Bob Dylan – The 1974 Live Recordings is due to be released by Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings on September 20 as a huge 27-disc box set which includes 431 tracks — 417 of which are previously unreleased performances and liner notes by Elizabeth Nelson. A never-before released version of ‘Forever Young’ (afternoon show), recorded in Seattle on Feb. 9, 1974, is available to listen to now on streaming services.
A 3-LP Highlights Box Set is also set to be released by Third Man Records, featuring songs from the 1974 shows not included on the original Before The Flood live album. The 1974 Live Recordings – The Missing Songs From Before the Flood, a 3-LP (with a bonus 7-inch) set will be pressed exclusively on coloured vinyl and will be available through The Vault, Third Man’s direct-to-customer mail order service.
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Bob Dylan’s return to touring that year, The 1974 Live Recordings feature all professionally recorded shows from the artist’s 1974 performances backed by The Band. The 417 previously-unreleased Bob Dylan live tracks – includes 133 recordings newly mixed from 16-track tape, and every single surviving soundboard recording.
Bob Dylan’s 1974 Tour marked his first time touring live in eight years and reunited him with The Band – who had become widely renowned in their own right since backing the artist nearly a decade earlier. Booked into arenas for the first time ever, Bob Dylan and The Band performed 30 dates in 42 days (often playing two sets per day) before an average audience of 18,500 – helping set a new standard for what rock concerts could look and sound like. And in front of those crowds, they brought an energy that Rolling Stone’s Ben Fong-Torres described as “searing and soaring, unified and precise…excellent in itself.” Music critic Robert Christgau compared the sound to Bob Dylan “running over his old songs like a truck.”
Tour ‘74 kicked off January 3, 1974, at Chicago Stadium – the largest indoor arena in the world at the time it was built – with a tense and combative rip through ultimate deep-cut “Hero Blues,” an acoustic-gone-electric outtake from The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan sessions, that he had scarcely performed before – or since. Additional rarities – like a wildly-reinvented “Ballad Of Hollis Brown,” “Song to Woody” (not performed since 1962) and Planet Waves outtake “Nobody ‘Cept You” – would be well received in the tour’s first nights. “We were booed off of every stage in Europe,” The Band’s Robbie Robertson recalled to Newsweek of their previous run together. “What happened tonight in Chicago is so reassuring for us.”
The reception wasn’t the only thing that had changed since Bob Dylan and The Band last toured together in 1966. Since then, The Band had released six LPs, played Woodstock and other famous stages, and recorded a series of historic sessions with Bob Dylan – from The Basement Tapes to Planet Waves. For his part, Bob Dylan had effectively retired from the road altogether following a 1966 motorcycle accident, yet was still “widely regarded as the most influential and significant star in the last 10 years of American popular music,” according to The New York Times.
Though they might not have known it at the time, Bob Dylan and The Band were at the vanguard of a new era. Tour ‘74 would help create the template for the major rock tour, and codify many of its shared experiences – from the sight of audiences holding up lighters en masse (as captured in the iconic cover image for Before The Flood), to the bright flash of the house lights during a show’s signal moment, in this case their performance of “Like A Rolling Stone.” Likewise many songs performed live for the first time on Tour ‘74 – “All Along The Watchtower,” “Forever Young” and the show’s eventual opener-and-closer “Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)” – would take on a life of their own.
At the outset, the 1974 Tour was captured on a stereo soundboard mix, on both 1⁄4” tape and cassette. By tour’s end, Asylum Records’ David Geffen had commissioned recordings on multitrack tape, the standard at the time, for eventual release on Before The Flood. The 1974 Live Recordings includes it all – the cassettes and 1⁄4” tapes, and the shows that were recorded on 16-track tape, newly-mixed for this collection.
