Bob Dylan – Shadow Kingdom (2-LP Vinyl)
Review
Two years after the fact and now out in audio formats, Bob Dylan’s Shadow Kingdom has found its home.
Originally a cryptic, black-and-white, pandemic-era livestream that found Dylan and a masked band miming new versions of old songs in a variety of noir settings, Shadow Kingdom the album is less distracting, more pleasing and quintessentially Dylan.
The 13 numbers from the back pages of Dylan’s songbook - plus the instrumental “Sierra’s Theme” that ran over the closing credits - are radically rearranged, natch. Also, Dylan doesn’t sing like the glass-gargler of Tempest and Rough and Rowdy Ways; instead he sounds more like the transitional man on Under the Red Sky and Time out of Mind.
“Everything is gonna be beautiful,” Dylan sings on “When I Paint My Masterpiece,” proving he takes his lyrics less seriously than many Dylanologists.
In the Shadow Kingdom, acoustic instruments dominate, drums are forbidden and keys, harmonica and harpsichord add color alongside occasional mandolin and electric guitar.
As such, “Tombstone Blues” and “It’s all Over Now, Baby Blue” are rendered as a half-spoken dirges. “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues” sashays languidly and “Watching the River Flow” retains its whitewater power even without the benefit of percussion.
The listener is left with what is essentially a collection of re-recorded classics. While such schemes are almost always bound to failure, Bob Dylan and Shadow Kingdom buck that trend in the biggest of ways.
No Comments comments associated with this post
— Kristopher Weiss, jambands.com
Product Details
Recorded at the Bon Bon Club in Dumbo, Brooklyn and released initially as a ticketed streaming event in the summer of 2021, Shadow Kingdom caught longtime fans off guard in the best possible way. Dylan stripped these songs down to their bones, fronting a small acoustic and electric combo that gave the performances an intimate, almost coffeehouse quality, a reminder that he was doing this kind of reinvention long before it became fashionable.
Shadow Kingdom presents Dylan performing revelatory 21st century versions of songs from his storied back catalog – including fan favorites like “Forever Young” and “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue,” and deep catalog gems like “Queen Jane Approximately” and “Wicked Messenger.” Originally reinterpreted for an exclusive streaming film event, which aired in July 2021, Shadow Kingdom will now be available on vinyl, CD, and streaming platforms for the first time. The album's setlist includes 13 original songs handpicked by Dylan for his Shadow Kingdom performance plus the closing instrumental, "Sierra's Theme."
Tracklist
- When I Paint My Masterpiece
- Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)
- Queen Jane Approximately
- I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
- Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
- Tombstone Blues
- To Be Alone With You
- What Was It You Wanted
- Forever Young
- Pledging My Time
- The Wicked Messenger
- Watching The River Flow
- It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
- Sierra's Theme
UPC: 196587674816
Label: Sony Legacy
Release Date: 6.2.23
Format: LP Vinyl