Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

50 Years Already!

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • 50 Years Already!

    The evening of July 25, 1965. Newport, RI. The famed Newport Folk Festival.
    Bob Dylan had just finished playing "Like A Rolling Stone" for the first time in public.
    I remember thinking: "Why?! Why are all these people booing Bob Dylan? What's going on?!?" :huh:
    I had no way of knowing at the time, but decades later a PBS documentary on the artist called what I witnessed on stage that night "The most important single event in the development of rock and roll music": The night Bob Dylan went electric.
    The boos are controversial as to the reason. Link near the bottom of this thread delves into it. The party line: Bob Dylan was a folk artist, the greatest of his generation, how dare he plug in a guitar!? Me? I had just heard Bob Dylan play " Like a Rolling Stone" for the first time in public. It does not get any better then that. And for free, my friends and I having hopped the stockade fence when the cops weren't looking :dunno:
    Here's an excellent copy of that performance. You can detect a restlessness and boos in the crowd as he sets up. And for a second at the end, you can hear the boos begin.
    http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xmx...965_shortfilms

    Click image for larger version

Name:	image_2015-02-22 [replaced].jpg
Views:	90
Size:	41.1 KB
ID:	207242

    Once upon a time you dressed so fine
    Threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you?
    People call say 'beware doll, you're bound to fall'
    You thought they were all kidding you
    You used to laugh about
    Everybody that was hanging out
    Now you don't talk so loud
    Now you don't seem so proud
    About having to be scrounging your next meal
    How does it feel, how does it feel?
    To be on your own
    Like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone
    Ahh you've gone to the finest schools, alright Miss Lonely
    But you know you only used to get juiced in it
    Nobody's ever taught you how to live out on the street
    And now you're gonna have to get used to it
    You say you never compromise
    With the mystery tramp, but now you realize
    He's not selling any alibis
    As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
    And say do you want to make a deal?
    How does it feel, how does it feel?
    To be on your own, with no direction home
    A complete unknown, like a rolling stone
    Ah you never turned around to see the frowns
    On the jugglers and the clowns when they all did tricks for you
    You never understood that it ain't no good
    You shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you
    You used to ride on a chrome horse with your diplomat
    Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat
    Ain't it hard when you discovered that
    He really wasn't where it's at
    After he took from you everything he could steal
    How does it feel, how does it feel?
    To have on your own, with no direction home
    Like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone
    Ahh princess on a steeple and all the pretty people
    They're all drinking, thinking that they've got it made
    Exchanging all precious gifts
    But you better take your diamond ring, you better pawn it babe
    You used to be so amused
    At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used
    Go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse
    When you ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose
    You're invisible now, you've got no secrets to conceal
    How does it feel, ah how does it feel?
    To be on your own, with no direction home
    Like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone
    So why did all those people boo him that night??
    http://folkmusic.about.com/od/bobdyl...s-Electric.htm
    "The date: July 25, 1965. The event: the Newport Folk Festival. Backed by guitarist Al Cooper and other members of the Paul Butterfield Blues band, along with pianist Berry Goldberg, an earnest 24-year-old Bob Dylan took the stage, an uncommon sight hanging from his shoulder: an electric guitar. The rising star had a major surprise planned for the audience, but he had no clue of the controversy he was about to stir."
    "Dylan's performance was innocent enough. Intent on showing off a pocketful of new electric songs, some from his just-released half-acoustic-half-electric album, Bringing it All Back Home, Dylan tore into his music with driven abandon, as he commonly did during acoustic performances. A mix of both cheering and booing started when Dylan launched into “Maggie's Farm,” but the situation continued to melt down as he wound onward through the as-yet unreleased single, “Like a Rolling Stone.” Finally, the hostility climaxed with chants of “Sellout!” as Dylan ran through “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, it Takes a Train to Cry.” Things got so sensational and warped that a purple-faced Pete Seeger was allegedly running around backstage with an axe, threatening to chop the wires to the soundboard. Enough was enough; after ending the song, the musicians walked off, somewhat stunned. After all, hadn't Muddy Waters played electric at the festival? Why was the audience open-minded and accepting about some musicians, but not about Bob Dylan?"
    The original studio version:
    Provided to YouTube by ColumbiaLike a Rolling Stone · Bob DylanHighway 61 Revisited℗ Originally released 1965. All rights reserved by Columbia Records, a div...

