Album Review: Bob Dylan 1970: With Special Guest George Harrison (Columbia)

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Flog off your copies of Self Portrait and New Morning, this 3-disc (CD) set will render those two Dylan releases irrelevant.

1969’s Nashville Skyline showcased a “new” Dylan, generating rave reviews as well as timeless Dylan standards such as Lay Lady Lay, Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You and I Threw it All Away while basically inventing alt.country music (along with The Byrds).

Bob DylanWith that under his belt, Bob was feeling warm and fuzzy, happy to play happy families with the wife and kids, as If Not For You would indicate.

Sure, in five years’ time Bob would be begging Sarah not to go, but for now the sun was out and the skies were clear.

Of course Dylan, being Dylan, he still needed to create new music, write new songs and maybe revisit a few oldies. That’s just what he did during the 10 sessions featured here that date from March 3 –August 12, 1970.

This collection cherry picks the best previously unreleased moments from those sessions and yes, you may struggle to sit through seven versions of If Not For You (Al Kooper finally quit working with Bob after having to keep playing the song in its many variations.

But true be told, this collection feels like the listener is sitting in the room with Dylan and his band (David Bromberg, Charlie Daniels, Russ Kunkel, Al Kooper and others). We hear Dylan say, “let’s try this one” then start into Buffy Sainte-Marie’s Universal Soldier.

There is a loose mix of old favourites (Come A Little Bit Closer, Da Doo Ron Ron, Cupid, All I Have To Do Is Dream) along with Dylan’s own (It Ain’t Me Babe, Gates Of Eden, Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues, Mama, You Been On My Mind) and older, traditional folk, blues and gospel tunes such as Come All You Fair And Tender Ladies, Alberta, Bring Me Little Water Sylvie).

With what we’ve learned about Dylan over the years this doesn’t seem surprising, but for fans who purchased Self Portrait in 1971, well, hearing their hero warble other people tunes didn’t exactly fit in with what they expected.

For many, the drawing card to this set is the inclusion of the May 1st session featuring George Harrision. Rumours ran rampant back in the day when word leaked out that a Beatle and Dylan were in the studio together. The sonic results are somewhat underwhelming with Harrison’s guitar and backing vocals barely audible…although it is fun thinking about the fact that these two musical giants were sitting around play old girl group songs (Da Doo Ron Ron) and paying tribute to their mutual hero Carl Perkins (Matchbox, Your True Love).

And speaking of The Beatles, Bob does take on Yesterday, but George is nowhere to be heard.

For me, the highlights are plentiful: Spanish Is The Loving Tongue, Sign On The Window, Alligator Man and a thing called Untitled 1970 Instrumental #2.

While many old Dylan fans may want this on vinyl, I highly recommend the CD version. The longer playing time lends itself to sitting on the couch, losing oneself in the music being made ‘in front of you’.

Yes, there are a few clunkers, bum notes, forgotten lyrics, but that adds to the charm. 50 years after the fact we are finally invited to sit in with Bob Dylan and his friends.

Marty Duda

Marty Duda
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