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The Bootleg Series, Vol. 4: The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert
Barnes and Noble
The Bootleg Series, Vol. 4: The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert
Current price: $24.99
Barnes and Noble
The Bootleg Series, Vol. 4: The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert
Current price: $24.99
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The most famous bootleg in
history, with the possible exception of
's own
, finally makes its official appearance 32 years after the event, and nearly 30 years after it started circulating in the underground. Although often identified as a
show, this May 17, 1966, concert, in which
played electric material in front of a British audience, was actually recorded in Manchester (hence the unwieldy title with quotes around "
"). Even those who've owned this recording for many a year might be tempted by this official package, as it has been expanded into a two-CD set that not only includes the eight electric
songs from the original bootleg, but also the seven solo acoustic performances that comprised the first half of the show. It's all in very good fidelity, about as good as any copies you could find through unofficial sources. More importantly, the electric half in particular is an important document of
history. It captures the point at which
was at his most controversial and hard rocking as he blazes through mid-'60s classics such as
and
radical electric arrangements of songs that had originally been recorded acoustically (
), and the hard rocker
which
never recorded in the studio. The acoustic disc is not as epochal, but on par with the electric half in the quality of material and performance. On top of everything else there's a 56-page booklet with a fine essay by
's friend
(a notable
musician in his own right). It's not just an interesting adjunct to
's '60s discography; it's as worthy of attention as anything else he recorded during that decade. ~ Richie Unterberger