topics that dominated their non-Twitter& Facebook timeline in the early 1960s.
1963 ended up being a turbulent year that saw the assassination of President JFK.
Don’t expect to hear Dylan’s classic numbers here. Dylan had released his first album
& technically this live recording could be considered his second.

If you are a Dylan fan most songs will work for you. If not, try 1 or 4. And 7 is a
well-known track & this is where Dylan’s wry humor comes through vividly.

1. Folksy, love ballad. 2.Well-known song that was part of Dylan’s 3rd album. Acerbic
dig at John Birch & ant-communis. “Looking for reds alone...figured they were in my
TV set.” 3. Sad true story about a South Dakota farmer, who kills his family.4.Masters
of War is a ballad abt about the military-industry complex & here is a sample of the lyrics, “Even Jesus would never forgive what you do...” This tracks speaks volumes about the
current state of affairs in the 1960s at the height of the “Cold War.” 5. Now, this is
the Dylan that we all recognize. There is that familiar sing-a-song style of delivery.
Another song about war delivered in Dylan style. Listen to the words. 6. Another social
commentary. 7.Funny, biting & this track shows you “the times they are a changing” for
Dylan. This track gives you a sense of the Dylan that many got to hear and know around
the world.

Kamla Sept 25, 2011