Bob Dylan – Bob Dylan At Budokan

This is a live album from Dylan’s 1978 world tour (recorded February 28 & March 1 at Nippon Budokan, Tokyo). The album is his greatest hits, however, the performances are radically rearranged from the originals. I was reminded of Dylan’s habit of rearranging his songs while listening to the recent Shadow Kingdom LP. Budokan was an early lesson that tinkering is part of who Dylan is.

The Budokan LP was much maligned at the time and it was suggested it was Dylan as a Vegas show band. It was glitzy and over the top. Robert Christsau, self-proclaimed “Dean of American Rock Critics,” gave it a generous C+, but mockingly wrote:

I believe this double LP was made available so our hero could boast of being outclassed by Cheap Trick, who had the self-control to release but a single disc from this location

https://www.robertchristgau.com

I was a fairly new Dylan fan when I bought this album when it came out in the spring of 1979. I loved this album from day one for several reasons:

• It was a greatest hits (important given my meager record collection at the time)
• I liked the Springsteenish big band arrangements (I was a new Bruce fan at the time too)
• Dylan’s vocals are urgent and clear, the record sleeves had lyrics (although my copy had redundant sleeves of LP number one)
• It had a cool fold up poster that was on my various apartment walls for years (amazingly I slipped it back into the LP jacket back in the day and it is in decent shape).
• I love Dylan’s rock star look for this album: gaudy 70s clothes and eyeliner.

1978’s Street-Legal was recorded about a month after Budokan was recorded. The arrangements on Street-Legal were clearly influenced by the 1978 tour. Dylan has backup singers and a woodwind player on Budokan and there is similar instrumentation on Street-Legal.

The arrangements on Budokan foreshadow Dylan’s Christian period in that they have a gospel feel – especially the backup vocalists. In many cases, there is a drama in the performances that is atypical of Dylan. This is the Vegas feel that probably turned off some people to the album. I found it all breathtaking and exciting. Dylan engages in more stage banter than I have ever experienced in the many times I have seen him. I assume that Dylan felt compelled to compete against his label mate Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band on Budokan. There are grand arrangements similar to what the Boss was doing at the time including epic sax solos.

Here is a weird feature of the album: in the inside of the gatefold album cover, Dylan engages in some rare schmaltz:

The more I think about it, the more I realize what I left behind in Japan – my soul, my music and that sweet girl in the geisha house – I wonder does she remenber me? If the people of Japan wish to know about me, they can hear this record- also they can hear my heart still beating in Kyoto at the Zen Rock Garden – Someday I will be back to reclaim it.

Copyright @ 1978 Bob Dylan

Budokan is wonderfully outrageous and it prepared me well for the twists and turns that Dylan would continue to perform the rest of his career.

Budokan core band:

Tracklist

A1 Mr. Tambourine Man 4:53
A2 Shelter From The Storm 4:29
A3 Love Minus Zero/No Limit 3:53
A4 Ballad Of A Thin Man 4:44
A5 Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right 5:02
B1 Maggie’s Farm 5:02
B2 One More Cup Of Coffee (Valley Below) 3:18
B3 Like A Rolling Stone 6:30
B4 I Shall Be Released 4:04
B5 Is Your Love In Vain? 3:57
B6 Going, Going, Gone 3:55
C1 Blowin’ In The Wind 4:28
C2 Just Like A Woman 5:03
C3 Oh, Sister 4:43
C4 Simple Twist Of Fate 4:03
C5 All Along The Watchtower 3:18
C6 I Want You 2:34
D1 All I Really Want To Do 3:41
D2 Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door 4:01
D3 It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) 6:03
D4 Forever Young 5:27
D5 The Times They Are A-Changin’ 4:46