    I think Dylan had the last laugh! Last year, Rolling Stone Magazine named "Like A Rolling Stone" "the greatest song of all time" in it's list of the so-called "500 greatest songs".
    Rhode Island

  • #2
    We have a hwy 61, kind of like a rt 66, it is related to our hwy 67,  :laugh:  they intermingle. Speaking of 66, i got lost on it once when i left a friends place in the country for a drive late one night and i didn't know which direction to head back  :crazy:  , but i seen one of them big crosses, that helped. B)
    Good tune. B)
    http://joshinmo.weebly.com

    Comment


    • #3
      You got to live that event?
      Real rock and roll history!
      Way, way cool Charlie.
      Searching the fields of NW Indiana and SW Michigan

      Comment


      • #4
        gregszybala wrote:

        You got to live that event?
        Real rock and roll history!
        Way, way cool Charlie.
          Never forget, and will always appreciate. Been to very few concerts over the years. But my friends and I always hung out at the Newport Folk Festivals, sometimes as paying customers, sometimes in the rowdy crowds outside Peabody Park, Newport. That song was the #1 hit in the country that summer, no surprise there, you could play it all day and never get sick of hearing it. I guess it will always be one of the great classics. Heck, love folk, but I was there for Dylan! I thought he left the stage in anger at the time. 3 songs and he was outta there....
        Rhode Island

        Comment


        • #5
          .
          Waaay Cool - Charlie you folkin' rock Man! Talk about catchin' an iconic moment in music history - just WOW!
          I didn't get started climbin' under event fences until 1969 at the Strawberry Fields concert in Canada  B)
          What happened to the guitar that Bob Dylan used to 'go electric?' In tonight's season premiere, History Detectives Elyse Luray and Wes Cowan carefully unrave...

          If the women don\'t find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

          Comment


          • #6
            Thanks for that clip, Olden. So cool that they not only found it, but the staggering price for history:

            "Epic rock memorabilia brings epic money: Bob Dylan's sunburst Fender Stratocaster, first unsheathed at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, sold at auction for a record-breaking $965,000 on Friday, according to the Associated Press.
            Dropping nearly a cool million on an axe might seem excessive, but this guitar is one of the most iconic instruments in music history. Dylan's three-song Newport performance is the stuff of legend: Many folk diehards booed the set, viewing the switch to amplified rock as a sell-out (and labeling Dylan a traitor to the folk movement).
            Despite the historical importance of the instrument, Christie's auction house wasn't expecting such a massive price: pre-auction estimates for the guitar (which also included the original leather strap and hardshell case) were between $300,000 and $500,000. Within the case itself was another hidden gem: early-draft lyrics to three Dylan tunes ("Absolutely Sweet Marie," "I Wanna Be Your Lover" and two others). Those pieces were estimated between $3,000 and $30,000 by the auction house."
            --------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Speaking of silly gates and fences, in the Summer of 1967 I crashed the gates, along with about 50 other people, to see Jim Morrison and the Doors perform "Light my Fire" for a solid 20 minutes at Meehan Auditoruim, Brown University. But the real corker? My future wife was in the small group of gate crashers, and 2 plus decades were to pass before we met hmy:
            Rhode Island

            Comment


            • #7
              A year earlier....
              Mr. Tambourine Man....



              Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
              I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to
              Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
              In the jingle jangle morning, I'll come followin' you
              Though I know that evening's empire has returned into sand
              Vanished from my hand
              Left me blindly here to stand but still not sleeping
              My weariness amazes me, I am branded on my feet
              I have no one to meet
              And the ancient empty street's too dead for dreaming
              Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
              I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to
              Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
              In the jingle jangle morning, I'll come followin' you
              Take me on a trip upon your magic swirlin' ship
              My senses have been stripped, my hands can't feel to grip
              My toes too numb to step, wait only for my boot heels to be wanderin'
              I'm ready to go anywhere, I'm ready for to fade
              Into my own parade, cast your dancing spell my way
              I promise to go under it
              Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
              I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to
              Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
              In the jingle jangle morning, I'll come followin' you
              Though you might hear laughin', spinnin', swingin' madly across the sun
              It's not aimed at anyone, it's just escapin' on the run
              And but for the sky there are no fences facin'
              And if you hear vague traces of skippin' reels of rhyme
              To your tambourine in time, it's just a ragged clown behind
              I wouldn't pay it any mind, it's just a shadow you're seein'
              That he's chasing
              Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
              I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to
              Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
              In the jingle jangle morning, I'll come followin' you
              Then take me disappearin' through the smoke rings of my mind
              Down the foggy ruins of time, far past the frozen leaves
              The haunted, frightened trees, out to the windy beach
              Far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow
              Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free
              Silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands
              With all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves
              Let me forget about today until tomorrow
              Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
              I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to
              Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
              In the jingle jangle morning, I'll come followin' you
                And The Byrds interpretation of a Dylan tune. Dylan really liked and approved of The Byrds interpretations of his songs....
              For educational purposes only and no copyright infringement intended.About the song:"Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There Is a Season)", often abbreviated ...
              Last edited by CMD; 12-30-2017, 06:25 PM.
              Rhode Island