TRACKLIST
DISC 1
January 3, 1974 – Chicago Stadium, Chicago, IL
1. Hero Blues
2. Lay, Lady, Lay
3. Tough Mama
4. It Ain’t Me, Babe
5. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
6. All Along the Watchtower
7. Song to Woody
8. The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
9. Nobody ‘Cept You
10. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
11. Forever Young
12. Something There Is About You
13. Like a Rolling Stone
14. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
DISC 2
January 4, 1974 – Chicago Stadium, Chicago, IL
1. Hero Blues
2. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
3. It Ain’t Me, Babe
4. Tough Mama
5. Ballad of a Thin Man
6. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
7. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
8. The Times They Are A-Changin’
9. Love Minus Zero/No Limit
10. The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
11. Nobody ‘Cept You
12. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
13. Maggie’s Farm
DISC 3
January 6, 1974 (Afternoon) – The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
1. Ballad of Hollis Brown
2. Lay, Lady, Lay
3. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
4. It Ain’t Me, Babe
5. Tough Mama
6. Ballad of a Thin Man
7. All Along the Watchtower
8. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
9. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
10. To Ramona
11. Mama, You Been on My Mind
12. The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
13. Nobody ‘Cept You
14. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
15. I Don’t Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
16. Forever Young
17. Something There Is About You
18. Like a Rolling Stone
DISC 4
January 6, 1974 (Evening) – The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
1. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
2. Lay, Lady, Lay
3. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
4. It Ain’t Me, Babe
5. I Don’t Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
6. Ballad of a Thin Man
7. All Along the Watchtower
8. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
9. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
10. The Times They Are A-Changin’
11. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue
12. Song to Woody
13. Mr. Tambourine Man
14. Nobody ‘Cept You
15. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
16. Forever Young
17. Something There Is About You
18. Like a Rolling Stone
19. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
DISC 5
January 7, 1974 – The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
1. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
2. Lay, Lady, Lay
3. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
4. It Ain’t Me, Babe
5. I Don’t Believe You
(She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
6. Ballad of a Thin Man
7. All Along the Watchtower
8. Ballad of Hollis Brown
9. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
10. Just Like a Woman
11. Girl from the North Country
12. Wedding Song
13. Nobody ‘Cept You
14. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
15. Forever Young
16. Something There Is About You
17. Like a Rolling Stone
18. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
DISC 6
January 9, 1974 – Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada
1. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
2. Lay, Lady, Lay
3. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
4. It Ain’t Me, Babe
5. It Take a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
6. Ballad of a Thin Man
7. All Along the Watchtower
8. Ballad of Hollis Brown
9. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
10. Just Like a Woman
11. Girl from the North Country
12. Wedding Song
13. Nobody ‘Cept You
14. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
15. Forever Young
16. Something There Is About You
17. Like a Rolling Stone
18. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
DISC 7
January 11, 1974 – Montreal Forum, Montreal, Canada
1. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
2. Lay, Lady, Lay
3. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
4. I Don’t Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
5. It Ain’t Me, Babe
6. Ballad of a Thin Man
7. All Along the Watchtower
8. Ballad of Hollis Brown
9. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
10. The Times They Are A-Changin’
11. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
12. Gates of Eden
13. Nobody ‘Cept You
14. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
15. Forever Young
16. Something There Is About You
17. Like a Rolling Stone
18. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
DISC 8
January 14, 1974 (Afternoon) – Boston Gardens, Boston, MA
1. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
2. Lay, Lady, Lay
3. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
4. It Ain’t Me, Babe
5. I Don’t Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
6. Ballad of a Thin Man
7. All Along the Watchtower
8. Ballad of Hollis Brown
9. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
10. The Times They Are A-Changin’
11. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
12. Gates of Eden
13. Just Like a Woman
14. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
15. Forever Young
16. Something There Is About You
17. Like a Rolling Stone
18. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
DISC 9
January 15, 1974 – Capital Centre, Largo, MD
1. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
2. Lay, Lady, Lay
3. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
4. I Don’t Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
5. It Ain’t Me, Babe
6. Ballad of a Thin Man
7. All Along the Watchtower
8. Ballad of Hollis Brown
9. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
10. The Times They Are A-Changin’
11. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
12. Wedding Song
13. Just Like a Woman
14. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
15. Forever Young
16. Something There Is About You
17. Like a Rolling Stone
18. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
DISC 10
January 16, 1974 – Capital Centre, Largo, MD
1. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
2. Lay, Lady, Lay
3. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
4. One Too Many Mornings
5. It Ain’t Me, Babe
6. Ballad of a Thin Man
7. All Along the Watchtower
8. Ballad of Hollis Brown
9. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
10. The Times They Are A-Changin’
11. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
12. Gates of Eden
13. Nobody ‘Cept You
14. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
15. Forever Young
16. Something There Is About You
17. Like a Rolling Stone
18. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
DISC 11
January 17, 1974 – Coliseum, Charlotte, NC
1. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
2. Lay, Lady, Lay
3. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
4. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
5. It Ain’t Me, Babe
6. Ballad of a Thin Man
7. All Along the Watchtower
8. Ballad of Hollis Brown
9. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
10. The Times They Are A-Changin’
11. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
12. Gates of Eden
13. Just Like a Woman
14. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
15. Forever Young
16. Something There Is About You
17. Like a Rolling Stone
18. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
DISC 12
January 19, 1974 (Afternoon) – Hollywood Sportatorium, Hollywood, FL
1. All Along the Watchtower
2. Ballad of Hollis Brown
3. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
4. The Times They Are A-Changin’
5. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
6. Gates of Eden
7. Just Like a Woman
8. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
9. Forever Young
10. Something There Is About You
11. Like a Rolling Stone
12. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
DISC 13
January 21, 1974 – The Omni, Atlanta, GA
1. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
2. Lay, Lady, Lay
3. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
4. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
5. It Ain’t Me, Babe
6. Ballad of a Thin Man
7. All Along the Watchtower
8. Ballad of Hollis Brown
9. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
10. The Times They Are A-Changin’
11. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
12. Gates of Eden
13. Just Like a Woman
14. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
15. Forever Young
16. Something There Is About You
17. Like a Rolling Stone
18. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
DISC 14
January 22, 1974 – The Omni, Atlanta, GA
1. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
2. Lay, Lady, Lay
3. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
4. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
5. It Ain’t Me, Babe
6. Ballad of a Thin Man
7. Ballad of Hollis Brown
8. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
9. The Times They Are A-Changin’
10. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
11. Gates of Eden
12. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue
13. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
14. Forever Young
15. Something There Is About You
16. Like a Rolling Stone
17. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
DISC 15
January 26, 1974 (Afternoon) – Hofheinz Pavilion, Houston, TX
1. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
2. Lay, Lady, Lay
3. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
4. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
5. It Ain’t Me, Babe
6. Ballad of a Thin Man
7. All Along the Watchtower
8. Ballad of Hollis Brown
9. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
10. The Times They Are A-Changin’
11. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
12. Gates of Eden
13. Just Like a Woman
14. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
15. Forever Young
16. Something There Is About You
17. Like a Rolling Stone
18. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
DISC 16
January 26, 1974 (Evening) – Hofheinz Pavilion, Houston, TX
1. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
2. Lay, Lady, Lay
3. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
4. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
5. It Ain’t Me, Babe
6. Ballad of a Thin Man
7. All Along the Watchtower
8. Ballad of Hollis Brown
9. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
10. The Times They Are A-Changin’
11. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
12. Gates of Eden
13. Just Like a Woman
14. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
15. Forever Young
16. Something There Is About You
17. Like a Rolling Stone
18. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
DISC 17
January 30, 1974 – Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
1. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
2. Lay, Lady, Lay
3. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
4. All Along the Watchtower
5. Ballad of Hollis Brown
6. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door – released on Before the Flood
7. The Times They Are A-Changin’
8. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
9. Gates of Eden
10. Just Like a Woman
11. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) – Incomplete
12. Forever Young
13. Something There Is About You
14. Like a Rolling Stone
15. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
16. Blowin’ in the Wind
DISC 18
January 31, 1974 (Afternoon) – Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
1. All Along the Watchtower
2. Ballad of Hollis Brown
3. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
4. The Times They Are A-Changin’
5. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
6. Gates of Eden – Incomplete
