Our good friend, Randy Roark has been going through his archives and been posting some selected “finds” over on that invaluable Facebook page, Our Allen. Here’s one of them. Allen’s typed-up and hand-written notes on Bob Dylan’s 1979 release, Bob Dylan at Budokan (Dylan-o-philes please note, this appears to be only a partial annotation, covering, two out of five titles from side one, all of side two, and three out of six titles from side three – the recording was released as a (four-sided, twenty-two track) “double-album”)
“One of my jobs as an apprentice was to type up Allen’s journals. Later I would bring the typescript to Allen, he would make changes in pencil, I would go home and type up a clean copy. I mostly threw Allen’s corrected pages away (literally several hundred of them) but saved some that were personally meaningful to me. Here’s Allen’s comments upon first hearing the live album “Bob Dylan at Budokan,” written five days after its official U.S. release”.
Randy, helpfully, provides a transcription:
Love Minus Zero: Perfect rhythms again, whistles scoring the syncopation against words.
Don’t Think Twice: Breaking up the phrases with extreme exasperation from overmuch practice–playfulness, freedom, accuracy, in reggae.
Maggie’s Farm: Eliminates terminal repetitions of refrains–old declaration of political independence, gutbucket saxes against squealing violins “They say sing while you slave/I just get bored.
“One More Cup of Coffee: Delicate ended conversation congas drums & instruments.
(Like A) Rolling Stone: Massive symphonic peaen of civilization loneliness–“When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose”–another great Rolling Stone!
I Shall Be Released: Zigzag Christ tone descending from the “waaall”
Is Your Love in Vain(?): Simplehearted compliment from man at extreme realization of his own destiny & wanting secure lover.
Going Going Gone: Salvation’s his preoccupation.
Blowing in the Wind:Tender authority to this anthem; with chimes.
Just Like a Woman: Pronounced delicately.
Oh Sister: Lost the melody, found the syllables distinct Ah hum–oh huh! n’uh huh!
(All Along The) Watchtower: Girls hold the document or tonic, whatever & sing counterpoint. “Life is but a joke.”
Heard, April 28, 1979 Sunday
And here’s as an addenda, another gem – a page from Allen’s journals (October 1975) re Rolling Thunder