              Comment


              • #8
                Here's " Maggie's Farm" from the 65 Newport Folk Festival. Not hard to imagine, hearing that electric chord, why folk purists in the audience were aghast. It must have seemed like Dylan was assaulting them :unsure: :huh: :angry: This tune was like listening to the future of hard rock all in one piece, and man, did the boos cascade throughout Peabody Park. A three song set, cut short by a hostile crowd. Who had no idea they were witnessing one of the major turning points in popular music history. Folk would fade and rock and roll would rule the airwaves. "Maggie's Farm" was just too much for that mid Summer night's crowd to comprehend :blink:





                Click image for larger version  Name:	image_2015-02-22-2 [replaced].jpg Views:	1 Size:	58.2 KB ID:	207243

                Click image for larger version  Name:	image_2015-02-22-3 [replaced].jpg Views:	1 Size:	40.8 KB ID:	207244

                I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
                No, I aint gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
                Well, I wake up in the morning
                Fold my hands and pray for rain
                I got a head full of ideas
                That are drivin' me insane
                It's a shame the way she makes me scrub the floor
                I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
                I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more
                No, I aint gonna work for Maggie's brother no more
                Well, he hands you a nickel
                He hands you a dime
                He asks you with a grin
                If you're havin' a good time
                Then he fines you every time you slam the door
                I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother more.
                I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more
                No, I aint gonna work for Maggie's pa no more
                Well, he puts his cigar
                Out in your face just for kicks
                His bedroom window
                It is made out of bricks
                The National Guard stands around his door
                Ah, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more.
                I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more
                No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more
                Well, when she talks to all the servants
                About man and God and law
                Everybody says
                She's the brains behind pa
                She's sixty-eight, but she says she's twenty-four
                I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more.
                I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
                I aint gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
                Well, I try my best
                To be just like I am
                But everybody wants you
                To be just like them
                They say sing while you slave and I just get bored
                I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
                Last edited by CMD; 12-30-2017, 06:16 PM.
                Rhode Island

                Comment


                • #9
                  CMD wrote:

                  Thanks for that clip, Olden. So cool that they not only found it, but the staggering price for history:

                  "Epic rock memorabilia brings epic money: Bob Dylan's sunburst Fender Stratocaster, first unsheathed at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, sold at auction for a record-breaking $965,000 on Friday, according to the Associated Press.
                  Dropping nearly a cool million on an axe might seem excessive, but this guitar is one of the most iconic instruments in music history. Dylan's three-song Newport performance is the stuff of legend: Many folk diehards booed the set, viewing the switch to amplified rock as a sell-out (and labeling Dylan a traitor to the folk movement).
                  Despite the historical importance of the instrument, Christie's auction house wasn't expecting such a massive price: pre-auction estimates for the guitar (which also included the original leather strap and hardshell case) were between $300,000 and $500,000. Within the case itself was another hidden gem: early-draft lyrics to three Dylan tunes ("Absolutely Sweet Marie," "I Wanna Be Your Lover" and two others). Those pieces were estimated between $3,000 and $30,000 by the auction house."
                  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  Speaking of silly gates and fences, in the Summer of 1967 I crashed the gates, along with about 50 other people, to see Jim Morrison and the Doors perform "Light my Fire" for a solid 20 minutes at Meehan Auditoruim, Brown University. But the real corker? My future wife was in the small group of gate crashers, and 2 plus decades were to pass before we met hmy:
                    I'm not too surprised that particular iconic axe went for close to a million $ - I'm more surprised at Christi's in thinking it wouldn't. It's evident that Bob Dylan wouldn't have given 2 cent for it back in '65 after the show: artists can be so sensitive! 
                  Interesting to think that some kind of obscure miniscule electrical spark was fanned for you and the missus at a Light My Fire concert by the DOORS (the irony!): and only then becomes a flame 20+ years later. Amazing belated finds for both you and the Peterson family..
                  If the women don\'t find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    [QUOTE]Olden wrote:

