Cambridge 1975 Complete (Screamer-04021-023)
Harvard Square Theater, Cambridge, MA – November 20th, 1975
Disc 1 Guam: Hulahoop, Don’t Blame Me, Too Good To Be Wasted, Is There Life On Mars? Alabama Dark, Need A New Sun Rising, Cindy, Mercedes Benz. Joni Mitchell: Edith And The Kingpin, Don’t Interrupt The Sorrow. Guam: Ramblin’ Jack (Ramblin’ Jack Elliot), Muleskinner Blues, Billy Fair, Salt Pork West Virginia, I’m A Rich And Rambling Boy
Disc 2 Bob Dylan: When I Paint My Masterpiece, It Ain’t Me Babe, Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll, It Takes A Lot To Laugh, Romance In Durango, Isis. Bob Dylan & Joan Baez: Blowin’ In The Wind, Wild Mountain Thyme, Mama You Been On My Mind, Dark As A Dungeon, I Shall Be Released. Joan Baez: Diamonds & Rust, Swing Low Sweet Chariot, All My Trials, Love Song To A Stranger, Long Black Veil, Please Come To Boston
Disc 3 Roger McGuinn: Chestnut Mare, Eight Miles High. Joan Baez: The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. Bob Dylan: Simple Twist Of Fate, Oh Sister, Hurricane, One More Cup Of Coffee, Sara, Just Like A Woman, Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door, This Land Is Your Land
Released at the same time as the Boston show, Screamer’s Cambridge 1975 Complete comes from a complete, very good stereo audience recording the previous day. The tape surfaced on vinyl on the misnamed The Night The Revue Came To Boston (ZAP 7856). It sounds as good as the Boston tape the following day and sounds like it comes from the same taper. It is very easy on the ears and captures another great show from the Rolling Thunder Revue tour when they were very loose and enjoying the experience. This show is the source for several official releases. “It Ain’t Me Babe”, “Blowing In The Wind”, and “Knocking On Heaven’s Door” were released in the film Renaldo And Clara (January 25th, 1978 (long version) and late 1978 (short version)). “It Ain’t Me Babe” was also released on promotional maxi-EP 4 Songs From Reynaldo And Clara (CBS XSM 164035, January 1978) and on CD single Dignity (MTV Unplugged) (Columbia COL 661 400 2, 11 April 1995) . Finally “It Ain’t Me Babe”, “Romance In Durango”, “Momma You Been On My Mind”, “Simple Twist Of Fate”, and “Knocking On Heaven’s Door” was released on The Bootleg Series, vol. 5 – Bob Dylan Live 1975: The Rolling Thunder Revue, (Columbia 510140 3/Col. 510140/3000) released on November 26th, 2002.
Bob Neuwirth introduces “Is There Life On Mars? as “not written by David Bowie, but this guy invented David Bowie…Mick Ronson.” Joan Baez’s solo set is a definite highlight with her dedicating “All My Trials” to Dylan and Neuwirth “because they decided to have this crazy insane thing we’re calling a tour”. She gives an interesting rendition of “Swing Low Sweet Chariot” and the crowd reacts loudly to the punch line in “Love Song To A Stranger”. She sings her version of “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” between Roger McGuinn’s set and Dylan’s finale. Although it was a hit it doesn’t sound as convincing as Levon Helm. The audience is very vocal during Dylan’s final set, betting for “Like A Rolling Stone” (which they don’t get) and “Sara” (which they do). He plays a very heavy version of “Hurricane” which “is a song about a man who right now is in jail. We’d like to see to it that he gets out of jail real soon” (Rubin “Hurricane” Carter). The phased violin line really propels this song and adds a lot to “Just Like A Woman” and especially “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”. The entire concert ends after three hours with an ensemble version of “This Land Is Your Land”. (GS)
