Shadow Kingdom

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What we can be certain of is the quality of the music and the performances, which lean heavily on acoustic guitar, upright bass and accordion – there are no drums or piano, but Dylan adds a touch of harmonica here and there. Fewer disputed the quality of the music. Dylan’s definition of his own “early songs” turned out to be more elastic than one might have expected, with nothing from his first four albums. But since even the most recent of the 13 selections was already more than 30 years old, their creator might well have been viewing them from a different perspective, while inventing new ways to present them. A review by Scott Bauer of the Associated Press praised the arrangements, noting how the "heavy dose of accordion and no drums" make the songs "sound fresh again". Bauer also claimed that the album "stands as a good retort for all the naysayers who have argued, seemingly from day one, that Dylan can't sing. The subdued arrangements are perfect for Dylan’s well-weathered, unfairly maligned voice". [24]

Over the long arc of Bob Dylan’s career, it becomes easier to discern underlying trends. The relatively recent experience of recording 50-odd standards between 2015 and 2017 — on Shadows in the Night, Fallen Angels and Triplicate – clearly provoked a wholesale reappraisal of his approach to singing, while the influence of the loose, fluid instrumental mesh developed on Rough and Rowdy Ways in 2020 could be heard in Shadow Kingdom: The Early Songs of Bob Dylan, the 50-minute show streamed by Veeps.com in July 2021.

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Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 2): 19658767481-B MRP4265/19658767481-B #26 RKS STERLING 254435E2 1520126 The album features seminal recordings from the artist’s coffeehouse era (Gerde’s Folk City, 1962), his mythic 1963 breakout concerts at New York’s Town Hall and Carnegie Hall, a duet with Joan Baez from the historic March on Washington (August 28, 1963), definitive performances from his European and world tours of 1965 and 1966, incandescent moments from the 1964 and 1965 Newport Folk Festivals and more.

The thing is, of course, that Bob Dylan songs aren’t quite so transient. At the end of The Philosophy Of Modern Song, Dylan writes, “Music transcends time by living within it, just as reincarnation allows us to transcend life by living it again and again.” This, perhaps, is the key to Shadow Kingdom, and a decent artistic reason – the commercial expediencies being self-evident – why Dylan has chosen to release the show as an album now. The old songs and vintage effect might invoke a certain nostalgia, but the juke joint ambience is more Lynchian than neat historic reconstruction, and the songs sound little like they used to do. It’s a dream Dylan destination, but it’s one which is, as per his Philosophy, “of a time but also timeless”. It’s a great time to be a Bob Dylan fan. Over the past few years, we’ve been treated to a masterful studio album, 2020’s Rough and Rowdy Ways, some essential official Bootleg Series releases, like Springtime In New York and January 2023’s Fragments: Time Out of Mind Sessions, superb live performances and a mysterious, stylised, and brilliant ‘concert’ film, Shadow Kingdom: The Early Songs of Bob Dylan. Khanna, Vish (June 1, 2023). "Bob Dylan Illuminates New Corners of His Music on Shadow Kingdom". Exclaim! . Retrieved June 1, 2023. There’s more blues on ‘Watching The River Flow’, which was released as a digital single ahead of the album, and is one of the record’s more up-tempo offerings, with some tasty electric guitar.

Mojo 's John Mulvey likewise gave the album four out of five stars, calling it "an extremely useful addition to the Dylan catalogue" and highlighted the performance of " What Was It You Wanted" as "particularly impressive" for its "gravitas". [10] Oinen, Janne (June 2, 2023). "Bob Dylan Shadow Kingdom". The Line of Best Fit . Retrieved June 2, 2023. Are they miming? Is Dylan miming, hiding behind his vintage microphone? Are the cigarettes real or are they stage props? Would it matter if they were? After all, Dylan did warn us this was his “shadow kingdom”, where things might not be as they appear, where a simulacrum of the best gig ever can beat a real gig, and where the play of chiaroscuro is all. Enhypen Lands Fifth Top 10 on Album Sales Chart With Dark Blood". Yahoo! Entertainment. June 12, 2023 . Retrieved June 13, 2023. Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 1): 19658767481-A 254435E1 1518598 RKS STERLING MRP4265/19658767481-A #21

Matos, Michaelangelo (June 1, 2023). "Bob Dylan Makes His Classic Songs Seem Stunningly Brand-New on 'Shadow Kingdom' ". Rolling Stone . Retrieved June 1, 2023. Zimmerman, Lee (June 5, 2023). "Dylan Does Dylan, With a Mellower Mindset". American Songwriter . Retrieved June 5, 2023. Four selections turn up on both Shadow Kingdom and in recent live setlists – When I Paint My Masterpiece, Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine), I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight and To Be Alone With You. And while the roadhouse rhythm of the touring band is replaced by more of a stealthy cantina sway – lots of accordion and acoustic guitars, no piano or fiddle – there’s a clear affinity. Songs hang in the air, implying rather than asserting uncanny dimensions. Dylan’s voice, again, is quite beautiful, with a control and nuance so many thought he’d lost.There’s a poignant ‘Forever Young’ and ‘What Was It You Wanted’ sounds moodier and sultrier than the original – in its new incarnation, it’s even more powerful. He told the Wall Street Journal: “It’s an open space, with concrete pillars and an iron floor, with obligations and sacrifices. It’s a path, and destiny put some of us on that path, in that position. It’s not for everybody.” In the past, Dylan told Pete Townshend that it is the preordained fate of the folk musician, one programmed into Dylan as soon as he took to the stage. “I asked Bob Dylan why he does so many gigs,” Townshend recalled of their encounter at Desert Trip. “He told me, ‘I’m a folk singer. A folk singer is only as good as his memory, and my memory is going.’ He’s doing it to keep his memory alive.“ The slow and moody version of ‘It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue’ definitely sounds like it’s been influenced by the arrangements on Rough and Rowdy Ways, as do some of the other songs on the album. johnnyborganblogg (May 25, 2023). "What You See Is Not What You Get. About "Shadow Kingdom", Bob Dylan, 2023". Johnny B . Retrieved May 26, 2023. The mystery surrounding Shadow Kingdom continues, as the musicians who performed on the album aren’t credited in the sleeve notes, but there’s speculation that Dylan’s band included Jeff Taylor (accordion), Greg Leisz (pedal steel guitar, mandolin), Tim Pierce, T-Bone Burnett, Ira Ingber (guitars) and Don Was (upright bass).

The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 12 June 2023". The ARIA Report. No.1736. Australian Recording Industry Association. June 12, 2023. p.6.

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Now, shortly after Dylan’s 82 nd birthday, which was on 24 May this year, we’ve been treated to an official release of the songs on Shadow Kingdom. Matrix / Runout (Runout side C, variant 2): 19658767481-C #2 MRP4265/19658767481-C RKS STERLING 254435E3 1428640