                    Originally posted by CMD post=152879
                    Thanks for that clip, Olden. So cool that they not only found it, but the staggering price for history:

                    "Epic rock memorabilia brings epic money: Bob Dylan's sunburst Fender Stratocaster, first unsheathed at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, sold at auction for a record-breaking $965,000 on Friday, according to the Associated Press.
                    Dropping nearly a cool million on an axe might seem excessive, but this guitar is one of the most iconic instruments in music history. Dylan's three-song Newport performance is the stuff of legend: Many folk diehards booed the set, viewing the switch to amplified rock as a sell-out (and labeling Dylan a traitor to the folk movement).
                    Despite the historical importance of the instrument, Christie's auction house wasn't expecting such a massive price: pre-auction estimates for the guitar (which also included the original leather strap and hardshell case) were between $300,000 and $500,000. Within the case itself was another hidden gem: early-draft lyrics to three Dylan tunes ("Absolutely Sweet Marie," "I Wanna Be Your Lover" and two others). Those pieces were estimated between $3,000 and $30,000 by the auction house."
                    --------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Speaking of silly gates and fences, in the Summer of 1967 I crashed the gates, along with about 50 other people, to see Jim Morrison and the Doors perform "Light my Fire" for a solid 20 minutes at Meehan Auditoruim, Brown University. But the real corker? My future wife was in the small group of gate crashers, and 2 plus decades were to pass before we met hmy:
                      I'm not too surprised that particular iconic axe went for close to a million $ - I'm more surprised at Christi's in thinking it wouldn't. It's evident that Bob Dylan wouldn't have given 2 cent for it back in '65 after the show: artists can be so sensitive! 
                    Interesting to think that some kind of obscure miniscule electrical spark was fanned for you and the missus at a Light My Fire concert by the DOORS (the irony!): and only then becomes a flame 20+ years later. Amazing belated finds for both you and the Peterson family..
                    Knocks you off your seat when you have a conversation that goes like this:
                    Wife: "oh, hey, I went to that Doors concert!"
                    Me: "No kidding, wow, you never told me that, it was a great concert!"
                    Wife: "Yeah, it was. I crashed the gate to see it. A bunch of us did."
                    Me : "Say WHAT!!??" hmy:  :blink:  :rolf:
                    Rhode Island

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      B)  very cool Charlie! and what a great story! i like a bit of Bob Dylan's stuff. heres a good cover by the singer of Social Distortion...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEHqHUMjktU ...great CD too.
                      call me Jay, i live in R.I.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        So glad I stumbled on this thread! Dylan became my favorite music artist long ago, so thrilled to read these posts. Ive never seen those photos before. There is a great backstory to the life of that stratocaster immediately following the concert. In short, the pilot of Dylan's private flight from Newport claims the guitar/case/handwritten lyrics was left on the plan by dylan/dylans people. Attempts to return the guitar were unsuccessful at the time. Contacting Dylan was difficult to impossible. The guitar sat in a new jersey attic for decades! These are the claims by the pilots daughter in recent years. Antiques Roadshow, I believe, authenticated the guitar as the Newport guitar that made history. Attempts to inform Dylan of all this were met by indifference and/or silence. As i recall, dylan/his spokesperson first said he's not missing any guitars or something to that effect. A next attempt got a reply from a Dylan lawyer saying "if you think it's his then you shod return it". Dylan is an odd duck, for sure...

                        Click image for larger version

Name:	tumblr_inline_mtztcpFCiA1qzn1md.png
Views:	104
Size:	131.3 KB
ID:	278619
                        Location - Eastern Massachu

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Saw Dylan with the Dead probably 80's.. Great thread boom
                          Professor Shellman
                          Tampa Bay

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            The first record I ever bought was a Bob Dylan album. Music was better in analog and best if viewed live.
                            "Things have changed",
                            fldwlkr
                            Headwaters of the Little Miami, Ohio

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Subterranean Homesick Blues. The bearded guy in the background is beat poet Allen Ginsberg:



                              2017 documentary:

                              Rhode Island

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X