7. Forever Young
8. Highway 61 Revisited – released on A Musical History (The Band)
9. Like a Rolling Stone – Incomplete
DISC 19
January 31, 1974 (Evening) – Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
1. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
2. Lay, Lady, Lay
3. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
4. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
5. It Ain’t Me, Babe
6. Ballad of a Thin Man
7. All Along the Watchtower – Incomplete
8. Ballad of Hollis Brown
9. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
10. The Times They Are A-Changin’
11. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
12. Gates of Eden
13. Just Like a Woman
14. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
15. Forever Young
16. Highway 61 Revisited
17. Like a Rolling Stone
18. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
19. Blowin’ in the Wind
DISC 20
February 9, 1974 (Afternoon) – Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, WA
1. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
2. Lay, Lady, Lay
3. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
4. All Along the Watchtower
5. Ballad of Hollis Brown
6. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
7. She Belongs to Me
8. The Times They Are A-Changin’
9. The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
10. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
11. Wedding Song
12. Forever Young
13. Highway 61 Revisited
DISC 21
February 9, 1974 (Evening) – Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, WA
1. The Times They Are A-Changin’
2. Just Like a Woman
3. Wedding Song
4. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
5. It’s All Right, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
6. Forever Young
7. Highway 61 Revisited
8. Like a Rolling Stone
9. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
10. Blowin’ in the Wind
DISC 22
February 11, 1974 (Afternoon) – Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, CA
1. All Along the Watchtower
2. Ballad of Hollis Brown
3. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
4. She Belongs to Me
5. The Times They Are A-Changin’
6. The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
7. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
8. Wedding Song
9. Forever Young
10. Highway 61 Revisited
11. Like a Rolling Stone – Incomplete
12. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
13. Blowin’ in the Wind
DISC 23
February 11, 1974 (Evening) – Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, CA
1. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
2. Lay, Lady, Lay
3. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
4. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
5. It Ain’t Me, Babe
6. Ballad of a Thin Man
7. All Along the Watchtower
8. Ballad of Hollis Brown
9. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
10. The Times They Are A-Changin’
11. Just Like a Woman
12. Gates of Eden
13. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right – Incomplete
14. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
15. Forever Young
16. Highway 61 Revisited – Incomplete
17. Like a Rolling Stone
18. Maggie’s Farm
19. Blowin’ in the Wind
DISC 24
February 13, 1974 – The Forum, Inglewood, CA
1. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
2. Lay, Lady, Lay – released on Before the Flood
3. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
4. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 – released on Before the Flood
5. It Ain’t Me, Babe
6. Ballad of a Thin Man
7. All Along the Watchtower
8. Ballad of Hollis Brown
9. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
10. She Belongs to Me
11. The Times They Are A-Changin’
12. Love Minus Zero/No Limit
13. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
14. Just Like a Woman
15. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
16. Forever Young
17. Highway 61 Revisited
18. Like a Rolling Stone – released on Before the Flood
19. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
20. Blowin’ in the Wind – released on Before the Flood (first two verses only)
DISC 25
February 14, 1974 (Afternoon) – The Forum, Inglewood, CA
1. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)
2. Lay, Lady, Lay
3. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
4. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
5. It Ain’t Me, Babe
6. Ballad of a Thin Man – released on Before the Flood
7. All Along the Watchtower – released on Before the Flood
8. Ballad of Hollis Brown
9. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
10. She Belongs to Me
11. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue
12. The Times They Are A-Changin’
13. Just Like a Woman
14. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
15. Forever Young
16. Highway 61 Revisited
17. Like a Rolling Stone
18. Blowin’ in the Wind – released on Before the Flood (last verse only)
DISC 26
February 14, 1974 (Evening) – The Forum, Inglewood, CA (Pt. 1)
1. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine) – released on Before the Flood
2. Lay, Lady, Lay
3. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
4. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
5. It Ain’t Me, Babe – released on Before the Flood
6. Ballad of a Thin Man
7. All Along the Watchtower
8. Ballad of Hollis Brown
9. Mr. Tambourine Man
10. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
DISC 27
February 14, 1974 (Evening) – The Forum, Inglewood, CA (Pt. 2)
1. She Belongs to Me
2. The Times They Are A-Changin’
3. Just Like a Woman – released on Before the Flood
4. Gates of Eden
5. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right – released on Before the Flood
6. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) – released on Before the Flood
7. Forever Young
8. Highway 61 Revisited – released on Before the Flood
9. Like a Rolling Stone
10. Maggie’s Farm
11. Blowin’ in the Wind
All tracks previously unreleased unless otherwise noted*